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.
Another solo game of Knyghte, Pyke and Sworde by Nordic Weasel Games. Now I went ahead and used the Fantasy Preview rules, and also took note of the mistakes I made during my last game, in order to not repeat them again.
The theme is undead vs dwarves and halflings. In contrast to the previous battle, feeling more safe, I only stayed true to the points cost of the opposing armies. I have created a new terrain board, which I wanted to try out. I chose a SAGA battle on the concept Pitched Battle.
Gilda was picking turnips by the hillside, when something odd happened. She saw the turnips around her shriver and die. She stoop up, as tall as possible for a halfling, and looked around her. All the vegetation withered. Where there was once green, patches of ash and dirt appeared and expanded.
A heavy chill clouded her heart.
She heard a weird sound… like clacking… bones, and looking up on the hill, what she saw she will never forget. Corpses marching, weapons drawn, with a course, towards her village.
Her feet were heavy as lead, she couldn’t move. She had to warn them. She was about to faint, when the loud sound of a horn blowing, woke her up from her stupor. Someone else had seen the dead too!
Dwarf and halfling warriors, all together in unison, took positions on the opposite hill. Gilda run towards them as fast as she could, and quickly she was in the safety of her village, hiding with the rest of the civilians, while on the outside, the battle for their lives was about to begin.
Turn 1
The dwarves and halflings win initiative, but there’s no combat as both sides run towards each other.
Some of the finest dwarves, under the leadership of Lord Kirim were already in formation. Ironshields and Skullbreakers as well as Thunderrers. Halflings, little folk from the hills, had sent their militia, armed with spears to fight on their side. Two halfling heroes, Ben the Tough and Larry the Sly lead them in battle.
Across the valley, what stirred the dead wasn’t a puny necromancer or cleric of death. A vampire coven thirsty for blood had used their dark powers to animate the corpses. Most likely the corpses of their own victims.
Eager to take up strategic positions, and maybe fortify themselves in the tower, the two sides run towards each other.
Turn 2
The Undead win initiative, but there’s still not blows exchanged, as the skeletons are barely outside the arquebus’ range
Avoidin the Thunderrers, the Vampires lead their troops downhill, to the south side, behind the tower and tree grove.
Hoping to avoid a broken flank, Kirim orders half his troops through the trees to face them, while the rest of his force continues forward in an attempt to encircle the enemy.
Turn 3
Dwarves and halflings win initiative
Arquebusiers (3) shoot at Skeleton Knights (3). No hits.
With the skeleton knights in range, the Thunderers fire a volley of lead towards them. But they’re so unnerved by the unreal foe, that all their shots miss.
Charging into each other, the little folk spearmen and the skeletons clash. Ducking and dodging, the short people evade their enemies blows, while managing to send one into oblivion and damaging another so much that their ribcage shatters in half. Assisting his animations, a vampire minion swoops down into the halfling spearmen. The little man is scared, but in his fright, he turns his spear toward the vampire, who receives a nasty wound and backs off. Larry sees the creature grasping its wound, and quickly but decisively drives a wooden stick through its heart. It screams in an unknown language and dies out, vanishing in dust. Unstoppable, the skeleton warriors, charge at the ranger, he fights valiantly but is outnumbered. He falls under the undead, taking one skeleton with him. Ben screams and joins the fray, wanting revenge for the loss of his friend, he sends one more skeleton into oblivion
On the other side of the valley, in the plains, the vampire lord and his minion move towards the Skullbreakers. He engages in close combat, and with supernatural strength, he kills one of them, drinking his blood and sending shivers of fear in the rest of the brave dwarves.
Lord Kirim screams at the little folk. “Go on you little bastards! Show these rattlebones what you’re made of! Your kin rely on you! Destroy the unholy abominations! Charge!”. The spearmen charge, but the skeleton is indifferent. With cold precision it wounds one of the halflings and pushes them back.
The vampire minion flies onto the Skullbreakers, wounding one with his claws. They rebound quickly and strike back, flanking him. One hurts him, which isn’t enough to kill such a vile creature, but the second one aims for the neck while the vampire is stunned from the wound, instantly decapitating him.
A wave of dark energy is released, and the zombies crumble to the ground, inanimate. The skeleton knights, held by a stronger spell are not affected as much, and they are pushed back away.
