Tor Gaming - Relics!

You may remember I had a dalliance with Warhammer a while ago...started building a Skaven army and everything....then simply fell out of love with it all.....well, I say love...more of a passing fancy perhaps....anyway, I have put that all behind me.

However, I have not entirely lost my 'thing' for the fantasy/sci-fi side of things. I stumbled across a game that called it self Stitchpunk, as opposed to steampunk of course, by a company called Tor Gaming. I was drawn by the figure sculpts as much as anything else, my love of tricorns teased by the addition of what can only be called sock-puppets....I know.

The game is called Relics, and there is a back story that provides a general history and individual stories for the four races involved, two more are being created and should be ready next year.

The four races are;

Britanan - The ones with the tricorns. These are basically puppets; little stitched-together-out-of-cloth-scraps sock people. Seemingly, the actual human race was largely destroyed in a cataclysmic magical attack and the army rebuilt in their image...sort of. There are some great models for this army, cavalry are centaur like puppets,

From the Relics Website

 there is a great human puppeteer figure

From the Relics website

and even a pack of sock-puppet attack hounds!

From the Relics website...love tho hounds!

Its really an 18th C. army and society woven into a fantasy world....and why not? A lot of fun with some neat figures. These are from my own force, a unit of Troopers with a colour party of standard bearer and drummer..there is also a sergeant in there too. These are bigger armies with cheaper point values...but the whole force is still very small compared to many such games.

Then there are the Nuem. These are supposed to be the remains of a race tricked into slavery and melded with machines....its fantasy....get over it! Again, the figures are very nice and you can have a lot of fun with them....this is my force of Nuem so far...a few more to add but this is the core....not huge armies are they! A real bonus!!!!

My own Nuem...say hi guys...

Note that some are straight forward machines and others are more cyborgy...nice models all.

The other races are the Orcnar, a bit Troll like....orcy, if you will...an army for those that like to smash and grab!

From the Relics website

From the Relics website

Then there are the Vaettir....the flower fairies of the Relics universe....sweet :)

From the Relics website

From the Relics website

From the Relics website

In all, these is a nice set of figures for a game that has some innovative rules, hits are scored by rolling doubles, for example. The games are compact, often using a small 3x3 table, and the armies of a sensible size. Of course you can go mad and build a 1000 point army but most games average 300 points; the Nuem stuff I have in the picture above, including the two units I still have to sort out (seven figures in all) covers that nicely. My first game is set for 25th of this month, against Andrew who, for some reason, has chosen a Vaettir force. This should be a lot of fun despite being a first game with new rules...Andrew soaks up rules and so much of the problem should be dealt with :) I even made Andrew a nice picture for his Vaettir...because I am nice.....

The Maori Wars Donnybrook game!!!

Well, I did it...it actually happened....the Maori Wars game took place last night!!

....and so it begins....

It was supposed to be bigger and played to Muskets & Tomahawks rules but....well, lets just say it wasn't and leave it at that. The Donnybrook rules were chosen as fewer figures were needed and, supposedly, a faster game system would allow a couple of games. As it turned out the first game lasted all evening! This was the first time we had used the rules etc etc etc.

Four people played whilst I acted as umpire. Mark and Steve played as the Maori with two units of eight warriors each and a couple of character figures. Andy and Bob played as the Europeans, Andy took one unit of eight British infantry and the unit of twelve settlers. Bob had the second unit of eight British infantry and a unit of eight New Zealand Militia; each also had a couple of character figures. In the rule a basic 6 is required to score a hit and any given target. Poorer quality troops, such as the settlers, had to use a D6. The bulk of the troops could use a D8 whilst a few of the characters could use a D12. This did not always help as you will later see.

The scenario was that a party of Maori were raiding outlying homesteads and so several settlers had retreated to the house of the local magistrate and corrupt (probably) Land Agent and his family. They were supported by a detachment of Militia and a Local Constable. A detachment of British infantry were on their way to help evacuate the assembled settlers but, to add a little flavour, the British Officer was the brother of the magistrates wife and was determined to save her and his two young nieces.....not too bothered about the brother in law though! They arrived late and the Maori attack had begun.......

