The Living Museum: Three Enter, One Leaves…

A while back I volunteered to put on a Frostgrave game at our local wargames club. Luckily there were a couple of victims members foolish willing enough to give it a go.

So off I went last night and duly set up a table, deciding that it might be interesting to run the Living Museum scenario, rather than just a standard game. I dug out the Necromancer and Elementalist warbands had I pre-generated for the last club game, but also decided to spice things up a bit by taking to the field myself with a scratch warband, headed by my new Heresy Witch.

Yep, this was to be my first three player game!

In between teaching the guys the ropes and playing the game, I didn’t have a lot of time or inclination to take lots of notes or photos, so apologies for what is a very sketchy batrep.

I spent all my gold on some higher quality soldiers, which meant I had a couple of slots left to fill. Happily I successfully cast Animal Companion pre-game, which added a bear to my warband. Alas my Animate Construct spell failed, so I was a ‘man’ short. Moreover I also managed the Familiar spell, giving my Witch some extra health.

We rolled to choose entry sides, and I set up opposite the Necromancer, with the Elementalist coming in on my left. The Necromancer got the first initiative, immediately Bone-Darting my Witch, who I had placed in direct line of sight – d’oh! While the shot hit home, it wasn’t enough to wound/kill my Witch, who replied in kind (missing the mark alas) before ducking out of sight to heal herself.

All three warbands converged on the statues in the centre of the table; the Elementalist making good use of Elemental Bolt to singe the Necromancer’s men with fireballs while his archers climbed up to a higher vantage point.

Following suit, my ranger and crossbowman also went up a storey. Shooting over the ruins, my ranger engaged in a duel with the Elementalist archers for pretty much the rest of the game. I leapt my bear into the midst of the Elementalist’s warband, hoping to slow him down and thus secure my flank, but the poor beast was quickly struck down by his thugs.

My thieves raced into the centre alongside a Leapt knight while my warhound padded around my right to outflank the Necromancer’s band. Meanwhile my Witch summoned a bank of Fog to screen her and her apprentice from any more nasty surprises, which had the unfortunate effect of cutting off the advancing thieves and knight from any magical help.

The other two wizards had also got soldiers into the centre and soon treasure chest were being pulled out from underneath the statues, which duly jerked into life…

Luckily for me, most of them were activating near my opponents’ warbands allowing my soldiers to either make a run for it through the fog, or flee the scene courtesy of Leap spells from my re-positioned apprentice.

With five out of six statues animated, the centre was becoming a massive slug-fest between them and the other two warbands. Fighting also erupted on the fringes of the table, with my warhound stalking the Necromancer apprentice but ultimately being put down.

The Elementalist apprentice, who, like mine, was hanging back to support his comrades, was unfortunate to find a wandering ghoul suddenly appearing at his rear – this creature quickly charged in, only to be seen off by a pair of thugs that raced to protect their master’s trainee.

Any look of smugness on my part at this occurrence quickly disappeared when a pair of wandering wolves turned up sniffing behind my apprentice! They headed straight towards my knight who, battered after fighting statues, had been leaped out of harm’s way with some treasure and was heading home. Luckily he managed to defeat both of these howling beasts.

By now the hour was getting late and I was happy with the three treasures I had obtained (plus the Elementalist's band were starting to probe my left flank and were getting too close for comfort). The Elementalist and Necromancer still had plenty to play for however, and continued to battle for supremacy. One by one they battered each other down until both the Necromancer and his apprentice were dead.

The Elementalist’s apprentice also bit the snow, and he himself was taken down by a (very) lucky shot from my dwarf crossbowman – my final parting shot.

So I snagged three treasures, the remnants of the Necromancer’s band got two, and we allowed the Elementalist to claim the final, as of yet unclaimed, treasure chest. His Templar had done a sterling effort and went down fighting against the statues after all.

A very enjoyable game (for me anyway, and the other guys seemed to like it too). Three players on a 3’x3’ table is utter mayhem and having all the treasures in the middle forced us all into confrontation. Very few fighters emerged without a scratch and I was running out of wounded tokens. Magic for the most part was cast successfully and it was interesting to see spells that I’ve no experience of being used (the Necromancer’s use of Fast Act early on gave him an initial advantage). The result was carnage of the most enjoyable kind!

