On to attack the Bleak Keep as provided by the evidence found when I was fighting the Fanatics.
Campaign Turn
Village Events: Offerings of food and ale. No need to pay Upkeep this turn. Agents and Adventurers: Bruno – Away on Quest, Alida – Dead, Frans – Away on Quest. Pay Upkeep: Still away on Questing as Agents: Bruno, and Frans. Healing Up: Ardus, also chugs a Tonic. Roving Wanderer. Actions: Ardus (+Evie): Healer. Fully Healed. Rudiger, Gustav: Priest: Failure Roving Wanderer: Healer. Where are we going: Bleak Keep Sell Unwanted Gear: Nothing. Trade: Nothing
Despite that the Roving Wanderer was at 0 Recovery Turns needed after healing Up at the start of the turn, I decided that in order to allow him to adventure he had to see the Healer, and thus spent a town action. Combat Encounter: Fanatics: Camp: 6 Fanatics (1 Archer), Captain: 13″ combat distance: Seize Initiative: Success.
Theme: Edge of the woods Oddities: None
Aftermath
Injuries: Ardus: KO Unusual Finds: Bounty on their heads: 5 GM Experience: Gustav: Pathfinding Rudiger: +1 Luck Ardus: +1 Toughness Loot: Enchanted item: Hate Strike, Fine Standard Weapon, 11 GM. Also 3 GM for completing the mission.
Journal
With dark heart I received the news that Alida had perished. No longer would his steady crossbow cover us while we advanced against the enemies. But we lost not only a soldier, also a friend. We drank to his memory. Bruno and Frans were still away. The villagers of Eerfeld were still so happy we freed the lands that they gave us food and ale, and the innkeep gifted us our stay. Ardus and the Roving Wanderer were already feeling better, but with a visit to the healer, they’re back on their feet. Gustav and Rudiger went to the temple, but the priests weren’t receiving, due to a holy ritual that lasted the entire week. No time to waste, we headed for the Bleak Keep. Once outside, I taunted Crerdieu, and enraged, he and 4 fanatical followers met us out of the gates, while an archer took pot shots from above. The fight didn’t last long. With ease, we dispatched most of the minions, and Gustav finished off Crerdieu in hand to hand combat. Apart from a few scratches and wounds, only Ardus was downed in the field. He climbed the gatehouse and was knocked out by the enemy archer. This gave me an opportunity to finish him off with an arrow. It seems Crerdieu had a bounty on his head which we claimed, and also we got extra gold for clearing up the fort. Speaking of which, we found a fine sword, as well as an enchanted blade which screams with hate as Wigmar wields it. A fine addition to the armory.
Evie’s Journal, week 14
Session Summary
The first of my hero deaths happened while they were away, using the optional Agents and Adventurers ruleset.
In this fight I also used an optional rule about increased harm. This means that wounding happens much more easily. I really liked this rule as it gave a much faster game flow. The only downside is that the AI isn’t currently set to deal with it, so the player has a slight advantage as they can focus attacks on wounded enemies.
With this battle, I’m hitting pause on the story of the Wardens of Gahyrst. Not hitting pause on 5L of course. I have some plans that I want to follow on later, but I feel that this warband power level at this campaign difficulty makes it go too easy… and I like a challenge.
Village Events: Wandering healer. I don’t have any wounded Wardens. Agents and Adventurers: Bruno – Away on Quest, Alida – Found Loot: Tonic, Frans – Empty Handed Pay Upkeep: I send away on Questing as Agents: Bruno, Alida and Frans. Healing Up: Nothing. Actions: Ardus: Labor: +2 GM. Gustav: Tracking: Failure Roving Wanderer: Foraging: 1 Protective Herbs. Where are we going: Go adventuring Sell Unwanted Gear: Nothing. Trade: Bought Holy Water (Rare Item for -5GM)
Adventuring: Roadside Encounter: Soldier, Special: Generosity, Friend: +1 Ration I spend the Ration to continue adventuring: Roadside AND Combat Encounter: Roadside: Humble Priest, Special, Clue: Loot: Full Armor. Combat Encounter: Raiders: Located Camp: Last Stand: 6 Raiders (1 Archer), Boss (Captain), Lackey (Sergeant): 15″ combat distance: Seize Initiative: Failure.
Theme: Along The Road Oddities: Ladden Down By Spoils
Meeting the raider camp along the roadLeft to Right, Front Row, the Boss and his LackeyAdvancing behind coverRaider shot between the treesClosing in combatThe fight draws onArdus in close combat against raiders
Aftermath
Injuries: Gustav: KO Rudiger: KO Ardus: Moderate: 6 RT Wigmar: KO Roving Wanderer: Moderate: 3 RT Unusual Finds: Bounty on their heads: 6 GM Experience: Wigmar: +2 Speed Loot: Medicinal Herbs, Vital Information, Partial Armor, Soul Render (!) Threat: Border Tension Reduced to 0: Village Cleared: 11 GM, +1 Story Point
Journal
Who were these skirmishers? their uniform colors were foreign. We need to find out if they were scouts of a larger force. As we gathered together, I waited for news from the agents. Alida and Frans returned. Alida brought a nice bottle of tonic to share with the wardens in a time of need. Bruno was a no show. I hope he’s alright. He’s a tough man. The week passed quietly in Eerfeld. A wandering healer came to offer their services, helping the locals for free. The Wardens did some chores in and around Eerfeld. The Roving Wanderer found some helpful herbs, Ardus helped in the fields, while Gustav tried to find any tracks of the skirmishers, to no avail. Before setting off, we bought a flask of holy water to help in these dark times, and left for adventuring.
On the road we came upon a friendly figure. It was soldier, Rupert, once a member of the Eerfeld militia. We shared stories and news, and he gave us food for the road. With renewed strength and full bellies, we kept on the same path. Soon we met a member of the clergy. It was a priest of Adeus, returning from Heagrove. He told us how much he valued what we had done for Eerfeld and that he knew of a nearby abandoned altar that was dedicated to Adeus, and there was a set of gear there for the protectors of Eerfeld, bought by the donations. He said we had proven more than enough our worth. We parted ways and went to this altar to find a suit of full armor, hidden and tucked carefully under the marble steps. It was the middle of the day when far in the distance we saw the smoke of a campfire. We split and scouted ahead.
It was the same raiders. They wore the same colors as the skirmishers the other day. They had pouches full of loot from their raids. Who knows what farmstead they burned and what terror and pillaging they had caused. It was time we ended this once and for all. We made out that they had a leader, just as we were noticed.
Me and the Roving wanderer covered the sides with our bows while the rest of the wardens headed for the main camp. The cover of the trees, saved the raiders for only a short while, before they fell under our arrows, and one of them fled. The battle was bloody. Rudiger and Wigmar got locked into combat with the enemy captain and what seemed to be his bodyguard – a sergeant of sorts. The captain brought Rudiger down as we closed. Gustav took out his bodyguard in melee. Furious that his friend was killed, the captain attacked Gustav with all his might, bringing him down as well. Meanwhile Ardus flanked the rest of the raiders. The battle drew on, for every one of them, one of us went down. With a carefully placed shot I took out the captain, but his troops wouldn’t leave. It seems there was too much loot to be lost. As the battle went on, in the end, only I was standing. With the field clear, I went to check on my companions. Luckily, the wounds of Rudiger, Gustav and Wigmar were superficial. Ardus was wounded again at his old wound. It would take a while before he was back on his feet. The roving wanderer also was hurt, not as badly though.
We searched through the bodies and the crates. We found several gold pieces, even among the fallen enemies, a set of armor, some healing herbs, a sealed letter with important information, and a sword with markings, carefully tucked in a piece of cloth. This looked a lot like the legendary Fornaught.
Victorious, we returned to Eerfeld, only to be met with a rider. He claimed to be a messenger of Lord Ornfric. He had a bounty out for this band of raiders we just eliminated, and paid us the reward. It was a hard earned reward. For once we could rest, assured that nothing would bother the people of Eerfeld at least for the coming weeks.
I looked at my map, showing the location of the keep. Then looked at the Wardens. Joyful they were singing and drinking. Two of them were bedridden, taking their time to heal the wounds. Such is the fate of the defenders of the people. No matter what, we must press on.
Evie’s Journal, week 13
Session Summary
This game was thrilling. Bringing the boss down was really difficult – as it should be, even with my experienced warband. In the end it came down to a thread. It was 1 vs 1, with only Evie standing.
I hadn’t a count of where the threat point started (the rulebook states that only camp/lair fights of threats that started in 3 or more that are down to the last point trigger a Last Stand fight) but decided to go with the LastStand nevertheless. It was only fitting.