Seeing the battle lost at that front, the vampire lord switches to the other side, near the tower. He commands his skeletons to attack the halflings, and with his focused strike, one halfling falls under the scythe. The Thunderrers shoot at the skeleton, one bullet hitting it, smashing some bones but not destroying it. The skeleton warriors charge at Ben, who fights furiously, showing his skill, and destroying one of them. The halflings push back, attacking once more, eliminating the damaged skeleton. Kirim shouts at them “Again! Again! Leave no bone unturned!” and one of them pushes back into the fray, but tired as he is, he receives a nasty wound on his side. Ben joins into the fight, to cover the gap, but this leaves him in the open, and a rusty scimitar slashes his arm. He stumbles back, just in time for the Ironshields to reach him. They close in, and with their maces and axes, smash a skeleton to pieces.
Ben, wounded, sees eye to eye with the vampire. He charges, but it’s a half arsed attempt, and scores no hits.
The skeleton knights, with the spell back to strength, close back in, while the Ironshields attack the vampire. Flanking him, they bash him down to a pulp.
Wanting to eliminate the last enemy, Kirim shouts at the Ironshields to attack the skeleton knights, and as one of them does, he receives a swift blow from a rusty bastard sword. It was a wrong call, as soon, the skeletons stand motionless. The spell holding them together has been broken.
Cheers sound across the battlefield. Dwarves and halflings hug together yelling for victory. Some of them go quickly to tend the wounded. This will be a day to be remembered.
Session Summary
The more I delve into skirmish miniatures gaming, the more I love it. KPS can definitely handle varied styles of combat. I liked the Fantasy Preview. There are some things I would have done a bit differently, especially coming from a WHFB background, but I decided not to touch them now, as I want to see the upcoming complete KPS Fantasy before doing so. Ivan from Nordic Weasel Games has shown more than often that he tweaks the rules to just the right amount. The end result is 90% common to what I have in mind, which speaks a lot, as I consider myself a very demanding person in terms of rulesets.
I’d love to have made the Vampires stronger, but I’m still learning, and also I had to abide by the number of miniatures at my disposal. Maybe I should do so, and balance the dwarves by giving them stronger foot units. Food for thought.
This time I didn’t make as many mistakes. Overall I was very careful. Maybe I missed a bravery test when the Vampire captain was KO at the end, but I can’t remember for sure (I wrote this AP report several days after playing the game, and had to rely on my sketchy notes).
Something else I noticed is the importance of tokens. In my previous game I had used some tokens to count casualties and wounds. This time I decided against it, and their lack thereof was evident. I intend to make some more token for exhaustion, activation and volley statuses, as they are very helpful with bookkeeping.
Finally, I loved my new terrain boards. I made them from corrugated cardboard, foam, paper mache, speckle, coffee grinds, ash and flock. It was quite easy. If I had more flock they’d be more uniform, because I run out, and I had to cover the second board with more coffee grinds and ash, giving a different color and texture. This variety isn’t bad though, it’s just not what I had in mind when I was making them. The size of the two boards together is 2×3 (its 2×1.5 each) which gives a very nice room to play, and they are a bit modular depending on how I chose to place them together (4 different configurations).
Trying different manufacturers, here’s a bunch of xenomorphs from QRF miniatures sci-fi range.
The Aliens and Facehuggers were almost the same pose per pack, so I’m going to show only one of each. The Predators were more lively with a separate pose for each and nicely sculpted.
Getting them right was a challenge and I’m not 100% sure I’ve got the best result, but it’s quite close. Painting them involved a lot of tinting and washing.
Also something went wrong with the final mat varnish and it left white streaks around the base. Thankfully I only varnished around the base rim on that step, which can be easily fixed.
Considering that, maybe the problem is that not all of the rim was painted, so the varnish had nowhere to stick to, and it just run down and pooled as it couldn’t hold on to the bare plastic.
I return to Knyghte, Pyke and Sworde by Nordic Weasel Games. Since I had so much fun the first time, I decided to delve a little deeper and went ahead and printed the rules and Reference sheet to accompany me during the game.
I still don’t have any mounted miniatures, so I prepared a roster for two opposing forces on foot. I went ahead with a Fantasy theme once more, without introducing any new rules, except for one hack that I will describe. The troop classes and descriptions are enough to give the dimension I want for my game.
The theme is orcs vs humans. For fairness (until I devise some solo play AI), I did a symmetric terrain with woods and hills at the corners of my 2×2 table, and a ruined tower (the Crow’s Nest) in the middle. I chose a SAGA battle on the concept Fight for the Hill (in our case the hill is the tower).
I’m still getting used to KPS mechanics, so I didn’t add any upgrades to the troops, but calculated the Points Cost for balance.
