Cultists

You can never have too many cultist, right?

I do need more cultists in our games of 7TV, and thought I could make some suitable ones with a sprue of Frostgrave-cultist combined with arms and weapons from a sprue US infantry from Warlord I got for free with a magazine. I also used some spare German arms and weapons I got from a friend (Thanks, Laffe!), also Warlord I think.

Very easy conversions, really, and with them I got some really useful cultist ready for some serious fighting.

The taller figure comes from Shadows of Brimstone, one of a gang of twelve. The other 11, identical to this one, are still unmade. Don’t know if I will ever finish the lot, but the one can always be used in a pulp game or two.

Secret Santa comes from Frostgrave

We had a local Secret Santa thingie going here in the Frozen North (actually it is above freezing, but, well, you get the idea).

My Secret Santa had quite some problems with half of the ‘Secret Santa’ concept. It seems that if you pay your postage for a package on the web there will be tracking (good) and also a mail to the recipient telling a package is on the way (good). Said mail will also specify other parts, such as the name of said ‘Secret’ Santa (which in this case is… less than perfect :-D).

Anyway, the Unsecret Santa had bought far too much stuff and painted it, too!

Wonderful monsters for Frostgrave! A great present!

I guess I have to invite the Unsecret Santa to a game at the club. I think this was a subtle hint that he likes Frostgrave and wants to play more.

Thank you Unsecret Santa! When do you want a game? ;-)

Also a big thank you to Chris Gilbride who supervised this Penguin Santa Surprise and helped us with ideas (of the... quirky kind) and photos of one of the attendees in Napoleonic uniform doing unspeakable things.

Frostgrave – The hobbit and the bear - An AAR

My heroic witch and her gang.
From left to right: Two treasure hunters (Ms Stela and Ms Láni), ranger (Ms Fylgja), witch (Ms Norn), crossbowwoman (Ms Brjóst), bear animal companion (Ms Bera), apprentice (Ms Læra), marksman (Ms Lítill), ranger (Ms Bogi), zombie (Ms Dauða) and templar (Ms Harður). 
Our tracker (Ms Rekja) is at the base recuperating from the serious wounds she got last game.
(I took the freedom to give them proper names instead of the nicknames some of them had before.)

We had a great big Frostgrave battle last week and I had an opportunity to both use new terrain-pieces and new miniatures. The last part was particularly satisfying, using my newly painted bear.

Icky necromancer and his baddies.

This time it was a standard game with the optional possible monster activation when treasures were found.

Summoner with friends and a demon. It goes withour saying that these are not mommys boys and girls...

I had my usual Witch warband, Thomas used his Summoner, my son David had an evil (sort of goes without saying) Necromancer and Koen had his first game of Frostgrave using a… well, I don’t actually remember what kind of wizard he used (but obviously a rather cowardly one…).

Koen's warband. They do look rather tasty, don't they...

When I started taking pics of the respective warbands my camera started complaining about low battery levels and as a result there will unfortunately be a limited number of photos and they will be concentrated on the fighting around my warband. Sorry 'bout that.

Witch set up around the green circle, Koen's yellow (fitting), Summoner orange and Necromancer pink.

Koen's gang advances around the church/temple and moves towards the pyramid and the ruined keep and the treasures there.

My witch advances on the right flank with Ms Stela the treasure hunter and a couple of shooters, while the apprentice moves towards the same ruin as Koen's gang.

The necromancer enters the ruined temple while his apprentice moves towards my warband.

The summoner takes it easy in his corner, content with being left alone.

Necromancer and friends in the ruined temple and close to two treasures, which they will secure.

A halfling thief climbed into the ruined keep and moved up to the treasure. His plans to grab it is ruined by my apprentice casting a leap on the bear. So it begins...

That's a mighty big bear... and angry too.

Meanwhile Koen's warband spreads out, trying to get as many treasures as possible.

As does my warband

Even the summoner feels a need to get his thumbs out and he kicks his troops forward.

My missile troopers sends a mass of arrows and bolts towards the necromancer's gang...

...and scores first blood as a crossbowman falls.