Despite trying to make the game harder, I rolled a loot result of the Soul Render. Easily the strongest weapon in the game. Decided it’s going to be a sword.
I’ll attack the Keep in the next session, before leaving Eerfeld and adding some expansion content.
Hello! I purchased Five Leagues 2e a while back because I wanted a solo/coop skirmish game that I could play with my son using our (way too large!) LEGO collection. However, after reading through the entire rulebook multiple times I still cannot make heads or tales of how to actually play! I think part of the problem is that I’ve never played a skirmish game before; I’m coming from more of a board game background where you typically have a “rules reference” and a “how to play” manual, and I feel like I’m missing the “how to play” manual with Five Leagues and just have an encyclopedia of rules without enough guidance on how to put them all together.
That being said, would you have any tips to help me get started? Perhaps some homemade reference docs that you could share? Any help is appreciated! Thanks for your time.
Hello!
I’ll try to explain as much as possible as I don’t have a set of references.
In your case, starting I’d avoid any optional rules as they can complicate things. Once you get get hang of it, slowly add more things.
So the game is split in the campaign (pre-battle [Campaign Turn], post-battle [The Aftermath]) and battle sections [The Game Turn].
When you begin, you set up the campaign region by rolling the number of villages and their respective threats [Starting the Campaign], and then go to the section to create your 8 member party [Character Creation].
For flavor you can go to a number of name generators for your villages and party members, or make up your own. You can leave the region abstract, or if you want draw a map, as it is a fun task on its own.
Now to the game itself, you go to the [campaign turn] section, and decide what you want to do with your alloted actions for the round, then you usually choose to go adventuring and roll on the respective tables [Encounters], which may generate a combat encounter. Place the terrain and miniatures on the table according to the theme and distances rolled.
The battle itself is pretty straightforward. After the Seize Initiative check, you roll to see how many members of your party play before or after the enemy. The enemy follows a specific mindset defined in the rulebook [Enemy Movements].
Haven’t played co-op, but the most common way to do it is split the warband in two, and have each player roll for their own figures.
It helps if you write down the things as they happen and update the warband sheets regularly.
The question was quite generic, so if this doesn’t help, let me know and I’ll do my best to answer more informatively.
Also the publisher’s blog is http://fivemennormandy.blogspot.com/?m=1 and maybe there’s a FAQ there that might help as well.
Continuing my campaign, trying to clear out Eerfeld.
Campaign Turn
Village Events: Youthful Volunteer. I don’t need any more members, so I won’t take them in. If they had a chance for unusual backgrounds I might reconsider. Pay Upkeep: I send away on Questing as Agents: Bruno, Alida and Frans. Healing Up: Ardus -1RT=2RT Actions: Ardus (supported by Evie): Visit the town healer: (6): -2RT=0RT. Healed Gustav: Tracking: Failure Roving Wanderer, Rudiger: Visit the Village Priest: Both gain +1 temporary Luck. Where are we going: Go adventuring Sell Unwanted Gear: Sell 2 Swords. Trade: Nothing
Adventuring: Combat Encounter: Border Tension: Skirmishers: Attacked by Enemy: No leadership presence: No Personalities: 5 Skirmishers (1 Archer): 13″ apart: Didn’t Seize Initiative
Theme: Graveyard Oddities: No oddities
The two sides meet in the graveyardEvie and the Roving Wanderer take aim at the enemyThe two last skirmishers move forwardArdus fights a skirmisher in close combat
I was in the inn, right after giving Bruno, Alida and Frans their tasks to Quest away, that a youth arrived. He must have barely turned 18, his hair free flowing in his face. Wanted to join the Wardens. I was honoured that our name has travelled through the land and people come seeking for us. But this was no time to send a young boy to his death, especially when our roster is full. I sent him back to his folks.
Ardus is healing well, and after another visit to the healing lady, she prepped him up with some herbs, and he got back to his feet. I think he will be able to join us adventuring.
Once this was done, I gathered the remaining Wardens in the inn. Gustav reported that despite his tracking efforts he didn’t manage to find any tracks of the enemy. Rudiger and the Roving Wanderer arrived late, seems they had visited the altar of Adeus for a blessing.
We geared up and went scouting the countryside. Everything was quiet. No outlaws, no dark cultists. Except for the keep, that we intend to clear out. Then suddenly, as we checked the graveyard outside the village for any signs of trouble, an arrow hit next to me. Looking in the distance I saw them. Lightly armed troops, wearing foreign colors. We immediately spread, to hit them on three fronts.
The Roving Wanderer hit the enemy archer with the first arrow shot, and I eliminated another one. Two of the remaining three advanced, while one fled to safety. Most likely he will inform his superiors of our existence. I took another shot and brought another skirmisher down, while Ardus cut the last enemy in half, in just one strike.
Searching through their belongins to find out who they were and what they were after, we found 11 Gold Marks and a trinket, not something of commercial value, most likely something personal. We held on to it for the future and headea back to Eerfeld.
Evie’s Journal, week 12
Session Summary
I made a mistake (which was corrected in the report). The order in which the threats are displayed in the reference sheet is not aligned to the order in which they are displayed in the enemies table of the rulebook. I must have made the same mistake more than once, and that’s why I hadn’t fought any Border Tension so far, and only met Dark Secrets and Outlaws. I realized after playing this battle, which I thought was against Renegades instead of Skirmishers. Thankfully the two entries are identical, mechanics wise, and only the presentation changes. I took note of it for the future.
Still my warband is pretty strong. With 6 members, I eliminated the enemy force of 5 renegades in two turns with no losses. As I said in my last session, I’m looking forward to clearing this village so that I can start working with some expansions (though I intend to clear the Bleak Keep as well before doing so). 1 Threat point left. We’re almost there!
For this Five Leagues from the Borderlands session I’ll try a new journal style that might be easier to keep up with. I’ll be writing the campaign turn mechanics and aftermath, as well as posting photos from the battle between them. But the narrative will be altogether in the end.
Since I was finding that my warband walks through encounters unchallenged, I will be trying some new optional rules. They will be posted later on in detail, and I’ll keep you updated. In sort, there will be a limit to how many Adventurers I can field, any excess (called Agents) will be sent of to quest on their own, with their whereabouts unknown until they return. If they stay in the village I’ll have to pay upkeep.
Campaign Turn
Village Events: Offerings of food and Ale. Seems I don’t have to pay upkeep costs. Maybe I’ll keep them in Eerfeld, safe and sound. Healing Up: Ardus -1RT=5RT Actions: Ardus (supported by Evie): Visit the town healer: (6): -2RT=3RT Roving Wanderer: Forage for herbs: 1 Medical Herbs Wigmar: Labor: +2GM Where are we going: Go adventuring Sell Unwanted Gear: Nothing sold Trade: Nothing
Adventuring: Combat Encounter: Dark Secret: Fanatics: Encounter While Travelling: No leadership presence: No Personalities: 7 Fanatics (1 Archer): 13″ apart: Seized Initiative
Theme: Near a farm house Oddities: Fleeting Encounter
The Roving Wanderer taking aimRudiger fighting the last Fanatic
This week there was a feast in Eerfeld. Saint Patron’s Adeus. The villagers seem to have found affinity to us, and with the outlaw threat eliminated, they’ve come with offerings of food and ale. I was about to send Bruno, Alida and Frans questing, but the villagers wanted them to stay. Truth is they could use the rest, and the villagers the extra feeling of protection.
I went to the healing lady with Ardus. He barely made it alive from the last battle, so I stayed and helped however I could with my knowledge of herbs. She seems to have taken a liking to my presence and no longer grimaces when I bring more wardens in need of her skills.
The rest of the wardens did some side tasks, foraging and helping with the fields, before we gathered and set off to prove once more to the villagers of Eerfeld that their trust in us is worth it.
It didn’t take long before we heard war cries from near a farm house. We drew our swords and bows. Dusk was falling, so the time was limited before we would lose the enemy in the darkness. Me and Gustav took one side of the farm house while Rudiger, Wigmar and another warden, the roving wanderer the other. The enemy made no effort to stay hidden. Screaming madmen, fanatics, charged furiously at us, but we were ready. Their menace was so great that it took me 3 arrows to bring the first one down. 7 of them alltogether, they were no match for us. I killed two, Rudiger and Gustav killed two more, while another was brought dead by the roving wanderer. What struck me as odd, was that they did not yield or flee, but stood to fight to their last drop of blood. Not that it made any difference, as we managed to clear the farm before nightfall. We searched their belongings, finding a longbow, 6 gold marks along with a letter, signed from ‘Crerdieu, Host of the Bleak Keep’, and a crude map showing the keep, Eerfeld, and places they were looting. Maybe we should pay Crerdieu a visit.
