Warhammer The Old World Battlereport(s): Trial by Footslogging

Warhammer The Old World has been released just shy of AoS' tenth birthday (it was released in 2015). That means that, as an early adopter of that system, I haven't played a variant of the old 'square based' original rules for at least nine years. In practice it is a lot longer, my last long string of games was with the (then new) 3rd and 4th editions of Warhammer Fantasy Battles. I tried getting back into fantasy during 8th, but it was a bad experience. Having said that: I'm stoked to get playing with squares again . Not in the least because armies take less space to store on squares. By now I've had the chance to get two games in. Here's a dual battle report (sort of), with running commentary about the differences between Warhammer AoS and TOW a lazy, rule-ignoring greybeard like me experiences. Let's start of with a semi-spectacular snap first.

Important rules to live by: don't get charged in the flank, don't get charged in the rear and don't challenge a High Elf on Gryphon to one-on-one combat with a 'mere' Dwarven Thane. Also bring a  quill, bottle of ink and a book of grudges with lots of empty pages to any battle.

Path to Glory: let's rave a bit about AoS

I thought there'd be nothing like the catharsis you get after a nice rant. I was wrong. Path to Glory, the narrative campaign system in Age of Sigmar, turns out to serve just as well. I had my first opening games in this weekend and it was fun. Good company, pretty (painted) miniatures and fun rules. Let's start with an opening shot of the table(s) and then I'll give my take on Age of Sigmar Path to Glory.

The small size of the conflict allows for a smaller table. As we had five players we divided a larger table into two playing areas using battle mats. 

Deathodendron - Soulbound AoS roleplay campaign session 4

After all the action and violence, the group decided it was time for a long rest. At a crossroads of corridors they sat back and deliberated what to do next. Through this discussion, they forgot to inform the newly arrived Stormcast what was going on in the first place. Ah the stresses of adventure and all that…

I'll take any excuse to use pictures of this big guy :)

Greater Daemon you say? Just throw it some cash! - Soulbound AoS roleplay campaign session 3

At the end of the previous session, all players had been forced to flee. Boris the Kharadron ran through a different tunnel than his companions. Given the loud bleeping of the gas sensor in his helmet, the rest of the party lucked out on that point. On the downside, he was quite lost. Boris walked through the moldy and deserted corridors of Hollowreef's deepest (Nurgle infested) district in search of the group. As he failed at finding his bearings he decided to walk towards the sound of drums in the distance.

Yeah, there's a greater daemon coming up in this game session...

Into the deep - Soulbound AoS roleplay campaign session 2

The second gaming session Age of Sigmar's Soulbound RPG has been concluded. I know its not a really popular part of my blog, but hell it is MY blog so here goes ;). This happened after the group beat a warband of Khorne in the forest near Hollowreef. 

As I do not have proper illustrations for this blog, I'll just go for random images of Nurgle models in my collection :).

Welcome to Hollowreef - Soulbound AoS roleplay campaign session 1

Life quite firmly got in the way of blogging (and painting) lately. Luckily I did find time to host some roleplaying sessions. On the downside: I didn't get around to actually giving them a write-up. Lets go for it now. I started a new campaign using the Soulbound Age of Sigmar rolplaying game ruleset by Cubicle7. You can read my review/first impressions of the game system in this previous post. In this first session we formed a merry band of heroic misfits who got the job of helping colonists reclaim the lost city of Hollowreef. 

Age of Sigmar: Souldbound shows its Warhammer roots by being completely D6 based (although I think they should Easter Egg in a scatter die at some point).

Bloodbath at Orruk's Drift test scenario #3 Linden Way redux

During the lockdown I turned Bloodbath at Orc's Drift into an Age of Sigmar campaign aptly named Bloodbath at Orruk's Drift. On Saturday the ninth I will be hosting the full campaign with a small group of friends, before that time I wanted to retest the third skirmish in the campaign: Linden Way. Here's the battlefield for the scenario's redux. A synopsis of the original tryout is here. 

The re-imagined Linden Way table. I forgot to bring a lake and a few copses of trees. We solved it by improvising.

Bloodbath at Orruk's Drift test scenario #3 Linden Way

With another lockdown lifted, I got a chance to test scenario number three from my reimagining of the classic Blood Bath at Orc's Drift campaign. This time the villagers of Linden Way had to escape while a small visiting army tried to hold the little town against yet another invading horde. As with the previous scenario's I first had to reinvent the table layout as wargaming tables have shrunk (while quite ironically the models keep on growing  #scalecreep). Here's the Linden Way table for the Blood Bath at Orruk's Drift campaign.

Linden Way reimagined for a smaller table. I made an improvised lake by cutting a plastic tab divider to shape and covering the edges with moss.  

Bloodbath at Orruk's Drift test scenario #2 Ashak Rise

This week I had time to test out scenario number two for my re-imagining of the classic Bloodbath at Orc's Drift campaign. The original scenario featured a small band of greedy dwarf deserters trying to save their gold from a chance encounter with an invading orc warband. This new version sees a small Order/Death army defending the same old shack from an invading Chaos/Destruction host. Slightly bigger scale, same principle. 

The game opened with a unit of skeletons and a lone Tomb Banshee standing close to the bridge on the road leading past Ahsak's Rise mining cottage.