My witch cast the second (and last) successful spell made by my warband, and moves a treasure towards her with telekinesis. Ms Stela runs up the steps of the cliff.

Koen doesn't want to see a massacred hobbit and casts the most elegant spell of the game, a wall in between my bear and his troops. Well played, indeed! Laughter an applause greeted that spell (even from the bear)

Treasures are now taken left and right and one of them gets a couple of monsters to appear. We use a scatter diece to se where they enter. Two ghouls enters the playing field on the necromancer flank, seriously upsetting his plans.

Another sneaky hobbit thief expects to run home with treasure and glory. An angry bear jumping after him upsets that plan. The hobbit in the ruins sighs in relief and sneaks away.

A found treasure activates another monster, a demon, and this time it arrives in my back and it engages Ms Norn. Talk about upsetting plans!

The gouls clashes with a necromancer zombie and thief, effectively occupying them for the rest of the game as neither side does any serious damage on the other.

Koen smiles smugly while his soldiers surround the bear. The wizard looks on, just waiting to get it all over with.

My witch fortunately wins her fight with the demon and she runs away as fast as she can. The demon will be shot to pieces by the missile troops but it means that they won't be able to shoot at the Necromancer's gang.
Out of picture is the treasure hunter Ms Stela that has climbed to the top of the cliff and she survives missiles and an enemy soldier leaping up there. She will jump down the cliff and run for safety with a treasure.

 There is a fierce fight going on at the top of the pyramid at this point, and lots of blod is shed over a treasure. Forgot to take any pics there, though.

The necromancer bone darts my ranger, who falls.

To be joined by my apprentice who gets a crossbow bolt in her guts.

Koen looks rather smug now.  Can you even count all the bonuses I get with 3 men surrounding your puny bear, he asks. I roll a 19, he does not and one man is bear-fodder.

Well, I still have lots of bonuses, he says. I roll a 17, he does not and the hobbit is toast and the treasure is dropped.

I still have a mighty hero against your #%¤&! bear, he says. I roll a 18, he does not, and the onlooking wizard gulps and makes a tactical retreat.

With that Koen had to run home, crying (well, he said he had to catch a train… sure) and we called it a day. Ms Norn and her heroic warband got home with four treasures and where without a doubt the winners of the day.

The heroic bear more than makes up for the embarrasing amount of failed spells and botched missile fire the rest of the gang accomplished.
The bear got an extra serving of hobbit-kebab in the evening and is certainly making an appearance in the next game.

A warm welcome to follower Reed with his brand new blog Reed Arcaneum. First post yesterday and a good start it is. Check it out and remember the first time you posted. It was an awful long time ago now…

More Frostgrave - AAR

The setup with the nine treasures circled in red (click on picture for a larger view). 

Thomas, my son David and I had another game of Frostgrave last week. We actually had one the week before but that game lacked sufficient cover and became an archer and crossbow extravaganza where they, and the spell Bone Dart, totally dominated the game. We learned our lesson and though we filled this table with buildings and stuff (some of mine and the rest from the vaults of Little Wars gaming club (you should really join if you live close by)) there were still too many killing lanes (We'll skip the roads next game). Well, we’re slowly getting there and I’m slowly buying and building more and more terrain J. 

Thomas' Summoner with his gang

My trusted Witch leads half the warband while the Apprentice leads the rest

Here comes David's Necromancer and his warband. Shudder.

The game starts with the Summoner succeding with a Summon Demon spell. Sort of informative - I'm up against a Necromancer and a Demon-lover...

My Witch and the gang close to her moves up. We have two treasures in our sights. The Witch tries to cast Raise Zombie but fails. (I should really  have tried Telekinesis here, though.)

The Necromancer advances into the ruins

My Apprentice cast Telekinesis, moving one treasure closer to my side. An excellent spell!

Meanwhile the Summoner and his warband advances cautiously.

Here's my warband, already in contact with three treasures

The Summoner warband advances further. Most of the soldiers seem to concentrate on the Necromancer and his gang. Good for me! They have a Construct made by the Summoner in contact with a treasure on the ziggurat.

The Necromancer and gang spread out and into positions. 

