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  giorgis 2:22 pm on December 31, 2019 Permalink
  Tags: Mythras ( 6 ), Solo ( 133 )   

  Theseus Deeds – A Mythras Adventure in Bronze Age Greece (pt5-pt6) finale 

  pt5

  Cercyon

  

  Q: Is the scene as in the Myth? (Likely)
  A: No
  I will roll 1d8 on TWENE: 8: Remove major element. In the main variation of the myth, Cercyon (Κερκύωνας) was the King of Eleusis (Ελευσίνα). Instead I will go with an alternative variation where Cercyon is not royalty, thus removing a major element.

  Theseus reaches a crossroads. On his right, the road leads to Eleusis. He is about to take another step to continue to Athens, when he hears a voice call to him.
  “If you want to pass the crossroad, you will have to beat me. You look strong, I Cercyon, challenge you to combat.” A massive muscular man steps out from behind a stone wall.
  He takes a good look at Theseus’ armament. Sword, shield and club.
  “These won’t be necessary. Men are measured by their strength, not their weapons” He says and puts his hands on his waist.
  Theseus recalls once more Pittheus’ advice. This must be Cercyon, a robber that challenges passengers into wrestling combat and kills them with his bare hands by crushing their necks.
  Theseus won’t step away from a challenge. Vile as the man is, there is honor to be kept. He removes his armament and places his shield to the side of the wall.
  “I, Theseus accept your challenge Cercyon.” He responds and takes position against him.

  Initiative:

  Theseus: 17
  Cercyon: 17
  So the combat will happen simultaneously.

  Round 1:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus will attempt to grapple Cercyon.
  Theseus: Unarmed (59): 35: Success.
  Cercyon: Unarmed (61): 73: Failure.
  Since events happened concurrently, I will roll on Cercyon’s attack as well before resolving the results of Theseus’ successful attack.

  Cercyon Turn 1:

  Cercyon will attempt to grapple Theseus.
  Cercyon: Unarmed (61): 59: Success.
  Theseus: Unarmed (59): 63: Failure.

  Turn 1 resolution.

  Theseus chooses Trip Opponent. Cercyon opposes with: Brawn (32): 22: Success. Theseus wins the opposed roll. Theseus: Hit Location: Left Leg.
  For Cercyon will roll between the 4 possible special effects: 1: Choose Location.
  Q: Does he choose the head?
  A: Yes
  So the first turn leaves both wrestlers grappled. Cercyon has grabbed Theseus’ head enforcing a Hard penalty to Theseus, while Theseus has gotten Cercyon prone to the ground, grabbing his left leg, enforcing a Formidable penalty.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus will attempt to break free of the grapple.
  Theseus: Unarmed Hard-(40): 19: Success.
  Cercyon: Unarmed Formidable-(30): 93: Failure.
  Theseus manages to break free.

  Cercyon Turn 2:

  Cercyon will attempt to crush Theseus’ head.
  Cercyon: Unarmed Formidable-(30): 30: Success.
  I will spend one Luck Point to have Cercyon reroll his attack: 21: Success.
  Theseus: Unarmed Hard-(40): 73. Failure.
  I will spend one Luck Point to switch the roll to 37, thus saving winning the opposed roll.

  Theseus Turn 3:

  Theseus will attempt to strike Cercyon while he has him pinned down.
  Theseus: Unarmed (59): 57: Success.
  Theseus chooses Choose Location: Head: Damage: 4 HP: Minor Wound.

  The two wrestlers have at each other. Theseus grabs Cercyon from below, grasping tightly his leg, while Cercyon uses his strong legs to lock Theseus’ head inside them. The whole situation has Cercyon falling down on the ground while Theseus is on top, in control. Theseus knows that Cercyon may be at a disadvantage, but he can hurt him easily, with his headlock. Despite Cercyon’s strength, Theseus has called upon his ancestors and withstands the sheer pressure of Cercyon’s pincer like lock. He grits his teeth and manages, with an impressive twist, to break free. Free at last he finds this opportunity to lift Cercyon up and smash his head down on the ground. The tough man doesn’t seem to bother.

  Round 2:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus will attempt to strike Cercyon while he has him pinned down.
  Theseus: Unarmed (59): 12: Success.
  Cercyon: Unarmed Formidable-(30): 09: Success. Cercyon suffers no damage.

  Cercyon Turn 1:

  Cercyon will attempt to break free of Theseus’ grapple.
  Cercyon: Unarmed Formidable-(30): 98: Failure.
  Theseus: Unarmed (59): 09: Success.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus will attempt to strike Cercyon while he has him pinned down.
  Theseus: Unarmed (59): 60: Failure.

  The wrestlers keep on, but each attempt to gain advantage, is met with an equally successful attempt by the opponent. Cercyon remains on the ground, locked by Theseus, but he’s still unharmed.

  Round 3:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus will attempt to strike Cercyon while he has him pinned down.
  Theseus: Unarmed (59): 41: Success.
  Cercyon: Unarmed Formidable-(30): 86: Failure.

  Cercyon Turn 1:

  Cercyon will attempt to break free of Theseus’ grapple.
  Cercyon: Unarmed Formidable-(30): 38: Failure.
  Turn 1 Resolution: Theseus chooses Choose Location: Head: Damage: 4 HP: Serious Wound.
  Cercyon: Endurance (28): 44: Failure. He’s incapacitated.
  Theseus kills Cercyon.

  As Cercyon tries to break free once more, Theseus feels the center of balance changing. He takes this opportunity to lift Cercyon once more from the ground, and smash his head again down. Cercyon’s head now is bleeding, and the man isn’t responding. Another repetition, and Theseus kills the villain for good.
  He buries the villain, and continues on his journey.

  ---

  Session Background: Stat wise, Cercyon had the upper hand, that’s why I had to use my Luck Points (both) early in the fight.
  I got very confused with the grapple rules, and to top it off, I had concurrent initiative!
  The special effects were very limited this time.
  Since it was a very short session, I could have continued with the last fight, but I decided to pause here and maintain the one-deed-per-session economy that I have established. It’s also done, in order to replenish the used Luck Points which are even more important in solo play.

  ---

  pt6

  Procrustes

  Q: Is the scene as in the Myth?
  A: No, but, I will roll 1d4 in TWENE.
  TWENE: 4: Remove simple element.
  A simple element would be the ropes that the villain used. I will remove this from the scene.

  Dusk has hit, as Theseus nears towards Athens, walking on the Holy Street (Ιερά Οδός) of Athens.
  “Hey stranger. Night is about to fall.” He hears, and turns to see man call out to him.
  “I will offer you a bed to sleep at night and a roof over your head, if only you will help me with a menial task.” He continues.
  “I am tired from the journey, please lead the way.” Theseus agrees, aware that this might be the last robber his grandfather described.
  They enter his house, and on one side is an iron bed.
  Theseus realizes that this is the home of Procrustes (Προκρούστης), also known as Polypemon (Πολυπήμων). A blacksmith robber who had his victims lie on an iron bed. He then stretched them to fit, which killed the victims in the process.
  “What is that task you want me to help you with?” Theseus asks.
  “I want you to lie in this bed, so that I can adapt it to your needs. You see, I am a blacksmith and I am trying to design a bed that is stronger and better than the wooden beds.” Procrustes replies.
  “Please, settle yourself. You can set your armament aside. I’ll get to my tools and some soup for the night.” He continues.

  Theseus: Insight (49): 75: Failure.
  Theseus: Perception (39): 01: Critical
  Success. Theseus notices the bloody axe on the side of the bed. He’s certain this man is the robber.
  Theseus: Deceit (51): 62: Failure. I will use my first luck point to switch the digits to 26, and a success. I’m a fan of fail forward, and since this isn’t a critical success, I’ll have Theseus have a slight disadvantage.

  Theseus notices a bloody axe by the side of the bed. Procrustes doesn’t leave. He seems to linger waiting to see what Theseus will do. Realizing he might fail in his ruse like he did with Sinis, Theseus puts his armament to the side.
  Procrustes relieved, turns to his task, not paying attention to Theseus who has picked up the axe.
  “I don’t think I’ll be sleeping in this death bed tonight!” He says to Procrustes as he lowers the axe towards him.

  Procrustes: Insight (64): 97: Failure.
  Procrustes is surprised.

  Initiative:

  Theseus: 16
  Procrustes: 12

  Round 1:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus attacks Procrustes with his axe.
  Theseus: Combat Style (27): 59: Failure: I will spend the last Luck Point and reroll: 15: Success. Theseus gains two special effects.
  Theseus chooses: Bleed, Trip Opponent. Hit Location: Right Arm: Damage: 9 HP: Major Wound.
  Prokrustes: Endurance (30): 06: Success. He fails against the opposed roll and Bleeds.
  Prokrustes: Brawn (41): 36: Success. He wins against the opposed roll and isn’t Tripped.
  Prokrustes: Endurance (30): 78: Failure. He’s incapacitated.

  Theseus manages to turn the tables on the vile robber who used to plague the outskirts of Athens. With a slash of Procrustes’ battle axe, he chops of his right arm, trying to knock him down to his bed at the same time.
  Prokrustes doesn’t fall, but he yells out in pain and grabs his chopped off limb with his other arm. He looks at Theseus in terror before passing out due to blood loss.
  Theseus performs a coup de grace on the dismembered villain.
  The road to Athens is now clear.

  ---

  Session Background: This battle was even faster than the one with Cercyon! I had expected this one to last longer considering Prokrustes was the final villain.
  I took the risk of using the Luck Points at the beginning, and it paid off. This time, compared to the previous sessions, the dice rolled maximum damage at one hit, chopping off Prokrustes’ arm.
  I’ve had Theseus go for Deception once more, but I had him have to use Prokrustes’ battle axe, which he isn’t skilled at, and he fought at his base combat skill, which is considerably lower. In the myth, Theseus also used Prokrustes’ axe to chop off his limbs before mercy killing him.

  ---

  Campaign Summary

  Mythras is known to be a deadly gritty crunchy rpg, and it proved true to it’s reputation.

  There is a relevant text in the game describing that combat should be used as a last resort, due to how deadly it is, but Mythras is also known for how interesting the combat system is.
  Therefore all the six labors of Theseus were combat oriented. I’ve used his wits whenever possible (except the first encounter) and sometimes this had the added bonus of ending the combat sooner.

  MUNE as an Oracle with the modification for prewritten modules worked just right for my needs.
  Using the mythology as a basis was a learning experience. In spite of the difficulties involved of using stories as a prewritten adventure module (there are no stats, no difficulty levels, no default behavior) it worked out.

  There’s a lesson in reading about mythology for every fantasy rpg adventure designer (solo players and game masters alike).
  I mean, out of the 5 bandits, all of them had different ways to kill their victims, and 3 out of 5 had really interesting ways to do it. All this gives character and depth to an otherwise bland encounter.
  And that’s just a simple example of a common myth. I imagine if one delves into the mythology of different people, there would be abundant examples to be used.

  Overall I really liked Mythras. There where a couple of things that I would have done different. For example the climbing skill does not provide for ample narrative explanations. I’d have to delegate this to the Oracle, something which I wouldn’t want for a crunchy system.
  Also Mythras deadliness does not bode well for single character play. Introducing more than one character or foe would complicate combat to the point of sluggish pause. All is not lost though. I believe I can tamper with the Action Point Economy and homebrew some rules to facilitate solo play for a party of characters. This would demand of course to drop the theater of the mind and go for grid battle.
  Another topic is the Special Effects of Mythras. There are tens of those and I get really lost trying to find which are suitable. I’ll have to split the main table to several others to make it usable. Right now it’s like going into a programming if…then…else loop to find out which special effects are applicable. This isn’t a problem dedicated to solo play. I imagine a game master would have the same issue when trying to decide what special effects his minions would use. The solo play issue, is what I described in a previous session. Some special effects are preparations for counters to the opponent. This can be done with homebrew or oracle questions but it adds an extra layer of mechanisms over the top an already crunchy system.
   
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  giorgis 8:48 am on December 30, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Mythras ( 6 ), Solo ( 133 )   

  Theseus Deeds – A Mythras Adventure in Bronze Age Greece (pt4) 

  Sciron

  

  Here’s my interpretation of the intervention: regress plot.

  The next day, Theseus continues on his path towards Athens. The trail takes him on a dangerous path, alongside the cliffs, there a landslide has blocked the road. Theseus will have to either remove the boulders or find another way.

  Theseus will attempt to climb through the blocked path.
  Theseus: Athletics (39): 14: Success.

  Theseus finds the necessary footholds, and quickly he manages to get on top of a sheer boulder blocking the path.

  Now that he has a better facing, Theseus will attempt to push the large boulder off the cliff.
  Theseus: Brawn (58): 34: Success.

  Theseus may have gotten past the obstacle, but what about fellow travelers? He muscles up his strength and pushes slowly the boulder, until it rolls off the cliffside. The path can now be easily cleared.

  Theseus approaches Sciron’s location.
  Q: Is the scene as in the myth?
  A: Yes, and, it’s going to be Likely in the next scene question.
  Theseus: Perception Easy-(58): 51: Success. He notices the giant turtle by the sea.

  Ever vigilant, Theseus looks down the cliffside. What he sees, gives even more truth to Pittheus’ advice. The old man has yet to be proven wrong.
  By the cliffside at the rocky shore, await a sea turtle. The size of which could scare brave men.
  Theseus recalls Pittheus telling him about another villain, called Sciron (Σκίρωνας), an elderly man who forced travelers to wash his feet, and then he kicked them off the cliff, down to their deaths. Those who survived, were eaten alive by the giant turtle.
  Theseus looks ahead, and he sees an old man, sitting by a stool by the path, a bucket of water at his side.
  Theseus approaches, and the old man stands up. “Hold it there traveler. If you wish to pass, you must pay tribute.”
  “What is the tribute?” Theseus asks.
  “You must wash my feet. They are weary, and need some care.” Sciron replies.
  Theseus kneels to wash Sciron’s feet.

  Theseus will attempt to Deceit Sciron that he shows obedience, and then he will grapple him to throw him off the cliff.
  Theseus: Deceit (51): 10: Success.
  Sciron: Insight (46): 98: Failure. Sciron falls for Theseus’ Deceit.
  Sciron suffers the effects of Surprise.

  Initiative:

  Theseus: 20
  Sciron: 9

  Round 1:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus will spend 1 AP and attempt to grapple Sciron who is surprised.
  Theseus: Unarmed (59): 16: Success. Theseus wins 2 Special Effects, since Sciron is surprised.
  Theseus chooses: Choose Location: Right Leg, Grip.

  Sciron Turn 1:

  Sciron will spend 1 AP and try to escape from Theseus’ grapple.
  Sciron: Unarmed Hard (40): 47: Failure.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus will spend 1 AP and attempt to throw Sciron off the cliff.
  Theseus: Brawn (58): 91: Failure.

  Sciron Turn 2:

  Sciron will spend 1 AP and try to escape from Theseus’ grapple.
  Sciron: Unarmed Hard (40): 12: Success.
  Theseus: Unarmed (59): 67: Failure. I will spend 1 Luck point to reroll this: 55: Success. Theseus wins the opposed roll as he scored higher.

  Theseus Turn 3:

  Theseus will spend 1 AP and attempt to throw Sciron off the cliff.
  Theseus: Brawn (58): 14: Success.

  As Theseus kneels and wets his hand with water from the bucket, Sciron relaxes and lets his guard down. The moment Sciron extends his leg, Theseus grabs it and doesn’t let go. Sciron’s eyes open with surprise, he tries to pull off Theseus, but he’s too strong for him.
  Theseus plants his legs firmly, and with renewed footing, he pulls strongly Sciron who loses his balance, and throws him off the cliff, to his death.

  Q: Is Sciron dead?
  A: Yes

  Sciron’s body lies motionless at the bottom of the cliff, where the giant sea turtle starts chewing at it.

  ---

  Theseus will climb down the cliff.
  Theseus: Athletics (39): 74: Failure.
  Theseus: Athletics (39): 96: Failure.
  Theseus: Athletics (39): 77: Failure.
  Theseus: Athletics (39): 99: Fumble. He falls down! I will spend Luck point to reroll this: 92: Failure.
  Theseus: Athletics (39): 17: Success.

  It’s a tough climb down, and Theseus slips, only managing to get hold of tree by the cliffside before dropping down to the void. At the end, with a lot of effort, he’s at the sea level, the turtle a few meters away, still chewing at Sciron’s corpse.

  I will tried to generate some stats for the turtle.
  I have no idea if it’s balanced, but here goes.

  Theseus will try to make a stealthy approach.
  Theseus: Stealth (28): 64: Failure.
  Turtle: Perception (17): 25: Failure.
  Neither succeeded, so there’s no ambush, but the Turtle is occupied eating Sciron.

  Pebbles and rocks roll down the cliff as Theseus descends. He hoped for a silent approach, but the moment he comes close to the reptile, it leaves Sciron, and turns to face Theseus.

  Initiative

  Theseus: 22
  Turtle: 15

  Round 1:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus will attack the turtle with his iron club spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 64: Success.
  Turtle: Teeth, Crushing (41): 44: Failure.
  Theseus chooses Choose Location: Hit Location: Head: Damage: 4 HP: No Damage.

  Turtle Turn 1:

  Turtle will attack Theseus spending it’s last AP.
  Turtle: Teeth, Crushing (41): 49: Failure.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus will attack the Turtle, spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 60: Success.
  Theseus chooses Choose Location: Hit Location: Head: Damage: 4 HP: No Damage.

  Theseus Turn 3:

  Theseus will attack the Turtle, spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 01: Critical Success.
  Theseus chooses Bypass Armor and Maximize Damage: Hit Location: 12: Body: Damage: 10 HP: Minor Wound.

  With the gigantic reptile’s head facing him, Theseus scores two hits with his club, but it’s not fazed at all. At last he strikes with all his might to an opening right under the creature’s carapace. It moans, but isn’t slowed down a little bit.

  Round 2:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus will attack the turtle with his iron club spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 56: Success.
  Turtle: Teeth, Crushing (41): 93: Failure.
  Theseus chooses Press Advantage: Hit Location: 16: Left Fore Flipper: Damage: 9 HP: Minor Wound.

  Turtle Turn 1:

  The turtle will delay using its AP for a parry.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus will attack the turtle with his iron club spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 20: Success.
  Turtle: Teeth, Crushing (41): 95: Failure.
  Theseus chooses Stun Location: Hit Location: 11: Body: Damage: 2 HP: No Damage.

  Theseus Turn 3:

  Theseus will attack the turtle with his iron club spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 65: Success.
  Theseus chooses Choose Location: Hit Location: Body: Damage: 4 HP: No Damage.

  As it moves its flipper to the front, Theseus hits it hard, smashing it, and tries again to hurt it under its carapace, but fails to find an opening, his blows glancing away by the beast’s armor.

  Round 3:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus will attack the turtle with his iron club spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 79: Failure.

  Turtle Turn 1:

  Turtle will attack Theseus spending 1 AP.
  Turtle: Teeth, Crushing (41): 60: Failure.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus will attack the turtle with his iron club spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 98: Failure.

  Turtle Turn 2:

  Turtle will attack Theseus spending 1 AP.
  Turtle: Teeth, Crushing (41): 26: Success.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 78: Failure.
  The Turtle will choose Grip: Hit Location: 7: Abdomen: Damage: 9 HP: Serious Wound.
  Theseus: Endurance (43): 02: Critical Success. He doesn’t pass out.

  Theseus has over reached. Frustrated, he tries again and again, failing to hurt the turtle. At one moment of carelessness, he lets the creature too close, and it bites him right in the abdomen. He screams in pain, feeling his insides get crushed. The beast has locked its jaws and doesn’t let go.

  Round 4:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus Fatigue: Endurance (43): 48: Failure. He gains one level of Fatigue.
  Theseus will attempt to break free of the grip. Theseus Brawn (39): 08: Success.
  Turtle: Brawn (31): 10: Success. The Turtle wins the opposed roll. Theseus remains grappled.

  Turtle Turn 1:

  The turtle will continue its grip.
  Turtle: Brawn (31): 55: Failure.
  Theseus: Brawn (39): 07: Success. Theseus gains no damage.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  I’m quite confused at this point regarding the action points economy and the struggle. So instead Theseus will try to break free again, but the roll will be unopposed.
  Theseus: Brawn (39): 55: Failure.

  Theseus has started to get winded by the combat. He’s out of breath when he tries to force the turtle’s strong jaws open, and he can’t succeed. His efforts aren’t for naught though, as the creature can’t bite him deeper, Theseus still clinging to his life.

  Round 5:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Turtle Fatigue: Endurance (40): 10: Success.
  Theseus will attempt to break free of the grip. Theseus Brawn (39): 11: Success.
  Turtle: Brawn (31): 100: Critical Fumble. Theseus breaks free and gains a special effect. Theseus chooses Accidental Injury: Hit Location: 10: Body: Damage: 8 HP: Serious Wound.
  Turtle: Endurance (40): 53: Failure: Unconsciousness.

  Theseus kills the turtle.

  Theseus gathers all his strength. He manages to pull the jaws open. Startled the turtle starts to thrash around with its flippers, crushing at the rockside, catching its flipper under a huge rock. As it tries to break free, it tears a tendon that runs to its inside, lashing out in pain and closing its eyes incapacitated. Theseus, doesn’t waste any moment. He climbs on top of the beast and drives his xiphos deep down its neck.