Evie’s Journal, week 11
Session Summary
My warband is strong enough to defeat enemies coming their way. I really like the reduced numbers, which both give a challenge, and made the game faster. I’ll keep playtesting them. Looking forward to reducing the threast to Eerfeld to 0, and seeing how the game progresses, but I also want to clear the Bleak Keep before I do so.
Village Event: Herbs are blooming. Pay Upkeep: -1 Gold Restock Ammunition: Since I fielded 3 Ranged Weapons, -1 Gold. Healing Up: Rudiger RT, reduced to 0. Carry Out Activities: Forage for Herbs: (Roving Wanderer): No herbs found. Just the one from Herbs are blooming. 1 Medicine Herb. Track: Managed to locate signs of the enemy. Study (Evie): Dodge Skill. Where are we going?: Go Adventuring Sell Unwanted Gear: Selling all damaged items for 4 Gold total. Trade: War Spear (Bought, Bruno), Rare Item: Fine Full Armor (not bought). Outfit for Adventure: Ready Recruit Some Villagers: None
Go Adventuring: Combat Encounter: Outlaws: Desperate Mob: Encounter While Travelling: 7 Mobsters: Enemy Leadership: No Leadership Presence: Personality: Heretic Deploying Figures: 17″, 3 groups, 6″ apart Seize the Initiative: Seized Fight It Out. Table Theme: Near a Farm House Battle Objective: Scout Oddities: Gloom (Still Seized Initiative)
The Wardens, 9 strong, are celebrating the return of Rudiger in action. The hardened veteran is ready to get back to combat. As they empty another flagon of ale, Evie feels a tug to her cloak.
She turns around and sees a young child, fear in her eyes. “Dear lady, we need your help. Some evil men came to our farm. They wanted our belongings. My mother kicked them out, but they returned, more of them. One of them looks crazy. Screaming some unknown rites. My mother is barred inside, can you help us. Please?”
The child needn’t say more. Evie stood up. “Wardens we have work to do. The sun is setting, but these people need our help.”
She heads out, and the rest of the warband follows without hesitation.
The Fight
Swiftly, Evie guides them through the woods, behind the hills, outside of the line of sight of the enemy. They advance quickly. She sees three groups of ragged people coming towards the farm. She splits the warband in three groups as well. Frans and Alida head towards the orchard and the farm house to see if the girl’s mother is still inside.
Evie, Ardus and the Roving Wanderer take the hill towards the pond where one mob is approaching, while Bruno, Rudiger, Wigmar and Gustav head to the side to meet with the other mob.
Under the gloom, the enemy is taken by surprise. Despite the lack of visibility, Evie’s arrows find their target and the first mobster falls.
“There they are! Sacrifice them! Kill them! Smear their blood on you and we shall ascend!” One man shouts as he holds up a severed head. Taking the opportunity, the Roving Wanderer, shoots at the man. The arrow finds him between the eyes, and he drops dead. To the Warden’s surprise the enemy doesn’t disperse at the death of their leader, but instead they push on with renewed vigor!
Joing in melee combat Ardus kicks back one mobster, while Rudiger does the same in the other side of the farm house.
The push back isn’t enough, and soon Ardus is surrounded. One hit after the other, he parries as many blows as he can, but finally, he is overcome, and a blow brings him down.
Alida checks the orchard, it’s empty. Frans checks the farm house, and the door is still locked. Most likely the mob hasn’t managed to get inside yet.
Alida moves further to the fence, to get an opportunity to shoot his crossbow to the enemy, but as he does, he is attacked by a crazy mobster. He manages to push him back, and they both stand behind the orchard fence looking at each other from a small distance.
Rudiger bashes at the mobster with his shield, pushing him back, while Bruno extends his spear, and the enemy holds off. The war spear allows him to take advantage of the situation, and as a second mobster comes for him, Bruno thrusts him, the spearhead coming from the other side. Another mobster is dead.
Alida aims and shoots the mobster looking at him from the other side of the fence, but the crossbow bolt, doesn’t eliminate his enemy, despite finding it’s target.
Evie and the Roving Wanderer shoot a hail of arrows at the gang that surrounded Ardus, and kill the lot of them.
The mobsters behind the farm house try another charge at Rudiger and Bruno, but they’re no match for their skill, and soon the enemy perishes.
The last mobster, wounded by the crossbow bolt, lets off a war cry and jumps over the fence. Alida stuns him with the butt of his crossbow and rebounds with a dagger thrust between the ribs, ending the fight.
The Wardens close in on their fallen friend. Frans tries his healing touch, but he can’t save Ardus. His luck seems to have run out. The warrior would be dead if it wasn’t for Evie. She brings out her medical herbs from her bag, and quickly stops the bleeding. Ardus is saved. The wound is serious and he will need to stay a long time in the village to recover.
Alida checks the farm house. “Madam? Will you come out please? The threat is no more. Your daughter sent us to save you.”
The door is unbarred, and the woman comes out. “I can’t thank you enough. If there’s ever anything I can do, let me know. I owe you.”
“Thank your daughter. We just did our duty.” Alida says with a smile.
The Wardens gather whatever they can find from the enemy, and return back to Eerfeld.
Everything seems quieter now.
Session Summary
This fight ended quickly. I think that my warband is at such strength that only a strong enemy can be dangerous. I’m on a good roll to clean up the village of Eerfeld.
Writing out these blog reports starts to become repetitive, and I’m afraid that I might become burned out. I really enjoy the game, but writing out every single movement and capturing every single event in a photo is no longer that fun. I will switch to a more high level style of blog posts, and maybe gather them all in a Journal style format. I’ll try doing that, maybe retrospectively, for the previous sessions to see how it works out.
So, going further into The Sunken Temple Scenario, I can’t write an actual play report without spoiling everything, so I decided instead to do a review and a summary of the entire thing, rather than ruining the experience for future players.
It’s laid out in 7 Chapters, and you can progress without reading the next part, keeping the surprise levels interesting. There aren’t any punitive choices during the scenario (e.g. if you did X in Chapter 2, suffer Y in Chapter 5), rather going with the flow of the rolled events. It has variety in it’s encounters and variety in addressing the situations at hand. It is meant for a new warband, so there are times where my battle hardened Wardens had it too easy. After the first Chapter, it was mostly a walk in the park. The associated loot also is quite nice. For balance reasons (and due to having it too easy – the dice helped as well) I decided to nerf one item I found.
In the end, with the associated experience and a new party member, I ended up with 8 well armed heroes, and just one follower. I feel like my warband can tackle almost anything, let’s hope that once I burst the scenario bubble I’ll be able to continue the same.
Overall, I really enjoyed the scenario. Fun, and shows you what else you can do in 5L.
If you’re interested, the rosters at the end of the Sunken Temple scenario are here. I have two, since, one doesn’t fit the entire warband. Wardens roster – Part 1 Wardens roster – Part 2
Note: The Five Leagues from the Borderlands core game has been updated to a new version, with several added features and some rule changes. A very important rule change has to do with Wounds. So far, it was that Wounds accumulated, and if someone is Wounded, they would roll at the end of their activation and there was a chance per Wound, that they would perish. You could chose to not act at all, and save yourself from one Wound. The new rule update is more streamlined. Wounds do not accumulate. If a figure is Wounded, then, they’re more likely to become a casualty if Harmed in combat. I like the streamlining, and will start following this rule, but I also liked how the previous rule made one think twice before running amok in the battlefield. Expect some homebrew rule in the future.
Returning from the Sunken Temple, the Warband spends a turn in Eerfeld.
Since I got further acquainted with the gameplay, I decide, to add the Optional rule of Village Events in the game.