One of my heroic thieves grabs a treasure while the witch fails with a Telekinesis spell.

The Necromancer has at last got some momentum. 

The Summoner cast Leap on a soldier who leaps up to the top of the tower and the tresure there. Smart move! The Apprentice casts a Fog spell and effectively stops all missile fire in that part of the gaming area.
This is starting to be really fun as we set off a wider variety of spells compared with the earlier matches.

The Necromancer's apprentice starts climbing up the ruins, to get to a vantage point later on.

The Summoner warband advances on the flank and also secures one of the treasures.

Two of my soldiers retreats laden with treasure.

Meanwhile the Demon attacks my soldier defending the thief that has secured my fourth treasure.

While they are fighting my Wolf animal companion sneaks up behind the Demon and attacks it from behind.

My Apprentice casts Telekinesis on another treasure, moving it closer to one of my Rangers, but before she can snatch it the Necromancer fires off a Bone Dart that fells her. 

The Fog dissipates which is unfortunate for the Summoner's gang, but all missile fire on the soldier with treasure on top of the rock misses.

One of the Necromancer's soldiers reaches the treasure on top of the ruin while the Necromancer himself looks menacing.

A Leap spell on the thief and he makes his escape into the shadow of a building. My fourth treasure is safe.
The archer tries to hit the Necromancer but misses.

The Necromancer's apprentice is now in position while some other gang-members are advancing on my positions.

The lone Necromancer zombie is attacked by soldiers from the Summoner gang, but it holds the flank for now.

Climbing down the tower is slow going. The dice show how far he has climbed. A long way to go still.

Another Fog spell hides the soldier retreating with one treasure.

The zombie finally falls...

...and this flank of the Necromancer suddenly looks rather shaky as their lightly clad ranger is attacked by a soldier.

The fight between my soldier and wolf vs the Demon isn't going great as my soldier is wounded and pushed back.

A great opportunity to snatch that forgotten treasure, I think, and moves that hapless soldier towards the middle of the board. When that is done I remember that the reason she was pushed back was because she was wounded in the fight with the Demon. She's got just one wound left...

The rest of my treasure-laden soldiers are nearly off the board.

Now something annoying happens when the Necromancers Apprentice, from her vantage point on top of the ruins, casts a Bones of the Earth spell and from the ground in front of my Witch, that has moved to be close to the apprentice, shoots a skeletal hand that holds her in a strong grip. She cannot move from the spot unless she destroys the hand or uses magical movement. The skeleton will symbolise the skeletal hand (Thomas will make a couple of suitable hands to use in our future games)

A have this idea of my apprentice helping out in the fight against the hand. It's not an altogether bad idea, as a lot of Necromancer soldiers are fast approaching. The attack on the hand misses, by the way.

And there goes the wolf. Ah, well, I can always summon another for the next game.

A fleeing soldier with one hit point left, a Witch and her Apprentice locked in combat with a fricking skeleton hand, an archer trying to hold back the horde of Necromancer soldiers and a lone thief frantically trying to escape. Copuld it be worse?
YES!
You might not have noticed it, but you have not seen any battles between Necromancers and Summoners for a while. You might ask yourself why.
The answer is that the scumbags have a cease-fire while they take care of me as I have far to many treasures already (in their oppinion) and they don't think I should have any more.

The opposition advances on my Witch and Apprentice. Thing are looking grim. But it could be worse...

And it is, when the Necromancer wins initiative and casts another Bones of the Earth, this time trapping my Apprencice, too!
It's amazing that I could have raised such an evil son. You should have heard his laughter when he succeded with that spell. (Well, I'm rather pleased actually. Signs of a true gamer. Mission accomplished!)

But his laughter is cut short when both my Witch and Apprentice casts Leap on themselves, succeeds and jumps to freedom.
With that we call it a day as Thomas retreats and let David have the last treasure.

That was a great game!

It’s the first time we have used a plethora of spells to good effect and that showed how powerful your wizards can be. I think we altogether cast one offensive spell (maybe two) during the game and the rest were defensive or supporting, and it really worked well.

Great fun and there will be more games to come.