Orcs and Goblins (86)
Humans (86)
Orc Archers Missile (3)
Pikemen Polearms (3)
Goblin Archers Missile (3)
Champion Fighter (1)
Goblins Rabble (3)
Knights Chargers (3)
Troll Big One (1)
Ogre Big One (1)
Orc Boss Fighter (1)
Lord Captain (1) – Cha:5
Orc Warriors Light (6)
Footmen Shields (3)
Orc Chief Captain (1) – Cha:1
Bowmen Missile (3)
Goblins Rabble (6)
Rangers Missile (3)
Thematic options noted in Italics
So the fantasy hack concerns the Big Ones – a Troll and an Ogre. I gave them a 5″/+1/2/3 with a +1d6 to damage and -1d6 to receive damage. Apart from the Big Ones which don’t have a cost, the Points Cost of the rosters are equal at 86 points. It be interesting to see how equal points forces, but with different qualities and sizes, will fare. Essentially, the Orcs and Goblins have 6 more figures.
As for the Charisma of the Captains, it was all rolled out, and the dice were in favor of the humans.
The Crow’s Nest. Once a tall tower measuring over 30 meters tall, now in ruins, only the ground floor and basement remains. But it is in this basement that long forgotten tomes and scrolls have been left unguarded.
Ulmug cares for one such scroll. The one detailing the fortifications and defense of the human kingdom. With this in his hands, he can plan his raids unopposed. But they are not alone. Human scouts detected their presence, and they mustered a force to meet them.
As they reach the tower’s clearing among two hills, Ulmug makes out the enemy in the distance.
Turn 1
Humans win Initiative.
Rangers (3) Run to the top of the hill. Exhausted.
Goblins (6) Run in front of the woods. Exhausted.
Archers (3) Run to the top of the hill next to the Rangers. Exhausted.
Orc Chief Runs behind the tower.
Footmen (3) Run next to the hill. Exhausted.
Orc Warriors (6) Run towards the human missile units. Exhausted.
Lord Orders Archers (3) to Shoot at Goblins (6). 3 Hits – 2 KO, 1 Wound. Goblins (6) test Bravery. They are Routed. Lord moves behind Footmen. NOTE: I made a serious mistake here. I applied the Captain’s Order to the entire group, but the rules state that it applies to a Single Figure in a Group. I only realized it after the game ended. Thankfully I made the same mistake for the Orc side too, so things got evened out.
Orc Boss Runs next to the tower.
Ogre Runs forward.
Troll Runs forward.
Knights (3) Run forward. Exhausted
Orc Achers (3) Run to the top of the hill. Exhausted
Champion Runs forward.
Goblin Archers (3) Run to the top of the hill. Exhausted
Pikemen (3) Run forward. Exhausted
Goblins (3) Run forward on the hill. Exhausted
Orcs and Goblins
Humans
Orc Archers Missile (3)
Pikemen Polearms (3)
Goblin Archers Missile (3)
Champion Fighter (1)
Goblins Rabble (3)
Knights Chargers (3)
Troll Big One (1)
Ogre Big One (1)
Orc Boss Fighter (1)
Lord Captain (1) – Cha:5
Orc Warriors Light (6)
Footmen Shields (3)
Orc Chief Captain (1) – Cha:1
Bowmen Missile (3)
Goblins Rabble (6)
Rangers Missile (3)
The two sides close in on each other. Archers and Rangers take position upon the hills.
Lord Albert orders the rangers to rain arrows on the advancing goblins. Their aim is true, and under the casualties, the goblins rout. Screaming for their lives, they run away.
Ulmug with his right hand, Zilug, close in next to the tower, to make sure none of the puny humans block their way.
Bowmen (3) Shoot at Orc Warriors (6). 1 hit – 1 Wound.
Orc Warriors (6) Move forward.
Lord Orders Footmen (3) to Engage Orc Warriors (6). 1 Orc Wins – 1 Wound. 1 Human Wins – 1 KO. 1 Tied Melee – 1 Wound to each side. Orc Warriors (5) and Footmen (3) need to test Bravery. Orc Warriors (5) Rout. Footmen (3) Retreat and reach the table edge. NOTE: Again the same mistake.
Knights (3) Engage Orc Boss. Knight Leader and a Knight are in engagement with the Boss. Knight Leader Wins – 1 KO. Boss wins Knight – 1 KO. Orc and Goblin Archers and Goblins need to test Bravery. Orc Archers (3) Rout. Goblins (3) Retreat and reach the table edge. Goblin Archers stand.
Orc Chief Orders Goblin Archers (3) to Shoot at Knights (3). 2 hits – 1 Wound. Knights (3) need to test Bravery. Knights (3) Rout.NOTE: Again the same mistake.