Village Event: Field work needs doing. Pay Upkeep: -1 Gold New RuleRestock Ammunition: Since I fielded 3 Ranged Weapons, -1 Gold. Healing Up: Rudiger RT, reduced to 1 Carry Out Activities: Forage for Herbs: (Roving Wanderer): No herbs found Labor: +3 gold Armorer: (Warhammer): The item is beyond repair, and must be removed from the roster. Where are we going?: Go Adventuring Sell Unwanted Gear: Nothing to be sold Trade: Helmet (Bought, Bruno), Rare Item: Set of Traps (Bought). -8 Gold Outfit for Adventure: Ready Recruit Some Villagers: None
Ladden with gold, the Wardens return back to Eerfeld. Nothing seems to have changed since the last time they were there. They take Rudiger to rest to the inn. “No reason to pay up the healing lady. I’ll get by on my own!” the stubborn veteran doesn’t want any help. Ardus takes up the task of buying rations and restocking ammunition. Their numbers have grown and the cost is obvious. The Roving Wanderer heads outside the town to forage for herbs, but despite his skills, he returns empty handed. Gustav heads to the blacksmith, bringing him the damaged warhammer. The bald, muscular man looks at the crack right in the middle of the hammer’s head. He shakes his head. “I’ll give it a shot, but don’t expect any miracles”. He puts it back in the forge, takes, a couple strikes at it, and it cracks in two. He brings it to Gustav once it’s cooled down. “See this?” he points at the inside of the crack. “It’s no good, irrepairable.” Gustav sighs in dissapointment and leaves. Bruno heads over to the merchant. He buys himself a helmet, and a set of traps. “These will prove helpful” he thinks. The rest of the Wardens go out to the fields to help with any work the villagers might need. Some are paid in coin, some in goods, that they barter back in the town square. Once everyone is back, Evie gathers the Wardens. “Where’s Rudiger?” she asks Gustav. Gustav raises a brow. “Seems he needs more time to heal up.” She scoffs. “Stubborn bastard…” she lets her phrase trail off. “Alright Wardens, you know the drill, let’s head out, clean this land from evil.” The warband cheers, and they head off.
Go Adventuring: Combat Encounter: Outlaws: Renegades: Attacked By Enemy: (Pathfinding: Encounter While Travelling): 6 Renegades (1 Archer): Enemy Leadership: +1 Captain Deploying Figures: 11″, 3 groups, 6″ apart Seize the Initiative: Not Seized Fight It Out. Table Theme: Edge of the Woods Battle Objective: Hunt: Captain Oddities: Marsh
Note: I’m also using the new Optional Rule for Battle Objectives, which seems a very nice way to try different things at battle, rather than just Hold the Field. Also I’m using the old Optional Rule for Oddities.
As the Wardens march on the country road, suddenly Wigmar stops them. “No, no we must head back. This is a common spot for bandits to ambush travellers. We should take this small path to the side.” He points out to a narrow trail. Mosquitoes and flies buzz around them. “Where did you get us into, Wigmar!” Evie exclaims, seeing the marshland. But as she does, she notices across the marsh, 7 outlaws, weapons drawn, coming out of the edge of the woods. The woods that are next to the road. “You saved our skins.” She adds. “We would have been sitting ducks against them.” “Isn’t that…Crogar the Fell?” Ardus says pointing at the outlaw who seems to be the leader of the group. “He is!” Evie nods. “Don’t let him leave this field alive. Wardens! let’s show them!”
Combat
Turn 1:
Evie shoots at the Crogar with her Longbow: Hits: Armor didn’t save: Harm: Casualty Alida shoots at the enemy Archer with his Crossbow: Hits: Armor doesn’t save because of the crossbow penetration: Harm: Casualty Wigmar advances near the marsh edges
The enemy closes in as well avoiding the marshland
The roving Wanderer closes in 2″ and shoots his self bow at the Renegade in the open: Hits: Armor doesn’t save: Harm: No harm Ardus faces off against two renegades
Ardus: Telling blow: Armor doesn’t save: Harm: Stunned. The renegade wins the next exchange and becomes the attacker: Ardus wins a critical but loses the next exchange: Armor: doesn’t save: Harm: Casualty. Ardus is down.
The rest of the warband advances on the south side Morale: One enemy flees.
Evie aims her longbow at Crogar. She takes a deep breath. Crogar removes his helmet and yells at her. Her arrow flies true, hitting him right in the throat. He falls, gurgling blood. Alida has his crossbow cocked and ready. He aims and his crossbow bolt hits the outlaw archer as he reached for his quiver. Straight in the chest. The breastplate doesn’t protect against the strength of the crossbow bolt and he falls down. Wigmar moves faster on his own, he closes in from the north as three renegades approach, avoiding the marshland. Ardus, faster than him, passes him by and clashes blades with two of the outlaws. His first strike is very strong, stunning the renegade with his pommel, but the enemy recovers quickly and gainst the upper hand. Two strikes, and with a slash of his sword, Ardus is down. This is not enough to keep the spirits up of the brigands. One of the three, still hears Corgar gurgle blood. “I ain’t dying for this shit!” He screams and runs off back to the edge of the woods. On the south front, the two parties close in on each other.
Turn 2:
Evie shoots at the renegades: Hits: Armor doesn’t save: Harm: No harm. Evie, Will point spent: Evie shoots again: She misses. She’d be out of ammo if it wasn’t for her large quiver. Alida shoots his Crossbow: Hits: Armor doesn’t save against the crossbow extra penetration: Harm: Casualty.
Wigmar goes to take revenge for Ardus, attacking the remaining outlaw.
Wigmar loses the first exchange. A telling blow by the enemy on the second: Armor doesn’t save: Harm: Casualty: Wigmar is down
A renegade charges at Bruno
Bruno, assisted by Frans, wins the exchange. Bruno hits the renegade at the next exchange. Armor saves. The renegade wins the next exchange ending melee.
The other renegade attacks Frans
Frans deals a telling blow winning the exchange and stunning the renegade: Another telling blow: Armor doesn’t save: Harm: Casualty
The Roving Wanderer shoots at the renegade who fell Ardus and Wigmar: Hits: Armor doesn’t save: Harm: Casualty
Gustav attacks the last renegade
Its a draw. The renegade is pushed back.
Bruno attacks the renegade
Its a draw. The renegade is pushed back. Frans goes around, can’t reach the enemy. Morale: no enemy leaves.
Evie shoots at the outlaws. She misses. Through sheer will and confidence, she finds the time to take another shot. She misses again. For a moment she barely managed to find another arrow. But her hand reached in the quiver and found that there are enough. Alida aims and shoots his crossbow again. The breastplate of the outlaw is an easy target. He hits it straight on, and pierces it, dropping another of his enemies. Wigmar charges at the renegade who defeated Ardus. His bastard sword is unyieldly, and the renegade takes the upper hand. On the counterattack Wigmar is hit hard. The blade finds him on the head, striking his helmet. Wigmar falls. On the south of the marsh, a renegade attacks Bruno, but the thick headed man, with sheer strength overcomes the strike and counters, his strike stopped by the enemy greaves. The outlaw parries successfuly, and the two men disengage. The outlaw next to him attacks at Frans. The monk now wears a leather armor underneath his robes, and brandishes a sword. The outlaw didn’t expect to meet such resistance. Frans wins the combat and rebounds with a swift sword strike. “By the might of the gods!” He screams as he sinks his blade in his enemy’s guts. The Roving Wanderer takes a shot at the renegade who brought down two of his brothers at arms, and now closes in on the missile armed wardens. His arrow flies straight, killing him. Back to the south, Gustav attacks the renegade with his fencing sword, but the outlaw is on the defensive. He parries Gustav and is pushed back. Bruno closes in as well, but doesn’t get a clear hit, pushing the renegade further back. Frans can’t get an opening to close in melee with his brothers. He tries to flank the last renegade, who is intent on fighting. He doesn’t think he can run away with the Wardens so close, and keeps on fighting, despite seeing most of his friends perish or flee.
Turn 3:
Evie shoots at the last renegade: Miss Evie: Will point spent: She shoots again: Miss Alida shoots at the last renegade: Miss The Roving Wanderer shoots at the last renegade: Miss
The last renegade attacks Bruno
Bruno telling blow: Renegade Stunned: Again Bruno telling blow: Armor doesn’t save: Harm: Wounded, Stunned status: Bruno hits: Armor doesn’t save: Harm: Casualty
We hold the field!
All the shots are aimed at the last renegade, Evie, Alida and the Roving Wanderer all shoot at him, and they all miss. Feeling assisted by the gods, he charges at the tall brute that Bruno is. Bruno easily parries and kicks him back, stunning him, he hits back with his axe, gashing an open wound, and while still stunned, sinks his axe blade deep in his chest, finishing him off. The Wardens of Gahyrst have won the day.
Aftermath
Frans: Heal: Ardus: Failure
Injury tables
Ardus: knocked out Wigmar: dead Medical Herbs: Wigmar: Knocked out: Equipment damaged: Helmet
Loot
Unusual find: nothing found Loot: Saddle Bags, Full Armor+Helmet
Note: Another rule updated is the fixed threat reduction after the battle is won and the field is held. I will still go by the old rule, where there is a random chance, I have no problem with frustration over dice rolls. It’s still part of the game.