The Ghosts of Chronos - A Scenario

Possibly an over-complicated scenario this, but one I've been mulling around in my head for a while. Wizards and Witches, dare you face...

The Ghosts of Chronos

A rare and ancient text has led you to the ruins of the home of Chronos the Great: a pioneering wizard thought by some to have been the father of Chronomancy.

You can be sure that many great treasures lie within this once sumptuous estate, but be warned, for it is said that Chronos’ tinkering wore thin the fabric of time, and the grounds are riddled with ghosts from the past, and the future…

Set up

Set up the table as normal, but bear in mind that you will be removing and replacing areas of terrain, so you might want to use items that are easy to move (e.g. based on CDs etc.). 

Special Rules

Chronos’ treasures are steeped in chronomantic energy and are very unstable. Approaching one risks triggering a time warp, shifting the surrounding area into a time pocket belonging to a different era.

Any warband member within 1” of a treasure triggers a time warp, opening up a pocket of time in a circle approximately 5” in diameter, centred around the treasure. Roll on the time warp table and replace any terrain within this area as necessary. The treasure stays roughly where it was.

Once a treasure is carried out of this 5” pocket, the time warp collapses. Any terrain effects are removed and replaced by the original terrain (more or less). Otherwise the new terrain remains in play.

Any random creatures generated by this triggering are placed next to the treasure. They act as normal random creatures within the time pocket, but will disappear if their movement takes them out of it.

Treasures generated by Fool’s Gold and Reveal Secret do not trigger time warps.

Once a time warp is triggered, the relevant treasure cannot trigger another one.

Unless stated differently, line of sight can be drawn into and out of time pockets as per usual if terrain allows.

Spellcasters from the Chronomancy school may re-roll on the time warp table once per game (second result stands). 

Time Warp Table

Roll	Time Pocket	Game Effects
1	Time of the great blizzard The area is plunged back a millennia to the time of the great blizzard. All figures within are subjected to an intense, will-sapping cold.	Replace all terrain within 5” of the treasure with a blank white disk. All figures within the time pocket must immediately lose 2 health. For each subsequent turn inside the pocket, they must lose 2 health and make will successful test against a 10 before being able to activate. Players cannot draw line of sight in or out of circle.
2-3	Primordial swamp The area is sent back to a time when history has barely begun. Things crawl out of the mire…	Replace all terrain within 5” of the treasure with a large swamp. Terrain classed as difficult. Roll d20 to determine what lurks in the swamp. 1-15: giant toad (treat as ice toad), 16-20: swamp worm (treat as giant worm).
4-5	The Recent future The figure triggering the time warp sees a glimpse of his/her future. Pre-warned is pre-armed…	No effect to terrain. Play continues and the treasure that triggered this event can be treated as normal. However the triggering figure counts as having a scroll of Fast Act (does not count towards items carried).
6-8	Ancient Forest The area is sent back to a time when all this was trees.	Replace all terrain within 5” of the treasure with a forested area. Make a random creature roll and select the nearest animal(s). Terrain classed as difficult. Any figure within classed as in light cover if being shot at from within the area, or heavy cover if being shot at from outside the area.
9-10	The Distant Future The area has been hurled forward in time to an era devastated by war. The blasted desert heat is intense…	Replace all terrain within 5” of the treasure with a rocky desert. All figures within the time pocket must deduct 1 health for each turn they remain in the pocket. Roll d20 to determine what lurks among the rocks. 1-10: Sand spider (treat as ice spider), 11-18: wasteland raider (treat as marksman), 19-20 giant worm.
11-12	The Time of Chronos The area has been sent back to the time when Chronos himself dwelt here in his sumptuous mansion. Wary of temporal ghosts, his treasure is guarded…	Replace all terrain within 5” of the treasure with dungeon/treasure room furniture. Roll d20 to determine who guards the treasure. 1-5: infantryman x 2, 6-10: Man-at-arms x2, 11-15: Knight, 16-20: Templar. If the guards are defeated any player in this pocket may use an action to snatch d20 gold (counts as an item).
13-14	Ice Age The area is sent back to a prehistoric ice age.	Replace all terrain within 5” of the treasure with frozen tundra. Roll d20 to determine what is hunting in the area. 1-5: snow leopard, 6-10: bear, 11-15: wild boar, 16-20: apemen (treat as white gorilla x2).
15-17	Back to the Past Instead of entering a pocket, the figure triggering the time warp is sent a short distance back in time. They find themselves back at their base, just after their warband has left on this expedition! They have enough time to rest and re-equip before re-joining the fray.	No effect to terrain. Remove the figure from the table. Restore his/her health to the pre-game level and swap item(s) from vault if required. Return the figure to their starting table edge at the start of the next turn. Henceforth the treasure that triggered this event can be treated as normal.
18-19	The Apocalypse is Nigh! The area is thrust forward in time to a period of terrible, soul shattering apocalypse. Everything is dark, everything is dead…	No effect to terrain. Make a random creature roll and select the nearest undead creature(s). No-one may draw line of sight into the area. All figures within the time pocket must make an immediate will test against a 15 before being able to activate.
20	The beginning/end of time The figure triggering the time warp travels to the very beginning/end of time itself…	No effect to terrain. Remove figure from the game and treat as permanently dead. Henceforth the treasure at that triggered this event can be treated as normal.