  Theseus spends some time to recover his breath, then tends to his wound.
  Theseus: First Aid (43): 73: Failure.
  Theseus: Healing (29): 20: Success: Heals 1d3 HP: 1 HP. The injury stays a Serious Wound.
  Theseus: Survival (28): 60: Failure. Theseus can’t find a place to stay there.
  Theseus will remove the carapace of the Turtle. Theseus: Crafting (58): 28: Success.
  Theseus will Climb back up. Theseus: Athletics (39): 65: Failure.
  Theseus: Athletics (39): 71: Failure.
  Theseus: Athletics (39): 79: Failure.
  Theseus: Athletics (39): 22: Success.
  Theseus climbs back up.

  Wounded, Theseus travels to Megara (Μέγαρα) to stay one week until healed.

  In the meantime, Theseus will attempt to craft a shield from the turtle shell.
  Theseus: Crafting (58): 17: Success, 25% Complete.
  Theseus: Crafting (58): 37: Success, 50% Complete.
  Theseus: Crafting (58): 62: Failure.
  Theseus: Crafting (58): 03: Critical Success, 100% Complete.

  During his time in Megara, Theseus recovers from the turtle’s bite, and uses her carapace to forge a fine shield.
  His fame grows, having dispatched three robbers and killed two beasts, and he continues on his path to Athens.

  ---

  Session Background: In Mythras it’s heart racing every time I get into combat.
  I really liked how the encounter with Sciron played out, so close to the myth depiction.
  The turtle combat on the other hand, oh boy was tough. The armor was really hard to get past and I realized that only through a critical could I score damage with certainty. Also noticed that the special effect Maximize Damage can only be chosen with a critical strike, so I may have done a mistake or two in past sessions.
  I’m not 100% certain that I made the rulings correct regarding unarmed combat and the turtle’s grip, but it made sense to me according to what I read in the book.
  Finally I would like to note something regarding the Climbing (Athletics) skill. I didn’t like the interpretation gameswise. I wanted something a tad bit more detailed. Maybe not as much as the Moving Maneuvers of MERP, but maybe something using task rounds.
  Story wise I’m not focusing at all on Theseus’ downtime in Megara, and sticking to the deeds and how they play out. It’s a nice get-to-know for me regarding the Mythras system, even though I’m still just scratching the surface.
   

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  giorgis 1:58 pm on December 28, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Mythras ( 6 )   

  Theseus Deeds – A Mythras Adventure in Bronze Age Greece (pt3) 

  Phaea

  Q: Is the scene as in the Myth?
  A: Yes

  

  Theseus, on his way towards Athens, decides to stop near Crommyon (Κρομμυωνία). There, the locals are plagued by a wild boar, called the Crommyonian Sow, named Phaea (Φαία), after the name of the woman who raised it. A savage and formidable wild beast.
  She never trained it to hold back and it attacks and eats men and young children alike.
  The people’s stables are ruined. Their crops trampled. Anyone who wanders in the countryside is afraid of his life. The local authorities are too afraid to do anything about it.
  Theseus decides to put an end to this and hunt the vile beast.

  Now, considering how deadly combat in Mythras is, and the superior combat statistics of a boar and it’s thick hide, Theseus needs to take a smart approach to kill it. Maybe set a trap and bait and attack it. Head on nevertheless would be suicide.
  I was hoping I’d be lucky and get the myth variation, where Phaea is instead a vile mannered woman who was named the Sow due to her uncouth manners, but again the Oracle has spoken.

  ---

  Any elaborate trap would require the professional Mechanisms skill to set up, therefore Theseus will try something less delicate.
  Theseus will set up sharp wooden sticks and try to dig up a hole for the sow to fall inside. He intends to cover it all up with leaves and branches, though guiding a sow inside shouldn’t be hard.
  Theseus will use his Survival skill, augmented by Locale and Conceal to set up the traps.
  Each roll will be a Task Round. If I roll doubles during any Task Round, then this means that Phaea has been made aware of Theseus before he has finished his trap and will come after him.

  Task Round 1:
  Theseus: Survival (42): 11: Success. 25% Completion. The Crommyonian Sow has detected him.
  Each 25% represents a set of spikes for a total of 3 sets, and the last 25% represents the pit. If Theseus had surpassed 100% then he would have set wooden spikes inside the pit as well. All of this is for naught now. I intend to keep both my Luck Points, so I won’t reroll this even if I’m at a disadvantage.
  Theseus has only managed to set up a set of wooden spikes behind him.

  Theseus has spent an entire day chopping wood and setting up sharp wooden spikes. He has started preparing a trap for the Crommyonian Sow, one that will give him the advantage that he needs to finish the beast. He has found a nice spot which has only one entrance. As the sun sets, Theseus has set up a set of wooden spikes towards the far end of the opening.

  Theseus: Perception – Very Easy (78): 44: Success.

  Theseus hears a pig snort and the trampling of hooves carrying a heavy beast. Quickly he grabs one of the spikes to use as a spear and turns to face the large boar rushing towards him from the single opening.
  The boar has its head down, tusks aimed at Theseus and a red gaze set upon him. It growls once more as it charges towards the young man.

  Initiative:

  Theseus: 20
  Phaea: 21

  Round 1:

  Phaea Turn1:

  Phaea charges through Theseus spending 1 AP, Theseus will brace his spear and counterattack spending 1 AP.
  Due to the Long Reach of the spear against the Short Reach of the Tusks, Theseus attacks first.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 65: Success. He chooses Impale. Hit Location: 17: Left Front Leg. Theseus has Set the spear, so he gains Phaea’s charge damage modifier of +1d8. I decided to not give the spear 1d8+1 damage, but only 1d8, since it’s not a proper weapon. Also it has fewer AP/HP. Damage: 11: (-2HP) Serious Wound. The impaled weapon adds a Formidable grade to Phaea’s skills.
  Phaea: Endurance (62): 39: Success, she continues. Goring Grunter (Tusks – 7%): 60: Failure.

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus readies his iron club spending 1 AP. He chooses to leave the stick impaled into Phaea.
  Note: Phaea is unable to attack again for 1d3 turns, but Theseus is smarter than to go after her yet. He waits for Phaea to attack again. 1d3 turns elapse.

  Phaea Turn2:

  Q: Does Phaea charge again? (Likely, it’s a wild boar, blinded by rage)
  A: Yes
  Phaea charges through Theseus spending 1 AP, Theseus will counterattack with his iron club.
  Phaea: Goring Grunter (Tusks – 7%): 24: Failure.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 97: Failure.

  As Phaea gallops and charges with all her might towards Theseus, unstoppable as she seems, Theseus doesn’t waver. He points the sharp stick towards her, and as the beast crashes, it impales through her front leg. It roars in pain, and changes direction, at the same time, avoiding the spikes behind Theseus.
  Theseus leaves the stick latched onto her, and draws his club as she comes back for another round, and passes through, noone managing to hit each other during the fast exchange.

  Round 2:

  Phaea Turn 1:

  Q: Does Phaea charge again? (Likely, it’s a wild boar, blinded by rage)
  A: Yes, and she will do it again the next Turn.
  Intervention (at the end of combat Round).
  Phaea charges through Theseus spending 1 AP, Theseus will counterattack with his iron club.
  Phaea: Goring Grunter (Tusks – 7%): 93: Failure.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 70: Failure.

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus will set himself right in front of the sticks so that in the next charge, Phaea will have to go through them unless she evades them.

  Phaea Turn 2:

  Q: With the spikes behind Theseus, does Phaea charge through or charge to contact?
  A: Charge to contact.
  Phaea charges to Theseus spending 1 AP, Theseus will counterattack with his iron club.
  Phaea: Goring Grunter (Tusks – 7%): 80: Failure.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 95: Failure.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus will attack Phaea with his club, spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (67): 36: Success. He chooses Maximize Damage: Hit Location: 5: Left Rear Leg: Damage: 9 HP: Serious Wound. Endurance (62): 95: Fail. Phaea falls Prone from the pain. She falls on her left side where both legs are wounded. Theseus finishes her off.

  As the boar charges yet again, Theseus sets himself in position so that she will crash right into the wooden spikes behind him. But as if the beast understands tactics, it charges at Theseus and doesn’t go through. Theseus expecting the charge has moved to the side, and with the flank exposed, he smashes at the sow’s leg with such force that the beast goes limp in the rear as well. With both her left legs seriously wounded, she falls at her side. Theseus draws his blade, moves at the growling pig’s back, and drives it deep behind her skull, killing her.

  Intervention: New Entity
  Q: Does the sow’s crone appear?
  A: No, and she isn’t nowhere to be found.
  In some variations of the myth, Theseus also went after to woman who raised the Crommyonian Sow and killed her as well, but it seems that this won’t happen this time.
  Q: Is it the local militia?
  A: No, and it’s not human.
  Q: Is it a wolf?
  A: Yes.
  Q: Is it more than one?
  A: No, and it’s not hostile.
  Q: Does it approach?
  A: Yes, but, it keeps a safe distance.

  As Theseus removes his xiphos, he notices at the edge of the woods, a pair of yellow eyes. It’s a wolf. He almost goes for a wooden spike, but he notices that the animal doesn’t growl. There’s some serenity in its look, staring directly into Theseus’ eyes.
  Theseus cuts off Phaea’s head and removes it’s tusks as proof for the kill, and then distances himself.
  As soon as he leaves, the wolf approaches and starts eating at the carcass.
  Theseus can but wonder what is the story between the wolf and the sow. Maybe he has gained an ally. He chooses not to attack the creature and continue on.

  I will have some metagaming questions here since I can’t avoid it. Since it’s not a free form quest, it’s necessary for the way I run this adventure.
  Q: Was the wolf a human once? (Likely)
  A: Yes, and they were transformed to a wolf when they prayed to Diana (Άρτεμις) to save them from Phaea.
  Q: Will the wolf assist Theseus in the future? (Likely)
  A: Yes, and it will follow Theseus from a distance.
  Intervention: 5: Regress Plot.
  I can add an obstacle to be overcome in order for Theseus to meet the next Labour. I will detail it in the next session as it fits better there.

  ---

  Session Background: After facing Sinis, just reading the Boar stats had me worried.
  I was really scared going in the battle and anxious about the first combat rolls. Setting the spear was the smart thing to do. Retrospectively, it evened the odds, but since I’m not acquainted with Mythras yet, I didn’t know it at the time, and just chose combat options as I went.
  After the first impale, I knew I had to leave the spear inside the boar and not take it out, as it hindered the sow’s stats by two whole grades.
  I think the wolf was a nice intervention. I tried to go with the Greek theme where transformations were pretty common. Didn’t ask more, maybe it will be revealed in the future, but it’s nice to have a sidekick just in case. I intend to have it as an one-off assist.
  Setting the traps was the right thing to do. In general the more I read about Theseus, the more I find out that despite his strength, he was brains before brawns. In one description of the fight against Periphetes, he pointed out that the club wasn’t full metal, and Periphetes gave it to him to inspect it, so Theseus killed him with it. I’d have tried this approach if I had read about it first.
  In the fight against Sinis, he did deceit Sinis into following his ruse, and then released the tree hitting Sinis in the face, knocking him out. Well I tried deceit and failed, so I’m happy with how I tried things out.
  In the fight against the Sow, I couldn’t find details, but considering the above (and the ones that will follow), trapping the pig makes for a sound approach.

   
• 

  giorgis 8:11 am on December 26, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Mythras ( 6 )   

  Theseus Deeds – A Mythras Adventure in Bronze Age Greece (pt2) 

  Sinis

  Theseus will rest through the night, recovering the last HP to heal his head injury. He has a Healing Rate of 3. For a Minor Wound such as his, this means 3 HP per day, which is just enough for 1 HP for 8 hours of rest. Then, he continues on to his path towards Athens.

  

  Q: Is the scene as in the Myth?
  A: No, and I will roll 1d10 on TWENE.
  TWENE: 8: Remove major element.
  So there two variations of the Myth. The most popular was that Sinis tied up his victims to two pine trees that he had bent, and then released them, the force of the pine tree cutting them in half. I will go with the other variation of the Myth, removing one of the two pine trees, which is a major element.

  As Theseus continues on his path, he hears struggling. Walking towards the disturbance, he sees a man holding a huge branch of a pine tree. As the man notices Theseus he calls out to him.
  “Help me stranger. I am trying to get this tree down to remove the pines. Will you lend a hand?” He asks pleading.

  I consider this a Very Easy Insight roll, since Theseus knows about the man.
  Theseus: Insight (98): 60: Success.

  Theseus recalls Pittheus’ description of another robber. The man called Sinis (Σίνις), surnamed Pityokamptis (Πιτυοκάμπτης), the Pine-bender. He was known asking travelers to help him bend a pine tree. Then he released it, and the hapless victims were catapulted into the air, to their deaths.

  Theseus will try to Deceit Sinis, into believing he has fallen to his ruse, and instead will release the pine-tree before him. This will require both a successful opposed Deceit – Insight.

  Theseus: Deceit (51): 73: Failure
  Sinis: Insight (35): 78: Failure
  Both fail their opposed roll. Repeat.
  Theseus: Deceit (51): 32: Success
  Sinis: Insight (35): 03: Critical Success
  Sinis wins the opposed contest.
  Q: Does he try to play along?
  A: No, and he exposes Theseus directly
  Note: It’s a pity story-wise, I wanted to pit them against each other, both holding the pine tree, but the Oracle has spoken.

  “Certainly, let me help you with this tree.” Theseus tells Sinis, who notices Theseus still holding on to his iron club when approaching.
  “Wouldn’t you want to put your armament to the side? We’re all just friends here, there’s no trouble in these parts.” Sinis tells Theseus, pointing at his sword and club.
  Theseus doesn’t feel confident abandoning his gear next to such a vile man. He still holds his club, for far too long to give Sinis a reassuring answer. The two men look at each other, and Sinis lets of the pine tree, and picks a heavy branch.
  “You think you’re stronger than me?” He taunts Theseus.
  “Let’s find out”, Theseus responds and the two men face off.

  Initiative:

  Theseus: 17
  Sinis: 18

  Round 1:

  Sinis Turn 1:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus Parries spending 1 AP.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 80: Failure.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 63: Success. Theseus chooses Damage Weapon.
  Damage: 2 vs AP 4: No Damage.

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus attacks Sinis, spending 1 AP. Sinis Parries spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 35: Success.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 01: Critical Success. Sinis chooses Blind Opponent. Theseus spends 1 Luck Point to have Sinis re-roll his attack.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 11: Success. Sinis deflects all damage.

  Sinis Turn 2:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus Parries spending 1 AP.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 07: Success.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 87: Failure. Sinis chooses Stun Location.
  Sinis: Location: 10: Chest: Damage: 1d6+1d2: 8 HP: Serious Wound. Theseus spends his last Luck Point to have Sinis re-roll damage. Damage: 1d6+1d2: 6 HP: Minor Wound.
  Theseus: Endurance (43):22: Success. Theseus isn’t Stunned.

  As Sinis attacks with his club, Theseus aims for the weapon and hits it. Iron is stronger than wood, but that piece of wood holds on and doesnt break. Theseus rebounds on the attack, but doesn’t manage to get past Sinis’ defense.
  The pine-bender makes a quick strong attack right on Theseus’ chest, hurting him. Theseus coughs, but he holds on to his strength, not losing wind, staying in the fight.

  Round 2:

  Sinis Turn 1:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 91: Failure.

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus attacks Sinis, spending 1 AP. Sinis will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 94: Failure.

  Sinis Turn 2:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 62: Success.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 53: Success. Theseus deflects all damage.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus attacks Sinis, spending 1 AP. Sinis will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 36: Success.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 64: Success. Sinis deflects all damage.

  The two combatants exchange blows, but they both parry successfully, locking at each other with their gaze as the fight continues.

  Round 3:

  Sinis Turn 1:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 26: Success.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 45: Success. Theseus deflects all damage.

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus attacks Sinis, spending 1 AP. Sinis will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 47: Success.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 56: Success. Sinis deflects all damage.

  Sinis Turn 2:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 12: Success.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 06: Critical Success! Theseus chooses Overextend Opponent.

  Almost equal in skill, they don’t manage to get a hit, but finally, Theseus, calculates Sinis’ attack trajectory and steps aside just in the right moment for him to lose his balance.

  Round 4:

  Sinis Turn 1:

  Sinis cannot attack this turn since he’s overextended.

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus attacks Sinis, spending 1 AP. Sinis will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 98: Failure.

  Sinis Turn 2:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 19: Success.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 21: Success. Theseus deflects all damage.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus will delay, keeping his 1 AP for Parry.

  Sinis Turn 3:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 43: Success.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 67: Success. Theseus deflects all damage.

  Sinis Turn 4:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus has no AP left.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 19: Success. Sinis chooses Stun Location.
  Sinis: Location: 3: Right Leg: Damage: 1d6+1d2: 6 HP: Serious Wound.
  Theseus: Endurance (43): 14: Success. Theseus loses in the opposed roll. He falls prone.
  Theseus now has a Formidable difficulty while fighting. This does not bode well…

  The fight goes on, and Sinis, quickly finds lands a blow on Theseus’ right leg, almost smashing it. The pain is excruciating, and Theseus falls down on his knees. Trying to fight with only one good leg.

  Round 5:

  Sinis Turn 1:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 55: Success.
  Theseus: Combat Style (37): 78: Failure.
  Q: Does Sinis Compel Surrender?
  A: No
  Sinis chooses Stun Location.
  Sinis: Location: 6: Right Leg: Damage: 1d6+1d2: 3 HP: Minor Wound.
  Theseus: Endurance (43): 77: Failure. Theseus loses in the opposed roll. His leg is stunned. Though he’s already prone.

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus attacks Sinis, spending 1 AP. Sinis will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Theseus: Combat Style (37): 23: Success.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 05: Critical Success. Sinis deflects all damage and chooses Overextend Opponent.

  Sinis Turn 2:

  Sinis attacks Theseus, spending 1 AP. Theseus will only Parry re-actively. He intends to use the extra AP to gain the upper hand if required.
  Sinis: Combat Style (67): 96: Failure.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus can’t attack this Turn.

  Theseus Turn 3:

  Theseus attacks Sinis, spending 1 AP. Sinis has no AP left.
  Theseus: Combat Style (37): 37: Success. Theseus chooses Maximize Damage
  Theseus: Location: 18: Left Arm: Damage: 8+1d2: 9 HP: Major Wound.
  Sinis: Endurance (36): 97: Failure. He falls down in agony, incapacitated.

  Theseus tries to fight, on one leg. The pine bender, smiling at the upcoming fate of the hero. He swings his club again, and smashes at Theseus’ other leg, hitting a nerve so hard, that Theseus again loses control and falls down. Theseus swings back, from the ground, but Sinis, easily jumps back and avoids the strike. The distance is too great for Theseus to catch up to his opponent, but he persists.
  As Sinis nears from the other side, Theseus quickly rolls on his back and uses his momentum to bring an unbelievable strike with his iron club directly to SInis’ left arm. The hit is so strong, that Sinis is taken aback, his arm maimed and mangled. All the bones shattered and protruding from the skin, blood flowing everywhere. He screams in pain and falls down crying.

  Theseus: First Aid (43) – Right Leg: 86: Failure.
  Theseus: First Aid (43) – Left Leg: 93: Failure
  Theseus: Healing (29) – Left Leg: 11: Success: Heals 1d3 HP: 2 HP. The injury is now a Minor Wound.

  Theseus tries to bandage the bruises on his legs using some herbs to soothe the pain, but he can’t find anything that will help him. Instead he knows that what he has to do will hurt. One of the leg bones is slightly out of place. He grits his teeth, and with the help of some leverage, he puts it back into position, screaming in agony.
  He has regained control of his legs, and he feels much more confident now.

  Theseus tries to bring down the pine tree.
  Theseus: Brawn (58): 89: Failure.
  Q: Does he have a rope with him?
  A: Yes
  Theseus uses the rope to bring down the pine tree.
  Theseus: Brawn (82): 39: Success. He bends the pine tree with the help of the rope.
  Theseus lifts Sinis to put him on the pine tree. Theseus STR: 16, Sinis SIZ: 15, he can lift him.
  Theseus lets go of the bent pine tree,catapulting Sinis to his death.

  “You shall plague this land no longer Sinis.” Theseus sais to the incapacitated robber who cannot find the strength to speak, just cry in pain.
  At first Theseus tries to grab the tree just as Sinis had, but he lacks the size of the towering man.
  Instead, he uses a length of rope to grab well to the branch, and lowers it down with extreme difficulty, until its almost flat on the ground, and ties the rope well to the next tree so that the pine doesn’t move. Then he lifts up the robber and places him on the pine tree. He looks at Theseus almost pleading, but the young man is adamant. With a quick release of the rope knot, the robber is launched in the air, meeting his fate.

  ---

  Perigune

  Q: Is the scene as in the Myth?
  A: Yes
  Theseus: Perception (39): 42: Failure

  Theseus was told about Sinis’ daughter, the beautiful Perigune (Περιγούνη) and starts looking for her. He cries out her name, but she has hidden well in the foliage.
  “Show yourself lady. I will not hurt you. Your father was an evil man and met his end as he should. You were not part of his plan.” Theseus cries out to her.

  Theseus: Influence (64): 63: Success.