Donnybrook uses a card driven unit activation system, which allows for an interesting and often frustrating turn sequences as some units do not get to move each turn; or activate too late! In this case Andy's British infantry unit stood admiring the local flora and fauna for some time whilst the Maori attack  began. The Maoris attacked in two groups from the West, Mark concentrating on the north end of the homestead and Steve the south end; both choosing to move through the cover of woods to get as close as possible.

At first, the defenders seemed to be doing well. They shot down a few Maori warriors in the opening turns and a blood bath was feared by Mark and Steve before the defences could be reached. Some good Maori saving throws by Steve perhaps saved the early turns from becoming too messy and pressure mounted on the Settlers and Militia. The British troops were slow to get involved encouraging the Maori to close the gap and get to the homestead quickly.

Steve's Maori units three and four approach the south end of the settlement

Bob, did manage to get his British unit into the fight reasonably quickly aided by the movement bonuses his attached character provided. This meant that the Maori attacks to the south were challenged but the defences were breached and some messy close combat continued for several turns.

Maori character figures lead the way and the assault hits home...

....soon overpowering the militia defending the fence line

The use of special character figures with various unique traits really opened up the game, especially for the Maori. Several of these proved pivotal in the fight and are quite hard to kill off. The British characters never really had the chance to use their skills effectively and this may have been a key issue for them. The Militia were soon killed off to a man leaving Bob's British infantry unit fairly isolated. Maori unit four was all but wiped out but the sacrifice delayed the British from keeping the Maori unit three from breaching the defences. Bob's Constable character was able to use a D12 for all his attacks and one might have thought that such a useful skill would help the defence..and it would have done if he could have shot straight! At no point in the game did this character roll any higher than a 5 and missed every time. When he was eventually hacked down many considered it a mercy killing. Bob's British unit could only harass the Maori now but they took casualties in doing so leaving them seriously outnumbered and cowering in the woods.

The assembled settlers await the onslaught, directed by the magistrate

Meanwhile, at the north end of the homestead, Mark made good use of the cover and got close to the defences. Some good shots by the defenders took out a couple of Maori warriors but the weight of Mark's fire and movement were a major threat to Andy's Settlers...or, as Mark pointed out, these days Settlers are known as 'Tums'....and we wonder why we take so bleeding long to play a game...Good use of the Maori characters as individual units saw the north end defences breached and confusion in the compound amongst the settlers allowed the warriors time to reach the fence line unchallenged.

Maori shooting has weakened the defenders and the assault begins...

Andy's British unit, trying to hurry to aid the settlers, was just in range to get a shot off that completely took out the remaining six figures of Maori unit one; caught out in the open as they rushed to gain the fence line and with no saving throw.

....but the British infantry of Andy arrive just in time to catch Maori unit one with a volley in the open; six kills!

Whilst a major blow to the Maori, the undamaged Maori unit two, supported by characters, cleared the defences and panicked what was left of the defence into a rout.

With two Maori units in full control of the homestead and the settlers dead or missing the game was all but over. The Maori set light to the houses and even began to take the fight to the British infantry units. How that would have ended is anyones guese but at worst it would have been a partial Maori victory and the British officer, should he have survived, would have faced a rather serious enquiry as to the loss of so many men and the death of the magistrate.

The Homestead falls and is put to the torch!

The fight continues as Andys British unit arrives too late

...and so it ends...

All in all, a good game. The rules are simple but as always a bit more familiarty would have helped; we no doubt missed a few important pionts. I can see Donnybrook being used for other games but tweeks will be needed to better represent later warfare periods than the one the rules were actually written for....it still worked though. I hope you all think it worth all the bloody grief of hearing me whine about it!

Maori Wars Donnybrook is a GO!!

