The ruined village lay
below them, smoke rising lazily from still smouldering fires. Grey Leopard
crouched at the edge of the rise that overlooked the settlement and looked
down. Even from his vantage point it was difficult to work out what had
transpired here, or why his fellow ranger Aventine had not returned from his
scouting mission, but his sharp senses told him that there were clues to be
found. Slowly he beckoned his companions and together they made their way forward…
(Note: This is a playtest of the draft document of Rangers of Shadow Deep. Rules and
scenarios in the finished publication may differ)
Time then to take the mantle of Ranger. I decided to create
a ‘rangery’ Ranger – a woodsman, survivalist and tracker – called Grey Leopard.
After improving my ‘move’ and ‘shoot’ stats, my BPs were spent of abilities
like ‘steady aim’ and ‘evade’ and skills such as ‘navigation’, ‘stealth’,
‘survival’ and a handful of others that I thought represented my idea of the
Ranger.
This left enough BP to recruit seven companions: bloodhound,
raptor, two rogues, two swordsmen and an archer. I kitted out Grey Leopard with
a bow, quiver, sword, light armour and a dagger.
The heroic adventurers warily fanned out from the centre of
the village, looking for any clues that might provide information. Grey Leopard
used his skills to pass a perception test, allowing me to move one of the clue
markers to a more convenient location.
Suddenly a low moaning sound alerted the heroes to the presence
of zombies! Grey Leopard fired at one, but missed. His companion Ned the archer
tutted, before calmly drawing his own bow and dropping the creature.
Other creatures scuttled towards the heroes – giant rats,
squealing with malicious glee. Hunter the bloodhound and Ulf the swordsman
quickly dispatched one of the rodents, but another one was lurking in the
nearby undergrowth.
Catching it’s scent, Hunter dived into the bushes, but the
rat’s sharp jaws overpowered the hound. Luckily this rat was in turn dispatched
by Blackwing the raptor – blood for the bloodhound!
More zombies were shambling into view. One was shot at close
range by Ned, while Ungarra the swordswoman slew another. Meanwhile Sneaks the
rogue used her lock picking skills to gain entry to one of the ruins, within
which was a clue.
Or was it? No – it was a survivor! After the injured
villager gained consciousness he joined the band, swearing revenge upon
whatever evil had destroyed his home.
Ungarra stumbled upon another clue: another Human, but dead
this time. A quick search of the body and after passing an armoury skills test,
she recognised the corpse’s weapon as the magic sword of the Ranger Aventine.
So he had also been slain by the evil…
More rats could be heard scurrying through the undergrowth as
Sneaks and her injured friend investigated another clue. Another corpse, but
this time reanimated! Outnumbered, the creature was quickly slain by the pair.
Rats and zombies were now converging on the adventurers, bringing
a pallid stink of fetid air in their wake. A random event card heralded
disease, meaning that any hero reduced to zero health would have to pass a
health test to stave off the pestilence, or begin the next scenario with -3
health.
Stabbs the rogue uncovered another clue, his keen senses
telling him that it was treasure even before he fished it out of the rubble.
Meanwhile the adventurers converged on another ruined hut. Blackwing flew in to
investigate, but was pounced on by a rat!
Ulf investigated a further clue, finding a pouch of rare anthalas
herbs, while at the hut, Sneaks picked the lock and stepped back to allow
access to Ungarra. She swept in and killed the giant rat, leaving the next clue
free to be investigated.
It turned out to be a set of strange tracks. Luckily Ungarra
passed the tracking skill roll and ascertained that something very unpleasant
had skittered into the village, turning the inhabitants into zombies. The
tracks of these creatures led into the forests…
A great game to start off with. All the clues were uncovered
and much experience earned, but the heroes didn’t get it their own way, with
Hunter the bloodhound gaining a permanent injury, despite having a +1 to his
survival roll thanks to the herbs.
Blackwing survived her injuries, but succumbed to disease
after failing her health test. Being at -2 health meant that she would miss the
next scenario. The treasure turned out to be a Fishglass, which would come in
handy if any swimming was required, while Ungarra claimed temporary ownership
of Aventine’s magic sword (which would have to be returned to the King’s
armoury at the end of the mission).
A fantastic game full of thrills and spills - solo gaming has never been such fun! Onwards then, to the deep dark woods…
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