Ogre Moves towards Troll.
Troll Engages Ogre. Tied Melee. Glancing Blows. No hits.
Pikemen (3) Move forward.
Orcs and Goblins
Humans
Orc Archers Missile (3)
Pikemen Polearms (3)
Goblin Archers Missile (3)
Champion Fighter (1)
Goblins Rabble (3)
Knights Chargers (3)
Troll Big One (1)
Ogre Big One (1)
Orc Boss Fighter (1)
Lord Captain (1) – Cha:5
Orc Warriors Light (6)
Footmen Shields (3)
Orc Chief Captain (1) – Cha:1
Bowmen Missile (3)
Goblins Rabble (6)
Rangers Missile (3)
Sir Robert sees the orcs take aim at him and shoot their black feathered arrows, but miss. He charges at them with his bastard sword, coming face to face with the bigger orc, but his enemy parries the attack and manages a weak strike on his plate armor.
The goblin archers shoot at the advancing pikemen but miss. On the other side of the battlefield, the rangers shoot at the orc mob, and miss as well. The bowmen next to them shoot at the same enemy, and an arrow wounds one of the orcs, who reach the hill’s foothold.
Lord Albert orders the footmen to charge at the enemy. Fierce fighting ensues, with wounds and casualties on both sides. The orcs weren’t ready to find so much resistance, and the footmen were just the pampered sons of nobles, one or two puke at the sight of gore. The orc mob disperses and they flee in all directions, while the nobles retreat back in a cohesive manner, away from the battlefield. Bunch of cowards Lord Albert thinks.
The dismounted knights are near the tower and charge at Zilug. A knight and the sergeant close in on the orc boss. Zilug kills the knight, but as he does so, he exposes his side to the sergeant, who slashes with a strong overhead strike, decapitating him instantly. Fear strikes at the orcs surrounding them. From the top of the hill, they saw everything loud and clear. The orc archers and goblin mob flee from the battlefield, leaving the goblin archers alone to face the music.
Ulmug orders the goblins to shoot at the knights, in an effort to restore his troops morale. A knight is seriously wounded. The sergeant tries to convince him to stay, but he’s afraid he will perish in the middle of the battlefield, and the two of them scurry away.
The earth trembles as two hulkering figures close in on each other. The humans have an ogre mercenary with them, while Ulmug has brought with him a troll. They clash, but equal as they are, there is no winner.
Turn 3
Humans win Initiative.
Pikemen (3) Engage Goblin Archers (3). 3 Orcs Win – 2 Wounds, 1 KO. Pikemen (3) need to test for Bravery. Pikement (3) Retreat but remain on table.
Goblin Archers (3) Shoot at Champion. 1 Hit – No effect.
Ogre Engages Orc Chief. Tied Melee – Chief is KO, Ogre is okay. Goblin Archers (3) need to test for Bravery. Goblin Archers (3) Retreat and reach the table edge.
Troll Engages Ogre. Ogre wins – Troll is KO.
The Humans have won.
The pikemen have reached the hill. They charge forward, their long pikes, negating any advantage the goblins have due to higher ground. Nevertheless the nimble short goblins dodge underneath the pikes and wound two pikemen, killing the other. The wounded pikemen retreat in cohesion, reaching the rear of the battlefield, but not abandoning the battle.
With the pikemen out of the way, the goblins shoot at Sir Robert. An arrow hits him, but is deflected by his armor.
The ogre now sees an opening, Ulmug is alone. The ogre isn’t the smartest fella around these parts, but he can add one and one. Seeing the orc shouting orders, he knows he’s the leader. He charges with his heavy footing with his huge axe. Ulmug tries to deflect the blows, and only receives a glancing blow, which is enough to send him tumbling back to the tower walls. Ulmug is down. Seeing their leader down, the goblins scatter and flee the battlefield.
The troll charges at the ogre, in an effort to show who’s the strongest in the battlefield. The ogre is the strongest of the two and cuts the troll’s club in two with his axe. The strike doesn’t stop there, and reaches the troll’s skull, splitting it in two.
With no orc, goblin or troll remaining on the battlefield, the humans have saved the day. The kingdom is secured.
Session Summary
It was an exciting battle! KPS can handle many figures easily, and I had no trouble monitoring what had happened. I need to make a few more tokens for Exhausted and Activated statuses to help me with bookkeeping but even without them, I didn’t lose the grip on what was going on. As I noted above, I made a serious mistake with regards to the Captain Orders, which made the game a bit more swingy than it normally is.
Looking forward to the next battle. As I get more experienced, I’ll be adding more and more options. Eagerly waiting for my mounted figures and bases for cavalry to arrive so that I can expand my roster options.