Some doubted...others guffawed...but they were wrong! (for once)

I have done it! I have manged to get the figures and terrain ready....and in time....for the promised Maori Wars Game for Tuesday 28th October. OK, it isn't the Muskets & Tomahawks game that I had wanted but, I have a game.

Each side has four points of troops along with the four character figures each point of troops allows. This makes the game quite small as Donnybrook games go, a sort of starter version perhaps, but the games seem to be fast and bloody so several games might be possible that night. Wanna closer look?

First the British/New Zealand force....

The four points are made up of a unit of twelve settlers, including a family of four; husband, wife and two daughters. In future games these four will be the family related to an army officer determined to rescue them during a flare up of the Fire in the Fern, as the New Zealand wars were colloquially known. Then there is a unit of eight uniformed Militia and two units of eights Imperial troops. The characters chosen from the available list are, two Sergeants, a bugler and a member of the Local Constabulary, '...here to arrest the Zulus, 716...'. Just replace Zulu for Maori...obviously. And not forgetting, a force commander.

A close up of the characters, I hear you ask....

Yeah, the copper has a bent carbine...I see it now....sigh.

Now for the Maori...

This force is made up of four units of eight warriors. The thing about Maori warriors is their rather personal choice of weapons compared to other native enemies the Brits came across. The basic hand weapons are all lethal, New Zealand has a wide range of serious flora to make amazing clubs. They took to muskets well enough but also fell in love with shotguns. The mix make Maori trick to deal with at every range band....and they stick their tongues our whilst rolling their eyes about...are incredibly brave and not a little intimidating. They also knew the terrain and were masters of it, capable of simply melting away or arriving, seemingly out of nowhere.

The Characters are a Weapons Master, Great warrior, Musician and a Fearless One....I know...oooo. Again, there is a force commander. Closer look time again...

So, in all, I am very happy. Just have to make the turn sequence cards and make sure I actually understand the rules....there is always a sticking point, ain't there!

SELWG and the Maori Wars

I had a nice trip to the SELWG show on Sunday. I also did my bit for charity and took along my temporarily disabled mate, Mark, who, it should be noted, sustained his fractured shoulder injury in a 'terrible staircase-and-clear-plastic-document-wallet incident'.....and most definitely not, as some seemed to believe, in a rather shameful and wild act of self abuse. There, I am glad I have sorted that out. Anyway.....

Mark and I spent a lot of time talking to the traders and promoting Broadside 2015, we handed out 1500 flyers and even got our fist confirmed booking; welcome back Col. Bill!! A good day and a good start to the Broadside campaign :) Mark also took the opportunity to scotch those terrible rumours that simply flew around the venue....who knows who spreads these things.

Of course we also took the opportunity to do a little light shopping whilst there and I had a generally successful day. I was surprised that some basic items I was interested in were simply not there, Army Painter basing materials, some notable rule books etc.. but I also noticed several of the usual traders were absent. Running a show is a complicated business at the best of times and I know the difficulty of getting traders to sign up and confirm their attendance of a show; so many factors can affect that decision. But Mark and I enjoyed our day and we took time to have a good look at the wares on sale and splash the cash.....rather more than I was intending to as it turns out! But, I can at least hold my head high and say in all honesty that I only bought things that I needed and could use within the projects I am running. I really did!

My principle concern was to complete my ongoing Maori Wars project, especially as Empress Miniatures were there. But I picked up the buildings and extra terrain I needed too although, I did go a bit overboard.

So I needed another waggon and a team of horses... 4ground and Col. Bills horses...the waggons are so easy to put together and don't need painting.

 I needed fences for the New Zealand homestead but, a bit worried about how far one pack will stretch, I bought two. That said, fences around a very rural homestead are a priority for the settlers; even if they just form a symbolic garden fence to ease English sensibilities!

 I needed an extra few buildings for the homestead rather than just a house for the family so got a small cabin for the homestead's hired help. I also needed a stable thingy but completely forgot about that important point...but I did get a bloody great fortified blockhouse! This is to be used in games where Maoris attack a Naval signal station...sort of. And when I got home I felt the urge... and built them too.