  Theseus hears a sigh of relief, and goes to the sound, to see Perigune lying in a bed of rushes and asparagus. She is praying and talking to the the brushwood shrubs and the asparagus thorns to give her shelter and vows to them that if she’s unharmed she won’t cut them down or burn them.
  “Do not be afraid.” He tells her.
  Perigune cries. Theseus can’t tell if it was because she feels relieved that a deceitful despot like her father is no more, or because of the stress of the combat and the screams she heard. He doubts that it’s because of loss. Because as she sees Theseus she finds comfort in his arms.
  The next few days Theseus spends them with her, and she helps tend his wounds. In due time she will bear him a son.

  ---

  Session Background: That was really close! Theseus failed roll after roll against Sinis. In the end, I was rolling just to see how the hero will perish. Thankfully in the last moment Theseus managed to come on top.
  I need to learn a bit more about how tactics work in Mythras, because otherwise it’s going to be very risky. I had to spend both my Luck Points in the first round of combat.
  It may feel that Sinis should have used a different set of special effects, but it was my understanding that this villain drew pleasure from the screams of the hapless live victims that were thrown afar from the trees. He didn’t want to kill Theseus, he wanted to stun him, and catapult him like all the others before him.
  I wanted to try a more roleplaying approach instead of combat again, but the dice didn’t help, so this entire session was essentially their fight, and a short scene with Sinis’ daughter. Not much to roleplay there. Just kept the initial myth story, as the Oracle answered and the game mechanics assisted.
  Also I’ve noticed that I forgot to add the base bonuses in the Professional Skills of Theseus. I will update the pt1 as needed.
  Another thing I noticed about soloing in Mythras is that there is an extra metagaming issue to deal with. Special Effects. If you know what the opponent will do you can prepare a counter, which is a problem when playing both the protagonist and the opponent. For now I will try to keep these to a minimum. Maybe add a mechanic like Deceit/Insight to see if I’m allowed to use them.
  Finally, regarding the use of the Myth as a prewritten adventure I find myself having trouble deciphering everything. What does ‘Is the scene as in the myth?’ mean. So far I have interpreted it as the initial setup. But I also interpreted that events depicted in the myth are easier, or more likely to succeed. For example in the scene with Perigune I gave Theseus a Very Easy modifier, because the myth stated that when she heard that she wouldn’t be harmed she got out of hiding. Maybe in the future I should ask some more metagaming questions to fill in the gaps that are not answered by the myth. If this was a prewritten module, for example, it might state a completely different difficulty, for any reason. Something to keep in mind.

   
• 

  giorgis 9:20 pm on December 22, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Mythras ( 6 )   

  Theseus Deeds – A Mythras Adventure in Bronze Age Greece (pt1) 

  Prologue – A hero in the making

  

  Theseus (Θησέας) is a hero of Greek Mythology. Since it’s my first time running Mythras I will try to make things easy. I will make use of the mythology as a pre-written adventure module and run Theseus through his deeds. In order to keep surprises at an acceptable level, I will be using the custom oracle for pre-written modules based on MUNE.
  Contrary to previous solo games I run, in this I won’t be using Recluse as an Oracle. I believe that the mechanic of False Presuppositions will provide too much chaos for this exercise.
  For character generation I will use the Points Build option. I will increase the points from 75 to 90, to take into account the heroic nature of Theseus. I read somewhere in the Mythras subreddit that 90 is a good points build for pulp campaigns, so I believe that it fits.

  ---

  Character Stats

  Name	Theseus
  Strength (STR)	16
  Constitution (CON)	14
  Size (SIZ)	12
  Dexterity (DEX)	13
  Intelligence (INT)	15
  Power (POW)	9
  Charisma (CHA)	11

  ---

  Attributes	Result
  Action Points	3
  Damage Modifier	+1d2
  Experience Modifier	0
  Healing Rate	3
  Height	180 cm
  Weight	88 kg
  Leg HP	6
  Abdomen HP	7
  Chest HP	8
  Each Arm HP	5
  Head HP	6
  Initiative Bonus	14
  Luck Points	2
  Magic Points	N/A
  Movement Rate	6

  ---

  Standard Skills	Percentage
  Athletics	39
  Boating	30
  Brawn	58
  Conceal	32
  Customs	70
  Dance	24
  Deceit	51
  Drive	22
  Endurance	43
  Evade	31
  First Aid	43
  Influence	32
  Insight	49
  Locale	40
  Native Tongue	66
  Perception	39
  Ride	22
  Sing	20
  Stealth	28
  Swim	45
  Unarmed	59
  Willpower	33

  ---

  Professional Skills	Percentage
  Courtesy	41
  Craft (Weapons/Shields)	58
  Oratory	40
  Survival	28
  Healing	29

  ---

  Style Name	Weapons	Traits	Percentage
  Troezenian Militia	Spear, Club, Xiphos, Shield	Batter Aside	74

  ---

  Passions	Percentage
  Loyalty to Troezena	54
  Love Aethra	50
  Hate Robbers	54

  ---

  Note: I won’t bother myself with equipment, resources and such things. Common sense and myth knowledge will apply. If necessary I will ask the Oracle.

  ---

  Sword and sandal

  Theseus is looking for the sword and sandals of his father, king Aegeas (Αιγέας) of Athens (Αθήνα), as his mother Aethra (Αίθρα), princess of Troezena (Τροιζήνα) has confided to him. He is looking for the rock under which they are hidden.

  Q: Is the scene as in the myth? (Likely)
  A: No
  Nice way to start the story!
  I will roll 1d8 on TWENE: 2: Decrease simple element
  The only element I can think of for the scene is the size of the rock. But that is the major element of the scene. Maybe then there is less overgrowth and it’s easier to find the rock.
  According to the myth, Theseus lifted the rock with ease.
  According to the character, Theseus can lift 105 kilograms without needing a Brawn roll and up to 185 kilograms with a Brawn roll.
  I decide that the rock will weigh 125 kilograms, and require an Easy Brawn skill roll.
  But first Theseus must find the rock. Since there is less overgrowth I too, deem that it requires an Easy Perception roll.
  Theseus: Perception (58): 18: Success. He finds the rock.
  Theseus: Brawn (87): 38: Success. He lifts the rock and finds the sandals and his father’s sword.

  Theseus looks around in the light growth, and sees a rock that seems out of place. The color does not agree with the color of the hillside. Realizing that this might be the rock his mother spoke of, he rushes to it, hugs it and lifts it with both of his hands. First he lowers down, to lift it with strength coming from his legs and knees and not his back, as his teacher Connidas (Κόννιδας) taught him. Quickly, he lifts the heavy rock, and puts it aside. Under it lay a pair of sandals and a xiphos (ξίφος), wrapped up in a light linen cloth, just as his mother instructed. He wears them, and returns to her.

  By sea or by land

  Q: Is the scene as in the myth? (Likely)
  A: Yes, and it’s less likely to be modified in the next scene.
  Intervention Count: 1

  To this day, Theseus was told that he was begotten by Neptune (Ποσειδώνας). Now Theseus wants to go to his father in Athens, and Aethra explains to him how dangerous it is to go from land. Robbers, murderers and villains plague the countryside. He should take a boat and go by sea.
  Theseus nevertheless decides to go by land. He wants to make a name for himself and cleanse the countryside.

  Note: I tried rolling to see if Aethra would convince him otherwise and she succeeded, but then the story wouldn’t evolve. Since player character freewill is involved and there is no magic to force him otherwise I decided to proceed.

  Q: Does Aethra tell him to go to her father for advice? (Likely)
  A: Yes, but only reluctantly.

  “Hercules did so much good for this land. I want to do the same. I want to help our people mother. I will go by land, maybe I will meet those robbers that you talk about. Could you share some of your knowledge?” Theseus asks his mother.

  Theseus: Influence (32) + Hate for Robbers (11): 79.
  Aethra: Love Theseus (80): 42.
  Aethra may not have been moved by Theseus’ words, but her love for her son is too much to let him go without any aid.

  “As much as it pains me to hear you say this, if you have set your mind to it then so be it. Go see your grandfather Pittheus (Πιτθέας) before you leave. He is the king, he should know about who plagues his lands.” Aethra succumbs to the love for her son and kisses him on the forehead for goodbye.

  The king’s knowledge

  Q: Is the scene as in the myth (Likely)
  A: Yes, and it’s less likely to be modified in the next scene.
  Intervention Count: 2

  Pittheus: Perception (80): 32: Pittheus notices Aegeas’ sword and sandals that Theseus has adorned.

  Theseus enters the court of King Pittheus, his grandfather. As soon as the king notices Aegeas’s sword and sandals, he speaks. “So, you have found your father’s heritage, grandson.”
  “I want to go meet him. I will go by land, purge it from the villains, while, I’m at it.” Theseus answers.
  “That is a perilous task young man.” Pittheus tells him.

  Note: again, here I made the mistake of asking if Pittheus would help Theseus. I’ve already established that the scene will play out as in the myth. There is no conflict involved. Pittheus will help Theseus. So I will rephrase the question.

  Q: Will Pittheus send help to Theseus?
  A: No. He will only share information as in the myth.

  “I know about these robbers and villains.” Pittheus pauses. “Come, let me share what my men have told me.”
  Pittheus tells Theseus all about the robbers of the countryside.

  I am not sharing the information on purpose. There’s the chance that a reader doesn’t know all of Theseus deeds and I don’t want to spoil the story as it evolves!
  I have calculated the distance from Troezen to Athens and the google maps give it a 33 hours walking distance. Therefore I consider that the journey is within walking distance, and at a minimum will take Theseus about 4 days. Of course, many things can happen along the way and delay the adventure.
  As an added bonus, the myths give the approximate locations of where the deeds happened.

  ---

  Periphetes

  Q: Is the scene as in the myth? (Likely)
  A: Yes

  Theseus is following the path along the coast, when the road takes him uphill, on the feet of Mt. Arachnaio (Αραχναίο). There, among the olive trees, lies a lone figure in the middle of the road.

  

  Theseus: Perception (58): 37: Success.

  Theseus notices the broad shouldered man as he approaches. On one hand he carries an iron club, and he rests it upon his shoulder.
  He recalls Pittheus’ advice. “Periphetes (Περιφήτης) son of Hephaestus (Ήφαιστος) is also known as Corynetes (Κορυνήτης), the club-bearer. He uses his iron club to hit travelers to the head and take their posessions.”

  “Hold it there traveler!” Periphetes shouts to Theseus. “You shall travel no further. The road is not safe for you anymore.”
  “You shall prey on good people no more Periphetes!” Theseus responds.

  Distance: 2d10 meters: 15 meters.

  My first combat in Mythras. First I need to get some stats for Periphetes.
  I use Myhtas Encounter Generator to create a template and I chose the strongest of the randomly generated results.

  Initiative:

  Theseus: 18
  Periphetes: 15

  Round 1:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus Readies his weapon and Moves 6 meters.

  Periphetes Turn1:

  Periphetes Moves 6 meters closer.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus moves and attacks, spending 1 AP. Periphetes Parries, spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 82: Failure
  Periphetes: Combat Style (62): 14: Success.
  Periphetes chooses Trip Opponent.
  Theseus: Brawn (58): 54: Success. He also wins the opposed roll because he scored higher.

  Periphetes Turn2:

  Periphetes attacks, spending 1 AP. Theseus Parries, spending 1 AP.
  Periphetes: Combat Style (62): 32: Success.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 92: Failure.
  Periphetes chooses Choose Location and aims for the Head.
  Damage: 4 HP: Minor Wound. Remaining HP on Theseus Head: 2.

  Theseus Turn 3:

  Theseus attacks spending 1AP. Periphetes has no remaining AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 72: Success. He chooses Disarm Opponent.
  I also roll on attack damage and Hit Location: 13: Right Arm: Damage: 1d6+1d2:4 HP. Serious Wound.
  Periphetes: Endurance (42): 21: Success. He fails the opposed roll because Theseus scored higher.
  Periphetes: Combat Style (62): 51: Success. He fails the opposed roll because Theseus scored higher.
  The weapon is flung: 1d2: 2 meters away.
  Due to the Serious Wound all tasks involving his Right Arm, will be one difficulty grade higher.
  Periphetes can only Parry or Evade for the next 1d3: 3 turns.

  The two men close up on each other. Theseus tries to slash at Periphetes, but he fails to find his target. Periphetes has moved aside and tries to use his iron club to trip Theseus, but the strong young man has plunged firmly his feet on the ground. Theseus slashes again, but as he fails to hit Periphetes, he finds an opening and hits Theseus firmly on his head, the blow leaving a bump on Theseus skull. Unstartled by the blow, the prince swings his xiphos against the club, and with a twisting motion as his teacher showed him, he forces it out of Corynetes’ hand and flings it away a couple of meters. As the xiphos yanks the weapon, Theseus rebounds with a quick slash at Periphetes’ arm, hacking it to the bone. Periphetes screams in pain, at a loss without his club.

  Round 2:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus attacks spending 1 AP. Periphetes Parries, spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 33: Success.
  Periphetes: Combat Style (41): 50: Failure. Theseus chooses Impale.
  I roll on attack damage and Hit Location: Left Arm: Damage: Max 1 of 2d6+1d2: 5 HP: Serious Wound.
  Due to the Serious Wound all tasks involving his Left Arm, will be one difficulty grade higher.
  Periphetes can only Parry or Evade for the next 1d3: 2 turns.

  Theseus Turn 2:

  Theseus attempts to yank the weapon free spending 1 AP. Periphetes cannot oppose Theseus.
  Theseus: Brawn (58): 5: Critical Success.
  Theseus yanks the weapon free and causes 1d3 further damage to the left arm: 1 HP.

  Theseus Turn 3:

  Theseus attacks spending 1AP. Periphetes Parries, spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 27: Success.
  Periphetes: Combat Style (31): 54: Failure. Theseus chooses Choose Location: Head.
  Theseus: Damage: 1d6+1d2: 5 HP: Serious Wound.
  Periphetes: Endurance (42): 16: Success. He doesn’t fall unconscious.
  Periphetes can only Parry or Evade for the next 1d3: 3 turns.

  Theseus hacks at the unarmed Periphetes who tries to parry using his arms. Theseus’ xiphos pierces through the robber’s left arm, and lodges deep inside it. Periphetes screams yet again in agony. His foe has the upper hand. Theseus pulls out the sword, hurting him once more. He clutches both his mangled arms and cries out. Not wasting anytime, he follows again, with a quick slash to Periphetes’ head, cutting off part of his face.

  Round 3:

  Theseus Turn 1:

  Theseus moves and takes Periphetes’ iron club from the ground spending 1 AP.
  Periphetes can do nothing.

  Theseus attacks Periphetes with the iron club spending 1 AP. Periphetes Parries, spending 1 AP.
  Theseus: Combat Style (74): 69: Success.
  Periphetes: Combat Style (31): 66: Failure. Theseus chooses Choose Location: Head.
  Theseus: Damage: 1d8+1d2: 10 HP: Major Wound.

  With Periphetes otherwise disabled, Theseus goes to where he dropped his iron club. He picks it from the ground, and scores another hit on the robber’s head. His skull cracks open, and he falls down dead. Suffering the same fate he has given to countless other travelers.

  Theseus takes the iron club as his own, and performs first aid on his injury to the head.
  Theseus: First Aid (43): 24: Success: 1d3: 3 HP Healed.

  He takes some time to apply some crushed healing herbs to his head with a bandage, and after burying the robber, he continues on his way.

  ---

  Session Background: Okay, no dying first session in. I call that a success.
  I’ve read everywhere how gritty and dangerous combat in Mythras is, and it couldn’t be more true. The details of the combat system were such, that I was almost feeling sorry for Periphetes being wounded again and again. I was really scared at that first hit Theseus took to the head. It could have meant the end in a quick stroke (that’s where the Luck Points can be handy). He managed to heal 3 out of the 4 hit points he suffered in combat, and he’s about to heal that last one with a good night’s rest.
  It’s also good to play it safe and go with the 90 points build, and keep the villains below that. Since he’s to face many threats, he ought to have the upper hand statistically, otherwise it’s game over in confrontation two or three. If needed, Theseus will seek healing and pause before proceeding with the adventure. He may be bold but he ain’t stupid.
  In the concept of pulp and mythology I gave Theseus no armor. In all depictions he’s facing the enemies unarmored and this makes combat even more dangerous. I realize that a man of his status should have some armor, but that goes against the setting and would make the adventure less challenging. He has to earn his name after all.
  There’s too much bookkeeping going into the combat of Mythras. It’s great when going face to face with just one opponent, but I doubt I could handle more. This makes me feel confident about my choice of adventure where each deed is one to one confrontation.
  Character generation took a while, but the system is pretty straightforward. I did some going back and forth between my pdfs but it’s to be expected since this is my first game in the system. Sometimes I learned quickly the rule and didn’t have to go back to check it again. I am also glad to know that after double-checking a couple of potential mistakes I made, I realized I had done things the correct way, so I moved on, without further worry.
  I don’t know yet how to feel about d100 roll under systems. I think I’m predisposed when I know the odds in such a clear manner – 74% Wow that’s really high, and – boom 92, I miss – and I get frustrated when the highest odds fail. Maybe it will take some getting used to the system over the d6 or savage worlds fuzzy mechanics which had wild dice, and where the odds weren’t visible at first glance.

   
• 

  giorgis 5:29 pm on December 21, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: SavageWorlds ( 19 ), Solo ( 133 ), Warhammer ( 16 )   

  The siege of Ostenhofen pt8 – Finale and Thoughts 

  A Savage Worlds Warhammer Fantasy Battles mashup.

  First of all it’s very important to see where the Undead will strike next. I will roll 2d6 on the To The Battlements! engine.
  Undead: 5,5: 10 -> Goto 12: Walls.
  But this triggers a special event: 2d6: 6: Goto 1: Sabotage! Tools and Weapons are ruined.
  Since the party isn’t in the city, I won’t follow up on the event. I will consider that it occurred (by whom? dark cultists maybe?) and the defenders had no way to stop it.

  Now I need to see what will the party do.
  I will consider their personalities, and backgrounds.

  Bianka

  Demeanor: Aggressive
  UNE: reputable recluse, Record the public
  BOLD: common traitor overcome by personal resources
  Corruption: Egotistical, Obsessive, Deceitful
  Savage Worlds: Vengeful, Stubborn

  Bianka is a young woman who has made a reputation as a rat catcher. She’s quite aggressive against the critters and doesn’t like the company of other people, keeping to herself.
  She wants to beat the numbers of rats she catches in comparison to the other rat catchers.
  In the last town she was in, a fellow rat catcher stole her bag of rats and sold it off as his own. She used her wits and skill and managed to catch an even larger number of rats, this fulfilling her contract.
  Bianka just came upon Evie’s company and by happenstance they go in the same direction.
  Bianka survived the night of the blood in the hooded man, but got corrupted by chaos from the demon they fought.
  Update: Considering, the corruption of Tzeentch slowly seeping in, and all she has suffered, there’s a high chance that Bianka might go rogue. I think she is becoming obsessed with the rat catcher that betrayed her, and wants to exact vengeance now in a less peaceful manner. She wasn’t aware that giant rats existed. Maybe this can be part of her plan for vengeance.

  Evie

  Demeanor: Traditional
  UNE: lazy activist, offend the wealth
  BOLD: pleasant deputies overcome by scarce-used ability
  Savage Worlds: Vow, Cautious

  Evie is the daughter of Baron Vogel. She is traditional and doesn’t want radical changes, and has taken it upon herself to see that the wealthy merchants are taxed heavily and the taxes are given to the nobility. She’d prefer if someone else would help her on this task though.
  To that end, she wants to charm the neighboring prince into marriage and she has left the estate with her bodyguard Rudiger and her servant Gustav to go to the castle where she was invited.
  On the way they were stopped by some friendly roadwardens who, seeing her wealth, required tolls to be payed. Using her knowledge of the law she reminded them that only the toll collector had the authority to collect tolls and they should be careful lest they be mistaken for brigands preying on hapless travelers.
  Evie, despite her status got arrested by the road wardens and brought to Ostenhofen. She had hoped to meet Prince Ingmar, but the orc siege foiled her plans.
  Update: Confronted with demons, mutants, orcs and undead may have shaken Evie. I doubt she cares anymore about offending the wealth. Maybe she will have to change motivations (and Vow).

  Gustav

  Demeanor: Flamboyant
  UNE: obnoxious fortune-hunter, convey opulence
  BOLD: lethargic traitor overcome by strong attribute
  Savage Worlds: Greedy

  Gustav is Evie’s servant. Despite his low status he is flamboyant, and tries to siphon off wealth from Evie to show off. He wears expensive clothing and behaves as someone above his class. Evie likes him so she tolerates it, but others are not so disposed. He passes of to his peers as an obnoxious fortune-hunter, which actually he is.
  When the estate cook started gossiping about Gustav, he managed to find him sleeping on more than one occasion and convinced Evie to demote him to stable boy. Gustav was escorting Evie to the castle where she was invited by the prince when the events of the night of blood occurred.
  Update: Gustav is out of his comfort zone for far too long. They haven’t had a proper safe, cozy, rest without the hint of danger in weeks now. He wants this crusade of Evie to end, and get back to improving his status (and wealth).

