Bridge of Death

 A 1666 Adventure

Background

After their skirmish at the bridge, Hans Neimand's company ventures deeper into Turkish-held Hungary. As night approaches, the road enters a foreboding forest. Neimand decides to camp for the night on the outskirts of the wood.

While the company pitches camp, Neiman sends two scouts down the road to reconnoiter.

Several minutes later, a bloodcurdling scream rends the air. Then one of the scouts comes running back toward the camp, blood splattered all over him and horror etched on his face.

Neimand rushes over to the scout, and grabs him.

"What is it? What happened?"

"Monster! Monster! Monster!" the scout keeps babbling Neimand cannot get any more information from him.

"Feldwebel!" Neimand calls to his sergeant. "Grab four of the dragoons and let's go."

Moments later, Neimand leads a party into the woods.

Set Up

I played this encounter as more of an RPG-style dungeon crawl than a miniatures games, although I used meeples to represent the forces. Because this was a bit of a playtest, I did not take pictures.

An Unexpected Discovery

As the party marches down the road, 2 bestial creatures attack the party. Feldwebel Meyer drives off one while a trooper kills another.

"What is it?" Meyer asks as he looks at the gnarly, stunted figure with razor sharp teeth and claws.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was a goblin." Neimand responds. The troopers gasp. One makes the sign of the cross.

"Let's go," Neimand commands, and they continue down the road.

More Attacks

Further down the road, another goblin attacks, but the party drives it off.

Shortly thereafter, they hear a scuffle behind them. Turning, they see one of the creatures ravaging their rear guard. It rips out his throat and then scampers into the woods.

Tensions Mount

As they continue, the sky grows dark. They light torches to give them light.

they can hear something scrambling in the bracken alongside the road. But there is no attack. Perhaps the creatures fear fire.

They come across the missing scout. He is dead, sliced into shreds by claws and teeth.

They hear growls and roars from down the road. The men are near panic.

"Steady, lads." Neimand tries to reassure them, but how can he when he is fighting back panic?

Bridge of Death

They come across a bridge spanning a rushing stream.

They are tentatively crossing the bridge when there is the sound of a crash. A huge, horrific figure lands on the bridge behind.

"Troll!" cries out one of the troopers.

The troll grabs the trooper and rips off his head. A geyser of blood showers the party.

The party unleashes a volley from their muskets, blasting a gaping hole in the creature. The trolls pauses for a moment, and before their wondering eyes the wound heals.

The dragoons drop their muskets, pull out their swords, and attack. The troll takes another wound. It lashes out at another trooper, ripping open his abdomen and spilling his intestines.

Neiman attacks the troll, driving his sword deep into the monster's vitals. The troll swings at him. He ducks but their last trooper takes the blow, caving in his skull. Neiman wrenches his sword out, stabs, and disembowels the creature. It falls dead.

"Quick!" Meyer shouts. "Burn it!"

Neimand is confused at first, but when he looks at the troll he sees the gaping wound knitting itself. He understands. Grabbing a torch, he thrusts it into the wound. The healing stops. The corpse begins to burn with a nauseating odor.

Neiman turns to Meyer, "Let's get out of here."

"But the bodies?"

"We'll come back."

Aftermath

They rush back to the camp, then rouse the company into action. The entire force, replete with plenty of torches, returns down the road, collecting the bodies. They succeed, return to camp safely, and bury their comrades.

Few of the company sleep well that night.

Game Notes

I did not use miniatures for the game. I set up and took the picture specifically so I would have some illustration for this post. I actually used meeples as markers, although I could have easily kept track with pen and paper.

I'll make a separate post that explains the rules I used for this game.

It Begins

The 1666 Campaign with Hans Neimand

As mentioned last time, I am rebooting my Pikeman's Lament campaign, setting it in 1666. Hans Neimand will still be my character, and I am carrying forward honor he earned previously.

Background

After their defeat at the battle of St Gotthard, the Turks have been quiet. Too quiet.

Now, in the year 1666, there are rumors that Turkish forces are stirring once again. The Empire sends out scouts to find out what is happening.

Fahnrich Hans Neimand commands one of these scouting parties.

The Situation

Neimand's force, consisting of cavalry and dragoons, pushes into Turkish territory. Coming to a river, they seek to secure a crossing.

However, they encounter Turkish troops (blue) blocking the road.

The Skirmish

Neimand brings his forces up just as the Turks advance across the river. The dragoons (on the road) fire upon Turkish light cavalry, emptying some saddles.

