Hacked Off!

I'm sure you know the feeling: you have the house to yourself, a copy of the new solo supplement Perilous Dark on the shelf and a small case full of miniatures in the car. Happy days! But oh no - no terrain! That really hacks me off!

But wait, wasn't there a mini game in the last edition of Spellcaster Magazine? Don't you have the board printed out and taped together somewhere? Oh yes, it's time for Barbarian Hack!

This seemingly simple game puts a hero figure in the centre of the board (where an innocent victim is tied to an altar). At each corner is a bad guy (Gnolls in this case). The hero moves as dictated by 2 D6, while the bad guys move diagonally towards the altar one square at a time.

If the hero's moves take him past a bad guy, that bad guy dies. If the bad guy's move takes him past the hero or the altar, the hero or innocent victim dies and the game is over.

We start with our hero as he tries to undo the chains that bind the imperilled maiden to the bloody altar. But suddenly, the sound of guttural snarling can be heard from all sides...

The first rolls are low and our hero can do little more than edge towards one of the Gnolls as they slink forward, slathering in anticipation.

The second round and the rolls are better. Our hero moves 4 spaces across and 6 spaces down, taking out two bad guys. The other two still survive however and warily scuttle on.

Round three and another couple of low rolls. Our hero lumbers back towards the altar, but the Gnolls are closing in. Who will get there first?

The fourth round and the rolls are a mixed bag, but they're enough. Our hero moves 3 spaces diagonally, taking out one Gnoll, before racing horizontally 6 spaces, slaying the final Gnoll along the way. Our hero prevails!

A fun little game to while away a few minutes, which can be found in Spellcaster Magazine issue 5 - check it out!