Rangers of Shadow Deep - The Broken Stairs

After a quick bite to eat (potato wedges, as Mark and the others were keen to get started), I settled in for the next instalment of the Rangers of Shadow Deep campaign.

We were up to mission 3, scenario 1: The Broken Stairs. Basically the table was at a 60 degree incline, and the warband would have to descend the winding staircase slowly, because if you made a second move (i.e. run) you'd have to pass a climb test. Again if you missed it: if you made a second move you'd have to pass a climb test. Pass a climb test. Problem is that we only had 10 turns to make it and the whole time we'd be swarmed by giant flies. There were three fly holes that they would spawn from (that could be destroyed with fire), along with one tantalising chest off the path. Tantalising. Off the path.

This time I'll be playing Magog - a knight with a crossbow and sword (I may be wrong - it's been a busy week), while Jono T would control Caitweazel the sorceress. Dave T and Mark R would also be controlling their respective characters.

Things started off well enough, but Jono decided to start off the path. Way off the path. I was getting a sense of déjà vu.

As the random event cards were drawn, it became clear that burning the fly holes (that were off the path), wasn't worth the effort as a lot of the cards allowed the flies to restart particular fly holes. So we just went ahead and (easily) killed the flies that were in our way. Sometimes, when they swarmed, did they become more than a nuisance.

Then I realised I was ahead of schedule in making it off the table and had a chance of getting to the chest as well.

I got greedy and went off the path.

I failed my climb test and fell over. Jono (who had managed to see the folly of his ways and got on the path halfway down), had been pretty good with his tests. He got greedy too near the end (or was he role playing?) and his companion who left the path for the chest, fell 6" down the slope and thereby made it off the table in time.

But we made it. A simple scenario, but while you think you have options, you really don't due to the tight turn limit. Looking forward to the next game.

A Song of Ice and Fire and Rangers of Shadow Deep Introduction Games

After a few months hiatus I was back at the League and Mark had his beautifully painted A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) miniatures from Cool Mini or Not (CMON) that he was itching to get out on the table. He provided both sides and we spent the morning playing a brutal game (I got slaughtered to a man!).

First impressions? The mechanics are elegant, the miniatures beautiful, and just like the background there's an element of strategy happening off the battlefield that I like (the constant command decision pressure of deciding to move a unit and risk my opponent seizing an area of the tactics board which is also needed or vice versa). I can't see myself getting into the game (way too many projects!), but if you like Game of Thrones and all that then this is pretty good at recreating the world. Although it's marketed to some degree as a boardgame, it's very much a wargame.

The afternoon session had me stepping into Jack's character for a Rangers of Shadow Deep game, run by Mark with Dave T, his son Jonathan and Bruce. I was flying blind for most of it, but picked up the basic elements pretty quickly. There were three rooms our band had to fight through, the knolls giving us a hard time. I controlled a Wizard, Caitweazel (I assume a variation of Catweazle) and an unnamed red shirt companion.

I had to leave just as the third room was entered, so got the update from Mark. Both Bruce and David's characters fell in the final room (mercifully surviving their injuries when rolled for later) as did all of the remaining companions. This left Mark's Ranger and Caitweazel (played by Jonathan) to struggle through, which they did, if only just thanks to some lucky shots with Mark's crossbow. A staircase was found at the end, so the scenario was won but possibly with a deficit in the next scenario.