Return to the Blighted Lands

In an ongoing effort to tweak and test Bob Bryant's Clans and Companies rules, we returned to the Blighted Lands. Last time Bob and I played out this scenario was around the holidays and no one else could make it, this time however we had a full house including Repple Depple's Brian. This time around the units themselves got a mechanical facelift and closely resemble those found in Pig Wars and the magic system got an overhaul as well. The same characters returned however and the scenario itself was unchanged.


Just like the units of undead last time each had their own character model to lead them, the human forces (I kept calling them the 'kingdom') were now lead by a character model, actually, two models. One was the unit champion, mounted on horseback; this was the true 'leader' of the unit itself. Different than last time though, each unit had a wizard accompanying them as well, each one of varying strengths. Wizard strength is determined by 'caster level', a number between one (novice) and usually three (experiences. These numbers help determine if the caster actually gets their spell off or not. The same goes for the necromancers accompanying the units of undead on the other side of the board.


Release the...wargs!

In the realm of "Boblandia" most of your stock fantasy races are present, but have been redefined in their scope. The goblin tribes are back, a race so alien in their culture and demeanor that the other races of the world can only guess as to their motivations. For some reason, the tribes have thrown their lot in with the undead.


Wargs face off with the kingdom's heavy cavalry...


A monstrous visage compliments of the phantasm spell


Lady Talon returns

Emerging from the trees the elf wizard solemnly knelt by the fallen, gave her regards, and scanned the battlefield, eyes narrowing on the source of their demise, necromancer Lady Hexus. In game turns, Lady Talon got quite the upgrade, being both a level five wizard, as well as a more-than-capable fighter in her own right.


Cat fight! Lady Talon immolates Lady Hexus...


A models' eye view of the tabletop


The carnage was plentiful as the human cavalry and goblin warg riders tore into each other, supported by human archers and skeletal warriors on both sides respectively. In melee you 'bounce back' after each round. You can re-engage if you want to, or if you're lucky, that's just enough respite to get away. This helps prevent, say an elite unit being quagmired all game, by a weenie unit. It also helps define combat a bit more realistically by aligning more in terms with historical accounts.


I do believe the most prominently featured character on my blog has got to be Lady Talon, I had no idea. She made her debut here, sheesh, three years ago now. Just use the search window at the bottom of the blog and type in 'Lady Talon', you'll see here all over the place. She started out as a Warhammer Quest character, did a stint in a role as leader of the Livwald Delegation in Song of Blades and Heroes, and now she's back again.

Today's writeup focused more on the rules, well loosely, of the game we played. It looks like the wheels have been turning in Bob's head, and with a healthy infusion of arcane mechanic ideas from Brian, I see these rules shaping up to be pretty cool. I like the focus on the character models, and wizards (necromancers, warlocks, shaman, etc.) in particular, and the fact that although it's a fantasy setting, it feels a little more grounded than that. Last writeup I lavished a good deal of fluff to the characters, so to save this post from being too redundant, refer back to the first Blighted Lands post. Rock on...