  Rudiger

  Demeanor: Hardboiled
  UNE: addicted judge, spoil the oppressed
  BOLD: deceiving labor overcome by on accident
  Corruption: Miserly, Impatient
  Savage Worlds: Loyal, Mean, Arrogant

  Rudiger is an old soldier who was appointed as a guard to the baron’s estate. As Evie grew, the baron appointed Rudiger to be her personal bodyguard.
  Rudiger is a veteran of many battles, and little that he sees shakes him. He has seen orcs, goblins and the occasional bandit. He believes firmly in the order of things and that the poor are supposed to stay poor and support the nobility.
  When he was younger, he was once deceived by an agitator to fight for ‘the cause’ and free the peasants from their lords rule. When, by mistake he came upon the peasant leaders divulging in their loot, he killed them all and left. He decided never to assist the traitorous peasants again and took it upon himself to punish them whenever possible. His combat skills and passion for riot control soon were noticed by the baron, who took him under his employment.
  After the last peasant revolt he has taken it upon himself to root out any danger that comes from the low classes. On such events, he alone decides the fate of the prisoners.
  His harsh life is not without scars though, and he has turned to be a functional alcoholic.
  Rudiger is escorting Evie as a bodyguard.
  Update: Corrupted by chaos, Rudiger’s faults have increased. He no longer has patience for the beggars and the poor, and may outright attack any street urchin who will try to pickpocket him. Seeing the threats to the Empire and Evie has made him even more likely to stand at her side, as she has proven that she fights for what is right.

  ---

  “She hasn’t improved at all. The orcs and the undead may be here anytime soon!” Gustav says.
  Evie and her companions are sitting by the fire in The Broken Wand, considering what they will do with Bianka.
  “My lady. You know that I am loyal. Bianka has stood by us in many fights, but she always went her own way. My loyalty first lies with you. I must agree with Gustav. To keep you safe we must leave now.” Rudiger says his opinion.
  “What about the Westenhofeners? We should be able to help them. I do not wish to abandon them.” Evie exclaims.

  Rudiger support Gustav with persuasion (d4-2): 1: Failure.
  Evie: Persuasion (d10) opposed against Gustav: Persuasion (d6): Fail vs Fail.

  “You make a point my lady as always. How about we ask if any Westenhofeners wish to join us?” Gustav asks, wishing to leave this forsaken place no matter the cost.
  “And risk being detected by orc scouts? We won’t be noticed if it’s just the three of us.” Rudiger persists.
  “But there’s strength in numbers Rudiger. We still need Bianka” Evie proposes.

  Rudiger support Gustav with persuasion (d4-2): 2: Failure.
  Evie: Persuasion (d10) opposed against Gustav: Persuasion (d6): Success vs Success with Raise.

  “Alright. We shall leave. If Bianka at her condition or any of the Westenhofeners wish to come with us. We will take them. And that’s my final say.” Evie says and stands up from the table.

  UNE: How does Bianka react to the news?
  A: 75: Sociable
  Q: Does Bianka wish to risk leaving now at ther state?
  A: No, and, she doesn’t want to leave with the party. She feels relieved that they leave.

  Evie breaks the news to Bianka, that they wish to leave. She can join them, but they won’t wait any longer for her to recover.
  “If you ever are in need for a rat catcher, come find me.” Bianka tells them. “The paths we crossed are perilous. Travel safe.”

  The trio now, goes to the guardhouse to find captain Omund.
  “Captain! We thank you for your hospitality in this dire hour of our need. I shall not forget what you did for us.” Evie tells him.
  “You’re leaving lady? You couldn’t have chosen a better time. The paths are clear. The orcs are dispersing. You will only encounter strugglers.” Omund tells her.
  “What about the dead, captain? It’s still dangerous to be here. If any of you wishes, we can leave together. Maybe even make a caravan.” Evie replies.

  UNE: Bearing/Focus: Aid Experience.
  Q: Do the Westenhofeners wish to leave?
  A: Yes

  “We could use your experience in battle.” the captain says looking at Rudiger. “Give us some time to prepare and anyone wishing will travel with you.”

  ---

  Some metagaming questions:
  Without any supplies, fortifications ruined, tools and weapons sabotaged, I realize that the Ostenhofeners cannot stay besieged any longer.
  Q: Do the Ostenhofeners know about the undead threat?
  A: No, and they’re too consumed with their victory over the orcs.
  Q: Do the Ostenhofeners leave the city? (If they knew about the undead this would be likely or very likely).
  A: No
  Q: Do the remaining Westenhofeners go to Ostenhofen?
  A: No
  Q: Did the Orcs that are in battle with the imperial relief, disperse, now that Baga is dead? (Likely)
  A: False Presupposition. The orcs did not disperse at the news of Baga’s death, but they did not continue the battle either. They left in formation back towards the badlands.
  I will roll 2d6 on the Weather Hex Flower: 7: Overcast.
  The Empire relief will reach Ostenhofen at this week.

  ---

  As the caravan gathers, Evie takes a good look back at the walls of Ostenhofen. Wishing she had a way to warn them about what is coming.
  Rudiger understands her worries. “If we reach any troops coming to Ostenhofen we can tell them, so that they’re ready. Maybe they can warn them.”
  Evie just nods, hoping. But deep inside she knows Ostenhofen is doomed if the dead attack.

  Q: Are there many people joining the caravan?
  A: Yes, and there are guards as well.
  5d6 people will join: 20 people, 2 guards.
  Q: Do they have mounts?
  A: Yes
  1d20: 1: Horse
  With stealth out of the question, I will ask the Oracle.
  Q: Does any group of orcs attack the caravan?
  A: No
  Q: Do they meet up with the imperial relief?
  A: False presupposition. The relief troops are not going to reach Ostenhofen this week after all. They are pursuing the orcs that fled.

  Twenty commoners and two guards have joined the caravan. They have only their barest possessions and carry road supplies. They will walk to Mainberstein. They have a draft horse with them that they have loaded with supplies, and they start their march.

  ---

  Back to Bianka now.
  Let’s see if she heals this week.
  Vigor (d6-3): She fails 3 times (used all her Bennies).
  She remains bedridden.

  Bianka can’t recover still. She just hopes that she will manage to get back to her feet before the threat that looms over the entire region sweeps through Westenhofen.
  She sleeps at her bed everynight with her hatchet right beside her.

  ---

  Campaign Summary: This was one of the weirdest solo campaigns I have run so far. I’ll have a breakdown of the tools used and how it all worked out.
  Recluse: The Oracle of my choice so far. Combined with MUNE Interventions and TWENE, Recluse False Presuppositions mechanic has won me. It’s fast, easy to use and has a nice amount of chaos.
  To The Battlements: my take on Goblin’s Henchman’s Hex Flower Gaming Engines mechanism. I used some weird mechanics (like not moving freely, but snapping to the highest score hex) which seem to be correct. Retrospectively, in addition to the defender’s clock (supplies running out) I should have given the attacker a clock, to give the defender a chance to sit it out and win it, like using the Orc animosity rules. Nevertheless, it all worked out well, and it really pushed the siege to the last straw.
  Savage Worlds Deluxe Explorer’s Edition: What I like about this roleplaying system is how easy it is to run. There’s lot of chaos (many fuzzy rolls, and the card initiative) but this has the bonus of making everything surprisingly fast. I really liked how easy it is to set up an NPC on the fly and how easy it was to convert to and from my Warhammer Fantasy Battles game.
  Warhammer Fantasy Battles 4th Edition: A long obsolete games that I still have the softcopies of. I played all the battles in theater of the mind, and this caused a lot of headaches. I didn’t use any maneuvers or similar. Turning, switching formation and such were out of the question. I’d still be running the first battle if I did.
  I got really tired trying to run so many units at the same time. I doubt I will be doing this again. On the other hand I really liked the combat resolution mechanics. They were so fast. Comparing Weapon Skills, Ballistic Skills and Strength to Toughness in three simple charts and then rolling a bunch of d6’s in a very intuitive way to count successes. This is the part I loved most. I will certainly be having this in mind for future homebreweing.
  What made my life difficult was trying to remember every single sub-rule and running the headcount. I certainly made more than a few mistakes, but I can live with it.
  Universal NPC Emulator: Getting caught up in writing scenes, I forgot how important tools like UNE are. It takes a lot out of the solo players hands. It gives you inspiration, and the random factor gives a feeling of fairness you don’t get when writing stuff up arbitrarily. This is a reminder to pause and take the time to make some rolls at random generators like UNE. It pays off.
  donjon: My favorite online generator. It has almost everything to suit my needs, and also has genre specific and region specific generators.
  In general, Savage Worlds as is, isn’t low fantasy gritty. I want to try a system closer to those needs next, so another character conversion will be done.
  Overall I enjoyed the experience but maybe I overdid it with the battles and got tired at the end. I confess that I was looking forward for it to end.
  I’m a person that prefers to see things to the finish rather than abandon them, even if it’s not always the best option, so now I feel free to plan my next adventure!

   
• 

  giorgis 12:42 pm on December 21, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: SavageWorlds ( 19 ), Solo ( 133 ), Warhammer ( 16 )   

  The siege of Ostenhofen pt7 

  A Savage Worlds Warhammer Fantasy Battles mashup.

  Brief Summary: In the previous part, the Ostenhofeners won the battle of White Tower. If they win this battle as well, they will be victorious against the Orcs.

  ---

  Army points:
  Empire Points: 1737. (695 remain from the Iron Tower battle, 191 remain from the White Tower battle and 851 remain for the 3rd battle).
  Empire Relief Points: 3000
  Orc Points: 2996. (685,5 remain from the Iron Tower battle, 171 remain from the White Tower battle and 1730 remain for the 3rd battle, 409,5 are fled units).
  Orc Relief Points: 2000
  Undead Points: 8000

  The battle for the North Wall.

  Empire Army Roster:
  General – Prince Ingmar, Sword, Shield and Heavy Armor. 104 points with 15 Reiksguard, Sword, Shield and Heavy Armor, 180 points.
  20 Handgunners with Light Armor, 200 points.
  20 Crossbowmen with Light Armor, 200 points.
  15 Swordsmen with Sword, Shield and Light Armor, 135 points With Champion with Light Armor +32 Points.
  Total 851 Points.

  Orc Army Roster:
  Orc War Boss Baga with The Sword of Bork, The Axe of Morgor and Light Armor. 237 Points.
  Orc Battle Standard Bearer with Light Armor and Gork’s War Banner. 110 Points.
  22 Orc Big’Uns with Light Armor and Double Handed Weapons. 231 Points.
  20 Night Goblin Netters (50-50) with Night Goblin Boss. 92,5 Points.
  30 Night Goblin Halberdiers, with Night Goblin Boss and Standard. 127,5 Points.
  30 Orcs with Light Armor and Two Weapons, Orc Boss and Standard. 292,5 Points.
  30 Orc Archers with Light Armor, Bows, Standard and Orc Boss. 318,5 Points.
  8 Ogres. 320 Points.
  Total: 1730 Points

  ---

  Now, considering how tired I got after two whole theater of the mind battles, I’m going to change things a bit.
  1. I will add some roleplaying tactics to spice things up.
  2. I will have a simple map set up. After all it’s an attack on the wall.
  3. I may ask the Oracle during the battle, and use Interventions and False Presuppositions.

  So, for fairness sake, first of all I will formulate a simple battle plan for each side, that each general will expect to be executed.
  I will also create additional plans that each side will be able to perform, depending on the general’s battle knowledge skill. In this case they will not know their opponents plans unless they make a successful battle knowledge skill roll.

  Orc Simple Battle Plan:
  From left to right. Orc Archers, Ogres, Goblin Netters, Orc Big’Uns, Goblin Halberdiers, Orcs.
  The Ogres and Netters will try to assault with ropes and ladders one side of the wall. The Big’Uns, Halberdiers and Orcs will assault with ladders, while the Orc Archers provide covering fire.

  Empire Simple Battle Plan:
  From left to right. Handgunners, Reiksguard, Swordsmen, Crossbowmen.
  Handgunners target is Ogres, followed by Orc Archers.
  Crossbowmen target is Big’Uns followed by Orcs.

  Orc Advanced Plans:

  • Ogres armed with Picks to break down the wall.
  • Orc Archers to shoot grappling hooks for Ogres to pull and to ruin battlements, removing defensive advantage from this part of the wall.
  • Night Goblin Halberdiers to send sappers under the wall and to collapse it from this part of the wall.

  Empire Advanced Plans:

  • Defending Reiksguard and Swordsmen to throw rocks at enemy while they climb using ladders.
  • Defenders to pour boiling oil on assaulting orcs.
  • Crossbowmen to shoot bolts on tar part of the battlefield and set it ablaze.

  I decide that Prince Ingmar has a Knowledge (Battle) skill of d10, and I will roll on UNE to compare War Boss Baga’s skill. I get 14: Slightly Weaker. He was a Knowledge (Battle) skill of d8.

  They each have 2 Bennies. They can use them here, or to reroll a saving throw or failed leadership test in battle.

  Prince Ingmar: Knowledge (Battle): d10: 11: Success with a Raise: He will execute the first two battle plans.
  Warboss Baga: Knowledge (Battle): d8: 1: Benny: 5: He will execute the first advanced battle plan.
  Prince Ingmar: Knowledge (Battle): 11: Success with a Raise: He will expect Baga’s plan and can plan ahead a different target choice accordingly.
  Warboss Baga: Knowledge (Battle): 3: Failure. He doesn’t expect Ingmar’s plans. He will continue with initial plans.

  ---

  Each General will attemp to motivate their troops.
  I decide that Prince Ingmar has a Persuasion d10 and I will roll on UNE to compare Warboss Baga’s skill in intimidation. These are Orcs after all. I get 86: Slightly Stronger. He has an Intimidation skill of d12.

  Prince Ingmar: Persuasion (d10): 7: Success. The men will have unmodified Leadership stats.
  Warboss Baga: Intimidation (d12): 4: Success. The orcs will have unmodified leadership stats.

  “What do we know?” the Prince leans and asks his advisor.
  “Warboss Baga and his orcs will be attacking the wall. His warriors are fierce, and I’ve been told by dwarves who fought against them, that he has Ogre mercenaries with him armed with huge picks that can break down walls into pieces.” The old man replies.
  “Then we shall be ready. Hatchets against the ropes. Have rocks and get the oil boiling to pour down on anyone attempting to climb up. Today they shall fear us!”. He says and turns his attention to the troops arrayed in front of him.
  “Ostenhofeners! Sons of the Empire! This is the fight we’ve been waiting for. As we speak, your brothers in arms at the Iron and White Towers are proving their mettle against the greenskin scum! Send them all to meet their evil gods! For the Empire and the Emperor!” He shouts. “Hiyah! For the Emperor!” The troops shout and man the battlements.

  Down on the level ground, among the abandoned buildings of the outer city of Ostenhofen, the Orcs are ready. Their Warboss has led them so far. Any few who questioned any delays, met with a swift death at his axe. They are ready to crush the puny humans and prove they are the best of all the orcs. As the first sun rays fall upon them they scream their war cry “Waaaaghhhh!!!” to strike fear in the heats of the defenders.

  ---

  Q: What is the distance of the orcs to the wall?
  A: 5d6″: 19″
  Q: What is the further distance to the end of the battlefield?
  A: 25″

  Initiative: Won by the Orcs.

  Turn 1:
  Orcs:
  Animosity: 3,1,3,3,3. No animosity.
  The melee units each march 8″ closer to the wall, reaching a distance of 11″. The Ogres march 12″ closer, reaching a distance of 7″.
  The Orc Archers (30) shoot at the Handgunners (20): 2 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save. 2 Handgunners (18) Dead.

  Empire:
  Handgunners(9/18) shoot at the Ogres (8): 2 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save. Ogres (8-).
  Crossbowmen (20) shoot at Big’Uns (22++): 10 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save. 3 Big’Uns (19++) Dead.

  First blood is drawn as the orc arrows come raining doen, killing a couple Handgunners. The entire orcish army closes in, and a barrage of fire from the Handgunners wound the Ogres and the Crossbowmen kill a few orcs of Baga’s personal guard.

  Turn 2:
  Orcs:
  Animosity: 3,1,1,1,5: No Animosity.
  The melee units each march 8″ closer to the wall, reaching a distance of 3″. The Ogres (8-) charge 12″ to the wall.
  The Orc Archers (30) shoot at the Handgunners (18): 2 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save. 2 Handgunners (16) Dead.
  Ogres (8-)(Damage at 6): 1 Damage Point to the Wall (9).

  Empire:
  The Reiksguard (8/15) throw rocks at the Ogres (8-): 2 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save: 1 Ogre (7) Dead.
  The Handgunners (8/16) shoot at the Ogres (7): 4 Hits: 1 Wounds: Ogres (7-).
  The Crossbowmen (20) shoot at Big’Uns (19++): 12 Hits: 5 Wounds: No Save. 5 Big’Uns (14++) Dead.
  Big’Uns Panic Test: 2: Success

  2 more Handgunners fall under arrow shots while the Ogres have reached the wall and have started hitting at it with their huge picks.
  To protect the wall the Reiksguard drop boulders on top of the Ogres, killing one. The Handgunners and Crossbowmen keep shooting, wounding the Ogres and big orcs.

  Turn 3:
  Orcs:
  Animosity: 5,5,5,2,2: No Animosity.
  The melee units each reach the wall and set up ladders and ropes.
  Orc Archers (30): shoot at the Handgunners (16): 6 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save. 3 Handgunners (13) Dead.
  Ogres (7-)(Damage at 6): 3 Damage Points to the Wall (6).

  Empire:
  The Reiksguard (6/15) throw rocks at the Ogres (6): 3 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save. 1 Ogre (6) Dead.
  The Handgunners (6/13) shoot at the Ogres (6): 4 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save: Ogres (6-).
  The Swordsmen (15+) pour boiling oil on the Orcs (30+): 9 Hits: 2 Wounded: No Save: 2 Orcs (28+) Dead. Boiling oil panic test: 8: Fail!

  If the Orcs are within 12″ of the Big’Uns with the Warboss, they gain from his leadership and don’t break. Since this is TOTM I can’t measure distance, therefore I will ask the Oracle. I find it unlikely though that they are within range.
  Q: Are the Orcs within range of Baga?
  A: Yes! The Orcs therefore succeed their test and don’t break.

  The Crossbowmen (20) shoot at Big’Uns (14++): 6 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save. 2 Big’Uns (12++) Dead.

  The first ladders are set to allow for the infantry to charge. The Reiksguard continue lobbing rocks onto the ogres, killing another of the large humanoids, as they keep chipping at the foundations.
  The oil is already boiling and as the orcs approach the walls, the swordsmen pour it down on them. Fear strikes the greenskins as they see the cruel death of their own kind. They waver for a moment, but then they see Baga’s banner and knowing the fate that awaits them if they flee, they hold fast.
  The missile troops exchange shots, with casualties on each side.

  Turn 4:
  Orcs:
  Animosity: 2,5,1,1,5: No Animosity.
  The Netters (20+) charge at the Handgunners (13).
  The Big’Uns (12++) charge at the Reiksguard (15+).
  The Halberdiers (30) chare at the Swordsmen (15+).
  The Orcs (28) charge at the Crossbowmen (20).
  The Handgunners (7/13) shoot back at the Goblin Netters (20+): 3 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Netter (19+) Dead.
  The Crossbowmen (20) back at the Orcs (28): 7 Hits: 4 Wounds: No Save. 4 Orcs (24) Dead.
  Netters (19+) melee combat: 3 Nets Hit: 3 Clubs on Nets: 3 Wound. 1 Clubs Hit: 1 Wounds. No Save. 4 Handgunners (9) Dead.
  Handgunners (11) melee combat: 5 Hits: 4 Wounds: No Save: 4 Netters (15+) dead.
  It’s a draw.
  Halberdiers (30+) melee combat: No Hits.
  Swordsmen (15+) melee combat: 8 Hits: 5 Wounds: No Save: 5 Halberdiers (25+) Dead.
  Halberdiers (25+) break test: 9: Fail: Battle Standard reroll: 6: Fail: They flee 2d6″: 9″.
  Orcs (28+) melee combat: 7 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save: 3 Crossbowman (17) Dead.
  Crossbowmen (17) melee combat: 8 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save. 1 Orc (27+) Dead.
  Crossbowmen (17) break test: 12: Fail: They flee: 2d6″: 7″.
  The Orcs (27+) pursuit: 2d6″: 5″: They don’t catch up.
  Swordsmen panic test: 6: Success.
  Reiksguard panic test: 6: Success.
  Baga Attacks: No Hits
  Battle Standard Attacks: No Hits
  Big’Uns (15) melee combat: No Hits
  Ingmar attacks: 3 Hits: 1 Wound: No save. 1 Big’Un (14) Dead.
  Reiksguard (15) melee combat: 10 Hits: 7 Wounded: No Save: 7 Big’Uns (7) Dead.
  Big’Uns break test: 6: Fail: Battle Standard reroll: 7: Fail. They flee: 2d6″: 5″. Reiksguard pursuit: 10″:
  They catch up and slaughter them. Baga is dead.
  Ogres (6-)(Damage at 6): 1 Point of Damage to the Wall (5).

  Empire:
  Crossbowmen (17): Rally: 2: Success.
  Reiksguard set to climb back up.
  Handgunners (11) melee combat: 6 Hits: 5 Wounds: No Save: 5 Netters (10+) Dead.
  Netters (10+) Melee combat: 1 Hit: No Wounds.
  Netters (10+) break test: 8: Fail: They flee: 2d6″: 6″.
  The Handgunners don’t pursuit.
  Swordsmen (15+) melee combat: 12 Hits: 7 Wounds: No Save. 7 Halberdiers (18+) Dead.
  Halberdiers (18+) melee combat: 4 Hits: 4 Wounds: 2 Saves: 2 Swordsman (13+) Dead
  Halberdiers broken: they flee: 2d6″: 8″. The swordsmen pursuit: 2d6″: 10″: The Halberdiers are slain.

