Mordheim | The Lost City of Carcosa

FG: The Silent Tower (scenario)

04/03/2017

Alan and I had a bash last Saturday, first umm was the Silent Tower scenario which Alan had played once before but not got anywhere near it. It was also my excuse to get the new scenery out.

Alan was using a newish warband led by Hashpot Dribbleweed, and I was using a much neglected newish warband led by the King In Yellow.

So deployed I aimed to get KIY into the towers for the 50XP to bump him up a level or two.

Which with the judicious use of some Wall spells, he promptly did.

I sent my Captain after the loot which Hashpot was moving away with Telekenisis (sound familiar ?).

Of course this triggered the arrival of some Zombies that bumbled around a lot and were an aggravation.

Hashpot managed to lay his hands on 3 treasures.

So I sent my minions to retrieve MY treasure, the Treasure Hunter was promptly bone darted.

And things didn’t get much better when Captain, war hound and thug got into combat with Hashpot’s minions.

All of which also failed in combat.

So foolishly I sent my apprentice to help out, only for him to immediately be out out in combat. DOH !

The Zombies finally caused some aggro, luckily I managed to get away with that piece of loot.

But then disaster struck as KIY was also struck down with a bone dart. Things were going badly wrong for me, with Alan’s Hashpot stomping all over my warband.

Even the thug that had collected the treasure chest from the top of the tower was put out of action, leaving Hashpot in almost complete control of this scenario.

I have got used to having Wizards who are capable of defending themselves against incoming arrows and spells. I’ll have to play KIY again once I’ve got some more unique figures, probably the cultist set in the next few months to remind me of the frailty of the low level wizard.

I got away with two pieces of loot, a lot of experience, but an apprentice that is missing a game.

Second scenario to follow.

Filed under Frost Grave Tagged with Mordheim

FG/MH Graveyard

06/12/2016

When I played with Byakhee Jim, he fished out an old Graveyard I’d made for Mordheim, on the grounds he was hoping to raise a Zombie and thus was in keeping with his character’s background. As it happened things didn’t go his way and the graveyard didn’t get much of a look in.

Just as well, because it had warped on its base, and my old polyfilla covering had become chipped. So having rebound the piece, I decided it would be a good idea to renovate it, after all JP’s wizard Thaddeus (who is EVIL and must be destroyed) also practices the dark arts…

So the gravestones, a mixture of metal and plastic items were removed, the base was bent back almost flat (a lot better than it was), and then a healthy amount of masonry paint added.

The original graveyard had a grey surface, so that went as it was too plain, with my generic biscuit earth colour. But to compensate I added a short entrance path of the usual pizza box flagstones.

The graves were marked out with an unusually healthy looking grass, whilst the rest of the yard had unhealthy sickly looking burnt grass added.

Some graffiti was added as I used to do to many of my scenery pieces. No prize for guessing which TV series I nicked it from…

Filed under Frost Grave, Mordheim, Scenery Tagged with Frostgrave, graveyard, Mordheim

Pringles – a valid feline dietary option, and source of scenery

06/11/2016 1 Comment

Reminded by Byakhee JP that Pringles tubes are useful for scenery, I indulged, and reminded myself of earlier efforts at scenery I’d done.

Necromunda scenery from c1999. Might be useful for Rogue Stars ?

Additional pieces including scatter terrain made from the old GW scenery stuff, brass plumbing fittings, and the plastic top of a deodorant bottle.

Another unfinished piece of scenery that has languished in the playroom cupboard for 14+ years.

I’d added some WHFB bits to the tower, along with the inevitable masonry paint. This also makes the cardboard tubes much stronger and robust.

I’d also used some very old “Arcane Architecture” pieces back when Citadel/GW were of any use, and designed it as a wizard’s tower, so when better to use it than in a game of Frostgrave ?

I’ve been searching the Intercatwebnet for different dolls house tile paper and will be getting some for the ground floor to make it a different and “special” piece of scenery later this week.

So I stuffed my face with more Pringles over the last week, ably helped by…

…Spades, he preferred the Cheese & Onion flavour but partook of all flavours. And today decided Mayonnaise was also on the menu.

These new tubes will be chopped up to make useful huts and mini towers for the Frostgrave scenarios that I’ll be playing with the BYakhees – need the scenery if JP is not around !

