Just a brief moment to share some photos from the local gaming convention, Nashcon.
A Battle for the Ages
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| The Lonely Mountain and the armies awaiting deployment. |
Once again, I ran my Battle of Five Armies 10mm game, which went over well-- despite one player experiencing an incredible series of failed common rolls (he began the game rolling boxcars! But I had already decided to take pity on the players, and did not apply the blunder rule).
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| Maybe if you switch dice, oh mighty Goblin Lord David? |
You may notice a difference between this year's scenery and last years-- with the inclusion of the lower mountain wall and the Great Gate.
I also shortened the field slightly, which brought the Ruins of Dale closer to the mountain, and resulted in considerably more conflict going on within the rubble, making the ruins a bigger factor in the game.
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| The Elf King abandons the mountain spur to confront the goblins in the ruins, and block the ford— a good strategy, as it turned out. (The gold dragon is but the memory of Smaug, used as an Active Player token.) |
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| Early in the game (Turn 2), the Elf King and Bolg share taunts, while Bard and Dain hold to confront the East assault of the wargs and warg riders. |
As was fitting, the battle's results were not decided until the 8th and final turn of the game, when Bolg's horde reached its breaking point. In a surprising twist, Beorn and the Eagles barely entered the game, and had no impact on the outcome. Instead the Elves, Men and Dwarves did the job, virtually unaided except by a single Elf cavalry unit (hey, the Professor never said they weren't there). Said cavalry wrecked havoc in a suicidal death ride through the goblin rear— they were eventually sent to the Halls of Manwe, but many slain goblins paved the road.
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| The Men and Dwarves slaughter their furry foes, while the Elves at the ford harry their flanks with missile fire. Note the Eagles have entered on the far west... but their only act was to drive the goblin ambush from atop the mountain's eastern and western heights. |
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| The fight is all but done; Bolg's forces break, and flee. The West will be safe for many a year. |
So a good, desperate fight, well enjoyed by all.
A Pirate's Life for Me (or a few hours of it)!
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| Yo ho, yo ho— it be pirate time! |
After running that game, on Saturday I took part in David Raybin's always entertaining Pirate extravaganza.
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| Behold me fine ship, me hearties! |
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| Nay, not that ship... this one! (When the tavern is closing, ye take the wench ye find.) |
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| Some broadsides are exchanged. |
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| What be I doing, waffling about between two vessels set on blasting each other to Davy Jones' Locker? Avast ye, there! Loosen the boom! Ready about! Helm's alee! And other nautical things! |
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| Avast, you scurvy lubbers! Come back and fight like sea dogs! Ah, and well— best be turning with the wind. |
Alas, being limited in my speed and facing on-coming winds, I got in only a handful of licks before the main battle slipped me by-- but in an attempt to turn to join the defense of the Red fleet's home base, I was able to fire my tiny broadside into none other than the Black Pearl herself (flagship of the vile Black fleet), and scored a critical hit that jammed her rudder for a while.
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| Ah hah! I have ye now, ye big black bastion of blazing broadsides. Take that! |
With my own vessel heavily damaged, and the Black feet fighting to return with their stolen treasure, I opted to ram their speediest vessel, and then got rammed in turn (by accident) by me own allies. Bit of a traffic jam there.
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| If ye go down, go down fighting! Sing me a hymn, my lads— maybe the Devil will think me the chaplain. |
The whole contest ended in a draw, to which I like to think my heroic sacrifice helped force. (I like to think that, and therefore I shall. "It be me truth, matey, and I'll keel-haul the lubber who says against it!")
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| Yes, clearly I have carried the day for my side. |
A fun day, a good convention... can't wait 'til next year!
--- Howard, aka Parzival