  The orcs and goblins climb the ladders and charge at the defenders. The handgunners and the crossbowmen let off a shot before engaging in close combat.
  The goblin netters and clubbers are fighting the handgunners. The battlements are give the handgunners the advantage and despite their casualties and entangled men, they win the combat, and the goblins eventually break off and run away.
  The same happens to the goblin halberdiers who are fighting the skilled swordsmen. The defenders cause them so many casualties that even Baga’s banner can’t dissuade them from fleeing when faced with certain death. They run down their ladders and the swordsmen charge after them, killing them all while running away.
  On the far edge of the battlefield, the orc marauders are facing of the crossbowmen. Only here do the orcs manage to break through in the defenses. The crossbowmen abandon posts and the orcs pursuit them inside the keep.
  In the middle of the battle, the elite Reiksguard under Prince Ingmar are fighting against Baga and his Big’Uns.
  Baga’s unit has taken many losses from missile fire and they’re already shaken when they charge. They can’t kill a single foot knight, and when 7 of them fall, even Baga is afraid of his life. They break and run away.
  Prince Ingmar can’t abandon this opportunity to turn the tide of battle and the knights charge after them. They catch up to them, killing them, trampling down their banner and slaying the warboss and his standard bearer. Ingmar lifts off the orc’s head and the Ostenhofeners shout a cry of victory.

  Turn 5:
  Orcs:
  Animosity: 3,4: No Animosity.
  Netters Rally: 9: Fail: They flee: 2d6″: 11″.
  The Orcs (27+) charge at the Crossbowmen (17).
  Crossbowmen (17) shoot back at the Orcs (27+): 6 Hits: 4 Wounds: No Save: 4 Orcs (23+) Dead.
  Orc Archers (30) shoot at Reiksguard (15+): 17 Hits: 9 Wounds: 1 Save. 9 Reiksguard (6+) Dead.
  Reiksguard (6+) panic test: 9: Success
  Orcs (23+) melee combat: 24 Hits: 15 Wounds: 4 Saves. 11 Crossbowmen (6) Dead.
  Crossbowmen (6): 4 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save. 2 Orcs (21+) Dead.
  The Crossbowmen (6) break: they flee 2d6″: 6″. The Orcs pursuit 2d6″: 4″: They can’t catch up.
  Ogres (6-)(Damage at 6): 4 Damage Points at Wall (1).

  Empire:
  Crossbowmen (6): Rally: 6: Success.
  Reiksguard (6+) climb back up.
  Swordsmen (13+) march back to the wall.
  Handgunners (11) shoot at Ogres (6-): 4 Hits: 1 Wound. Ogres (6–).

  The goblin netters run away, and the handgunners free from conflict, shoot at the ogres, wounding them.
  As the Reiksguard are caught out in the open, the orc archers take the opportunity to release a volley of arrows at them, killing more than half. An arrow is headed to the prince, but one of his faithful soldiers gets in the way, giving his life for him.
  The crossbowmen are attacked again by the orcs, and flee yet again under their attack, suffering casualties. No matter how their sergeant tries to get them in line.
  The swordsmen seeing how vulnerable they are, start walking back to the wall.
  On the other side, the ogres have almost torn down the wall.

  Turn 6:
  Orcs:
  Animosity: 3,2,6. Animosity: Get’em. Squabble.
  Netters: Rally: 6: Fail: They flee 2d6″: 2″.
  Q: Can the orcs (23+) charge at the Reiksguard?
  A: No
  Orcs (23+) charge at the Crossbowmen (6).
  Crossbowmen (6) shoot back: 2 Hits: No wounds.
  Orc Archers (30) shoot at swordsmen (13+): 13 Hits: 6 Wounds: 2 Saves. 2 Swordsmen (9+) Dead.
  Orcs (23+) melee combat: 4 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save. 3 Crossbowmen (3) Dead.
  Crossbowmen (3) break test: 11: Fail:
  They flee 2d6″: 4″.
  The orcs pursuit 2d6″: 6″. The Crossbowmen are slain.
  Ogres (6–): Damage at the Wall (0): It’s destroyed.

  Empire:
  Swordsmen (9+) reach the wall to climb back up.
  Reiksguard (6+) hold.
  Handgunners (11) shoot at Ogres (6–): 4 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Ogre (5): Dead.

  Prince Ingmar with his Reiksguard have moved back onto the wall, as the ogres tear down the section next to them.
  With another charge the orc marauders break through crossbowmen who run for their lives, but this time they can’t run fast enough. They are caught by the raiders and are slain to the last.
  The orc archers switch targets and attack then swordsmen who are still out in the open, killing a couple of them before they climb back up to the wall. A final volley of fire from t he handgunners kills an ogre, and the remaining goblin netters run away from the battle.
  Seeing that all is lost, the orcs finally withdraw under the cover of the night. The Humans let out a cheer of victory!

  The battle is over.

  ---

  Empire Army Roster:
  General – Prince Ingmar, Sword, Shield and Heavy Armor. 104 points with 6 Reiksguard, Sword, Shield and Heavy Armor, 72 points.
  11 Handgunners with Light Armor, 110 points.
  9 Swordsmen with Sword, Shield and Light Armor, 81 points With Champion with Light Armor +32 Points.
  Total 399 Points.

  Orc Army Roster:
  23 Orcs with Light Armor and Two Weapons, Orc Boss and Standard. 241,5 Points.
  30 Orc Archers with Light Armor, Bows, Standard and Orc Boss. 318,5 Points.
  5 Ogres. 200 Points.
  Total: 760 Points
  42,5 Points of Netters have fled.

  ---

  Army points:
  Empire Points: 1285. (695 remain from the Iron Tower battle, 191 remain from the White Tower battle and 399 remain from the North Wall battle).
  Empire Relief Points: 3000
  Orc Points: 2068,5. (685,5 remain from the Iron Tower battle, 171 remain from the White Tower battle and 760 remain from the North Wall battle, 452 are fled units).
  Orc Relief Points: 2000
  Undead Points: 8000

  All three attacks were thwarted and Warboss Baga is dead. The orcs no longer have the advantage in numbers. Especially considering the relief forces.

  Q: Do the orcs disperse?
  A: Yes.

  The orc units don’t gather under a single banner, but instead disperse. Each to their own.

  With blood all over his plate armor, prince Ingmar asks his trusty advisor. “What about the towers? Did we hold?”
  “We held every single brick. The defenses are damaged though. Both gates are in shambles.” The advisor responds. “And I see a big gap on the wall here too.”
  “Fear not. Baga is dead. I took his head as he run away like a swine.” The prince says proudly.
  He lifts his sword. “Sons of the Empire! We have proven our strength! The orc warboss is slain. Their army in ruins. Victory!”
  “Victory!” The troops cheer.

  ---

  Session Background: I totally burned out on this series of Warhammer battles.
  I didn’t expect the defenders to win, but without the orcs setting up any war machines and siege engines, it was really hard to storm the fort. If the orcs had taken the siege warfare hexes in the Hex Flower Gaming Engine, things might have been different.
  For the next session I will be switching to roleplaying completely. I intend the next session to be the closure for the siege of Ostenhofen. The new threat cannot be held off. The defenders have no supplies, the fortifications are damaged and their numbers have been brought very low by the series of orc attacks.

   
• 

  giorgis 8:44 am on December 19, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: SavageWorlds ( 19 ), Solo ( 133 ), Warhammer ( 16 )   

  The siege of Ostenhofen pt6 

  A ~~Savage Worlds~~ Warhammer Fantasy Battles mashup.

  Brief Summary: In the previous part, the company managed to escape the undead, and get out of Ostenhofen and reach the village of Westenhofen and find help there. The undead set up their foothold at the main gate of Ostenhofen, while the Orcs launch their final attack on the Keep.

  ---

  Army points:
  Empire Points: 2283. (695 remain from the Iron Tower battle and 1587 remain for 2nd and 3rd battle).
  Empire Relief Points: 3000
  Orc Points: 4244. (685,5 remain from the Iron Tower battle and 3302 remain for 2nd and 3rd battle, 256,5 are fled units).
  Orc Relief Points: 2000
  Undead Points: 8000

  It’s going to be 3 battles of 800 Empire vs 1600 Orc points. 2 more are remaining.

  For the White Tower battle, the Empire Roster must include (at least part of) the surviving roster from the battle at the walls from pt2. It makes no sense to change rosters at whim. The Orc Roster can be changed since any survivors from previous battles, may have been engaged in the combat against the Empire Relief force.
  If any imperial forces from the roster are not used in the White Tower battle, then they must be included in the battle of the Northern Walls.

  The surviving roster from the battle of pt2, included 3 Crossbowmen, 18+Sergeant Halberdiers and 17 Handgunners.
  The 3 Crossbowmen may have been part of the battle of the Iron Tower, so I won’t care about them.
  But I will use the surviving Halberdiers and Handgunners in this battle.

  Again, I need to ask a few questions to the Oracle before starting the battle.
  Q: Are the walls deep enough for two ranks of troops?
  A: Yes.
  Q: Is there a gate to the White Tower?
  A: False Presupposition. The gate isn’t on the tower, but on the Southern Wall.

  Battle of White Tower
  Empire Roster:
  18 Halberdiers with Halberd and Light Armor, in the White Tower, 162 Points. Champion with Pistol and Heavy Armor 35 Points.
  20 Handgunners with Light Armor, 200 points. East Wall.
  Bolt Thrower on White Tower Roof, 40 points.
  20 Archers with Longbow, 160 points. South Wall.
  20 Spearmen with Shields, 140 points. South Wall Gate.
  Total: 737 points.

  Orc Army Roster:
  So this is the goblin army. For variety and keeping things interesting, l won’t give any orcs to this roster.
  Since we had forest goblins with spiders in the previous battle of pt2, I will go with that main theme here as well.
  20 Forest Goblin Spider Riders with Spear and Shield, 220 points, with Forest Goblin Champion with Spear and Shield, +21 points with Spider Banner Standard +35 points
  20 Forest Goblin Spider Riders with Spear and Shield, 220 points, with Forest Goblin Champion with Spear and Shield, +21 points with Standard +10 points
  30 Forest Goblin Archers with Short Bows, 90 points
  30 Forest Goblin Archers with Short Bows, 90 points
  30 Forest Goblin Spearmen with Shields, 105 points with Champion +17 points and Standard +10 points
  10 River Trolls, 650 points
  Forest Goblin Big Boss Riding Gigantic Spider: 83 points
  Total: 1572 points

  The battle will last: 6 turns
  Initiative won by Empire
  Starting combat distance: 5d6″: 16″
  Combat edge: +12″=28″

  ---

  Turn 1:
  Empire:
  The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Trolls (10): Hit: Wounds: D4 Wounds: 4 Wounds: 2 Wounds Regenerated.
  The Archers (20) shoot at the Spider Riders (20+1) with the Banner: 9 Hits: 5 Wounds: 1 Save: 5 Goblins Dead.
  The Handgunners (10/20) shoot at the Spider Riders (20+1): 6 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save: 3 Goblins Dead.

  Goblins:
  Animosity: 4,5,2,2,1: No Animosity
  The Forest Goblin Spider Riders (15+1) move 7″ closer to the White Tower.
  The Forest Goblin Spider Riders (17+1) move 7″ closer to the East Wall.
  The Forest Goblin Spearmen (30+1) march 8″ closer to the South Wall.
  The River Trolls (10) move 6″ closer to the South Wall.
  The Forest Goblin Warlord Golurtz moves 5″ closer to the White Tower.
  The Goblin Archers (30) shoot at the Archers (20): 8 Hits: 6 Wounds: No Save: 6 Archers Dead.
  Archers (14): Panic Test: 6: Success. They hold.
  The Goblin Archers (30) shoot at the Handgunners (20): 8 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save: 3 Handgunners Dead.

  The bolt thrower atop the White Tower aims at the slow lumbering Trolls. The crew pulls back the winch and lets off a javelin that strikes true. A troll writhes in pain, but it pulls out the projectile and they keep on their gait towards the gate.
  The missile troops are aware of the danger the spider riders pose to their defensive positions, so they take aim and shoot. The archers kill 5 goblin riders with their arrows while the handgunners kill another 3 on the other front.
  The goblins aren’t left without covering fire. With their short bows just in range, in single line formation, two groups of forest goblin archers shoot to the defenders. Many arrows strike the battlements, without damage, but 6 archers and 3 handgunners fall.
  In the meantime under all the shooting, the forest goblin spearmen and the spider riders draw closer. The forest goblin big boss, Golurtz is riding a huge arthropod. This spider is much larger than the giant ones his troops ride. A true monster.

  Turn 2:
  Empire:
  The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at Golurtz: Miss
  The Archers (14) shoot at the Forest Goblin Spider Riders (15+1): 11 Hits: 6 Wounds: No Save: 6 Goblins Dead.
  Goblin Spider Riders (9+1): Panic Test: 7: They flee: 3d6″: 10″ away
  The Handgunners (10/17) shoot at the Forest Goblin Spider Riders (17+1): 4 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save: 3 Goblins Dead.

  Goblins:
  Animosity: 2,2,2,5,6: Animosity to Forest Goblin Spearmen (30): 1: Get’em’: There’s no other goblin unit nearby, so they squabble instead.
  Forest Goblin Spider Riders (9+1): Rally: 5: Success. They rally.
  Forest Goblin Spider Riders (14+1): Charge at the Handgunners (17): The Handgunners (7/17) shoot: 1 Hit: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Goblin Dead.
  River Trolls (10) charge at the gate of the South Wall.
  The gate has Toughness: 7, Damage Points: 3
  Golurtz charges at the Bolt Thrower (2): Fail, he only moves 5″ closer.
  The Goblin Archers (30) shoot at the Archers (14): 7 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save: 2 Archers Dead.
  Q: Do the other goblin archers risk to shoot at the handgunners?
  A: Yes
  The Goblin Archers (30) shoot at the Handgunners (17): 9 Hits: 5 Goblins, 4 Handgunners: 1 Goblin Wounded, 1 Handgunner Wounded: No Saves: 1 Goblin, 1 Handgunner Dead
  Forest Goblin Spider Riders (13+1) melee combat: 5+1 Hits: 4+1 Wounds: No Save: 5 Handgunners Dead. Spiders: 10 Hits: 6 Wounds: No Save: 6 Handgunners Dead.
  Handgunners (6) melee combat: 4 Hits: 2 Wounds: 1 Save: 1 Goblin Dead.
  The Handgunners (6) break immediately. They flee: 2d6″: 4″. The Spider Riders Pursuit 3d6″: 10″: The handgunners are slaughtered.
  2 River Trolls are facing the gate: 1 Damage Points

  The bolt thrower crew aims at the goblin big boss heading towards them at full speed. They shoot and miss. Seeing the projectile fly by, the goblin urges the gigantic spider to charge at the tower, but the distance is too great, and the arthropod soon loses momentum as soon as it has reached the rooftop.
  The archers and the handgunners shoot at the forest goblin spider riders closing in at each side of the keep. The archers have caused so many casualties that the goblins turn tail and flee.
  Down at the goblin front, the forest goblin spearmen get furious at how the spider riders turned and flee. “Let’s get ’em!” They shout. “They’re too far away!” The spearmen at the rear shout back. Soon they start squabbling about what they should do, and they stop and do nothing, while their leader bashes a couple heads to get them in line.
  The goblin spider rider boss rallies his group and they stop their gallop away.
  On the other side of the tower, the other spider riders reach the wall under a second hail of fire that kills one of their own. The charge is successful and they climb the wall. The goblin spears feel like lances to the handgunner who are overrun. The spiders make short work of anyone who tries to run for his life. Soon, the handgunners have been eliminated.
  The goblin archers shoot again at the walls, killing a couple archers. They don’t care for their own that are engaged in combat with the handgunners, and a goblin falls under their fire alongside with a handgunner.
  The trolls rush to the gate and start smashing at it. The Imperial spearmen at the other side can all but wonder what is happening that thuds so strongly at the gate.

  Turn 3:
  Empire:
  The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at Golurtz: Miss
  The Archers (14) shoot at the Trolls: 8 Hits: 2 Wounds: 1 Wound Regenerated: 1 Troll Dead
  The Halberdiers (18+1) charge at Golurtz.
  Halberdiers Fear Test: 6: Success.
  Halberdiers (3+1/18+1) are at combat: All attacks against Golurtz: 3 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save, Pistol: Miss
  Golurtz is dead!
  Monster reaction: 2: The monster attacks the nearest troops, favoring enemies.
  Gigantic Spider melee attack: 2 Hits: 2 Wounds: 2 Halberdiers Dead
  The melee combat is a draw.

  Goblins:
  Animosity: 6,2,1,3,3: Animosity on the Spider Riders (9+1): 1: Get’em: They charge at the Goblin Archers (30): The Goblin Archers shoot (30) at the charging Spider Riders (9+1): 10 Hits: 6 Wounds: 1 Save: 5 Goblins Dead: Panic Test: 10: Fail: They’re broken: They Flee 2d6″: 6″
  The Goblin Archers (30) shoot at the Archers (14): 8 Hits: 4 Wounds: No Save: 4 Archers Dead.
  The Goblin Spider Riders (11+1) move 7″ back towards the White Tower
  Halberdiers (3+1/18+1) are at combat: 2+1 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Saves.
  Gigantic spider melee combat: No Hits
  The Gigantic spider loses combat: 10: Failure: It flees: 3″: The halberdiers pusuit: 9″: They kill it.
  River Trolls: 3 Damage Points: The gate is destroyed

  The bolt thrower lets off another projectile, but the crewmen are scared with the monster so close and miss yet again.
  The Halberdiers under their champion, Erbert charge at the huge monster. They haven’t thought about it, are they brave or just fools? Erbert and his men all aim at the forest goblin big boss. Strikes are exchanged, and the sharp pikes of two halberds pierce Golurtz’s chest. The goblin cries out in pain and tumbles on the side of his spider, to the ground. As if showing affection to its master, the spider stands on its hind legs and falls back down, crushing two halberdiers under its weight.
  The fight continues and the halberdiers with their long weapons manage to mangle the monster. Wounded it turns away, but while it’s at the edge of the tower, they catch up with it. They hack at its exposed belly, and don’t stop until its cut to pieces that fall on the ground in front of the tower, spreading goo everywhere.
  Back on the southern wall, the archers, seeing the imminent danger, shoot at the trolls, killing the troll that was wounded before by the bolt.
  The forest goblin spider riders that rallied are furious at the archers who shot at their brethren on the wall while in combat. They charge at them. The goblin archers are quick to answer with a hail of arrows, killing 5 riders. Scared, they ride away.
  The other group of goblin archers provide covering fire to the trolls, killing 4 more human archers. In the meantime, the trolls have battered down the gate, and the imperial spearmen look at them scared, through the gap in the defense.

  Turn 4:
  Empire:
  The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the trolls: Hit: Wound: 4 Wounds: 3 Wounds Regenerated.
  The Archers (10) shoot at the trolls: 4 Hits: 3 Wounds: 2 Wounds Regenerated. 1 Troll is dead.
  The Spearmen (20) charge at the River Trolls (8): Fear: 5: Fear is overcome
  Spearmen (five ranks) (4/20) melee combat: 3 Hits: 1 Wound: 0 Wounds Regenerated
  Trolls (2/8) melee combat: 3 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save: 2 Spearmen Dead
  Spearmen win combat by +2
  Trolls break test: 10: Fail: They flee: 2d6″: 4″. Spearmen Pursuit: 10″: The Trolls are slaughtered.

  Goblins:
  Animosity: 2,3,6,2,3: Animosity on the Goblin Archers (30): 6: We’ll Show’em: They move 2d6″: Towards the wall: 11″
  The Goblin Spider Riders (4+1): Rally: 11: Fail: They flee 3d6″: 13″: They’re out of the battlefield.
  The Goblin Spider Riders (11+1) charge at the Halberdiers (16+1)
  The Goblin Spearmen (30) charge at the Spearmen (18)
  Goblin Spider Riders (10+1) melee combat: 5+1 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save: 3 Halberdiers Dead
  Spiders melee combat: 5 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save: 2 Halberdiers Dead
  Halberdiers (11+1) melee combat: 5 Hits: 5 Wounds: No Save: 5 Goblins Dead
  The combat is a draw
  Goblin Spearmen (5/30) melee combat: 1 Hit: 1 Wound: 1 Save.
  Spearmen (5/18) melee combat: 4 Hits: 2 Wounds: 1 Save: 1 Goblin Dead
  Spearmen win combat by +1
  Goblins break test: 5: Fail: They flee: 12″: Spearmen pursuit: 6″

  Another bolt hits a troll, that quickly regenerates the wounds. But it’s quickly peppered with arrows from the archers and falls dead.
  The spearmen grit their teeth and charge at the trolls. The long shafts of their weapons provide an edge against the trolls. The monsters kill two spearmen, but the sheer weight of their ranks pushing forward, creates a wall of sharp points that the trolls fear for their lives. They turn and flee. Furious at the death of their brothers, the spearmen pursuit. Some climb atop the troll and pierce their skulls, others cut off their tendons at their legs and finish them off as they fall down. Such is their rage, that no troll survives the onslaught.
  The forest goblin spearmen see what the imperials have done to the trolls and are reluctant to join the combat, but at the behest of their leader, they charge. The combat is close, but it is the goblins who suffer the most casualties. Not known for their strong morale, they flee, and the imperial spearmen follow in pursuit.
  The group of goblin archers on the front of the south wall start bickering amongst themselves. They cannot decide whether to attack the tower or the wall, and they attack none.
  In the meantime the spider riders that were shot at, continue fleeing, until they are out of the battlefield. While the other unit charges at the halberdiers.
  Five Halberdiers die under their spears and spider mandibles, but they kill also an equal number of spider riders, in an even combat.