Threat reduced by 1
The Wardens close in on their wounded. Frans goes to heal up Ardus, but it seems he had but a scratch. “Nothing to do here.” He scoffs. In the mean time, Wigmar doesn’t seem to recover. They yell at him, splash water at his face, but he seems lost. Frans quickly grabs the medical herbs, but can’t reach the wound without cracking the helmet open. He splits the helmet in two and applies a paste that quickly alleviates the pressure in Wigmar’s head. Slowly the Warden recovers. “Once more saved from the brink of death Wigmar.” Evie says. “What are we going to do with you?”. Wigmar just smiles, happy that he hasn’t left for the underworld. Going through the enemy’s possessions, the Wardens are happy to have found a full set of armor, with a helmet, as well as a pair of saddle bags.
Experience
Party gains experience. Evie and Bruno level up, while the Roving Wanderer gets a Follower roll.
I loved this fight! We won but at what a risk! Two heroes down. And to think we’re adequately armed and experienced as well. Threats has been reduced further, and maybe just maybe we will clear out the surroundings of Eerfeld. For the next period, I see that I need to expand on my terrain features. Marshlands, rocky formations, houses. I’m getting the hang of using corrugated cardboard as a primary material, and I intend to build some more things for the board. I like the rules improvements. I’ve started reading at the optional material and additional expansions I’ve gotten, and will slowly be introducing them to my next games. I will also be doing some hacking and homebrewing, albeit minor. My major change so far (that I used in almost every single game so far) is that I initiate combat at base contact instead of the 1″ distance of RAW. It is just a matter of personal feel. Therefore the ganging up bonuses have been reduced to 1″ against the 2″ described in RAW. Considering that I really love hacking games to my desires (as one might have noticed from my solo RPG play reports), the fact that I have done only these minor changes, means that for me, this game fits my skirmish needs as closely as possible.
The only thing that bugs me so far (which doesn’t have to do with Five Leagues, but miniatures wargaming more or less) is that due to the variable nature of the characters (mainly in gear), there will be some inconsistency. I either will have the same miniature representing a character, over and over (which will be inconsistent if the character changes weapons and armor), or change the miniature to represent the character (which will be inconsistent with the previous looks of the same character). I’m slowly leaning towards the first option, and maybe rename the weapons as required, for Fluff. E.g. Warhammer which gives a +1 to Armor Penetration, could be a Battle Axe for a figure carrying an axe, or an Estoc for a figure carrying a sword. Bastard Sword which gives a +1 to Harm, could be again a Battle Axe for a figure carrying an axe, or a Maul for a figure carrying a hammer. Armor can be more troublesome. I don’t care so much about helmets, but shields can pose an issue, since it’s a major part of the attire. Thankfully regarding the main armor, Five Leagues has more vague descriptions. So a Partial Armor could be a Chain shirt, or a Breastplate, even a Scale suit of armor. Unless the figure I have chosen is a bare breasted barbarian, I won’t have issues there, since sometimes armor is covered under clothing.
This was my last post for this year, so I wish you all a happy new year! Best wishes!
The session continues from the encounter I had rolled last time. The Terrain and Oddity rolls are a bit contrasting, so I try to combine them. I decide that it will be a cave with rocks cutting the battlefield in half, leaving only a few openings available. I try to make do with rocks (real ones, not DIY) and a vinyl playmat.
Combat
Turn 1: Agility: 113344555
Evie: Shoots Smuggler: 5+1: Hit: 2: No wound RW: Shoots Smuggler: 4+1: Hit: 1: No wound Ardus: Dashes closer to Smugglers
Smugglers: Dash closer to Wardens Evie: (Will): Shoots Smuggler: 1+1: Miss: Doesn’t run out of ammo due to Large Quiver
Evie and the Roving Wanderer shoot at the group of Smugglers closest to them, but the arrows miss, ricochetting off the rocks. As Evie shoots, for a moment she thinks she’s out of arrows. But the quiver is large, and she grabs another for the next shot. The melee combatants close in, and the Wardens notice more Smugglers coming in from behind the rocky face.
Evie aims carefully this time. Her arrow piercing through a Smuggler’s throat. The trio of Wardens charge at the solo Smuggler. He fends off Rudiger, then Wigmar, but Ardus scores a wound. The Warden follows up with a second blow, finishing him off. The rest of the Smugglers catch up, and one of them charges at Ardus. His first strike stuns the Warden, but his second is blocked, and Ardus falls back a little. Another Smuggler attacks Wigmar. He strikes with fury, hitting the scale armor, and knocking him back a few yards. He follows up on the stunned Warden, but he is fended off. The Roving Wanderer shoots at the reinforcements, but he doesn’t manage to hit. Evie, drawing on her reserves, lets off another arrow. Another kill is scored. Their numbers diminishing by the minute, a Smuggler runs off for his life.
The Roving Wanderer keeps shooting, but his shot fails again. Wigmar attacks the surrounded Smuggler, and with a swift strike, his blade finds the Smuggler’s guts. Rudiger enters melee against the last two Smugglers. One of them seems to be their leaders. He wears a leather armor and looks more intimidating. Rudiger, being a veteran of many battles, decides to start with the easier opposition. In a series of three strikes, he wounds the Smuggler, stuns him, and finishes him. As the Smuggler Lieutenant attacks in desperation, his strike is blocked. Rudiger gains the upper hand. He turns the tables, and his fine broadsword is lodged deep in the heart of his enemy. The Smugglers are dead or fleeing. The Wardens have won this battle.
Looting through the bodies, the Wardens find 13 Gold Marks. A hefty sum. Also they find a Crossbow. A strong, quality weapon. The Wily Rogue arms himself with it. Evie calls for the Stout Yeoman. “You have fought valiantly many times by our side. Remind me, what is your name?” “Bruno, my lady”. The Stout Yeoman answers. “Keep it up Bruno. You are one of us now.” She says, and Bruno fills with pride.
The next turn, I roll up another encounter in the countryside.
Further searching, the Wardens come upon a man in black cloak. An eerie feeling overcomes them as he walks by. Occult symbols hanging from his neck. They stop to hail him, but he doesn’t speak. He just mumbles. “Let’s move on lady.” Gustav says. “Lest he lays a curse on us.” Evie nods and they move aside. They come upon some Meadows and Fields. They know they must have lost their way, because that’s nothing like what they look for. Before they have a chance to turn back, from behind some hedgerows, they see movement. “What we have here? Get them boys!” A man shouts, and 8 armed men, in uniform draw their weapons. Two of them, draw their bowstring as the Wardens take up positions against them.
Another encounter! My dice rolls don’t want the Scenario to advance. Deserters can be tough enemies with their Combat Skill and Armor. Also the Oddity made me lose my Seize Initiative and added an extra enemy! At least there is no leader.
Combat
Turn 1: Agility: 122334466
WR: Shoots Deserter Archer: 2: Miss Evie: Shoots Deserter Archer: 5+1: Hit: 1: Armor Save
Evie and the Wily Rogue shoot at the enemy. But the long distance, and cover make their shots miss. Evie takes another shot, as the Archer takes a peek behind the hedge. The arrowhead lodges in the enemy, bringing him down. The trio of Wardens flank the Deserters from the south, but the enemy doesn’t fall prey to the Wardens plan, and climb through the hedgerows, stealing the distance. The Deserter Archer shoots at Evie, but the arrow doesn’t manage to get through her clothing. The Roving Wanderer shoots at them, but his shot comes short. From the north, the rest of the Wardens circle around the pond, trying to flank the archers. The Deserters, aren’t the most steady troops. One of them flees at the sight of his fallen brother.
A hail of bolts and arrows is launched from the Wardens and two Deserters die, while a third one is wounded. The Deserter Archer shoots at Bruno who comes from around the pond, but the stress of battle causes him to miss the shot. Another Deserter dashes towards the missile troops, but his wound overcomes him, and he drops as he finishes his stride. To the South, swords clash as the Wardens fight the Deserters. Ardus fends them off, while Rudiger gets the best of them. He wounds his opponent, who, holding his guts, falls down from blood loss. With so many dead, two more Deserters flee. Oy one Archer remains to fight the Wardens, still hiding behind the hedgerow.
Turn 3: Agility: 12333556
RW: 4+1: Miss Evie: 6+1: Hit: 3: Harm: 2: No wound Wigmar, Ardus, Rudiger: Move, Dash
Evie and the Roving Wanderer shoot at the Archer, but their shots find the hedges. The Wardens close in to the enemy. He shoots at them, but misses, and Gustav is upon him. The Archer is still clutching his bow, when Gustav’s sword cuts it in half, and finds his neck, killing him instantly. No more Deserters are left to fight. The Wardens shout out in victory.