Filed under Cats, Frost Grave Tagged with Mordheim, Necromunda

Frostgrave: There’s never enough treasure chests

03/11/2016

For our second game on Saturday, Byakhe Jim and I played the scenario “The Mausoleum”. Chosen partly because I have the appropriate scenery, but also to try and get some “creatures” into the game so Jim got used to an additional phase of each turn…we had tried that in the previous game but frustratingly no creatures turned up !

Again I used my Garden of Morr scenery. Both of us rolled for the “Reveal Secret” spell, and again Jim rolled well and I didn’t.

I also decided to give Jim a bit of a hard time and used Lady Katherine’s war band – level 7 vs level 18. I have generally found a 10 level difference is not much of a problem due to the way Frostgrave works.

So we had the normal 6 treasure chests, plus the two extra and the illusion as well – I barely had enough treasure chests.

My Lady and her minions moved forward gaining one chest, before being jumped on by a Skeleton – the first time these models have been used probably since I painted them back at uni some 20 odd years ago !

The war hound helped by the Treasure Hunter saw that threat off.

Whilst Jim’s Zombie clashed with the skeleton and was locked in combat for a couple of rounds.

But, typically, picking jus the treasure triggered another skeleton turning up right behind me. In fact, two turned up and attacked both of my minions trying to carry off the treasure. In both cases I got lucky and defeated the skeletons in short order.

In the meantime, my war band moved in to the central square to retrieve the treasure WHICH WAS OBVIOUSLY MINE ANYWAY !

As more skeletons came out of the Mausoleum, my good Lady placed a wall in place, to prevent them getting to the treasure carriers who were also harassing my troops with more shots.

Jim’s wizard Doozlebat didn’t get off scot free though with a skeleton going for one of his troops.

My Captain got to a treasure chest and “poof” it disappeared leaving him out on a limb.

Meanwhile, Jim’s minions captured a treasure chest, and was running across the walkway before getting a Push spell causing him to fall to the ground and take enough damage to be downed.

Jim’s zombie lurches towards my now heavily laden minions.

before getting Pushed back, again.

I’d got bored of Wall spells !

In the end, I managed to get off with the majority of the treasure as Doozlebat’s forces caved in and ran away.

Overall another good game, minions were getting treasure off the table with no problem despite being played on a 4×4′ table which is a bit bigger than advised.

If both of us had rolled well we would have had 10 treasure chests on the table which would have been too many for me to field, and also would become problematic for placing them 6″ apart.

Filed under Frost Grave, Mordheim Tagged with Mordheim

Mordheim: Brightening up the ruins

29/10/2016 3 Comments

Another couple of classic GW card and plastic ruins.

Very dark inside ! You can easily lose miniatures in here.

And boring outside.

This ruin is actually from the WHFB 6th edition starter set. I acquired the set, and flogged off virtually everything else other than two orc hands/weapons on a very memorable work trip round the midlands and south of England which made £500+ profit.

The other building with the pizza box flagstones out front.

The usual dolls house flagstone paper brightens up the ruins without making it garish (I save that for the figures). The plastic stone work got a black wash followed by highlight.

Ditto for the Mordheim building. I also checked that the stone paper would not warp if I applied a wash to it, and it doesn’t, so I’ve now started breaking up the straight lines on the scenery.

The two buildings “refurbished”.

Now for a game of Frostrgave with Byakhee Jim who is running late !

Updates tomorrow.

Filed under Frost Grave, Mordheim Tagged with Mordheim, scenery

Cat in a drawer, Frostgrave, and How Long have we known about Global Warming ?

28/10/2016

First the important bit:

Complete with cartoons, presented by Dr Kate Hayhoe.

An excellent entry level guide to the science of global warming and how it is not anything other than basic physics established over the last 200 years.

At the opposite end of climatic events, here is JP’s take on the couple of games we played last Friday. The Silent Tower, and bare buttocks (don’t ask !).

Now for the gratuitous Cat photo:

Spades decided that my half open drawer full of wooly jumpers and fleeces would be his nest for the night, so when I went to bed I left him in there and got woken up at 5am, suffering a +2 Trample Attack as he wanted to go get some food (so he walked over my chest and head).