  Turn 5:
  Empire:
  Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at Goblin Archers (30): Hit: 1 Wound: 1 Goblin Dead.
  Archers (10) shoot at Goblin Archers (29): 2 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Goblin Dead.
  Spearmen (18) charge at the fleeing Goblin Spearmen, slaughtering them.
  Halberdiers (6+1/11+1) melee combat: 5+1 Hits: 4 Wounds: No Save: 4 Goblins Dead
  Goblins (1+1/2+1) melee combat: 1 Hit: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Halberdier Dead
  Spiders (2/3) melee combat: 2 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Halberdier Dead
  The Halberdiers (9+1) win the combat.
  Goblin Spider Riders (2+1) break test: 6: Fail: They flee: 3d6″: 13″
  The Halberdiers (9+1) hold.

  Goblins:
  Animosity: 3,2: No effect.
  Goblin Spider Riders (2+1): Rally: 7: Fail: They flee: 13″
  Goblin Archers (28) shoot at the Spearmen (18): 12 Hits: 7 Wounds: No Save: 7 Spearmen Dead.
  Spearmen (11) panic test: 11: Failure: They flee 2d6″: 6″
  Goblin Archers (30) shoot at the Bolt Thrower (2): 9 Hits: 4 Wounds: No Save: The Bolt Thrower Crew is Dead.

  The bolt thrower crew and the archers shoot at the goblin archers situated below, and they kill only a couple. The spearmen charge at the fleeing goblin infantry. As the goblins run away, their backs turned towards Ostenhofen, they are easily picked out one by one by the spearmen. But their pursuit has taken them too close to the goblin archers, who shoot a hail of arrows, killing almost half of them. Disheartened they run back towards the battlements.
  Meanwhile the battle between the spider riders and the halberdiers continues, with the men gaining the upper hand. The goblin spider riders break rank and run away, so fast, the men can’t catch up.
  A hail of fire from the other unit of goblin archers eliminates the bolt thrower crew completely.

  Turn 6:
  Empire:
  Spearmen (11) Rally test: 7: Success: They Rally and Hold.
  Archers (10) shoot at Goblin Archers (28): 3 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Goblin Dead.
  The Halberdiers (9+1) enter the White Tower.

  Goblins:
  Animosity: 1,1: No effect.
  Goblin Archers (27) shoot at the Archers (10): 7 Hits: 5 Wounds: No Save: 5 Archers Dead.
  Archers (5): Panic test: 3: They hold.
  Goblin Archers (30) shoot at the Spearmen (11): 8 Hits: 6 Wounds: No Save: 6 Spearmen Dead.
  Spearmen (5): Panic test: 10: They flee: 2d6″: 7″

  The archers keep shooting at the goblins, killing another one. They shoot back and a handful of archers are slain, bringing their number down to a quarter of their initial strength. The other unit of goblin archers shoot now at the spearmen who are out in the open, killing six of them. They run away again, heading back to the safety of the fortifications.
  Realizing they can’t assault the tower without any melee support, the goblin archers withdraw, and the battle is over.

  The battle is over.
  Empire Army Roster:
  9 Halberdiers with Halberd and Light Armor, in the White Tower, 81 Points. Champion with Pistol and Heavy Armor 35 Points.
  5 Archers with Longbow, 40 points.
  5 Spearmen with Shields, 35 points.
  Total: 191 points, 546 points lost.

  Orc Army Roster:
  2 Forest Goblin Spider Riders with Spear and Shield, 22 points, with Forest Goblin Champion with Spear and Shield, +21 points with Spider Banner Standard +35 points – Fled
  4 Forest Goblin Spider Riders with Spear and Shield, 44 points, with Forest Goblin Champion with Spear and Shield, +21 points with Standard +10 points – Fled
  27 Forest Goblin Archers with Short Bows, 81 points
  30 Forest Goblin Archers with Short Bows, 90 points
  Total: 171 points, 153 points fled, 1248 points lost.

  Session Background: A wargaming only session. I realized mid game that I had stated that the goblins are led by a Big Boss and I used a War boss instead. I seriously doubt one war boss would be led by another. So, I restarted the relevant points of battle from that point. I won’t get into details on what happened in this alternate course. Also I entirely forgot about the Trolls stupidity rule. In this case I decided not to replay this part. Give one, take one. It’s important to maintain balance.
  Psychology is so important in Warhammer Fantasy Battles. The trolls were easily routed, due to an error in my judgement. I should have combined them with a strong leadership unit, as I was not aware of their weakness in morale. The orcs lost yet another battle. Their numbers are dwindling and they may lose the entire conflict.
  This may give the Ostenhofeners the chance to flee, before the Undead lay waste to the city.
  Running a wargame in theater of the mind is certainly possible, but very taxing to the brain. I feel drained after every session. In this one I also made a lot of mistakes. In the last battle I intend to add some roleplay elements to make it more interesting, and play it out more carefully, more slowly with more detail.

   
• 

  giorgis 9:16 am on December 15, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: SavageWorlds ( 19 ), Solo ( 133 ), Warhammer ( 16 )   

  The siege of Ostenhofen pt5 

  A Savage Worlds Warhammer Fantasy Battles mashup.

  Brief Summary: In the previous part, the party crawled through the sewers trying to find an exit, but instead reached a cavern with stale air. Disturbed from unknown decades of endless sleep, the undead are awakened. A lich is slowly revitalized in the center of the cave, while a score of his skeleton minions are animated to do his bidding.

  Now, I need to define the scene a bit before continuing with the combat rounds.
  Q: Do all the skeletons attack?
  A: Yes. Considering the party’s set up, I define that even if all the skeletons join the fray, only 8 can attack at the same time. about 1-3, depending on positioning and orientation at each member of the party.
  Q: Are the skeletons spread around the cavern? (Likely)
  A: Yes, and some are spread at the far edges of the cave.
  Q: Is the exit located at the other end of the cave?
  A: No, it is located near them
  Q: How many of the skeletons between them and the exit?
  A: 1d6+2: 7
  Q: How many of the skeletons between them and the lich?
  A: 1d6+2: 4

  This is going to be a long fight. I do present the mechanics below, but I understand that reading through these can be a chore. It is after all a combat between 4 party members and 20 skeletons (only 8 of which are locked in combat at the same time). I run the combat at a grid, so things that might have been evident to me visually are not so when reading through this. Therefore I suggest you go to the end of the combat and read the narrative excerpt instead.

  Round 1:
  Initiative: B: J♦️, E: 10♥️, G: J♥️, R: Joker
  Skeletons: 5♠️

  Considering that Rudiger got the creeps right before, I decide that he will try to to open a path towards the exit rather than try to fight with the skeletons in the middle.
  Rudiger: Moves towards the exit and makes a sweep attack on 3 of the skeletons.
  Rudiger: Fighting (d12-2): 12/5: Hit with a Raise: 20/7: Destroyed, 23/7: Destroyed, 6/7: No damage.
  Gustav: Moves and attacks the skeleton that survived Rudiger’s attack.
  Gustav: Fighting (d6): 5/5: Hit: 4/7: No damage.
  Evie: Moves and attacks a skeleton from the group towards the exit.
  Evie: Fighting (d8): 4/5: Miss, Benny: 11/5: Hit with a Raise: 30/7: Destroyed
  Bianka: Moves and attacks a skeleton from the group towards the exit.
  Bianka: Fighting (d8+1): 5/5: Hit: 6/7: No damage.
  S1 vs Bianka: Fighting (d6): 1: Miss
  S2 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 5/5: Hit: 7/5: Shaken
  S3 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 6/5: Hit: 5/5: Shaken: Wounded
  S4 vs Bianka: Fighting (d6+1): 6/6: Hit: 6/5: Shaken
  S5 moves and attacks Gustav: Fighting (d6+2): 4/5: Miss
  S6 moves and attacks Bianka: Fighting (d6+2): 3/6: Miss
  S7 moves and attacks Rudiger: Fighting (d6+2): 6/8: Miss
  S8 moves and attacks Evie: Fighting (d6): 4/5: Miss
  The rest of the skeletons move closer to the party.

  Round 2:
  Initiative: B: Joker, E: 8♥️, G: 4♣️, R: A♥️
  Skeletons: K♦️

  Bianka: Spirit (d4+2): 5: Success. Benny: No longer shaken.
  Bianka: Fighting (d8+3): 7/5: Hit: 9/7: Shaken
  Rudiger performs an attack on the skeleton in front of him.
  Rudiger: Fighting (d12-2): 7/5: Hit: 9/7: Shaken
  S1 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 3: Fail
  S2 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 3: Fail
  S3 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 4/5: Miss
  S4 vs Bianka: Fighting (d6+3): 8/6: Hit: 5/5: Shaken
  S5 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 5/5: Hit: 5/5: Shaken: Wounded again.
  S6 vs Bianka: Fighting (d6+3): 7/5: Hit: 6/5: Shaken: Wounded
  S7 vs Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 5/8: Miss
  S8 vs Evie: Fighting (d6): 5/5: Hit: 4/5: No Damage
  Gustav: Soak Roll: Vigor (d6-1): 3: Fail: Benny: 15!: Soaked 2 Wounds and recovered
  Evie: perform an attack on S8.
  Evie: Fighting (d8): 7/5: Hit: 2/7: No damage
  Gustav: Full Defend: Fighting (d6+1): 5: Parry until next round.

  Round 3:
  Initiative: B: 10♦️, E: J♥️, G: K♦️, R: 6♦️
  Skeletons: J♠️
  Gustav: Full Defend: Fighting (d6+1): 12: Parry until next round.
  S1 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 3: Fail
  S2 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 3: Fail
  S3 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 5/12: Miss
  S4 vs Bianka: Fighting (d6+3): 6/6: Hit: 17/5: +3 Wounds. Incapacitated
  S5 vs Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 5/12: Miss
  S6 moves and attacks Gustav (d6+2): 5/12: Miss
  S7 vs Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 2: Miss
  S8 vs Evie: Fighting (d6): 8/5: Hit: 9/5: Wounded
  Evie: Soak Roll: Vigor (d6): 5: Success. Not wounded
  Evie: Fighting (d8): 4/5: Miss
  Bianka: Soak Roll: Vigor (d6): 16: Soaked all wounds!
  Rudiger: Fighting (d12-1): 5/5: Hit: 10/7: Wounded

  Round 4: (The Lich awakens)
  Initiative: B: 10♥️, E: 6♣️, G: 9♣️, R: Joker
  Skeletons: 8♥️, Lich: J♦️
  Rudiger will perform a rapid attack three times on the skeletons next to him.
  Rudiger: Fighting (d12-3): 6/5: Hit: 4/7: No damage
  Rudiger: Fighting (d12-3): 6/5: Hit: 14/7: Destroyed
  Rudiger: Fighting (d12-3): 2/5: Miss
  Lich: 3 Dark Bolts, one for each of the party members.
  Spellcasting (d12-2): 3: Fail, 8: Success: 7/5: Gustav is Wounded again, 5: Success: 11/8: Shaken.
  Bianka: Defend and Withdraw: Skeletons: 5/8: Miss, 7/8: Miss, 12/8: Hit with Raise: 14/5: +2 Wounds.
  Bianka has fled the cavern.
  Gustav: Defend and Withdraw. S5: 4/7: Miss, S6: 2/7: Miss
  Gustav has fled the cavern.
  S1 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 4: Success
  S2 Shaken: Spirit (d4+2): 5: Success
  S3 vs Rudiger: Fighting (d6): 4/6: Miss
  S4 vs Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 4/6: Miss
  S5 vs Rudiger: Fighting (d6+2): 7/6: Hit: 6/8: No damage.
  S6 vs Evie: Fighting (d6): 1/5: Miss
  Evie: Defend and Withdraw: S6: 11/5: Hit with Raise: 14/5: 2 Wounds
  Evie has fled the cavern.

  Round 5:
  Initiative: R: 9♦️
  Skeletons: 7♦️, Lich: 2♥️
  Rudiger: Benny, isn’t Shaken anymore and can act.
  Rudiger: Defend and Withdraw: 4/10: Miss, 5/10: Miss, 4/10: Miss, 14/10: Hit with Raise: 15/8: Wounded
  Rudiger has fled the cavern

  A dark sinister feeling overcomes the party as magical winds flow towards the corpse in the middle of the cavern.
  Before giving anyone a moment to decide if they should go ahead and try to destroy the undead being in the middle of the ritual drawing, Rudiger evaluates quickly his tactical options, and heads towards what seems to be an exit. 7 of the skeletons block his way. He deflects a blow quickly with his shield, and with a mighty swing of his longsword, he cuts through the spines of two of the undead.
  Evie has no choice but to follow her bodyguard, and with her short sword, she destroys another of the abominations. Gustav and Bianka come along, hoping to reach the exit. The skeletons gang up on them, and in the chaos of combat, Gustav is wounded by their sharp claws.
  Unfortunately, even though the way to the exit is clear, the skeletons have caught up with them, and there is no way to leave without being exposed to their attacks. The company has made a line, trying to push back the skeletons, but they are severely outnumbered, and Bianka and Gustav who aren’t as well armored as Rudiger are wounded further. Gustav grits his teeth, and pulls through, the wound being less severe than he initially thought.
  Rudiger destroys another skeleton with a quick slash of his blade, but Bianka receives a grievous wound. She doesn’t falter, she grabs her wound, and brings the fight back to the enemy.
  An evil hideous laughter echoes through the cavern, and the corpse rises. It’s a rotting carcass of a man in robes, holding a black wood staff.
  Rudiger tries to perform a flurry of blows to the skeletons, but in his hurry, only one skeleton is destroyed.
  The undead wizard shouts something in an unknown tongue, points his staff, and three black arrows materialize from thin air and shoot towards Evie, Gustav and Rudiger. Gustav is wounded by the arrow, while Rudiger evades it in the last moment, and gets barely scratched. The wizard misses Evie.
  Bianka realizes she has had enough. She prefers to be exposed to the skeleton strikes rather than the dead mage, and she withdraws from combat tactically. She has lost her nerve though, and one of the skeletons finds an opening and carves his fingers into her flesh.
  Gustav follows Bianka through the newly opened path, and Evie disengages from her own assailant. The skeleton manages in the last moment to tear Evie’s side open, wounding her badly.
  Rudiger has been left in the rearguard, and he knows that he too, must leave now or be killed, and join the skeletons in their undead mission. He uses his shield to cover his retreat, but he fights against 4 of the skeletons. He parries most of their blows, but one of them gets a strike to his leg. A small price to pay for escaping this hole. Up ahead he can hear his party mates footsteps, and he runs off after them.

  Now I decide that the skeletons will make a quick chase after the party. It’s going to be a short chase of 3 rounds, since the skeletons can’t be expected to operate freely far from their creator.
  Chase (Short: 3 Rounds).
  Q: Does the Lich give chase? (Unlikely)
  A: No
  For each chase round I will also be drawing a card of the dungeon crawl rules. In case of an encounter I will roll for ambush of the encountered enemy, since the running party won’t stop for conflict unless their path is blocked.

  Round 1:
  Dungeon crawl: A♦️! Finally the exit!
  I will roll 3d6 to find where in the Battlements map the exit lies.
  3d6: 12: Moat/Drawbridge.
  It makes so much sense. The river that surrounds the city and fills the moat has a side stream that is essentially the underground river that leads to sewers.
  Skeletons: Agility (d8+1): 6: Success
  Bianka: Agility (d8-3): 0: Fail
  Evie: Agility (d6-1): 3: Fail
  Gustav: Agility (d4-2): 3: Fail
  Rudiger: Agility (d8-3): 12: Success with 2 Raises.
  Skeletons: Q♥️
  Rudiger: Q♦️
  Both parties are at medium range.
  Q: Do the skeletons now sport bows?
  A: No

  Round 2:
  Skeletons: Agility (d8+1): 8: Success with 1 Raise.
  Bianka: Agility (d8-3): 1: Fail
  Evie: Agility (d6-1): 0 Fail
  Gustav: Agility (d4-2): 2: Fail
  Rudiger: Agility (d8-3): 6: Success.
  Skeletons: 9♠️
  Rudiger: 4♣️: Major Obstacle: Agility (d8-5): 0: Failure: Fatigued.

  Round 3:
  Skeletons: Agility (d8+1): 3: Fail
  Bianka: Agility (d8-3): 1: Fail
  Evie: Agility (d6-1): 10 Success with Raise
  Gustav: Agility (d4-2): 2: Fail
  Rudiger: Agility (d8-3): 2: Fail
  Evie: 5♥️

  They run off as fast as they can, the skeleton bones clacking behind them as the animated remains follow in pursuit. Quickly the cavern opens up to the surface. The river fills in from the outside, they’re at the most of Ostenhofen. A narrow path along the moat leads up and they keep running.
  Despite the skeletons having the upper hand at speed they don’t manage to catch up enough to attack.
  Abruptly the skeletons end their hunt. They come to a full stop as the party increases their distance, as if an invisible wall is holding them back.
  “They, they stopped.” Gustav says.
  “Let’s not wait to find out if they will continue.” Evie tells him.
  They continue until the skeletons are out of sight.
  Then each of them looks to their wounds. No one escaped unscathed.

  Bianka: 3 Wounds
  Evie: 2 Wounds
  Gustav: 1 Wound
  Rudiger: 1 Wound, 3 Bumps and Bruises

  Good thing for them is that the hex that they’re in, doesn’t have Orcs.
  Of course that’s where the skeleton army will set up.
  If this draws long I will need to paint a battle map of the ownership of each hex.
  The group moves to the village hex to recover.
  The skeletons will start with an army of 1d6+2 thousand points: 8 thousand points!
  It’s very likely Ostenhofen will fall to the dead instead, and maybe the Orc Warlord’s doom meant the Lich’s sorcery and not an imperial mage. Didn’t see this coming but it all falls into place.

  They move slowly without any noise towards the settlement of Westenhofen, on the western bank of the river, across the city.
  Back in the distance they see hundreds of figures crawling, and moving like puppets. An uneasy chill fills their hearts at the sight of the dead, walking in such great numbers.
  Without any fatigue, the dead, in numbers, move dirt into the moat. Soon it’s filled with mud, and they move across.

  Q: Are there any defenders?
  A: No, they have fled to the walls of the inner city, not risking being cut off by the orcs.

  The undefended outer gatehouse is soon conquered by the undead, whose Lich leader summons even more corpses to his cause.

  Let’s see what happens the next siege turn then.

  ---

  Undead Army: 2d6: 1,6=7: Goto 7: Wooden Palisade.

  Orc Army: 2d6: 3,2=5: Goto 19: Inner Keep!

  Since no one has attacked the party’s hex so far, I will start with them.

  Q: Is Westenhofen abandoned? (Likely)
  A: No, the Orcs have cut off the road and the Westenhofeners have barricaded themselves in.
  Q: Does Westenhofen have a wooden wall and gate? (Unlikely)
  A: Yes, and it’s manned.
  Q: Do the guards shoot at the party?
  A: No, and they see their sorry state, realize they’re friendlies and let them in.

  Almost stumbling along, the company reaches the wooden walls of Westenhofen. Behind the wooden shutters of the gatehouse, a guard figure watches them and soon the gates open slowly in silent.
  “Come inside! You’ve escaped from the siege? What news from the city?” Asks a young guard anxiously.
  “Let them be Bertio! They’re wounded and weary. Let’s take them to the Physician.” Says another guard, older, with feathers on his hat. Probably the captain.
  “I am captain Omund. Follow me. You will fill me in on our way to the Physician.” He tells the party. “Bertio! Shut this gate quickly!” He orders the guard who turns to his task.

  I will roll on UNE for the physician’s power level.
  I get 85: Slightly Stronger. So I decide they have a d10 on Healing skill.
  Now I need to get their Bearing. I decide that they are friendly.
  I get 22: gratitude.
  I go to donjon to get some descriptions: Geri has black hair and soft brown eyes, and a straight beard. He wears modest garments and an amulet of luminous crystal.

  Omund knocks on the closed door of the physician’s house. “Geri, it’s me Omund. Open up, I bring you wounded folk from Ostenhofen.
  They hear the door unlock, and unbar. Geri, a man with black hair, soft brown eyes and a straight bear opens to them. He wears modest garments and an amulet of luminous crystal.
  “You bring news! thank you. Come inside. I will tend to your wounds. I have a room to set you up.” He tells them and moves aside to help them. “Mari! Come we have patients!” He yells to his servant who appears in an instant to assist him.
  “What happened? What is the state of Ostenhofen? How did you escape?” the captain starts asking questions as the physician and his assistant start cleaning them up to see their wounds.
  “We are the entourage of Lady Evie Vogel. I am Rudiger, this is Gustav and this is Bianka. We got caught up in the siege as it started, and joined in every battle against the orcs. Things are dire. The supplies are dwindling, and only the inner city is still holding. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding regarding a past event, pressed us to escape the city.” Rudiger says in his bass voice. He pauses a moment and continues. “We used the sewers, who are infested with all sorts of creatures. It was by a thin hair that we managed to get out alive. We saw… we saw the dead walk.”