And then I saw these Bell Tents and thought I needed a camp for the troops running the signal station, obviously. And a pack of women Maori warriors...and two pack of the newer militia packs for added variety. I also bought three packs of Royal Navy figures but cannot find the bloody photo for the life of me! Stupid computer....and operator...

Then I had another wobble. I do not need a 36lb Royal Navy gun with six crew but, it does look so cool. And the man at the stand made me buy it. He did...honestly...forced me to buy it....Mark so did not help here!

So. My Maori war game, set for 28th October, is almost ready. The new purchases are mainly set for the terrain for this game and the figures for a bigger game set later. The game being prepared is using Donnybrook rules and I am almost finished. The Brits have two units of eight Imperial troop, a unit of eight Militia and a unit of twelve settlers. There are four character figures and a commander. The Maori force has just one eight figure unit ready and one character. The rest are under way and WILL BE READY FOR THE BIG NIGHT!!! Honestly.

These are the Maoris, two shades of Wargame Foundy South American Flesh and then my usual strong tone dip. Seems about right to me...but what do I know.

And here are a few shots of the British force. I am pleased with how they have come out....

...especially the settlers.

So there you have it. SELWG was a good show, I was fairly good and didn't go silly with spending and my forthcoming game is going well do far

Worminators....the final act!

Round eight of Worminators! 

Both teams have a single worm remaining and the Interactive Combat Wormery has taken a pounding. The game starts with Death worm and the round system has now ended, replaced with a simple IGO-UGO system.

Twenty third move. Death fires his team's second Homing Missile at Screw You but, the weapon failed to make the final turn and crashed short of the target. More mess but no damage; Screw You's turn.

Twenty fourth move. Another Bazooka round from Screw You carves it's way under Death worm. Death worm's turn.

Twenty fifth move. Clearly concerned by the increasingly powerful tremors coming from the ground beneath him, Death worm decides to find somewhere else to stand. He makes his way westwards to the full extent of his available move. Screw You worm's go!

Bugger....another missing pic! Look, the worm wiggled his way to the left by about six inches...

Twenty sixth move. Right, another Screw You Bazooka round takes out another chunk out of the terrain. Soon there will be little for Death worm to stand on!

Twenty seventh move. Death worm fires a Homing Missile at Screw You but it fails to make the final turn! Screw You, go again little dude!

Twenty eighth move. Screw You continues his dastardly mission to get at Death worm from below, carving his way ever closer to the surface! Death worm's turn.

 

Twenty ninth move. Death worm nonchalantly saunters away from the noise....Screw You's turn.

Thirtieth move. Screw You launches his last Homing Missile, it passes the narrow gap (just) before making the first turn towards the target (again, just). A second turn is required and the missile only just makes it by one die pip! However, it does make all the required turn tests and hits Death worm head on, the explosion throws Death worm into the air and down onto lower terrain causing more damage. In total, Death worm receives 61 points of damage giving him a grand total of 101 damage points and killing him. The resulting death throw explosion drops the tombstone further down, leaving it on the edge of the wormery. 

GAME OVER - TEAM Drew Bader WINS!!! 

Congratulations Drew, well played. And well played too team Andrew Massoura, it was a close run thing. 

So there you go, experiment over. It worked, I found a few things to tweek and the players had a good time. The picture sizes and detail have been a bit of a problem when it comes to showing an on-line game to the public and players alike, they could also do with some annotation to. How much more fun would it be to see the path of the sheep?? 

I wonder what else this system would work for?

4Ground Terraced houses

A while ago, the club bought four of the 28mm pre-painted MDF buildings from 4Ground. We all liked the look of them, the fact that you cam take them apart floor by floor for easy use, that they are so light but strong, that they don't need painting.......They do need putting together though and a silly bugger to volunteer to do that turned out to be me.
Sigh.

