On the Road and Enjoying It

 

   A few days ago, Beth and I traveled up to the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge area to game with our friend, Ralph. At present, Ralph is unable to travel very far, so we went to his place, and to his credit, he bought us lunch from the Portuguese bakery/deli nearby!

    We played a scenario for The Silver Bayonet that was posted on the internet board and resettled it in North America somewhere north of Kitchener, ON. The scenario is called "Incursion" and is a two-act play, as it were. As it ended up, we only had time for the first game. Ralph ran a US team and I ran a Crown forces team, with both British and Canadian members.

Traffic on Highway 401 was wretched... even then!

A view of downtown East Stanfrey

Captain Sharpe leads the Crown force into the town.
The red bingo chip is a clue marker.

Your humble blogger ensconced for the game.

The TRUE bane of all Silver Bayonet gaming in a Canadian setting
 - Canada geese!

Pumpkins on parade

     Ralph had the first move and began to bring his troops into the village. Both sides were investigating rumors of a bizarre and dangerous cult taking hold of the town. However, the streets were empty with the exception of livestock. Hmmm, best look to the church.

    Sure enough, the clue markers reveled cultists armed with hand weapons. And they were open for business.

The Americans enter the town. In the distance, a member of the Crown
force - a woodsman - found a blessed weapon, signified by the
drapery ring over his head.

The advance continues, with Pastor Helduzer leading on the far left.

     The US side had quite a few rifles and only one musket, so their shooting was accurate. The Forces of the Crown suffered and yet fought on, even engaging the cultists.

The Crown infantryman fought a female cultist, who tried to bash him
with a skull she happened to be carrying.
The ducks maintained neutrality.

Meanwhile the town butcher, a cultist, fought hand-to-hand with the Rifle-armed US Veteran.

On the right flank, Captain Sharp (no relation), the Veteran with a blunderbuss,
the woodsman, and the Investigator moved up closer.
The Veteran is a Trent Miniatures figure of a "beadle", that is, a functionary of
the Anglican Church tasked with keeping order, catching charity cheaters, and
assisting with general administration of the parish. The figure at the beginning
of this blog is a similar figure. They come without heads and a number of different
heads are available, such as bare headed, in bicorn, or in an odd Irish flowerpot-like had.

My Highlander and Infantryman advance past the cornfield.

     The Crown woodsman, Captain Sharp, and the Veteran all eventually "bought the farm" as Heinlein might say, all from US rifle fire. The Investigator got into the church, found another cultist as well as a blessed sword, and the two cultic books needed to win the game. Now to get them off the table!

    With only the Infantryman and the Investigator left, they took to their heels, the better part of valour being discretion! Rifle fire brought down the Investigator, so I conceded the game to Ralph, since the Infantryman would take a long time picking up things. By then the US force would be on top of him, so he kept running, leaving the tomes and the sword to the Yanks. As I said, we only had time to play one game, but it was a good one.

A final view of the board. There were four clue markers inside the church, hence the pile of bingo
chips at the back of the building.

All in all, a good game, a great lunch, and a very pleasant visit with a friend. The scenario was found on the Silver Bayonet board on line, and is well worth playing.

Prelude to Albion Attempted

     It was two weeks ago that I ran a "Silver Bayonet" scenario for Wren and Nick on our kitchen table. I took the Scenario 4.8 ("Ghosts of the '45") and Scenario 4.9 ("Mounds of the Dead") and mashed them together more-or-less. I found these two scenarios on the TSB Facebook group and decided to use them, especially since Nick is originally from Glasgow and fields a team of Scots adventurers, mostly Highlanders with muskets and one with bagpipes which we'll talk about later. Wren likes to field a warband based on the Harvestmen listing also found on the Facebook group. Their warband is led by a changeling and includes a dark wolf, two pixies, two goblins, and two human bandits armed with muskets.