  Now I will first roll on UNE regarding the Conversation Mood for friendly.
  I get 16: Guarded.
  I will now roll on Omund’s Bearing and Conversation Focus I get comfort enemy.

  “You’re not our enemy Lady Vogel. We thank you for fighting the greenskins all along the way. It’s men and women like you that help the Empire stand it’s ground against all those foes. You can rest here as long as you need. The road to the west has been cut off.” Omund comforts them.

  Q: Does he believe Rudiger about the dead?
  A: False presupposition! He doesn’t need convincing at all. He has seen them with his own two eyes.
  Q: Does he know about the Lich’s past?
  A: False presupposition. He doesn’t know a thing about Lichs. He hasn’t even heard of such things.
  Q: Has he faced the undead in the past?
  A: Yes

  “Rudiger. I.. I’ve seen the dead walk in the past. I was a young boy when my father told me to hide under the bed. Our village was under attack. He opened the chest and yielded his blade. I peeked from under the bed and I saw it. A corpse walking. My father hacked it to pieces and it fell down silently. The memory still haunts me. It was some witch. A necromancer they said.” Omund confesses. “I believe you.”

  At last! a moment of calamity for our party.
  For this week I will roll on healing attempts.
  Healing Bianka: 3: Fail
  Healing Evie: 2: Fail
  Healing Gustav: 0: Fail
  Healing Rudiger: 4: Success. One wound is removed.
  Within the golden hour only Rudiger is back to his feet.
  Now let’s go for natural healing for the entire week.
  Bianka: Vigor (d6-3): 0: Failure. She remains at 3 Wounds.
  Evie: Vigor (d6-2): 9: Success with a Raise. She heals completely.
  Gustav: Vigor (d6-1): 8: Success with a Raise: He heals completely.
  Also Rudiger recovers from his Bumps and Bruises.

  By the week’s end, all but Bianka have recovered. Bianka’s health hasn’t improved, and Geri insists she has to stay for another week in bed.

  ---

  I almost forgot about the Empire Relief troops. I will use the weather Hex Flower Game Engine from Goblin’s henchman to see if the weather improves or not. If there’s still rain, I doubt relief can arrive.
  So I roll a 10. From heavy rain with clouds I go to thunderstorm. Relief is stuck, along with 1d6+2 x 500 = 2000 orc points.

  The defenders won’t try to defend the palisade from the undead attack. I doubt there would be anyone there to defend it anyway, so we go to what might be the final battle of Ostenhofen.

  So to recap:
  Empire Points: 2381
  Empire Relief Points: 3000
  Orc Points: 6986, 2000 of which are poised against the Empire Relief.
  Undead Points: 8000

  So we have a battle of 4986 Orc points against 2381 Empire points.
  I can’t run this in one go, so I will split it in 3 assaults happening at different parts of the keep.
  It’s going to be 3 battles of 800 Empire vs 1600 Orc points.
  If the Empire loses all 3 battles then they will perish no matter the fleeing units.
  If the Orcs lose all 3 battles then they will be pushed back.
  If there is a mixed result, then the survivors will fight again in a final battle. Imperial units that fled can join these battles but Orcish units will have fled the battlefield completely.

  The bells are ringing loudly, non-stop. The prince’s commander of the guard enters the chambers. Prince Ingmar looks at him.
  “My lord, the orcs have assaulted the northern part of the inner city, where the keep ends. We must push them back or all is lost.” He says worried.
  “Call for my squire to dress me up. We’re going to battle! Let’s show those orcs some imperial steel.” The Prince keeps his resolve. “Call my personal guard to the courtroom. I’ll address them before we go to battle.”

  The Orcs are attacking the northern keep from three points. The north-eastern tower, the Iron Tower is under attack by the Black Orc Big Boss Damuzu the Mean. The north-western tower, the White Tower is under attack by the Goblin Big Boss Golurtz, while the interconnecting walls in the middle are under attack by the Orc War Boss Baga himself. That’s where the Prince heads with his personal guard.

  ---

  The battle for the Iron Tower

  Q: Does the Iron Tower have a gate to the outside? (Unlikely)
  A: Yes
  Q: Do the walls have space for two lines of troops?
  A: No
  Q: Is there LOS for the crossbowmen to the Tower gate?
  A: Yes
  So the battle locations are the following.
  South wall connected to the Iron Tower.
  West wall connected to the Iron Tower.
  Iron Tower gate/floor level.
  Iron Tower roof/top level.

  Empire army Roster:
  Bolt Thrower with crew of 2 on top of the Iron Tower. 40 Points
  20 Crossbowmen at South Wall with Light Armor and Shield. 220 Points. With battle standard +10 points.
  20 Crossbowmen at West Wall with Light Armor and Shield. 220 Points. With battle standard +10 points.
  20 Swordsmen inside the Iron Tower with Light Armor. 180 Points. With a Champion, 33 points.
  10 Archers on top of the Iron Tower with Long Bow and Hand Weapon. 80 points.
  Total 793 Points.

  Orc army Roster:
  36 Black Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with two hand weapons. 360 points. With battle standard +10 points. With Black Orc Big Boss +92 points.
  36 Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with hand weapon, light armor and shield. 306 points. With battle standard +10 points.
  36 Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with hand weapon, light armor and shield. 306 points. With battle standard +10 points.
  20 Orc Archers. Armed with light armor and bow. 190 points.
  20 Orc Archers. Armed with light armor and bow. 190 points.
  5 Ogres with double handed weapons. 210 points.
  Total 1684 Points.

  Battle Duration: 6 Turns.

  I won’t be doing random initiative per turn like I did in the past. Instead, I will roll initiative at the beginning and rotate players each turn.
  Initiative won by: Empire.
  Starting combat distance: 5d6″: 15″
  Combat edge: +12″=27″

  Turn 1:
  Empire:
  The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Ogres (5): No hit.
  The Archers (10) shoot at the Orc Archers1 (20): 6 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save. 3 Orc Archers Dead.
  The Crossbowmen1 (20) shoot at the Orc Archers1 (17): 13 Hits: 5 Wounds: No Save. 5 Orc Archers Dead.
  The Crossbowmen2 (20) shoot at the Orc Archers2 (20): 8 Hits: 5 Wounds: No Save. 5 Orc Archers Dead.
  Test Orc Archers1 (12) for Panic: 11: It’s Panicked. They flee: 2d6″: 4″
  Test Orc Archers2 (15) for Panic: 10: It’s Panicked. They flee: 2d6″: 8″

  Orcs:
  Animosity: 2. No effect.
  Orc Archers1 (12): Rally: 9: Fail. They flee: 2d6″: 8″: They’re out of the battlefield.
  Orc Archers2 (15): Rally: 9: Fail. They flee: 2d6″: 8″: They’re out of the battlefield.
  Since the orc archer units are smaller than the Orc units, they’re not affected and don’t need to take a panic test.
  The Ogres, Orcs and Black Orcs march in formation and move 8″ closer to the walls.

  At first light, the Ostenhofeners see the orcs arrayed in battle formation across the battlements. As soon as they enter their weapons range, they load their crossbow and start shooting. The defenders aim first at the enemy’s archers, so that they can’t shoot back.
  The crossbow bolts find true their targets, and 7 of the orcs fall down dead. Such is their weak will, that they turn tail and flee, away from the battle.
  The other orcs seem uninfluenced by this turn of events and continue onwards.

  Turn 2:
  Empire:
  The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Orcs1 (36): No Hit
  The Archers (10) shoot at the Orcs1 (36): 3 Hits: 1 Wounds: No Save. 1 Orc Dead.
  The Crossbowmen1 (20) shoot at Orcs1 (35): 9 Hits: 7 Wounds: No Save: 7 Orcs Dead.
  The Crossbowmen2 (20) shoot at Orcs2 (36): 15 Hits: 4 Wounds: No Save: 4 Orcs Dead.

  Orcs:
  Animosity: 3: No effect.
  Ogres reach the Tower gate: They charge the gate. Toughness 7, 2 Damage Points.
  Ogres: 1 Point of Damage.
  The Orcs 1 and Orcs2 reach the walls and set up ladders. They will attack in the next turn.
  The Black Orcs are waiting for the Ogres to charge inside.

  The archers atop the tower and the crossbowmen keep shooting at the mass of orcs arrayed below, as the black orcs follow a handful of ogres that reach the reinforced gate of the Iron Tower. The ogres hammer down their mighty clubs and axes on the gate. The Ostenhofeners could not predict it, but the strength of the ogres is such, that the first cracks on the gate appears. The archer squad leader orders his men to the Ogres, but it may be too late.
  The orc mass has reached the foot of the walls, and they have launched ladders on each wall to climb and assault it.

  Turn 3:
  Empire:
  The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Black Orcs (36+1): Hit: 1 Wound: 1 Wound: No Wound. 2 Black Orcs Dead.
  The Archers (10) shoot at the Ogres (5): 6 Hits: 1 Wound. 1 Ogre Wounded.
  The Crossbowmen1 (20) shoot at Ogres (5): 11 Hits: 3 Wounds: 1 Ogre Dead. 1 Ogre Wounded.
  The Crossbowmen2 (20) shoot at Ogres (4): 10 Hits: 4 Wounds: 1 Ogre Dead. 1 Ogre Wounded Twice.

  Orcs:
  Animosity: 5: No effect.
  Orcs1 (28): Charge at Crossbowmen1 (20): Crossbowmen1 Return Fire: 10 Hits: 6 Wounds: 1 Save: 5 Orcs Dead.
  Orcs2 (32): Charge at Crossbowmen2 (20): Crossbowmen2 Return Fire: 9 Hits: 4 Wounds: 1 Save: 3 Orcs Dead.
  Orcs1 (23): Melee Combat: 1 Hit: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Crossbowman Dead. Score: 2 (Casualties + Standard)
  Crossbowmen1 (19): Melee Combat: 2 Hits: No Wounds. Score: 2 (Higher Ground + Standard)
  Orcs1 (23) vs Crossbowmen1 (19): It’s a draw.
  Orcs2 (29): Melee Combat: No Hits. Score: 1 (Standard)
  Crossbowmen2 (20): Melee Combat: 5 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save. 2 Orcs Dead. Score: 4 (Casualties + Higher Ground + Standard).
  Orcs2 (27) Break Test: 8: They’re broken and flee: 2d6″: 6″.
  The Crossbowmen2 (20) do not pursuit.
  Ogres (3) attack the gate: 2 Damage Points. The gate is destroyed.

  The bolt thrower crew switches target and aims at the black orcs gathering below. The javelin shoots, and pierces through the thick hide of a black orc, and kills another one before stopping at its dead body.
  The archers and all the crossbowmen shoot together at the ogres, killing two of the large creatures, but 3 more are standing. They bash down the door and it breaks in half.
  As the orcs climb the ladder, a hail of crossbow bolts falls on them, sending many orcs down to the ground. Close combat ensues, with only a few casualties. One crossbowman at the south wall, and two orcs at the west wall. The orcs at the west wall can’t get a foothold, and fearful of their lives, flee.

  Turn 4:
  Empire:
  The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Black Orcs (34+1): Hit: 1 Wound: 1 Wound: 1 Wound: No Wound. 3 Black Orcs Dead.
  The Archers shoot at the Ogres (3): 3 Hits: 1 Wound: 1 Ogre Dead.
  Crossbowmen1 (19): Melee Combat: 6 Hits: 4 Wounds: 1 Save: 3 Orcs Dead. Score: 5 (Casualties + Higher Ground + Standard)
  Orcs1 (20): Melee Combat: 6 Hits: 4 Wounds: 1 Save: 3 Crossbowmen Dead. Score: 4 (Casualties + Higher Ground + Standard)
  Orcs1 (20) Break Test: 7: They’re broken and flee: 2d6″: 11″
  Retrospectively I saw that I forgot to play the Crossbowmen2 unit in this round…

  Orcs:
  Animosity: 4: No effect.
  Orcs1 (20): Rally: 4: Success.
  Orcs2 (27): Rally: 8: Failure: Flee: 2d6″: 5″. (11″)
  Ogres (2) charge at the Swordsmen (20+1): 2 Hits: 2 Wounds: No Save. 2 Swordsmen Dead. Score: 2
  Swordsmen (18+1): Melee Combat (Only 4 can fight at the same time, 2 are dead): 0 Hits. Score: 0
  Swordsmen break test: 5: Success.
  The Swordsmen (18+1) hold.

  Another ogre falls under arrows, but they manage to get inside. The imperial swordsmen clash their swords with the mighty beasts, and two of their brethren fall, but they do not falter.
  Atop the south wall, the crossbowmen get the best of the orcs, who turn and flee as well, but soon they are rallied by their leader and regroup.
  The bolt thrower crew aims better this time, and the projectile skewers through 3 of the black orcs in line.
  The orcs near the western wall keep running away.

  Turn 5:
  Empire:
  The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Black Orcs (31+1): No Hit.
  The Archers (10) shoot at the Black Orcs (31+1): 5 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save. 3 Black Orcs Dead.
  The Crossbowmen1 (16) shoot at the Black Orcs (28+1): 7 Hits: 3 Wounds: No Save: 3 Black Orcs Dead.
  The Crossbowmen2 (20) shoot at the Black Orcs (25+1): 13 Hits: 6 Black Orcs Dead.
  Swordsmen (18+1): Melee Combat (Champion joins instead of 1 Swordsman): 2 Hits: No Wounds. Score: 0.
  Ogres (2): Melee Combat: 3 Hits: 3 Wounds. 3 Swordsmen Dead. Score: 3.
  Swordsmen (15+1) break test: 4: Success.
  The Swordsmen (15+1) hold.

  Orcs:
  Animosity: 6: No effect.
  Orcs2 (27): Rally: 8: Failure: Flee: 2d6″: 11″. (22″)
  Orcs1 (20): charge at the Crossbowmen1 (16)
  Crossbowmen1 (16) Return Fire: 5 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save. 1 Orc Dead.
  Orcs1 (19): Melee Combat: 7 Hits: 2 Wounds: 2 Saves: No Crossbowmen Dead. Score: 2 (High Ground + Standard)
  Crossbowmen1 (16): Melee Combat: 3 Hits: 1 Wound: 1 Save. No Orcs Dead. Score: 1 (Standard)
  Orcs1 (20): break test: 7: Fail. They flee: 2d6″: 9″
  Swordsmen Champion Melee Combat: No Hits.
  Ogres (2): Melee Combat: 2 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save. 1 Swordsman Dead. Score 1.
  Swordsmen (14+1): Melee Combat: 1 Hit: 1 Wound. Score 0.
  Swordsmen (14+1) break test: 9: they’re broken. They flee: 2d6″: 7″.
  The Ogres pursuit: 2d6″: 2″. They don’t catch up.

  The orcs near the western wall keep running away, while the mob near the south wall charges back again. They are met with a hail of crossbow bolts, and the firm defenders do not budge at all. Seeing the futility, the orcs flee yet again.
  The black orcs are peppered with a hail of bolts and arrows, and their numbers start decreasing, but they seem too stupid or too brave to care.
  Inside the Iron Tower close combat ensues. The ogres smash the skulls of two swordsmen who still try to hold their ground. As two more of their own fall, their morale is broken and they run away to flee. The ogres pursuit, but do not catch up.

  Turn 6:
  Empire:
  Swordsmen Rally: 10: Failure: Flee 2d6″: 5″.
  The Bolt Thrower (2) shoots at the Black Orcs (19+1): Hit: No Wound.
  The Archers (10) shoot at the Black Orcs (19+1): 3 Hits: 1 Wound: No Save: 1 Black Orc Dead.
  Crossbowmen2 (20) shoot at the Black Orcs (18+1): 11 Hits: 7 Wounds: No Save: 7 Black Orcs Dead.
  Black Orcs (11+1): Panic test: 5: Success. They don’t flee.
  Crossbowmen1 (16) shoot at the Black Orcs (11+1): 9 Hits: 3 Wounds: 3 Black Orcs Dead.
  Black Orcs (8+1): Panic test: 4: Success. They don’t flee.

  Orcs:
  Animosity: 2: No effect.
  Orcs2 (27): Rally: 7: They stop and rally.
  Orcs1 (20): Rally: 5: They stop and rally.
  Ogres (2) charge at the Swordsmen (14+1). Distance: 7+5-2-12=-2. The Swordsmen flee a further 2d6″: 5″. They are not caught.
  The Black Orcs (8+1) enter the tower.

  The missile defenders, without any harassment, keep shooting at the black orcs, who are reduced to less than a third of their initial numbers, and eventually enter the Iron Tower.
  The swordsmen are pursued further by the two ogres, but they are not caught, as the tight corridors of the keep are an obstacle to the big humanoids.
  Finally the night falls, and the Ostenhofeners have managed to defend this part of the city decisively. The breach at the gate is dangerous though, as the enemy could charge again here at any time with larger numbers.

  The battle is over.
  Points left:

  Empire army Roster:
  Bolt Thrower with crew of 2 on top of the Iron Tower. 40 Points
  16 Crossbowmen at South Wall with Light Armor and Shield. 176 Points. With battle standard +10 points.
  20 Crossbowmen at West Wall with Light Armor and Shield. 220 Points. With battle standard +10 points.
  14 Swordsmen inside the Iron Tower with Light Armor. 126 Points. With a Champion, 33 points.
  10 Archers on top of the Iron Tower with Long Bow and Hand Weapon. 80 points.
  Total 695 Points. 98 Points lost.

  Orc army Roster:
  8 Black Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with two hand weapons. 80 points. With battle standard +10 points. With Black Orc Big Boss +92 points.
  20 Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with hand weapon, light armor and shield. 170 points. With battle standard +10 points.
  27 Orcs at 4 ranks deep. Armed with hand weapon, light armor and shield. 229,5 points. With battle standard +10 points.
  2 Ogres with double handed weapons. 84 points.
  Total 685,5 Points. 742 Points lost.
  256,5 Points worth of archers are available for the orc army in general (they fled the battle but not the siege).

  Despite the breach in the Iron Tower, this was a decisive victory for the Ostenhofeners.

  Session Background: Had to stop here. With two or more battles pending this is going to be a long session.
  So, back to the beginning. At the battle with the lich. I really miscalculated how hard it would be defeat the skeletons. Thankfully, I made the choice of trying to flee instead of heading for the lich while it was vulnerable. I think it made more sense. And although the higher risk might have been a higher reward, there was a good chance that the party would perish there.
  In the end I had to make a tactical withdrawal. I know that it was not evident, but in the grid map I run, the party managed to kill all the skeletons to their rear. The problem was that they still were locked in combat and couldn’t leave without triggering attacks of opportunity. Faced with the sorcery of the awakened lich, I had to cut my losses and flee. Thankfully it was only wounds and no party members killed.
  I love how eventually the dungeon crawl fit in in with the siege and the oracle and everything. I can’t think of how this could have turned better.
  The Westenhofen village was a nice refreshing change for me, and using donjon and UNE together reminded me that I should be using these tools more, instead of relying on my inspiration only. Sometimes I go ahead with what is in my mind, but then things are quite limited. Especially when I’m tired an everything. Mental note taken.
  Now to the battle. I was afraid of running such a big battle solo, but in the end everything turned out okay. Some luck on the defender’s part (all the orc archers fled, and thus the walls were nigh impregnable), and failure to utilize the black orcs correctly (they should have attacked a wall rather than wait for their chance to enter the tower), saved the day for the Ostenhofeners.
  All in all, I am certain I made more than a few mistakes. Both regarding the RPG part of Savage Worlds, and the Wargaming part of the Warhammer Fantasy battles. I try to take notes as much as possible (hence why I listed the numbers of all troops remaining to help me), but I can’t remember all the rules all the times. Also the fact that it’s solo, means there’s no counter thought and counter argument to correct me when I’m wrong. When playing with others it’s in their best interest to remember the parts of the rules that will help them get the best results. When running solo, this is missed unfortunately.
  Overall I had lots of fun so far.
  In the upcoming session I expect to run the final battles for the keep.

   
• 

  giorgis 12:06 am on December 11, 2019 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: SavageWorlds ( 19 ), Solo ( 133 ), Warhammer ( 16 )   

  The siege of Ostenhofen pt4 

  A Savage Worlds Warhammer ~~Fantasy Battles~~ mashup.

  Brief Summary: In the previous part, a run in with the Bailiff had the party fleeing the inner city of Ostenhofen through the sewers in an attempt to escape. They managed to kill a handful of giant spiders and now have to pass through the thick webs before they can proceed.

  Evie thinks about their options. “Let’s keep to the walls as much as possible and cut through the webs with our blades.”

  Q: How many webs until the other side?
  A: 1d6 (exploding): 3
  Rudiger: 6/7: No damage
  Bianka: 6/7: No damage
  Evie: 5/7: No damage
  Gustav: 12/7: 2 Webs cut
  Q: Is the web on the floor removed? (Likely)
  A: No
  Next Round
  Rudiger: 15/7: 3 Webs cut
  Q: Is the web on the floor removed? (Very Likely)
  A: Yes
  Q: Is there floor underneath (or a gap)?
  A: False Presupposition. Even though the web on the floor was cut, there’s even more webbing underneath, like a second layer, older, stronger. Maybe from another kind of spiders?
  Q: Is there another spider (gigantic) alerted to the presence of the party?
  A: Yes, but, it won’t reach the room in time. Instead, I will replace one of my entries in the encounters table with this gigantic spider.