Filed under AGW, Cats, Frost Grave, Mordheim Tagged with Mordheim

The Walls

25/10/2016

Previously, in the Lost City of Carcosa, walls were seen…

Hush now baby, baby, dont you cry.Mother’s gonna make all your nightmares come true.Mother’s gonna put all her fears into you.Mother’s gonna keep you right here under her wing.She wont let you fly, but she might let you sing.Mama will keep baby cozy and warm.Ooooh baby ooooh baby oooooh baby,Of course mama’ll help to build the wall.

After my game with Richard, where I jury rigged some walls, I was shamed into producing some proper scenery items for them. On the Lead Adventure Forum for Frostgrave, I saw an idiot proof example, and promptly copied it.

5mm thick foam card sections 6×3″, on a sturdy card base half an inch wide for stability. Chopped up pizza box pieces for the clockwork.

All coated with textured masonry paint, this 5litre tub has kept me going for 15 years.

Painted grey (I had to get a new tester pot as I’d run out which left the B&Q paint mixer lady bemused) and then dry brushed.

Simples !

I did four, but turns out I might need another couple.

Filed under Frost Grave, Mordheim Tagged with Mordheim, Russian Scenery

Frostgrave: The Haunted Houses – Part 2

23/10/2016

Now it was Thaddeus’ war band (who are evil and must be destroyed) turn for some wandering monster goodness, an Ice Worm.

Typically, it turned up behind them, and moved in for munchies.

So they mobbed it.

Meanwhile, my Apprentice and least shields had grabbed the third treasure chest, and decided to head for the hills, to try and stave off Fluffy III, a wall was cast into place.

Unfortunately, after disdainfully cocking his leg on said wall and relieving himself, Fluffy attacked the Treasure Hunter UNpaintedus, whilst JP also conjured up an Imp – fortunately, the Imp bit the dust with a well aimed arrow.

And Fluffy also got told he was a “bad dog” and beaten into submission.

In the meantime, it took four of Thaddeus’ war band (who are evil, and must be destroyed), to deal with the Ice Worm.

Which, with more judicious Wall spells allowed my war band to escape unscathed with only one man down.

Another good game.

Filed under Frost Grave, Mordheim Tagged with Mordheim

Frostgrave: The Haunted Houses – Part 1

23/10/2016

Second game of the day, Alan had to depart to play with trains, leaving JP & me to duke it out.

We’ve been working through all the scenarios in the main rule book, and Haunted Houses was the next one up, which JP had ably made from yet more Prinhgle tubes chopped up (I am also guilty of having used them for scenery projects).

Basic table set up.

For once, I won initiative ( a rare event), and moved in towards the first three ruins.

I think this photo is a good example of how using a bright set of colours for my figures helps them stand out against the dark and generally dull terrain colours.

We had to roll every time we got the treasure from the ruins, once for whether we encountered a Wraith, and again to see if a random monster turned up.

JP had opted to play using Thaddeus his 24th Level wizard (who is evil and must be destroyed), so brought out a lot of his heavies, including the war hound Fluffy III.

And an annoying Crossbowmen placed high up to try and snipe at me, well you can guess which spell I used…

We triggered the arrival of a couple of Ice Spiders who bumbled around, and annoyed Thaddeus’ Zombie (both of whom are evil abominations, and need to be destroyed).

Typically, it was my Treasure Hunter (Part Paintedus) who managed to encounter a Wraith.

My first and ONLY roll of a 20 in the entire day – Alan had been on the receiving end at least three 20 to hit rolls from JP in the previous game…

And as Lady Katherine is an Enchanter, guess what she’s been loading her war band top with…yes….no points for this one…lots of magical weapons. So scratch one Wraith.

To be continued…

Filed under Frost Grave, Mordheim Tagged with Mordheim

Frostgrave: A tale of Three Wizards – Part 1

22/10/2016

The stars were right, and JP, Alan & I had a game session, a three way Frostgrave game was first up. JP brought some scenery he had made to play the Silent Tower, from the main rule book.

So we rolled for set up, with Alan being squeezed in between JP and me.

I was playing Lady Katherine again, Alan another Enchanter (who is evil and must be destroyed), and JP some other dabbler in the dark arts (who is also evil, and must be destroyed).

So I moved in on the first three treasure chests, not sure if I would go for the very special treasure at the top of the tower. Again a Wall spell came in handy to block me off from Alan’s minions, and also allowed me to deploy my new scenery (more of which later).

Whilst my apprentice and his thug stole up on another treasure chest, though he was scratching his head thinking something was missing from the local architecture…