     We set the table with 5 clue markers set out according to the written scenario. For the burial mound, we used a model of an LOTR Hobbit hole which the family is holding for my son who is getting ready to move to a new house with some buddies. Some of the things encounted on the field were rather strange.

The Hobbit Hole serving as a burial mound.
It is a gorgeous piece of work.

One of Wren's bandits backs up a goblin approaching
a clue marker with the activated Trow present.
Off to the right, the dark wolf faces down another Trow.

Wren's "people" got to the clue markers first and each clue marker activated a Trow, a Scotish pixy of a sort that also had the special ability to bring on "Musical Bamboozle", a spell of a sort that stunned the opponent and caused them to move closer to the Trow. If you rolled your courage high enough in your next activation, you were no longer "banboozled" and now had a better chance of not being bamboozled again. (♫ "Won't get fooled again!" ♫) The bagpiper included in Nick's group permitted some simple help to the group. If the piper is playing, all of his group within 6 inches/15cm received a +1 to all courage roles and any monsters opposing those figures suffer a -1 on any appropriate terror checks. (This did not seem overwhelming yet appropriate. I've included a bagpiper in Nick's Highland warband and my own Irish rebel warband.)

The Irish piper from my 1798 Rebellion warbanc
(Trent Miniatures)

Nick's group advanced slowly and did not get "bamboozled" much. Because he received the first move more often than not, he advanced in "fits and starts." Wren moved their Weird Warband quicker.

A Trow/Pixie in a messed-up tree at a clue marker.

A Trow
I used a frog-ish sort of figure from my collection of oddities since it seemed right.

Trow vs. Goblin - three falls to cerfew.

Wren was slow to "investigate" the clues because a bamboozled character is unable to investegate for really do anything but move closed to the Trow that bamboozled it. There was a lot of back-and-forth over this. Finally one clue activated the big baddie of the scenario - a Hogboon who inhabited the burial mound. He activated yet stayed in the mound. 

Some AI's idea of a Hogboon.
Nick had actually heard of this weirdo.

The figure I designated as the Hogboom.
Never saw the light of day.

            

There was some firing back and forth between the bandits and the Highlanders and some wounds were exchanged. Finally Wren's changeling investigated a clue and found the journal of Lady Eustacia Morton, which was the goal of the scenario. That group high-tailed it to the table edge with the book and made it off the field. Meanwhile, Nick's group encounted the etherial Highlander from the battle of Culloden. Had the game gone longer, that ghostie would have joined the living Highlanders, but alas...

Nick's Highlanders, including the Isleman (with the battleaxe) and the Laird's Gillie
(in 'breeks' and tam), punish one of the Trow.
If I recall correctly, the green beads meant they had recovered from the bamboozle.

The bulk of Nick's force advances.
It was based on the British list with the "Highlander" renamed as an "Isleman" since
the whole group are Highlanders. The bagpiper is the third figure from the left.
The barrel was there just for laughs and served as some cover. I should have made it
a barrel of Scotch whisky so the Highlanders could have the TRUE goal of the game.

One of Wren's goblins surveys the clues, the Trow, and the Highland advance.
He soon turned tail and headed for the table edge.

Wren's changeling leader beats feet with the journal, signified by the white bead.
I tend to used these beads as morale/wound/situational signifiers. They're inexpensive,
available, and noticable.

Here's where the changling found the journal.

Since we all were a bit rusty on the game mechanics, we messed up a few things. However, this did not keep us from having fun... and isn't that the reason we play these games?

As for the bagpipe rules, they're my own invention. As I said they add something but don't overwhelm things. If you like them, go ahead and use them. I will... at least until "command authority" tells me otherwise.

If You Were Wondering...

 

I haven't blogged in a dog's age. (Extra points if you know what a "dog's age" is. Personally, I have no idea... it just sounds good.) I simply had a total knee replacement for my right knee on 27 May, and this is the first time I've felt comfortable enough to sit at the desk-top and type,

It'll be a short missive.