  The party starts hacking at the strong webs. They’re thick like vines, but eventually they are cut through. Only a small amount remains until they reach the opening in the other side of the room, and Rudiger, with extra effort, cuts through them like butter. His blade cutting through to the floor, where it doesn’t hit stone. Maybe Bianka was right and there’s a gap underneath. They all look at each other. Afraid that they might fall, but the webs hold, so they finally get moving on.

  Torch die: 5. Resource die remains at d8.

  Dungeon: 10 ♥️. Fork in the path.
  Torch die: 5. Resource die remains at d8.

  Dungeon: 8 ♠️. Dead end.
  Torch die: 2: Resource expended. Die downgraded to d6.
  Turn back and follow the other fork.

  Dungeon: 2 ♣️. Obstacle.
  Q: Is it a barred entrance?
  A: Yes. This is the part of the sewers of the inner city that most likely connects to the outer city. It’s closed by metal bars. If the party can manage to overcome the obstacle, then, they can move on.
  To pry the bars open wide enough for them to pass, a Strength trait roll at -4 is required. Each attempt will require an additional Strength trait roll at -1 per attempt beyond the first, or accrue a level of fatigue.
  Rudiger attempts first: Strength (d8-4): 3: Failure. Benny: 0, Benny: 0, Benny: 0. Failure.
  Rudiger fatigue check: Strength (d8): Snake Eyes. Crap, I already spent all the bennies. He pulls a strain and gains two fatigue levels.
  Rudiger attempts again: Strength (d8-5): 1. Failure.
  Rudiger fatigue check: Strength (d8-2): 3. Failure. 3 Fatigue levels. He can’t attempt again for 24 hours.
  Gustav has the scavenger edge. He uses it to say that he carries with him a crowbar that will give him a +2 at his attempts.
  Gustav attempts to pry the bars open: Strength (d6-2): 3: Failure. Benny: 1, Benny: 9: Success with a Raise. Finally!
  I managed to get through, but at what a cost! Rudiger now has a -3 to all trait rolls until fully rested.
  Torch die: 4: Resource die remains at d6.

  The party continues their path down the sewers, to a fork. They choose the left path which eventually leads to a dead end. Their torches are burning fast, and they are afraid they might be left in the dark soon. They retrace their steps only to come across a heavy set of bars running dug deep in the stone.
  “I guess that’s it. We must turn back.” Says Evie disheartened.
  “No!” Bianka disagrees. “This must be the borderline between the two parts of the city. If we pass, then any sewer exit we reach above ground should lead us to the outer part of Ostenhofen.”
  “Then I’ll do my best!” Rudiger rushes in against the bars and uses all his might trying to get them wide. In spite of his best efforts, he can’t budge them, and eventually he sprains his shoulder.
  Gustav finds the opportunity to show off to this master, lady Evie. He presents a crowbar from his belongings, and rests it against a gap in the stone. A few budges later, and a man-sized opening is enough to get them through.

  ---

  Dungeon: 4 ♠️. Dead end.
  Torch die: 1: Resource expended: Die downgraded to d4.

  Not a few steps further, they come across a thick walls. Now, they have nowhere else to go. Their attempt to escape has failed. To top it off, they are to their last few torches. They could be left blind in darkness any time soon.

  Now, things are looking dire. I doubt they can retrace their steps back in time. So, I’m going to have Gustav try to break down this wall, by removing the stone bricks with his crowbar, just in case the passage moves on a ahead and it was blocked for security reasons. This will take a whole lot of time though, and they will have to roll on the Torch die.

  Gustav: Strength (d6): 4: Success. Bricks removed for opening.
  Q: Is there a way through?
  A: Yes, but the gigantic creature has caught up to them.
  Torch die: 3: Resource die remains at d4.

  This is a fail forward by choice. I am giving the party a chance to move on against the dungeon deck rules, but I support it by an Oracle question to keep an amount of fairness, and an additional obstacle by bringing in the Gigantic Spider against them.
  For the stats of this creature, I will use the Giant spider stats upgraded by one die (and thus Parry and Toughness by +1), and give it a Wild Card status (3 Wounds and Wild Die).

  “Not again!” Evie shouts in despair and puts her head down.
  “Worry not, maybe it’s just another block on our way out.” Gustav motivates her, and starts hitting the mortar of the wall with his crowbar. The sound of metal on stone echoes through sewers. Soon, a small opening appears that can be further enlarged by hand.
  Before the party manages to move on, they hear again the distinct clicking sound of the giant spiders they met before. The torch light illuminates a creature thrice the size of its brethren that they slew before. Without further warning it launches itself forward.

  Round 1:
  Initiative: B: 9♥️, E: Q♣️, G: 8♠️, R: Q♥️
  Spider: 5♠️

  Rudiger charges at the creature: Fighting (d12-3): 7/7: Hit: 19/6: 3 Wounds!
  Spider: Benny: Soak (d12): 5: Success. 1 Wound removed.
  Evie attacks: Fighting (d8+1): 4: Miss
  Bianka attacks: Fighting (d8+2): Snake Eyes. Benny: 7/7: Hit: 4: No damage.
  Gustav attacks: Fighting (d6+3): 8/7: Hit: 6/6: Shaken.
  Spider: Spends Benny to remove Shaken. Attacks {1-3 Rudiger, 4 Evie, 5 Bianka, 6 Gustav}: Evie: Fighting (d10-2): 7/6: Hit: 8/6: Shaken

  Round 2:
  Initiative: B: 8♣️, E: 3♠️, G: 2♠️, R: 5♥️
  Spider: 3♥️

  Bianka attacks: Fighting (d8+3): 9/7: Hit: 16/6: 2 Wounds!
  Spider: Benny: Soak (d12-2): 2: Fail. Dead.

  Rudiger lets of a war cry, and despite his sprain, he makes a quick slash at the creature’s enormous head, cutting off a few of its eyes. It makes what could be described as an unnerving scream. Evie, Biank and Gustav gang up on it form the sides, and the servant manages some scratches at the spider’s side. Despite its wounds, it lashes back, slashing at Evie who is pinned down by its mandibles.
  Bianka doubles back on her attack, and her digs her hatchet deep between its head and its thorax, from below, almost decapitating the arthropod.
  “Do you think they come in even bigger sizes?” Rudiger asks Bianka.
  She scoffs. “Whatever size. I can handle them.”
  Realizing the danger these sewers pose to trespassers, they decide not to waste any more time, and open up the passage and move onward.

  ---

  Dungeon: 6♦️. Regular Path.
  Torch die: 4. Resource die remains d4.

  Dungeon: Q♦️. Regular Path. Encounter: Giant rat!
  I will give them the stats for regular wolves.
  Q: How many?
  A: 1d6+2: 5

  Bianka: Notice (d8+2): 5: Success. She can warn the party in time for them to draw weapons.
  Giant Rats: Notice (d10): 9: Success with Raise. They get the chance to position themselves against the group.

  As the party walks through the tight corridors, suddenly Bianka stops. “Rats!” She whispers and draws her hatchet. A split second of time later, the snout of a rat appears from the opening next to them, in their middle. Two more come from the front and two more come from the rear. They are surrounded. And yet it’s not the regular sized rats they are accustomed to. These things are large like dogs, and they see the party as a tasty snack.

  Round 1:
  Initiative: B: 7♣️, E: 7♠️, G: Q♠️, R: K♠️
  Giant Rats: 2♦️
  Rudiger attacks the Rat in the middle. Rudiger: Fighting (d12-2): 6/5: Hit: 10/4: Wounded. It’s out.
  Gustav attacks one Rat in the rear. Gustav: Fighting (d6): 4/5: Miss
  Evie can’t find room to attack.
  Bianka attacks one Rat in the front. Bianka: Fighting (d8): 11: Hit with Raise: 11/4: Wounded. It’s out.
  Two rats are dead. I’ll have them make a Spirit roll as a group (with Wild die) at -1 to see if they will stay.
  Giant Rats: Spirit (d6-1): 4: Success. They stay and attack.
  GR1 attacks Bianka: Fighting (d6): 2/6: Miss
  GR4 attacks Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 6/5: Hit: 3/5: No damage.
  GR5 attacks Gustav: Fighting (d6+1): 3/5: Miss.

  Round 2:
  Initiative: B: 6♥️, E: Joker, G: A♥️, R: 9♦️
  Giant Rats: 8♦️
  Gustav moves back to allow Rudiger to handle the rats.
  Rudiger attacks one Rat in the Rear. Rudiger: Fighting (d12-3): 3/5: Miss
  GR1 attacks Bianka: Fighting (d6): 4/6: Miss
  GR4 attacks Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 4/8: Miss
  GR5 attacks Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 2/8: Miss
  Bianka attacks GR1. Fighting (d8): 6/5: Hit: 8/4: Wouned. It’s out.
  Evie can’t find room to attack.

  Round 3:
  Initiative: B: 6♦️, E: J♦️, G: 4♦️, R: 5♣️
  Giant Rats: Q♦️
  Giant Rats Spirit roll at -2.
  Giant Rats: Spirit (d6-2): 7: Success. They stay and attack.
  GR4 attacks Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 5/8: Miss
  GR5 attacks Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 4/8: Miss
  Rudiger attacks GR4. Fighting (d12-3): 2: Miss

  Round 4:
  Initiative: B: J♥️, E: 7♦️, G: 4♣️, R: 9♥️
  Giant Rats: Q♣️
  GR4 attacks Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 3/8: Miss
  GR5 attacks Rudiger: Fighting (d6+1): 3/8: Miss
  Rudiger wild attacks GR4. Fighting (d12-1): 9/5: Hit with Raise: 19/4: 3 Wounds. It’s dead.

  Round 5:
  Initiative: B: 10♣️, E: 6♠️, G: 8♠️, R: 6♣️
  Giant Rats: Q♥️
  Giant Rat Spirit roll at -3. It’s no longer a group so it doesn’t have a wild die.
  GR5: Spirit (d6-3): 0: Fail. It flees. It’s subject to an attack of opportunity.
  Rudiger: Fighting (d12-3): 31/5: Hit with Raise: 23/4: 4 Wounds. It’s dead.

  Rudiger slams his shield against the giant rodent in the middle of the group, and as he has it immobilized, he guts it open with his blade.
  Bianka faces two of the creatures in the front, and buries her hatchet deep in their skull.
  Gustav in the rear is scared to put himself in danger and manages to do nothing more than keep the rats at bay.
  Bianka kills the second rat, while Rudiger exchanges places with Gustav. The tight corridor space doesn’t allow much room for maneuver, which helps Rudiger to protect his legs with his shield, while evisecrating another rat. As the last rat turns to flee, he finds the opportunity to make another strike, and he cleaves it in half.
  “Hey, Rat Catcher!” Evie calls out to Bianka. “How much are these worth to you?”
  Bianka smiles under the torch light. “Quite a lot actually.” She answers merrily and cuts off the tails as proof of the kill.

  Torch die: 1. Benny (Gustav): 4. Resource die remains d4.

  ---

  Dungeon: K♥️. Fork in the Path. Encounter: 6 Swarm.

  The group reaches an opening with a ladder going up and down. They decide to go up in the hope that it will get them closer to the surface. It’s not long that they’re still on the ladder that they hear hundreds of tiny squeaks.
  “More rats!” Bianka barely manages to gasp, and hundreds of the little creatures move on them, biting and chewing. Everyone tries to kill as many of the creatures as they can, but the small targets, the tight spot and the climbing ladder situation makes everything so much harder.

  Round 1:
  Initiative: B: A♠️, E: Joker, G: 5♠️, R: A♦️
  Swarm: 7♣️
  Evie attacks with her short sword. Fighting (d8): 12/6: Hit with Raise: 6/7: No damage.
  Bianka attacks with her hatchet. Fighting (d8): Snake Eyes: Benny: 7/6: Hit: 2/7: No damage.
  Rudiger attacks with his long sword. Fighting (d12-3): 6/6: Hit: 9/7: Shaken.
  Gustav attacks with his hatchet. Fighting (d6): 11/6: Hit with Raise: 7. Shaken. It’s Wounded.

  The group flails wildly their weapons at the rats, and they manage to kill more than a few. Their screams and kills, disperse the swarm of rats that scurries off further down the path.

  Torch die: 1. Benny (Bianka): 4. Resource die remains d4.

  Dungeon: 9♥️. Fork in the Path.
  Torch die: 1. Benny (Evie): 3. Resource die remains d4.

  Dungeon: K♦️. Regular Path. Encounter.
  I’m starting to get frustrated about getting out of the sewer maze.
  This starts feeling less like a solo rpg with narrative, and more like an old text CRPG from the 80s. So I will start spicing things up a bit from this point on. For every ‘regular path’ result, I will be asking ‘Is everything as expected’ to the oracle. Also for every encounter, I will start asking if they meet up orcs, beginning with very unlikely and going up to very likely. Since the orcs may looking for ways to enter the city.
  Q: Is everything as expected?
  A: No, And, Roll 1d10 on TWENE.
  TWENE: 8: Remove Major Element.
  The major element is the sewers. The sewers end. I am thinking that they give way to a natural cave system. Maybe there is an underground river.
  Q: Do the sewers give way to caves?
  A: Yes, and its a natural cave system with an underground river coming in, joining the sewage water and moving deeper in the ground.
  Now on to the encounter.
  Q: Is the encounter orcs? (Very unlikely)
  A: No
  So now I need to redefine the encounters table. Natural caves could have anything. Also, depending on what they encounter, there is going to be a hint of how far the exit would be. A bear for example wouldn’t be as far deep in the caves as a giant centipede.
  Since designing an encounter table from scratch now is going to take a lot of time, I’m going to use the monsters deck from an old rpg board game called Dragon’s Quest (R) by TSR. I’ll sort it out and only keep possible monsters. Also I will split it into two decks. Likely and Unlikely encounters. I will put orcs and goblins in the unlikely encounters.
  Q: Is the encounter from the likely deck? (Likely)
  A: No
  So, it’s from the Unlikely deck.
  It’s skeletons. This changes things even further. Maybe this is an underground cemetery? A part of the old Ostenhofen city that was buried after a landslide or an earthquake? Who knows.
  Q: Are there tombs and graves? (Likely)
  A: No, and there is nothing to point to a cemetery. Maybe an ancient battlefield of sorts where the dead lay restless.
  Q: How many skeletons?
  A: 1d6+2: 4.
  Q: Are they armed?
  A: No, but one of them is. It wields a battle axe.
  Intervention: 6: Wild!
  I’ll look to GMA cards for inspiration.
  Beguile Ancient Magic.
  I’m quite excited for this turn of events. I suppose that this cave is might be the lair of a necromancer who died doing a ritual (the specifics of the ritual are unknown as of yet). His corpse awaits awakening. His animated servants are waiting patiently for year to spill human blood back on his corpse to have him rise again and turn into a lich. It will take 3 turns from the first blood, for the lich to rise and each wound suffered afterwards will reduce the time by one turn.
  Now we have a lot of questions and almost no narrative. So let’s put all this into story.

  The cleanly cut brick floor of the sewers slowly stops, and gives in its place to dirt and rough stone. The loud sound of running water brings in a fresh air, a nice change from the stink of the sewers.
  “At last! Clean water!” Evie says and splashes water on her face, cleans her hands and boots. The rest of the party follow her example.
  Refreshed, they spend some time to observe their surroundings.
  “Let’s follow the river upstream. It has to lead us to the surface.” Bianka proposes.
  “Smart.” Rudiger agrees, and they all move on with renewed vigor.
  The path slowly widens, and the river is to their right side. They reach an underground plateau. Tree roots hang from the ceiling, and a few withered tree trunks sparsely populate the scene.

  Rudiger recovers a level of fatigue.
  Bianka: Notice (d8): 7: Success.

  Bianka notices in middle of the plateau some markings under the dirt, and the remains of what seems to be a man-sized figure.
  The are spread thin, looking around, when she feels a tug on her boots, and she sees a skeleton hand grabbing her. She looks in awe as a complete skeleton digs its way out of the ground and claws up. It’s mouth open, as if screaming in silence. She’s not alone. Three more skeletons claw out of the ground and attack her companions.

  Fear check for each party member.
  Bianka: Spirit (d4): 3: Fail. Shaken. Vigor (d6): 5: Success.
  Evie: Spirit (d8): 3: Fail. Shaken. Vigor (d6): 4: Success.
  Gustav: Spirit (d4): 6: Success.
  Rudiger: Spirit (d6-2): 6: Success. Fright: 10: Panicked. He immediately moves 6″ away and is Shaken.

  Round 1:
  Initiative: B: 7♣️, E: 3♣️, G: 7♠️, R: 7♥️
  Skeletons: 3♦️

  Gustav draws his hatchet and attacks the skeleton next to him.
  Gustav: Fighting (d6-2): 2/5: Miss
  Bianka: Spirit (d4): 9: Success with a Raise. She acts this round. She draws her hatchet and attacks the skeleton that grabbed her.
  Bianka: Fighting (d8-2): 5/5: Hit: 13/7: Wounded. It’s out.
  Rudiger: Spirit (d6-2): 8: Success with a Raise. He acts this round. He draws his sword and charges back at the skeleton behind him.
  Rudiger: Fighting (d12-2): 21/5: Hit with a Raise: 17/7: Wounded. It’s out.
  Before attacking I need to ask which skeleton carries the battleaxe. 1d4: 1 Bianka’s which is dead.
  Skeleton 2 attacks Evie: Fighting (d6): 3/5: Miss
  Skeleton 3 attacks Gustav: Fighting (d6): 8/5: Hit: 4/5: No damage.
  Evie: Spirit (d8): 7: Success. She can act next round.

  Bianka and Evie freeze with fear, but Bianka quickly overcomes herself and hacks at the skeleton in front of her with her hatchet, smashing its skull in two.
  Gustav tries to fight back, but his lack of combat skills show.
  Unexpected to all, Rudiger has had it. The fear is overwhelming and he runs off. The thought of being called out a coward overcomes him and he gets a grip of himself. He unsheathes his sword, and turns around and slashes at the skeleton that is after him, cutting it in half.
  The two remaining skeletons, try to hurt Evie and Gustav, but fail to do any harm.

  Round 2:
  Initiative: B: Q♠️, E: 9H, G: Q♣️, R: 8♦️
  Skeletons: 10♣️

  Bianka moves and attacks S2: Fighting (d8): 17/5: Hit with Raise: 16/7: Wounded. It’s out.
  Gustav moves and attacks S3: Fighting (d6): 4/5: Miss
  Skeleton 3 attacks Gustav (Wild Attack): 3: Benny: 7: Hit: 8/5: Shaken.
  Evie draws her short sword, moves and attacks S3: Fighting (d8-1): 4/3: Hit: 8/7: Shaken
  Rudiger moves and attacks S3: Fighting (d12-1): 3/3: Hit: 13/7: Wounded. It’s out.

  Bianka moves to Evie who has just come to her senses, ducks and crushes the skeleton at it’s thighbone, shattering it to pieces.
  The last skeleton claws at Gustav, scratching him, droplets of blood, falling on the floor.
  The team gangs up on the last skeleton, and Rudiger finishes it off with an assist from Evie.

  Considering that the party hasn’t faced undead before. I highly doubt that they realize there is any danger from the corpse in the middle.
  Q: Does the party realize the necromancer will raise back as a Lich? (Very Unlikely)
  A: Yes!
  Wow didn’t expect this.
  But, reading through the Lich in the Bestiary, I see that he is surrounded by 4d10 skeletons. So I suppose they were inactive, and now they rise.
  Q: How many skeletons?
  A: 4d10-4: 20 more skeletons.

  “The dead shouldn’t be walking anymore. What is this sorcery?” Rudiger sais with fear.
  “I’ve heard tales.” Evie says. “I thought they were stories to keep the children in at night.”
  “What is the corpse in the middle? Something evil or a sacrifice?” Bianka asks, but her answer is given to her as she sees the body twitch.
  The torchlight illuminates the ground that starts to collapse slowly as a score of skeletons rises back up and joins their undead brethren. The company looks at each other, and slowly they pace backwards, and stand in the middle, their weapons facing out, their backs covering each other. The clacking of bones charging at them is all they hear.

  ---

  I’m stopping here since I’ve went a lot ahead without any pause. If they stand a chance against the Lich, they need their Bennies refreshed.

  Session Background: This was a full dungeon crawl session. Since it’s the second session in a row without any wargaming, I strikedthrough the “Fantasy Battles” from the intro. With dungeon crawling, again the main problem I had, was that the party wasn’t equipped for such an endeavor. This was like the Ruins of Syriholm all over again. Resources slowly dwindling and no magic to keep this balanced, since I have a weird affinity towards low-fantasy settings. With this in mind, I did what I had to do with the tools at hand. I used the narrative and the oracle to help twist the story. Something I’ve learned early on is the importance of fail forward as part of the narrative in solo rpgs.
  Yes, I could have the party keep going on, until no more torches were available. And lost, in total darkness eventually they would fall prey to whatever lurks in the sewers. Or they might never find the way out. Where’s the fun in that?
  Instead, I gave them a way forward, but at a cost. Rudiger is fatigued, a giant spider almost had them for lunch (they had some lucky rolls against it), and now a Lich is about to rise from the dead.
  Asking the oracle if there is something different, unexpected, or simply if there is a way out is a perfectly valid tactic for me. But I want to make it fair. The same way that it’s no fun for me to have the party die in an uneventful boring manner, the same way it’s no fun to have everything easy, served on a platter.
  Now my protagonists are in a tough spot. Will they try to fight the Lich, or will they use the few seconds they have available to run off and escape? What will this mean for the Ostenhofeners? Will an undead army rise to change the balance of power in the siege?