Treasure & Experience

Treasure and experience calculated as normal, but in addition:-

20 experience for each time a spellcaster in your warband triggers a different time warp.

Old Mother Goosegog Steps Out

“Mother Goosegog, there’s been another one!”

“Hmmm?”

Green light shone from the cauldron, playing across the old witch’s haggard features before dancing weirdly among the dark shadows of her hovel.

“The sickness, it’s taken another – Ben Reedsmith!”

Mother Goosegog looked up and fixed her beady eyes on the young girl, all breathless and flustered from running through the woods, before her.

“A strong man was Ben… So it’s not just the old and infirm now…”

She sighed and grunting with effort, straightened her crooked back as best she could before hobbling over to a dusty bookshelf. Without needing to be bid, her young apprentice joined her and together they heaved out a large tome, battered and worn from centuries of use. Clouds of dust glittered in the green light as it landed on a rickety table.

“Here child look;” she turned some brittle pages and jabbed a claw-like finger at a certain faded passage. “It’s as the almanac foretold: ‘A great plague shall crawl from the swamps to claim all that live in the Manlands.' It ain’t going to stop here…” She sniffed. “What do the priests in the village say?”

The young girl tutted. “That it’s a judgment on all those who fail to attend noonday service and forget to pay their tithes to the templehood.”

“Huh, I thought as much! Next they’ll be saying that it’s us witches fault; you mark my words young ‘un.” She coughed, hawking up a great gobbet and spitting it into the fire. “Last time that happened, half my sisters were turned to ashes before the fever died down – I need to nip this one in the bud.”

“Um, how do you mean to do that?”

“You’ll hate the answer as much as I do my girl.” She clicked her fingers and out from under a cupboard squeezed a fat grey cat. She bundled the creature up in her arms, regarding it solemnly. “Trevor was as sleek as you like and black as midnight when we last ventured out…” She sighed deeply and scratched a fluffy ear. “There’s only one place that a cure for this sickness can be found…”

“Er, yes?”

“Fetch my winter cloak young ‘un, we’re going north...”

I treated myself to this smashing witch and cauldron set from Heresy Miniatures and am rather pleased with how they came out. I know I already have a witch  - a beefy barbarian type - but I have plans for him when I get my hands on the Forgotten Pacts supplement...

Groovy Ghoulies

“Everybody shout! C’mon now sing out! It’s time for the Goolies’ get-together…”

The thing that was once Matthias Trueblade shook the song from it’s misshapen head. It was on the hunt and had no time for childish rhymes from the time before it became a ghoul.  Before it had taken up the sword… before it had come to the frozen city… before it became trapped, close to starvation… before it had stumbled across half-dead remains and found the taste pleasing…

A guttural bark from one of it’s fellows brought the thing that was once Matthias Trueblade out of it’s reverie. It caught the scent of manflesh in it’s nostrils and gibbered in confirmation to the pack leader.

Silently they clambered over the ruins above the unsuspecting warband, bloodstained claws gripping ancient stones and filthy rags fluttering in the icy breeze. Below them the Humans talked and laughed, their language nothing more than muffled sounds to the ring of grey sinew slowly encircling them.