Here’s my Wood Elf Warband from the Blighthaven line of the Demonworld range of Ral Partha Europe.
With these, I have finished my non-mounted/mounts/beasts miniatures from Ral Partha. With BREXIT changing the way goods enter into EU, I expect to have some serious increase to cost when ordering from UK-the holy land of miniature manufacturers. Until July I will be able to keep the cost low when ordering small packages, but after that time, unless a new trade deal occurs, my choices will be very limited.
I’ve ordered some pill bases for my mounts so, until that arrives, I’ll either switch to historics/ancients or go sci-fi.
I’m also considering making a tutorial of my painting technique, but I need to decide on the medium. Video or Pictures with text. Maybe a mix of both.
Now to the wood elves. I decided to go with an old school color scheme (like most of my painting style – I’m back to the 90s) using Green and Yellow uniforms and Red bows and spears.
I had processed my dried coffee grinds with green paint in the past in an effort to make home made flock. Doesn’t work well as flock, but the paint caused some coffee clumps, which look like small rocks. I’ve used this to texture the inner part of my bases, and I really like the variety.
The wood elves were painted with transparent or semi opaque paints and inks, and this really helps show the sketch prime underneath. It’s one of the best examples to show my technique in 15mm so far.
An important enemy of all fantasy or pulp adventures is the mummies. After going through the available options, I decided to go through with the set from cpmodels. They’re have 12 unique poses!
For painting them, I followed the same scheme I had used for my skeletons. White prime and white undercoat (no sketching), yellow/burnt umber 50/50 wash, yellow ochre drybrush, white drybrush, black/brown wash. Since there were no details painted, this was my fastest paint job so far. About 24 hours including day job, basing and varnish.
This is Sir Roderick’s Retinue from the Blighthaven line of Demonworld range from Ral Partha Europe.
It’s only the retinue, without Sir Roderick, who is mounted. I don’t have appropriate basing for mounts and beasts, so he’s on hold until I get some bases.
For the red uniforms, I did a pink undercoat, followed by an orange ink overcoat. White shields with red X freehand.
Knight with Sword and ShieldKnight with swordKnight with bastard sword Knight with Warhammer and shieldKnight musicianKnight with bastard sword Knight with sword and shield
Here are a few single miniatures from the Demonworld line of Ral Partha Europe. A temple guardian and a few monsters. A couple werewolves, a vampire coven and a harpy.
In this batch job, I am still trying a few combinations of acrylic inks. Using transparent inks over a different color basecoat to achieve a combined color in the end. For the deep red inside of the vampire cloaks, I did a pink undercoat followed by red ink.
I also switched to a combined base texturing technique. I used CA glue and baking soda on the exterior ring of the base, and PVA glue and coffee grinds on the interior ring of the base. This gives a gradual change from a finer grain to a coarser one, stop the PVA from flowing outside the base and protects the miniature feet from climbing PVA glue. I’m going to keep this.
I think it’s a good opportunity to forage for some herbs Since the climate is most likely t (Cool Temperate) and we’re in a (D) Desiduous/Mixed Forest, the best option for herbs is to find Thurl, which has a Routine Difficulty (+30) or Rewk, which has a Light (+10) difficulty
Leowyn and Camthalion will split and search in separate directions The weather (9) stays cool, overcast, with light rain, and the wind becomes a gale again Encounters for each of the three groups: 05/145, 57/84, 128/100: No encounter for any of the groups
Camthalion Searching herbs: Thurl 87: Partial Success 93: Near Success 135: Success: One dose found, will search for Rewk next 39: Failure 96: Near Success 90: Partial Success No Rewk found
After hours of searching in the rain, Camthalion and Leowyn return from different directions. Camthalion brings out some cloves.”That’s all I could find.” He looks at Leowyn, who shakes her head. Camthalion brews the cloves of Thurl and gives to Dwalin to drink.
Heals: 1-4 hits: 3 hits. Also, resting, Dwalin heals 12 more hits, for a total of 15 hits healed. Dwalin is at 32 hits. I want to search for a couple more hours for Rewk, and then enter the Keep while it’s still daylight.
Day 12, Hithui, 4th Watch
The weather (11) becomes Cold, and Sleet falls, as the wind falls to Windy
Leowyn Searching herbs: Rewk 53: Failure 25: Failure Encounters check: 74/119, 05/121, -52/140: No encounter for any of the groups
Dwalin has healed 6 more hits, and is now at 38 hits.
Having found no more healing herbs, the party gathers their belongings and heads back into the keep.