The photo above is of a Wild West doctor/surgeon from North Star's "Dracula's America" range, a nice range with plenty of stuff for "The Silver Bayonet." Here are a few more offerings that I finished before the surgery. There will be more as I become more "self-propelled."

A First Nations shaman with a ritual drum.
To me, the figure is cool!
(North Star's "Dracula's America")

The Carpathian Guard from the Dracula's America range.
I thought he make a great Russian werebear "before" figure.

A 3D printed Space Maring painted as an NCO/Officer
of the Crimson Fists chapter.
I think I need to "rough" him up a little. The armour is too pristine.

Another 3D Crimson Fist marine
Again all-together too clean.
I got these guys and more at the Hot Lead con a few months ago.

I hates mimics.

These could be fun in the dungeon.
"Do you hear marching?"

More later. I tire easily in my present delicate condition.

"It only hurts when I laugh. Hahahahahah! Ouch!"

Per omnia saecula saeculorum

 "Now and ever and forever" or "Unto the ages of ages" or “von Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit” or even "Now and ever shall be, world without end." Since I myself am a member of the retired clergy, this has fulfilled a long-term interest of mine.

Doxologies all. Appropriate for the figures depicted here. For The Silver Bayonet for the most part. Colourful and often useful as investigators or even Champions of the Faith. They also might be used in D&D, Weird War, or some Pulp era gaming with a Pulp Weird twist.

A monster hunter from one of the orders of 
Canons Regular. Something a little different.
(West Wind Miniatures - Vampire Wars range)

A wild Cardinal
(Again West Wind)

A "Great Schema" monk of the Eastern
Orthodox Church or of the Byzantine Rite
Catholics. He's carrying a censor aka thurible 
or kodila, if you prefer.
(Wargames Atlantic 3D printing range)

A dressed-down Monsignor
(West Wind)

Eastern Christian banner bearer
(Wargames Atlantic 3D)

Eastern Christian priest giving a blessing
(Wargame Atlantic 3D)

A wary looking priest loaded for bear.
I suppose he could be Anglican or even Lutheran
if you look at him right.
(West Wind)

A cardinal on horseback
(I think this is an Essex figure, but I've had it
at the bottom of a box, unpainted
for SO long, I don't really know.)

A nod to Islam and Egyptian campaigns.
A Dervish with a big stick and an Imam with the Holy Qur'an
(Wargames Atlantic? I was gifted the figs. Thanks, )

Pastor Helduzer with his big quarterstaff
serving with US TSB forces
(Could be a RAFM F&I figure)

A belligerent friar I use with my Austrians
and my Irish Rebel teams
[BTW, the Franciscans originally wore grey since
the habits were undyed wool.]
(Wargames Foundry)

Father Vasili
Note the pistol in his sash. He's ready!
(Wargames Foundry)

Pastor von Richebacher of the Prussian 1807 faction
Evangelische Pfarrer
I had to paint in the preaching tabs (which the Germans call "biscuits")
(maker unknown)

Catholic Priest
(Trent Miniatures)

Nuns with guns! I know Sister Petrusia has revolvers
but you can forgive her that.
(At least she isn't wielding a yardstick!)
(Dracula's America range)

More armed nuns
(Dracula's America range)

Not clergy, but the Pontifical Swiss guards for a Vatican TSB team.
(Fun to paint and somewhat difficult.)
(kit-bashed from Games Workshop and other sources)

Yeah, have fun with this.
A modern Swiss Guard in less-than-full-dress

I went digging in my old photos and found these oddities:

A bishop by Grenadier (when it existed. Now Mirliton in Italy)
and Cardinal Richelieu in armour. (a 30mm figure from an unknown source)

Monks or hermits with various weapons
(Source? Your guess is as good as mine.)

Angry friars for Wargames Foundry
One has a sword, the other a mace.

Nuns from RAFM's old Cthulu range
(Thanks, Bob Murch!)

"Young man, be seated or taste my ruler!"
(I'm not sure of the manufacturer but I remember the tone and words!)
Could be rather useful in some more modern settings.