The pack leader howled and the thing that was once Matthias Trueblade leapt screaming from it’s hiding place, talons out and fangs bared...

Some more ghouls to stalk my collection. Added to my Otherworld ghouls are three ‘lovely’ figures from Heresy Miniatures and a pair from a Mantic undead sprue I acquired a while back.

Deathtrap Dungeon

“What iss thiss?”

Ezekria the Beastcrafter’s tail swished in agitation against brand-new stonework as she brandished the parchment in a clawed hand.

“Dunno wot you mean…”

The scruffy gnome before her stuck his thumbs into his tool belt and rocked on his heels with exaggerated nonchalance, his spectacles glinting in the torchlight.

Ezekria blinked in surprise – normally her bestial aspect was enough to unsettle the most powerful denizens of Felstad, let alone a lowly builder.

“Er, I mean this invoicce!” she hissed, recovering her composure. “It is ssignificantly more than what wass agreed!”

“Ah, well buildin’ a dungeon’s a tricky fing to estimate innit? The cost of stone’s gone way up since they started buildin’ that big tower topside – supply an’ demand see?” replied the gnome, hissing air through his teeth. “Then there’s the extra constructs I ‘ad to get animated to burrow through that granite outcrop, an’ wot about that Ampliphede nest – had to sub-contract out for pest control for that…”

Ezekria growled as the builder counted off a litany of other ‘extras’ on his fingers.

“…and’ those portcullises ‘ad to be up to spec – that’s proper enchanted iron that is, none of your cheap-“

“Yess enough!” she spat. “Very well, I will pay you what you assk on the undersstanding that thiss breeding pit will be ready in time for the gladiatorial sseasson.”

“Oh yeah, no problem on that score… give or take…”

Ezekria’s eyes narrowed. “Give or take what…?”

“Well, this soothsayer mate o’ mine reckons there’s this big blizzard coming see – might put a spanner in the works a bit…”

“Pah, nonssensse! No more excussess – blizzard indeed!”

In readiness for any future underground adventures in the frozen city, I bought this very nice half dungeon set from Gaz at Figurebitz.

  

A box of laser cut MDF bits duly arrived, with each different element (from straight wall sections and end caps to T-section connectors and doorways) bagged and labelled. Gaz had messaged me with the instructions for each element and, with the help of some PVA and despite my cack-handedness, each bit went together very easily.

 

Being short on primer spray I decided to paint the bits with black craft paint first, allowing some of the MDF to show through for a bit of colour variation. It was then a case of drybrushing with my usual triumvirate of grey-ish tester pots.

Most of the elements slot in together very well and it didn’t take me long to build a reasonable dungeon layout. The half dungeon pack fills about ¾ on a 3’x3’ mat, so a full pack would give you plenty of options!

Not sure it looks that effective on my gaming mat – may have to get a grey flagstone style one, more suited to dungeoneering.

A Hive of Industry

A number of Frostgrave scenarios are set in one sort of abandoned factory or other (for example in the Hunt for the Golem, Sellsword and indeed the whole Dark Alchemy expansion), so I thought I’d knock up some weird, magical industrial-ish scatter – smashed equipment, empty vats and broken machines the purpose of which has long since been forgotten.

I had the idea after mulling over the bits and bobs I had left over from my re-purposed Warhammer 40K ruins – lamps, beams and other embellishments that looked a bit too sci-fi for Frostgrave. To these I added various bits and off-cuts and rifled the bin for empty paint pots and other bits of rubbish. 

Mix them all up with some glue, flock and paint and there you have it! I’m particularly pleased with the large vat (an old sauce tub from a recent Chinese takeaway, supported by 40K bits) and the way the tarnished brass paint effect has come out. Not a bad few hours work!

Luke's Affordable Paint Service - Blatant Product Placement!

This is one of those posts where you link to somebody else's corner of the interweb in the hope of increasing your chances of winning a competition.

In this case it's Luke's Affordable Paint Service! Luke has a fantastic Youtube channel, which is jam packed full of terrain building, painting and general modelling hints and tips for the wagamer on a budget.

I've been a subscriber to his channel almost from the start, and even if he wasn't doing a 2000 subscribers giveaway, I'd still recommend you take a ganders at his vids!