Back into Level One, won’t go to the Arena with the bear, so before heading further down to the next Level, the party will go into the Storage Room. Dwalin at front, followed by Camthalion, and rear guard Leowyn. Q: Is everything as expected? A: No, but, roll 1d4 on TWENE: 3: Add Simple Element. Portent: Love birds Cobwebs and broken wine bottles litter the entire floor. It mustn’t have always been this way. As a sculpt of two birds singing at each other over the doorway shows of happier times. The party proceeds further into the Arms Storage area. Q: Is everything as expected? A: Yes, but, it will be Unlikely in next question So there are some interesting items, and piles of normal, but tarnished weapons and armor. I don’t want to just give away everything. I’d expect the party to go through them (especially since they’re looking for the relic), and roll perception for each party member for each interesting item on the list to see if they notice anything.
Broadsword +5: Camthalion: 109 (Near Success): 85:(Partial Success), Dwalin: 96 (Near Success), 52 (Failure), Leowyn: 97 (Near Success), 37 (Failure) Broadsword +5: Camthalion: 100 (Near Success): 101 (Near Success): 122 (Success): Camthalion identifies the item Morning Star +5: Camthalion: 101 (Near Success): 50 (Failure), Dwalin: 94 (Near Success), 66 (Failure), Leowyn: 102 (Near Success), 130 (Success): Leowyn identifies the item Javelin +5 that returns: Camthalion: 139 (Success): Camthalion identifies the item Three +5 Arrows: Camthalion: 64 (Failure), Dwalin: 83: (Partial Success), Leowyn: 49 (Failure) Battleaxe +10, 60% weight: I’ll also give a bonus here to perception due to the low weight: Camthalion: 102 (Near Success): 113: (Success): Camthalion identifies the item They also pick up 18 arrows, and all the identified items They will also take the three +5 arrows, but don’t know they’re good, so any arrow shot from now on that is Doubles (33, 44 etc) will have used a +5 arrow until they’re expended That’s some good loot! finally
Arms and armor, that the orcs can’t used are littered all over the place, Camthalion quickly fills up his quiver with much wanted arrows. Then they go through the items, see if the can find the relic Dwalin looks for. They did not, but they found some weapons of exquisite make. Camthalion equips himself with Javelin and a fine Broadsword, and Dwalin straps a Battleaxe to his back. Leowyn keeps a very spiky morning star to her side as a backup weapon. Dwalin is no longer a grumpy dwarf, and a wide smile covers his face. “Let’s go further! Treasure awaits!” he says, a bit louder than he should…
So, there are two ways to go downstairs. Either go back and get the stairs, or continue from the direction the part is already going. I won’t bother to roll about their choice, as common sense dictates they continue on this path, follow the hallway and go to Level 2-A of the underchambers.
Q: Is everthing as expected? (Unlikely) A: No, and roll 1d10 on TWENE: 2: Decrease Simple Element: Not much to decrease here, since all elements are major. Maybe I’ll state that there is less dust and cobwebs here than usual.
Since there is a secret passage on this room, I’ll roll Dwalin’s Perception. Dwalin: Perception: 67+23=90: Partial Success. You may not try again in the same area, same topic for 1 hour. So they miss the chance to find the secret passage leading further down to the riches (and dangers).
The party goes in the dungeon chambers, and I will roll on each of them to see if everything is as expected.
Dungeon Chamber #4: Q: Is everything as expected? A: No, Intervention! TWENE: 5: Increase major element. The doors are barred heavily, and do not open. Intervention: 6: Wild: d144: Bolt from the blue The figurative meaning makes no sense here, so I’ll go with the literal. The dungeon chamber door was trapped (as well as barred) and a ‘B’ Electricity Critical strikes Dwalin: 90-10=80: Strike to side devastates nervous system. Severe shock results. Victim is a living vegetable for 1 month.
The trio walks through the underchambers opening every door they can find, searching for anything interesting. Maybe a sign of Ledon, maybe a sign of the dwarven relic. A series of doors in a narrow hallway, points to them for prisoner chambers. “Ledon could be here!” Leowyn whispers. Dwalin nods, and without any precaution tries to open the first door to their left. As he touches the metal bar, a surge of blue lightning passes through him. He locks fingers with the door, unable to let go as the nerves tighten and he clutches harder. Finally, he drops down to the floor, to the horror of his companions. Leowyn and Camthalion look at each other. Leowyn moves in front to reach the motionless body of their friend. Camthalion reaches out an arm to stop her “Whatever hit him… it could still be dangerous…” his words trail off. “We must.” Leowyn responds. She puts her ear to his chest, which is still moving, she makes out a faint heartbeat. “He is still alive.” Carefully, they drag Dwalin away, and carry him back out of the keep, to their camp.