Any road up, I spent some time working on them and thought I would share some thoughts. Firstly, they do look good once complete. The pic below shows them in mid game (WW1 action using Bolt Action rules) and whilst they could do with a fence or two to mark out gardens and stuff they work well. However, note the oddly placed chimneys, the fact that the first chimney is the wrong shape compared to the others. These are slight clues to the mental trauma that constructing these buildings can inflict.

The main issue is the rather unhelpful instruction sheet. Often, very often, the step-by-step picture guide supplied with the buildings is not your friend. It is not that unusual to find the picture you need next is instead a copy of a picture from further down the line; in one Case that pic was used three times! I spent quite a while looking at what I had made and trying to see where I had gone so badly wrong, until I discovered the whole 'wrong picture' thing. You see, the buildings are equally quite clever and complicated. There are separate pieces for inner and outer faces of most walls and, depending upon which building you are working on, single thickness walls for some areas too. You need to continuously orient yourself and the building when working on internal walls before you end up with an impossible mess. It can be all too easy to get the left hand wall confused with the right and then only discover that error when the important internal walls refuse to fit properly. By that time, of course, the glue is very unforgiving and the correction process is akin to open heart surgery...albeit without the saucy looking nurse and overly dramatic music. I would also suggest that the builder of such buildings would do well to have apile of clothes pegs at hand. These are very important for holding together the two piece wall sections whilst they dry. The use of ruber bands is shown in the guide pictures for some jobs but the pegs turned out to be a real asset, the more the better, in fact.

Other things, such as the stair-cases, have the most vague pictures and even vaguer instructions based on a single line of text between rows of pictures for other stages. The chimneys are a mini Chinese puzzle in themselves with no apparent logic until you sort of fall over the answer in a Krypton Factor-esque personal challenge. Oh, and it is rather easy to get the doors upside down, break off some of the more fiddly bits like door handles and inner wall lugs etc. But then, look at what you can end up with after all that effort....

....cool eh?! Even with the annoying errors that you can end up with, the buildings look great and are very detailed. The first building took me ages to complete, mainly as I had to spend so much time taking things apart again or decipher the cryptic clues. But, after that experience, you will have become quite adept by the next one and that is much easier. Remember, though, that each of the buildings is slightly different and you still need to keep an eye on your progress. Take a look at a few of the inside shots of the finished pieces.

In all I have to say that I do highly recommend these 4Ground buildings, they are worth the effort and represent good value for money. The row of houses we have here can be added to by buying more of the centre buildings, of which their are two types mainly based around colour (I think). I am certainly very happy to take a look at the other modern (20th Century) buildings they do now I have seen these and expand our useful collection....especially now that I have completed my apprenticeship!

Worminators...the next few moves.

Following the last post, where the idea for the Play-by-Facebook and Worminators were introduced, I have been encouraged to continue the game report. I must add that one of the problems I have had in running the game is me correctly interpreting the orders given by the players. There are no fixed distances or obvious landmarks that one might find in more traditional game and so the communication aspect is very important. This is a trial game, of course, and so such points are very helpful. Importantly, the two players and several observers seem to be enjoying the game so I think I am on the right track. I have also noted one or two issues with the rules that I now need to tweek, nothing major but, certainly things that will help game flow.

Anyhoo, lets get back to the action. We return to the start of round four. Taxes worm has been killed giving Team Drew Bader an advantage over Team Andrew Massoura......

ROUND FOUR

Twelfth move. A Supply Crate arrives! Oh my, oh my, oh my! What can I say? Clearly upset by the death of his compatriot, Taxes, Death worm took some revenge by attacking Inigo Montoya worm and causing a massive 61 points of damage! Death abseiled down next to Inigo, jumped over him and...simply shoved him westward. Inigo fell from the edge, taking 14 damage points from the fall, and landed on the mine. This exploded causing 35 points more and pushed Inigo far enough for him to fall into the small cavern next to Screw You...causing 12 more points of damage! Very impressive and not a little embarrassing for Inigo!  It is now Screw You's turn.