Aftermath: Unusual Find: 65: Sacks of Valuables: 43: Armor: 66: Full Armor All gain +2 XP Gustav: (LVLUP): 80: +1 Luck NPC: (LVLUP): 06: +1 Agility RW: 6: Nothing Gained WR: 7: Nothing Gained Loot: 2 Rolls 82: Consumables: Bottle of Red Duck 35: Weapons: 01: Quick Light Weapon +1 SP
Searching through their enemies belongings, the Wardens find a suit of heavy mail armor, a stiletto and a bottle of Red Duck. This is a day to celebrate!
The next turn, I keep my search going, and succeed. I can progress in the scenario.
I decide to pause here.
I’ll be doing some bookkeeping as well here. Below you can find the table of my warband. On purpose to avoid SPOILERS I’ve not included the scenario NPC. I will include him if he’s still alive after the end of the scenario, when there will be already some changes to his stats. Here you can also find the updated pdf of the Warband Roster.
Heroes
Name
Evie
Gustav
Rudiger
Ardus
Wigmar
Bruno
Agility
2
1
3
3
3
1
Speed
5
4
5
5
4
4
Combat Skill
1
1
1
0
0
1
Toughness
4
5
3
3
4
3
Luck
2
1
–
1
–
–
Will
2
–
1
–
–
1
Skills
Library,Medicine,Organization
Teaching,Tracking
Parry
Leadership,Parry
–
Thick Headed
XP
2
0
2
4
2
2
LVL
3
3
4
2
2
0
Weapons
Longbow, Quick Stiletto
Sword
Fine Sword
Bastard Sword
Bastard Sword
Hatchet
Armor
Light Armor
Partial Armor
Full Armor
Partial Armor
Partial Armor
Full Armor
Worn
Large Quiver
–
Helmet, Shield
Helmet
Helmet
–
Notes
Avatar
–
Retainer
–
–
–
Followers
Name
Nature
Roving Wanderer
Wily Rogue
Agility
1
1
Speed
4
4
Combat Skill
1
0
Toughness
3
3
Skill
Foraging
–
Weapons
Self Bow, Dagger
Crossbow, Dagger
Armor
Light Armor
Light Armor
Notes
–
–
Gold Marks 19 Medicinal Herbs 1 Story Points 1 Pistol Sword Light Armor Icon 2 Damaged Basic Weapon Damaged Militia Armor Damaged Warhammer Damaged NPC Weapon Bottle of Red Duck Holy Water Saddle Bag
Despite my difficulty in progressing through the scenario, I had so much fun! Right now I’m at a 6 Hero warband, two Followers and the NPC. My Wardens become stronger and stronger with more experience and gear. I believe that when I finish the scenario, I’ll have a force to stand up against most enemies. As I’m becoming more acquainted with the rule system, I love it. Ranged combat is very carefully balanced against Melee combat. The flow is great. I’ve also found my own way of taking notes in paper which is much faster, and I don’t break much of the game flow while doing it. I am aware that it’s not the easiest mechanics to read (even if you’re familiar with Five Leagues), but the reconstructed narrative can deliver the story. I’m pondering maybe adding a step-by-step sketch of the events, top down, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the trouble. The dice have spoken their own story, which meansI didn’t have a lot of chance to get a feel for the Scenario yet. I believe the next sessions will be driven by it.
So this session begins directly with combat from the previous session. I read the rules more clearly this time and getting stunned is important, as the stunned figure begins the next exchange at disadvantage (take the lowest of two dice). Lots of rules that, re-reading them makes things clear. This is a game with a lot of depth.
Combat
Evie orders the Wardens into three groups. The stronger warriors will approach from the opening to the west, while the followers will hold off the mob from the south.
She and the Roving Wanderer will provide covering fire with their bows from behind the fence.
The tower is overseeing the battlefield, but thankfully none of the enemies has ranged weapons. They are broken into three groups as well, one of them to a distance to the north of the tower.
Turn 1:
Seize Initiative: Fail
Agility: (11235556)
Evie: Shoot mob: 3+1: Miss
RW: Shoot mob: 4: Miss
Rudiger moves towards mob
As the heavily armed Wardens close in from the west, covering fire doesn’t hit any of the enemies.
The mob attacks the followers. Blows are exchanged and the Stout Yeoman wounds his for. The Wily Rogue falls under the enemy.
The mob to the north runs quickly towards the Wardens.
RW: Shoot mob: 6: Hit: 2: No effect.-
Evie: Shoot mob: 2+1: Miss
SY: attacks mob: 3/1: 4: Mob Casualty.-
Gustav reaches the mob leader. By sheer luck the enemy finds an opening, and hits Gustav hard. His armor saves him. The enemy strike knocks him back a few yards. The leader hits again, this time passing the armor and wounding Gustav, who disengages.
Seeing the loyal servant wounded, Rudiger joins the fray. With a quick strike of his fine sword, he brings the mobster down.
Wigmar joins his companions, wounding a foe, before being pushed off.
The wounded enemy, charges at Rudiger, but the veteran warrior, blocks the strike, takes the upper hand and wounds him again. The wounds take their toll, and the foe drops.
The mob attacks to the south, bringing down the recruit from the town.
Their reinforcements from the north keep running to join their friends.
Evie and the Roving Wanderer shoot another hail of arrows and miss.
The Stout Yeoman, now stands alone against three, but he’s a strong man. He charges and kills an enemy with his hatchet, in a single blow.
The Wardens tend to their wounded and search the field. There’s nothing usable to be found. In addition, the recruit has his weapon broken in two, and he will need to visit the town healer to recover.
Despite these shortcomings, the victory has raised the spirits, and they return to town, with morale high.
Again, reading through the rules I realized I forgot to implement some of them. Items get damaged on 00, 05. So retrospectively I will roll for Gustav’s weapon from the previous session. Also I forgot to take into account Gustav’s wound for this battle. In addition I always forget to account my Luck and Will points during combat, which is a major hindrance. Will certainly do so for next one.
Will in particular allows for extra moves and actions among others. I’d have Evie shoot twice more if I had noticed.
Ardus: healed
NPC: healed
NPC: Visit Armorer: Weapon: 5: 5 Gold Marks to repair.
Evie: Study: (1355): No Skill learned.
Labor: 2 Gold Marks gained.
I head off to search again.
The next turn, I roll up another encounter in the countryside.
After spending a few days in Eerfeld to recover, the warband heads off again to their search. Looking for a camp site, they fall upon a cave complex, with shady figures transporting boxes. “Smugglers.” Ardus says. He hasn’t managed to speak, before a whistle is heard. They’ve been made. They draw weapons and prepare for battle.
I decide to pause here.
I’ll be doing some bookkeeping as well here. Below you can find the table of my warband. On purpose to avoid SPOILERS I’ve not included the scenario NPC. Here you can also find the pdf of the Warband Roster.
Heroes
Name
Evie
Gustav
Rudiger
Ardus
Wigmar
Agility
1
1
2
3
2
Speed
5
4
5
5
4
Combat Skill
1
1
1
0
0
Toughness
4
5
3
3
4
Luck
2
–
–
1
–
Will
2
–
1
–
–
Skills
Library,Medicine,Organization
Teaching,Tracking
ParryLeadership,Parry
–
XP
3
1
3
0
3
LVL
2
2
3
2
1
Weapons
Longbow, Dagger
Sword
Fine Sword
Bastard Sword
Bastard Sword
Armor
Light Armor
Partial Armor
Full Armor
Partial Armor
Partial Armor
Worn
Large Quiver
–
Helmet, Shield
Helmet
Helmet
Notes
Avatar
–
Retainer
–
–
Followers
Name
Nature
Roving Wanderer
Stout Yeoman
Wily Rogue
Agility
1
1
1
Speed
4
4
4
Combat Skill
1
1
0
Toughness
3
3
3
Skill
Foraging
Thick Headed
Weapons
Self Bow, Dagger
Hatchet
Sword
Armor
Light Armor
Light Armor
Light Armor
Notes
–
–
–
Gold Marks 6
Medicinal Herbs 1
Story Points 1
Pistol
Icon
2 Damaged Basic Weapon
Damaged Militia Armor
Damaged Warhammer
Holy Water
Saddle Bag
I loved this combat! Everything move so naturally. Getting Stunned, completely changes the battlefield. On the other hand, implementation of both the Telling Blows and Fumbles rules was a tad bit too much. That’s at least 33% chance at each roll for a Stunned result. And there are usually 6 rolls at each exchange. I will probably keep only the Telling Blows rule for next game. Five Leagues from the Borderlands is a very deep game. I will slowly be reading carefully each chapter, and after getting acquainted each session with a new part of the game I will delve into the respective rules. Next up: Will and Luck. Maybe positioning as well.