So, this is an interesting point. With such an event, for sure the party must return back to the inn.
Day 12-13, Hithui, Overnight
The weather (11) stays cold, overcast, and sleet falls, as the wind becomes a gale The weather (11) stays cold, overcast, and snow falls, as the wind becomes a storm The weather (10) stays cold, overcast, with snow Flurries, and the wind becomes a gale. Right before dawn, the weather (10) stays cold, overcast, with snow flurries, and the wind becomes a windy again. Encounter check: 64/34+50: No encounter
Day 13, Hithui, 3rd Watch
The weather (10) stays cold, overcast, with snow flurries, and the wind stays windy Encounter check: 28/-13: No encounter
Day 13, Hithui, 4th Watch
The weather (10) stays cold, overcast, with snow flurries, and the wind becomes a gale Encounter check: -06/74: No encounter
Day 13-14, Hithui, Overnight
The weather (10) stays cold, overcast, and snow flurries fall, as the wind becomes a breeze The weather (10) stays cold, overcast, and snow flurries fall, as the wind becomes windy The weather (10) stays cold, overcast, with snow flurries, and the wind stays windy. Right before dawn, the weather (10) stays cold, overcast, with snow flurries, and the wind stays windy. Encounter check: 24/92: No encounter
Day 14, Hithui, 3rd Watch
The weather (12) is freezing, overcast, and the wind becomes a gale Encounter check: 68/36: No encounter
Day 14, Hithui, 4th Watch
The weather (12) is freezing, overcast, and the wind stays a gale Encounter check: 47/67: No encounter
The party reaches The Last Inn
Battered, and freezing cold, after two days, Leowyn and Camthalion guide the horse carrying the comatose dwarf to the Last Inn. They desire the warmth of the fireplace, and a hot plate of soup.
Q: Is everything as expected? A: No, roll 1d4 on TWENE: 4: Remove Simple Element. There are no customers at this time in the main hall.
I take a pause here to deliberate. The GM hat cannot be completely avoided. See, I know according to the pre-written adventure module that Bura Grumm is a 5th level Animist, and there is a far-fetched chance that she has the spell list to heal Dwalin. Nevertheless this would normally cost around 25 gp, and the party hasn’t saved Leddon to say for example that they get a discount, or for free. So I seriously doubt that Bura can help them right now. I will ask the Oracle though with an Unlikely result to see if she helps in any way.
Q: Does Bura help the party with her skills? (Unlikely) A: No
So, we’re in a dire position right now. It’s make it, or break it. The party cannot afford to wait for Dwalin to recover (if he ever does, see, they do not know it). Leowyn wants to find her lover’s killer and Camthalion wants to find his missing brother. Both are time-dependent events. Dwalin’s cause for the relic is considered null and void right now, and Leddon is left to his fate (or another party of adventurers). The way I see it, either the party breaks up, leaving Dwalin at the last inn with a hefty amount to Bura to take care of him (until when?), or they try to help Dwalin right away, taking him with them in the cold to find a healer in the nearest town (and pay him with the gold from the manuscripts). Maybe they could consider a combination of the two. Leowyn could set off on horseback to fetch a healer. I think this is the best course of action right now, and what I believe a party would do. Maybe Camthalion will stay behind to look after Dwalin and find some way to pay for their rent. Now the GM hat tells me that there’s a high chance that the story of how Dwalin got hurt may leak while they stay at the last inn, and according to the pre-written adventure module, Ar-Gular, the owner of the keep that my party raided is a regular in disguise there. So maybe a random event triggered by an intervention could lead to an orc raid by Ar-Gular, or something similar.
The Grumms see Camthalion and Leowyn carry Dwalin inside. “We will need a room. And some hot soup for the night.” Bura sees him and bites her lips. She calls for her daughters to help. “I can do everyday healing, but nothing I can help with this. You will need to take him to see a healer.” She pauses for a second as the wind howls outside. “Or better yet, bring the healer to him.” “I can ride fast. I’ll go first light.” Leowyn says. “Everything else will have to wait.” Camthalion nods. “I’ll stay with him.” He turns to Rubb. “Innkeeper, we have coin. But I would like to know if there are other ways we can support, to reduce the cost, before we expend every single one of our coins.” Rubb nods. “We’ll work something out.”
By first light, Leowyn will leave on horseback. This night’s meal and lodging (separate room) will be payed normally, when I continue with Camthalion, I’ll consider the various options.
