Redskins!

Have been painting little lately, due to the preparations for PolderCon but have managed to finish the Barsoom figures and some Indians for Witchfinder General.

The Barsoom figures are by Bronze Age and Parroom Station (the Banth and Woolla), the Indians from Redoubt Miniatures.

John Carter, Tars Tarkas and Woolla

Dejah Thoris and her hand(-to-hand-combat)maidens

A Banth

A Red Martian and his dog

 White Apes

Marauding Warhoons, their leader mounted on his wild Thoat.

Braves

War Chief

Wargames, beer & Witchfinder General!

Another Wargames-and-beer day took place on the premises in Zutphen. A small gathering this time, perhaps due to the approaching holidays. We played Chain of Command  and Witchfinder General. I ran the latter game.

As the intention was to let two new players get to know the WFG ruleset and system I chose the Summoning scenario. It has lots of figures, but is relatively straightforward and has some interesting dilemmas.









The Witchfinder player is in a hurry, as he has to stop the witches from summoning the Great Beast in Ye Olde Creepy Temple. However, the witches have trouble using all their power to defend themselves as they have to hold themselves ready from turn 3 onward to hold the Summoning as soon as the sun sets (on a die roll). Only then can they fight the Witchfinder's men, aided by the Great Beast. This however is a mixed blessing, since the Beast is fast and strong, but may die in a fight, making the Witchfinder player the winner!

Above, players tense as they ponder their strategy. Below a lively firefight has developed.

As is traditional we played the game twice, the players changing roles for the second game and the winner being the one who won both games.

In the first game the witches managed to Summon the Beast despite one of the witches being shot by a desperate witchfinder. The witchfinder then attacked the Great Beast in an al or nothing bid to kill it, but bit off more then he could chew. The Beast however, did not.....

Unfortunately for the witch, the Beast was then killed by a mass attack of the dragoons.

We fumbled some things with the Thunderbold Grenadoes, which might well have won the first game for the witch had we done it right. Careful reading led to the conclusion that it is a 4" template weapon instead of one that hits only one model or terrain feature. Once we had that figured out, the witch player missed every To Hit Roll with the grenades that he mad. Thunderbold Grenadon't indeed.

Several excellent pictures made by Jelle, especially of the flying witch!

In the second game the Witchfinder rushed to the attack against well-entrenched Blinders. Nevertheless the Beast was Summoned. And then proceeded to hide behind walls while the witches whittled down the Witchfinder's forces! Despite this despicably cowardly behavior (well, they are called the Forces of Evil for a reason...) this won the Witch player his second game, making him the winner. A tough game for the Witchfinder I think, but enjoyable in any case!

Many thanks for Christy and Jasper for hosting us and providing us with superlative accommodations and food!

Another night at the slaughtered lamb

This week we played another go at my Night at the Slaughtered Lamb game. Below you see the inn looming in the twilight. A Witchfinder and his men have chased an evil witch here, but she has charmed herself into looking like one of the inhabitants of the inn. The witchfinder will need to flush her out without hurting the real inhabitants, in the meantime fending off the witch's ferocious allies.

While the witchfinder and his men enter the inn, fierce hellhounds approach the building.

The witchfinder and his men barricade themselves into the inn, driving the guests to the first floor for their protection and to prevent the witch from escaping.

Attacked from all sides, the kitchen door is ripped to shreds by hellhounds. Fortunately both fall to deadly musket fire. Nocterlinger ghouls try to break through the windows and get fired on by the witchfinder himself.

Here the Noctelinger skulk below the window, dodging the bullets with devilish cunning....

Finally they break through into the kitchen, killing two musketeers before themselves being gunned down.

The witch, disguised as a blind beggar, uses the confusion to jump from the first floor room she had hidden in. Getting wounded by the jump, just seconds before she can reach the edge of the woods she is shot down by a vigilant musketeer who guarded the main door.

Good has triumphed once more! But at what price? 5 Musketeers lie dead, hacked and ripped to pieces. And still Evil stalks the land....

Witch hunters and samurai

This weekend's painting yielded a very varied crop. First two magnificent new figures made for the to-be-released official line for the WitchFinder General Game by Dashing Dice Games. Bearing some resemblance to a pair of recent movie witchhunters these pair will grace your table and will put fear in the earts of evildoers everywhere!

The girl witchhunter comes with an alternative pistol-equipped right hand. I nevertheless opted for the repeater crossbow. I modified the left hand holding the shortsword by turning it at angles with her body to achieve a slightly more natural pose. Both figures were perfect two-piece castings, no flash and the barest minimum of casting lines.

Next, first in line of the Ronin figures made by North Star that came into my possession through their Ronin Deal at the time of the release of that ruleset here are a sneaky ninja (the limited edition figure coming free with the set) and a taunting samurai (from the Bandit buntai set).

North Star has done a fine job on these figures. Most are one-piece castings. Some flash was present, but nothing dramatic and easily cleaned away.

Night at the Slaughtered Lamb Action Report

This weekend I played my latest participation game: Night at the Slaughtered Lamb (extra points for those who know which movie that one comes from) at Ducosim. It was a Witchfinder General game for 4 players with some RPG elements thrown in. What was happening?

This rustic tavern deep in the woods has become the last refuge of an evil witch. Hunted by the Witchfinders she has hidden in this tavern; The Slaughtered Lamb, killed one if its inhabitants and has glamoured herself into his or her form. It is the Witchfinder's task to find her out and prevent her escape. However, the other guests are not to be harmed, night is falling and sinister shadows growl and skulk at the dark forest's edge....

The Witch player(s) control the five guests (the witch among them) that start inside the tavern and the monsters that start at the forest's edge. The Witchfinder player(s) start inside or near the tavern, ideally surrounding it with their musketeers. The Witch may use her monsters and (to some extent) the other tavern inhabitants to draw attention away from herself so she can slip out of the tavern and dissappear in the dark forest. The other inhabitants are of course in awe of the armed witchfinders, may not initiate violence and such, but may otherwise act as suspicious as possible. As soon as the Witch reveals herself (by magic or violence for example) her miniature (only the Witch player knows which one) is at once replaced with a Witch figure.

The Tavern from a Noctelingers point of view.

Noctelingers and Werewolves aid the Witch from outside the tavern, arriving at sunset. 

The Witchfinder and his musketeers.

Here is the only picture I managed to take of the game in progress. Running a game with four enthusiastic and noisy players with some audience thrown in leaves little time for taking pictures, so I am glad I managed this one. (This is also my excuse for the gratuitous use of older pictures in this blog....)

I ran three fully manned games in a row, had a lot of fun and some spectacular endings. The Witch managed to dodge the bullets once, got shot once and in the final game, while still disguised as the innkeeper, got ripped apart by one of her own Noctelingers (the monsters were played by a second Evil player) before the Witch player could call out a warning! I didn't see that one coming....

A great day with a great audience and a great little ruleset!

Night at The Slaughtered Lamb at Ducosim March 2nd

On March 2nd I will host a Witchfinder General game at Ducosim at Amersfoort. Two to four players per game will be able to play a thrilling crossover between RPG and skirmish wargaming.

Setting: an remote inn surrounded by brooding dark forests, and night setting in....

Cast: a witchfinder and his men, having tracked an evil witch to this inn, the innkeeper and his guests, one of whom must be the witch. But who?

The challenge: the witch's dark minions will gather after darkness trying to free her. The witchfinder must prevent this, but he must identify the witch first. Meanwhile, the witch must either try to escape the inn or let her minions in to help her, but armed men guard every door....

What is that, sneaking through the dark....?