It’s time now to go The Sunken Temple. This is a Five Leagues Scenario. I realize that there’s a good chance for blog readers to want to play this scenario as well, so I’m not going to reveal any SPOILERS. I hate spoilers; spoilers can get me to stop halfway from reading books, watching a tv show, even a game. Therefore I intend to keep this light on the scenario story and mechanics, and heavy on photos and review part.
So, the party had one wounded party member with a recovery time of ‘2’, which is removable at once if they spend time on the healer, so I deem that the warband is at full strength as the scenario begins.
The Wardens have heard rumors and gotten hold of the map to an old temple in the surrounding region. Considering the chance for spoils, they decide to start a search.
At start the scenario gives you the chance to recruit a specific NPC. Since I’m at full strength, I decide not to go ahead with it.
So, while searching for the temple I rolled an encounter. This is an encounter mainly using the rules of the core Five Leagues game.
I went full on with optional rules in this, since I’m getting better acquainted with the ruleset.
Note: I’ll be displaying dice pool results in parentheses. (344) means 3d6 rolled giving 3,4,4 respectively.
Deploying figures: 10″: 3 groups of 2 enemies
Seize Initiative: 11: Taken by surprise
Encounter terrain: Overgrown ruins
Oddities: 69: In the middle of battle: 3: Raider: (2,4): 5 Raiders (2 Archers): 3: No Leadership Presence: 6: Personality: 13: Sorcerer: Variations: (3,4): Sneaker, Stumbler
So, I rolled two groups of enemies that fight each other, without leaders, but with a Sorcerer at each group! If I’m lucky they’ll only attack each other. But it seems that my Wardens are too close to be left out of the equation.
Deep in the woods, the Wardens, see something reminding of a man-built structure. In the distance, they see several broken down walls and huge stone bricks scattered. Considering that this might be the temple they’re looking for, they come closer.
Then suddenly, an eerie feeling overcomes them. Some sort of dark energy, shoots in front of their sights, from west to the east. They look at each other. Then another, blast, from the other side, as a response.
As the woods clear a bit, they see two groups of men. The group to the west, is well armed, but their colors are not well defined. They look like deserters from an army. “Renegades” Rudiger whispers. They close in to the east towards the structure, only to be met from the other side by soldiers in Yellow and Crimson colors. Probably one of the border kingdoms. “Raiders” Ardus replies. Each of the two groups has a man that differentiates from the rest of the troops. Mumbling in some weird language, and pointing to the other side, these men seem to be the source of the dark energy. “Sorcerers” Evie completes.
Combat
Turn 1:
Renegades Doom: (556)
Raiders Doom: (444)
Turn 2:
Wardens appear
Seize Initiative: All characters move East
Agility: (12444666)
Realized I had placed Sneaker on board. They will appear on next Turn.
1: Evie: Move 2.5E: Shoot Raider Archer: 2: Miss
2: Gustav Move 5SE
Renegades:
Archer Moves 2.5E: Shoots Roving Wanderer: 3: Miss
Swordsman Moves to Wall
Swordsman moves towards Raiders
Sorcerer moves towards Raiders: Doom: (233)
Maniac moves towards Raiders
Stumbler moves towards Raiders
Raiders:
Archer shoots Ardus: 6: Hits: 4: Harm: 5: Casualty
Sorcerer: Doom Gustav: (114): Doom!
Stumbler moves towards Wardens
Archer shoots at Renegade Swordsman: 1: Miss
Swordsman moves towards Renegades
Wardens:
Gustav melee against Stumbler: (11): Draw: End
Roving Wanderer shoots Renegade Archer: 3: Miss
Rudiger moves 5 towards Raiders
The two groups towards each other, but the Northernmost troops have been alerted by the presence of the Wardens who try to flank the Raiders. Evie shoots at a Renegade archer who climbs on top of the hill, but misses. In response, he aims carefully and shoots at the roving wanderer and misses too. The Raiders seem to find their target. A Raider archer shoots at Ardus and brings him down, while their Sorcerer speaks some words in an arcane language. A dark blast leaves his finger and finds Gustav right on the chest. He feels overwhelmed, but grits on and continues.
Evie takes a shot at a Raider archer, but misses. Rudiger, flanking the Raiders comes in to close combat with the archer. They exchange a couple of glancing blows, and then Rudiger finds an opening, but unfortunately, the enemy’s breastplate protects them.
The Renegade archer shoots again at the roving wanderer, from the top of the hill, having a clear line of sight, and brings him down with an arrow. The rest of the Renegades close further in to the Wardens and the Raiders, as their Sorcerer shoots another bolt to the Raiders, missing again.
Suddenly, Rudiger realizes a Raider was hiding behind him. “That sneaky bastard!” he thinks as the Raider charges in. Rudiger’s skill is matched by his opponent, and as soon as the Raider loses the element of surprise, he disengages. The archer next to him, finds the opportunity as Rudiger has his back turned, and shoots him. The arrow pierces the armor, but it’s only a flesh wound. Rudiger doesn’t seem to bother, and screams a war cry towards the archer. All this draws the attention of the Sorcerer who now casts his spell to Rudiger, but the blast seems to miss and fizzles away.
Another Raider comes into combat with Gustav. The faithful servant of Evie, now falls beneath the enemy’s strike.
The rest of the Raiders attack the Renegades, one Renegade falling under an arrow.
Evie sees the enemy’s strength. These are not any ill-equipped mooks. She sees that the ruins are those of a tower, and not a temple. She considers the tactical situation, flanked by both sides. She thinks of the three wardens fallen under the enemy. She screams “Flee! Flee bravely!”. And they take their wounded away to fight another day. Let the Renegades fight it out with the Raiders. There’s no point trying to hold this field.
So I decided in using the Brave Sir Robin option from Five Leagues rulebook, to flee. I could have tried to flee to the edge of the battle, but considering the dice rolls, there was a lot of chance I could have lost another Warden, and it’s something I wasn’t willing to risk.
Aftermath:
Ardus: 32: Serious: (26): 6 Turns Recovery Time
Roving Wanderer: 96: Knocked Out
Gustav: 90: Knocked Out
Evie: +1XP: 1
Rudiger: +1XP: LVL UP (3): 31: +1 Combat Skill
The Wardens regroup in a safe distance. The Roving Wanderer and Gustav recover, as their wounds are superficial, but Ardus’ wound is deep. The arrow has lodged itself into the bone. “We need to take him to the healer.” Evie says, and they all decide to return to Eerfeld, their morale low.
The next turn I return to town
Eerfeld
Ardus: 5 Turns RT
Ardus: Visit Town Healer: MEDICINE: 6: 3 Turns RT
Roving Wanderer: Foraging: (22356): 1 Healing Herbs
Evie: Study: (2533): No skill learned
I decide to recruit the NPC, and head off to search again.
The next turn, I roll up another encounter in the countryside.
Encounter Set Up
Roadside AND Combat Encounter: 29,81: Friendly Pilgrim: 46: Slavers: 95: Located Lair: (56): 11 Slavers + Lt + Cpt: Retreat without engaging
On the road, the group meets up with a cloaked figure in robes. “Greetings travelers.” He says. He has a very kind visage, and they all sit and break bread together. Once the meal is over, they each go on their own way, spirits higher than they used to be.
It’s not long after they have split apart, when the Roving Wanderer comes back with news. He whispers something to Evie, and they go together to scout. Evie sees what seems to be a slaver lair. Their numbers are high, she counts at least 13 heads. She ponders a bit, and then she decides not to engage, and continue the search.
As the group turns behind a curve in the road, they see a ruined tower. “At them boys!” the Wardens hear a scream, and they see 8 ragged bandits, in a mob coming towards them with clubs and staves.
The Wardens draw their swords, and combat is about to begin.
I decide to pause here
Session Summary
It’s been a tough few past days in RL, and I’m kind of exhausted, so my narrative is a bit short, considering.
The scenario seems to be very interesting, but I have yet to manage to progress, since the dice were not in my favor. I can’t speak much as to the scenario therefore. Most of the time has been spent so far in traditional core Five Leagues from the Borderlands, within the scenario. But I like what I have read so far. On purpose I haven’t read through the entire thing, just in case there’s a spoiler waiting for me. Since this is all aimed at solo play, it would be nice if there would be a note somewhere saying if we’re supposed to read through the entire thing or not before playing, or playing as we go. So far, that’s my only thing to consider.