Bloodbath at Orruk's Drift test scenario #1 Kachas Pass

As far as I'm concerned the best wargames are narrative games. This year I planned to slap Oldhammer and Age of Sigmar together and reimagine a classic. Unfortunately grandfather Nurgle's 2020 tour made it irresponsible to host a day of group gaming. On the plus side it gave me time to actually polish my scenario. To take it up one notch (and because we can safely have limited contact again) I actually tested the first scenario. Now there's a first. Here's some ramblings about applying old school wargaming to new rulesets. 

With a roar the invading Skaven horde stormed the stockade manned by two units of Dark Elves and their commander. 

Ruin's End, a Warhammer Fantasy 4th Campaign, sessions 8 and 9 - A night at the theater

<This is the second two-parter to catch up with the campaign>

After consulting with Delsoton in the high elf embassy, the group went to their safe house in Suiddock. The house turned out to be on a typical Mariënburger street. Vendors cried out about their wares against a backdrop of liquor stores, bakers and 'spice sellers'. Almost instinctively the members of the group devolved into the most primary human being there is: the tourist.

A random illustration of Skaven Gutter Runners.

Ruin's End, a Warhammer Fantasy 4th Campaign, sessions 6 and 7 - One way trip to Marienburg

My Warhammer Fantasy campaign Ruin's End has gone unreported, but has continued over the past months*. After defeating a burrowed Skaven war party and robbing Ubersreik magistrate Von Bruner's mansion (for the second time) the party thought it appropriate to leave Ubersreik. With the city gates locked, it was a question of how.

A Skaven Assassin.

Ruin's End, a Warhammer Fantasy 4th Campaign, session 5 - Bum Rush

Having just infiltrated the Skaven hive, the group looked proudly at the corpses of its guards. With three doors to choose from, only one question remained: which one would they open?

I should most definitively include a plague priest riding a giant rat somewhere in the campaign.

Ruin's End, a Warhammer Fantasy 4th Campaign, session 4 - A pimply romance

After stealing Dietmar's diary from the Von Bruner mansion all members of the party returned to Rosalinde's apartments. After a quick discussion they decided to follow up on the threats urging them to meet an unknown party around midnight at the Teufeltal Gate. Wishing to survive the night, the group decided to scout the location first. Drett had to stay behind, suffering from a fresh bout of Estellian Stomach Flue.

Sir 'not appearing in this gaming session'

Ruin's End, a Warhammer Fantasy 4th Campaign, session 3 - Forbidden knowledge

At the end of the previous episode laywer Drett and magister Ronja gained acces to the library in the Temple of Sigmar. Tillman the witch had kept a wise distance from the same place and was taking care of the sick dwarf watchman Gorgor. Priest of Sigmar Barnard was asking his colleagues in the same temple about their dreams.

I worked hard on this mostly unused location map.

Ruin's End, a Warhammer Fantasy 4th Campaign, session 2 - Help Wanted

After the rather confused handover of the artefact at the Triple Cross Inn (it ended up with the wrong High Elf) the group rescued a mage called Rosalinde. Narrowly avoiding an encounter with the city watch they gathered in an alleyway wondering what to do next. Rosalinde invited the group to her apartments with an offer to work for her. The group had accepted in spite of some serious worries about her intentions.

A pretty picture that has little to do with the gaming session.

Ruin's End, a Warhammer Fantasy 4th Campaign, session 1 - Quintuple cross at the Triple Square Inn

After ending the Troubles in Teufeltal peace did not quite return to the province. In the following months a famine was followed by rebellion which in turn led to repression of the populace. The freshly anointed baron had trouble maintaining order. His inability to get proper sleep and his habit of keeping his pale face confined to darkened quarters while wearing his black armor did not help.

The Triple Square Inn

Carrion Empire, the narrative part

On the previous gaming night a fellow club member (hi Marc!) and I decided to play the narrative missions that come with the new (and by now discontinued) Carrion Empire boxed set. There where multiple reasons for this. First and foremost being that we both like a good laugh and a narrative game. Second he has a Flesh Eater Courts army and I have a Skaven army. Third was curiosity. With all due respect to the hardworking developers, the average mission pack released for AoS is (to put it mildly) not very good. We had a previous laugh at the terrible AoS Skirmish missions (and got a good piano-based grudge match out of it). This box even has counters to use with the missions. It had to be tried. So without further ado: here's my report of the mini-campaign featured in Carrion Empire.

Getting started on mission 2 of Carrion Empire. As you can see the lighting in our gaming club is not conducive to good photography.

Trouble in Teufeltal sessions 8, 9 and 10 - White Wolves, Waaghs and Vampires

As I never got around to translating and posting the last sessions, I've decided to post the entire wrap-up of my first Warhammer Fantasy 4th campaign in one go.

Session 8 - The White Wolf Lodge
After the party was saved by ladies they thought where in distress, they moved on to the White Wolf Lodge. Fortunately one of the escape tunnels from Lady DeBlanc's School for Ladies led almost straight to the border between Bretonnia and the Empire and the White Wolf lodge building sitting atop it. Just as fortunate was the meeting with their comrade Drett. After shaking off his Estelian stomach flue he had decided to randomly search the party at this location.

Trouble in Teufeltal session six, Steam Tank Rally

After fighting an Orc Shaman and freeing Otilla the group decided to take it up a notch. They planned to rescue the girls studying at DeBlanc's School for Ladies, recruit the wizard Dieter von Heinz and convince the knights at the White Wolf lodge to join the defense of Schluesselschloss.

Only now do I realize I missed a perfect chance to add some chariots to the spectacle.