Day 14-15, Hithui, Overnight
The weather (12) is freezing, overcast, and the wind becomes a breeze The weather (12) is freezing, overcast, and the wind becomes windy The weather (12) is freezing, overcast, and the wind becomes a breeze Right before dawn, the weather (13) is cool, the clouds clear, and the wind becomes windy
Q: Does anything unexpected happen overnight (Unlikely) A: Intervention: Entity Positive, Yes, and it’s something good for someone. Maybe Leddon returns alive. Q: Does Leddon return alive? (Likely) A: Yes.
As Leowyn goes to the Grumms, to ready up her horse to leave in the morning, she can’t help but notice the huge smile on their faces. “Is everything alright?” She asks Bura. “More than alright! My boy! He’s returned! Alive! He was rescued by a company of folks like you. Adventurers! You may not have found him, but I thank you nonetheless for your efforts. I will do my best to take care of the stout dwarf as long as you are here. A day of joy!” Bura tells her, tears of joy running down her streaks. The warmth of her happiness filling the room, and for a second Leowyn forgot they’re in the middle of winter. “That’s great news.” She says. “I am really happy for you!”
I’ll do some bookkeeping now, before splitting the adventure into two parts.
Bookkeeping
Name
Days Rations
Camthalion
3
Dwalin
3
Leowyn
5
Arrows: Camthalion is at 36+3 arrows, Leowyn is at 35 arrows (forgot to bookkeep in last session).
Criticals Received
EP
Camthalion
0
Dwalin
200
Leowyn
0
Travel Points
EP
Camthalion
80
Dwalin
80
Leowyn
80
Non-Idea EP Total
EP
Camthalion
80
Dwalin
280
Leowyn
80
I’ll give the entire part half the total as idea points. 440 EP total, 145 each.
Summing up, from previous session.
Name
Experience Points
Camthalion
3713 EP
Dwalin
5666 EP
Leowyn
2914 EP
Money: The party pool is 9sp, 3bp, 6cp and 9tp.
Hit Points: Dwalin is at full hit points, Leowyn is at full hit points, Camthalion is at full hit points.
Session Summary
I did not see that coming! A great example of the deadliness of MERP. At first I had done a mistake and hadn’t calculated the -10 of the B critical, so Dwalin would have been dead, with completely different results to the party structure. Now there’s hope, and a new story thread has evolved. Now as far as my three major choices.
The magical items. In a regular ttrpg, the GM would have described the items, and the players would have acted accordingly. They would need a proper identification, to know the properties first. This is solo, and a pre-written adventure. I made it easier to find what it was about, which makes sense since a magical item would look better than the other tarnished weapons in the pile. So of all the weapons, the party only failed to identify one broadsword, and left it back in the pile.
The trap being a B critical. I tried to be in line with the feeling of the adventure. In the same floor there was a trap on the secret room, that gave a B Fire critical to anyone not uttering the words engraved. Luckily my party missed the room altogether, but this gave me a good idea of what the authors had in mind. I did not give Dwalin a chance to avoid the trap, but it was a ‘bolt out of the blue’ so I felt that I shouldn’t.
Ledon’s return. It felt right. Entity positive. There are other groups looking for the same reward. It gives the feeling of a living world, and closes up the thread. For my next session I will follow the footsteps of Leowyn as she travels to a major city to sell the manuscripts and find a healer and get him back. Once that is done, I will switch back to Camthalion for the set time period it took Leowyn to (hopefully) succeed to her task. Since I wanted to get back to my other d100 systems I do not know if this is a good time to do a quick switch over to Harnmaster or Mythras. I know that Harnmaster has a mounted combat specific section for combat. Mythras covers mounted combat as well. MERP, not so. Let’s not forget that Leowyn is a Rohirim shield maiden, a rider. I will sit on it.
With this post, I’ve reached my photos backlog with up to date paintings. This means that I will be only able to post miniatures posts as I paint them, and it will take longer.
Here are 4 big ones in 15mm. An Ogre, a Troll, and two Minotaurs. These are from the Ral Partha Europe Demonworld range.
Painting the squares on the Ogre pants was hard, but I really enjoyed the end result and it goes well with the stripes.
For the troll, I did something I hadn’t done before. Instead of painting it green directly, I gave it a light blue basecoat, followed by a yellow ink once dry. My yellow ink is transparent and weak in pigment, so I had this beautiful green as a result, with yellowed parts.
I tried to do something similar with the Minotaurs, using red ink over yellow ochre, hence the evil demonic look.
Solo, Pen, Paper and Dice 
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