Now to the core Five Leagues game, I really loved the option to fight two different groups, even though I failed to hold my ground. The oddities and all the random tables seem to give a very unique experience with high replayability.
I need to do some better bookkeeping of my Wardens, maybe create that map of the region, with notes, and maybe add some pictures of the minis I use as Wardens. Also maybe I should spend some time naming the followers and unique NPCs I’ve met along the way. I’m not sure as to which one of all those is worth the trouble putting into, but I’m pretty confident that a map would be the best place to start.
In the end of the previous session, the Wardens were defeated by a band of Torn Flags. I noticed that I made a mistake. All the members should have received 1 XP, since they didn’t die so I assigned those. Also I noticed that if one member has the Study skill, then whoever goes to the Library can benefit from the 4d6 roll, so I decided to re-assign the Teaching Skill from Evie, to Gustav.
Finally, I found out that it’s best for me to write down the state of the warband at the end of the episode rather than at the start, so I’ll be documenting these there.
Village Events: Good Omens Rudiger: Visits Healer: Medicine Failure: Recovery reduced to 3 turns Wigmar: Visits Healer: Medicine Success: Recovery reduced to 0 turns Stout Yeoman: Visits Healer: Recovery reduced to 0 turns Wandering Rover: Recovery reduced to 1 turns Visit Trader: Buy Partial Armor I decide to spend one more turn in town rather than adventuring, and this cost me… 5 Gold Marks
The Wardens spend a whole week in Eerfeld, trying to take care of the wounded. The Healer shakes his head, but sees that all they need, is some time to rest. Evie supports, with her medicine skills, and soon Wigmar is back on his feet, along with the Stout Yeoman. Seeing the danger of combat, the warband spends some well earned hard cash on medium armor.
Village Events: Ill Reputation Rudiger: Visits Healer: Medicine Success: Recovery reduced to 0 turns Gustav: Study Success: Skill Gained: Tracking Tracking: Success: Located signs of the enemy Wandering Rover: Recovery reduced to 0 turns Visit Trader: Buy Partial Armor
The next week, Rudiger gets back on his feet with the assistance of the Healer and Evie, while the Wandering Rover is back, with only some extra rest. She spends another pouch of gold coins to get another set of armor for her troops.
Adventuring: Combat Encounter: Dark Secrets: Cultists: Located Camp: 8 Cultists (1 Archer) + 1 Captain Initial distance: 13″, and they’re split in groups 8″ from leader. Seize Initiative: Success! Terrain: Ruined Tower Oddity: Fog, Distance reduced to 11″ and max shooting range 9″.
Gustav enters the inn and heads straight to Evie. He whispers to her ear. “Remember the hunter we had met some time ago on the road? The one that struck you as odd? I’ve seen him at the outskirts of Eerfeld, and followed him. I traced him to a ruined tower half a day’s walk from here, he was meeting with some similar looking fellas. All clad in dark cloaks, occult symbols and talismans all around.” Evie turns to Ardus. “Gather the warband we head out. No demonic rituals will take place in our Ward.” At dusk, an eerie fog has covered the land, so the Wardens reach the tower undetected. By the time the cultist guard shouts “At arms!” the Wardens have closed in, and an arrow, shot by Evie has already lodged in his chest, wounding him. A second shot, finds him right on the neck, killing him instantly. The Roving Wanderer shoots, but misses, both times. Rudiger and Ardus charge at two Cultists, with Ardus delivering the killing blow. The other Cultist, tries to get back at Rudiger, but the veteran warrior gets the upper hand, and thrusts his sword at the cloaked man, spilling his guts. At the other side of the tower, the Cultists attacke Gustav, encircling him. Gustav falls, a casualty to their charge, while another cultist, from the top of the tower aims at Rudiger who has entered his weapon range, missing through the fog. Wet feet overcome one of the cultists and he runs away. The leader of the cultists, wearing leather armor, gets out of the tower to face the assailants. Rudiger and Ardus continue assisting each other in combat, and Ardus kills the last cultist of their group. On the other side, the Stout Yeoman is in a clash with the cultists, and after two exchanges, he kills another one of them. From the top of the tower, the cultist archer shoots at Ardus, wounding him just as the Cultist leader reaches him in melee combat. Despite Ardus’ skill, the enemy captain wins, and cuts a deep slash on Ardus’ arm. Ardus stands back, and pauses to wear his arm in bandages. Rudiger and the Cultist leader face off in melee, but noone gets the upper hand. The Cultist archer shoots again at wounded Ardus, but Ardus’ mail deflects the missile. Evie and the Roving Wanderer have now the Cultist captain within their reduced bow range, and shoot at him, but don’t manage to strike a wound. The rest of the Wardens close in on the tower and surround the captain, attacking at the cultist who stood at his side, bringing him down. Ardus is out of line of sight, so now the cultist archer shoots at Wigmar. His aim is true, and Wigmar falls, clutching his chest as the arrow protrudes. Another hail of arrows comes from Evie and the Roving Wanderer, and the Roving Wanderer manages to find his target. The Cultist leader is down. The remaining Wardens close in on the Cultist archer, who, with nowhere to go to, fights to the death, which comes a little while later.
Aftermath: Gustav: Light Wound: 2 Recovery Turns Wigmar: Dead: I use I don’t think that’s how it went: Serious Wound: I use Medicinal Herbs: Dead: I use the Spring Vial to bring him back from death. Loot: Prisoner: Friendly Peasant, Saddle Bag, Light Armor+Helmet, Holy Water Threat: Reduced by 2!
With the Cultists dead or out of the field, the survivors tend to the wounded. Gustav’s wound will take a week or two to heal, but Wigmar has it worse. He barely survives the arrow wound, and as Evie tries to do some first aid, she pulls the arrow out, and it starts bleeding badly. As he coughs blood, she knows they have no other choice. She pours down Wigmar’s throat the spring vial’s contents. Soon the bleeding stops, and as if by magic, his wound starts closing.
Searching through the ruined tower, they find a small dungeon cell, a peasant locked inside. “Thank the gods!” He shouts when set free. “Name’s Aeheald. I’m just a farmer working the land. These fellas knocked me out and locked me in here. I could here them chanting in an unknown language every night a week now. Moon was almost full. I think you showed up right on time! Thank you! Here, take this.” He says and brings out a small bottle. “It’s Holy Water. I was keeping it should things go to worse.” “How worse?” Rudiger chuckles. “Don’t mind him.” Evie soothes the peasant. “You can leave now, or take the road back with us in the morning. Safety in numbers, until we bring this place back to its former glory.” “Be sure to spread the word that the Wardens of Gahyrst defeated the cultists.” Ardus adds. Among the cultists belongings they find a saddle bag and a set of armor and helmet.
The other day, in the morning they take the road back to Eerfeld.
Name
Evie
Gustav
Rudiger
Ardus
Wigmar
Agility
1
1
2
3
2
Speed
5
4
5
5
4
Combat Skill
1
1
0
0
0
Toughness
4
4
3
3
4
Will
2
–
1
–
–
Luck
2
–
–
1
–
Skills
Library,Medicine,Organization
Teaching,Tracking
–
Leadership,Parry
–
XP
0
4
4
0
1
LVL
2
1
2
2
1
Weapons
Longbow, Dagger
Warhammer
Fine Sword
Bastard Sword
Bastard Sword
Armor
Light Armor
Partial Armor
Full Armor
Partial Armor
Partial Armor
Worn
Large Quiver
–
Helmet, Shield
Helmet
Helmet
Notes
Avatar
–
Retainer
–
–
Followers
Name
Nature
Roving Wanderer
Stout Yeoman
Wily Rogue
Skill
Foraging
Weapons
Self Bow, Dagger
Hatchet
Sword
Armor
Light Armor
Light Armor
Light Armor
Notes
–
–
–
Gold Marks 4 Medicinal Herbs 0 Story Points 1 Pistol Icon 2 Damaged Basic Weapon Damaged Militia Armor Holy Water Saddle Bag Sword
Another great fight! I have second thoughts about wasting three different resources to save Wigmar, but it’s done now. Next time I’ll be at one and done. I think that’s a good point in time to go to the Sunken Temple. The warband will be in proper fighting shape by the next turn. I’m really enjoying these fast five leagues skirmishes!
Garrett are discussing. 
Solo, Pen, Paper and Dice 
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