Thirteenth move. Screw You fires his Homing Missile at Death before moving as far west as he was able. The missile flew through the small opening at the top of the small cavern. It then attempted to make a right turn to hit Death but, it proved too tight a manoeuvre and it crashed into the roof of the large cavern. Oops. It is now Inigo's turn

Fourteenth move. Inigo Montoya worm moves east, jumping over the odd crater on the way. From his new position he fires a Bazooka into the area below Death worm slightly undershooting the target. The medium damage template didn't touch Death worm but he certainly felt the earth move! Ok, new round! Inigo starts this fifth round, this could be pivotal...

ROUND FIVE

Fifteenth move. Inigo places himself under Death worms position and again fires a Bazooka into the terrain beneath Deaths feet....long slithering body...whatever...the blast catches Death and throws him into the air where he flies back to earth with a bump! The blast and terrible fall inflict 41 points of damage on Death and leaves him on the floor of the large cavern. Inigo also used the remainder of his move allowance to get back to the wall of the cavern. Meanwhile, a second supply crate has arrived, this time at the top of the Wormery, section 2. It is now Screw You's turn.

Sixteenth move. Ooooooo! Unlucky Screw You. Screw You moves eastward to a better position and tries to throw a Banana Bomb at Death worm but, it fails to clear the narrow gap and instead lands in the corner of the small cavern. The four bomblets leap about but all stay away from Screw You, who looked more than a little worried as the explosions were a little close for comfort! No self inflicted injuries though, phew. It is now Death worm's turn.

Seventeenth move. Death worm, no doubt shaken by the violent actions of team Drew Bader, teleports out of the danger zone and onto the second supply crate at the very top of the Wormery terrain. Death worm is now the proud owner of an Exploding Sheep! Round six - Screw You worm goes first this round.

ROUND SIX

Eighteenth move. Screw You worm teleports to the remaining supply crate and gets.......20 points of health!! Screw You now has just 16 damage points...could be a life saver. Death worm is up next.

Nineteenth move. Death worm fires a homing missile at Screw You worm which has to negotiate a tight turn to reach it's target. The missile hits Screw You square-on and takes out a chunk of the Interactive Combat Wormery too! Screw You worm is injured by the missile and the resulting fall taking 46 points of damage. The recorded damage for each worm is: Death = 41 points, Screw You= 62 points, Inigo Montoya = 75 points. Inigo Montoya worm to go next and close this round!

Twentieth move. Inigo end s the round by firing a Bazooka round I to the terrain below Death worm. It takes out a chunk of Wormery but that's it. Death worm's turn.

ROUND SEVEN

Twenty first move. RELEASE THE SHEEP! Death worm let loose the first sheep of the game from the right hand edge of the large floaty bit. The sheep dropped onto the tiny block but couldn't reach the adjacent terrain piece, instead it fell to the bottom of the cavern before completingg it's forward move which took it into the wall behind Inigo worm and bounced back. The rules allow the player to detonate his sheep at any time 'after the initial launch distance' and so the independent adjudicator (not me btw) did the following. 

The entire sheep move was played out and the most advantageous point noted. The adjudicator detonated the sheep at that point. The huge explosion caused 43 points of damage to Inigo Montoya worm, killing him instantly. 

It is now Screw You worms turn, can he exact revenge?

Note the toombstone just visible beneath the explosion

Twenty second move. Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey...Screw You continues the work of under-mining Death worm!

And so we prepare to start round eight! Another worm has been killed leaving just one worm in each team. The Interactive Combat Wormery is getting a pounding, chunks being ripped out every move, but the game progresses well. Photographing  the action is a little tricky given the scale of the individual worms; I feel something is lost here. The name labels are all well and good but...well, maybe I need to work on this bit. That said, any more work to pictures would make the execution of this game a lot harder and slower. I think the beauty of the game by facebook is the relative speed, which suits a game like Worminators. More action to come of course!!!