But the light horse charge, forcing the dragoons to retreat. Neimand pivots some of his cavalry (left) and smashes into the Ottoman horse. The Turks are cut down to a man.

Again, Neimand pivots and charges the Turkish cavalry fording the river. And again, his cavalry smash the enemy.

Suddenly, the remaining infantrymen collapse, just collapse. As if they suffered a sudden heart seizure!

Strange, thinks Neimand, but he pushes it from his mind. At least the bridge is open.

Aftermath

Neimand commands his men to search for an officer among the fallen Turks. Perhaps he carries orders that can give a clue to Turkish intentions.

After mere minutes the men return, shaken. One points to a Turkish corpse and says to Neimand, "Fahnrich, you have to see this."

Niemand looks. Wait, something is amiss. There is no blood, and the corpse's skin is gray and shriveled, as if he had been dead for days.

Then Neimand hears a shout. "Fahrich, over here!"

It's his feldwebel, calling from the river's edge. Neimand goes over to him and looks. There is another corpse, different from the rest. It is clad in robes covered with eldritch symbols. He is not like the others, he is freshly dead.

"What the devil is going on?" asks Neimand.

"Devil. I think that's it." 

Game Notes

I rolled the scenario randomly using a table of my own creation. The scenario calls for the opposing forces to seize some objective. I decided to make it a bridge.

I used my regular army morale rules. The Turks failed after losing 2 units, ending the game. It seemed odd that the Turkish morale could fail (for reasons that will become clearer as the campaign progresses) so I developed an explanation (which will also become clearer).

Although I only recorded one, Neimand actually completed two missions previously. Thus, he begins with 10 honor, and adds another 5 for today's victory.

The Dwarven Excavation

From the Tales of Ser Killian

Spoiler alert - This is my account of the published D&D adventure, Dragon of Icespire Peak. Turn back if you wish to play this adventure for yourself.

 

When last we met Ser Killian and his party, Squire Haiden, Brother Winston, and Gruff, they had just defeated a manticore. After their victory, they returned to Phandalin to recuperate from their battle.

After a few days, Killian announces to the party, "'Tis time for another quest. To the Townmaster!"

Once again, the surly townmaster merely directs them to the Job Board. Killian decides to take on a mission to warn two prospectors excavating an ancient dwarven ruin in the nearby hills.

About Dwarves

The excavation lay about a day's hike from Phandalin. Fortunately, they did not encounter any dangers.

As they journeyed, Brother Winston regaled them with tales of the dwarves. While rare in the current day, they were more plentiful in the past and constructed some magnificent structures. Some say that there were Fey while others say they were a race of humans cursed by Daeus. Regardless, they are very secretive and distrust humans.

As mentioned previously, I'm changing the campaign background from standard D&D. The demi-humans are going to be rare, and not necessarily friendly to humans.

The Heroes Meet the Prospectors

Near the end of the day, they approach the site of the excavation. Traversing a canyon (E1), the come to a stone wall with an open gate. Killian halloes, but there is no response.

They progress through a ruined settlement (E2), once covered in an avalanche, but now excavated.

They enter a courtyard and approach the entrance of a temple. Grotesque statues adorn the facade.

"Clearly nothing good about his place." declares Brother Winston.

"Indeed," Killian agrees, "but we must complete our mission."

They spy a pair of dusty prospectors, eating a meal beside a fire and warily eying the entrance to the Temple.

"Hello, friends," calls Killian. "We bring you tidings, and a warning."

One of the prospectors, named Dazlyn, invites the party to join them. His partner, Norbus, seems unsure.

The Prospectors Have a Quest

Killian passes along the warning about the dragon. The pair are thankful, but feel safe enough.

"We have are plenty of places for us to hide from dragons," Dazlyn explains, as he points to the stone ruins. "Our bigger concern is what is in the temple."

"Is it evil?" Killian asks with a bit too much enthusiasm. He explains that he is on a quest to destroy evil.

"Not evil per se, but dangerous to human life." Dazlyn responds. He proceeds to tell the party about the gelatinous blobs that inhabit the temple.

"Never fear!" Killian proclaims, "We will put an end to this threat to life." He picks up his sword and shield, and heads for the temple door.

"Master, wait!" Squire Haiden pleads. Killian halts, and turns to face his squire.

"M'lord, we should wait until the morn. The sun is setting, and evil will be most powerful in the dark."

"Fie on that, squire. I don't fear to face evil at its most... evil."

"But we can spend the night praying to Daeus for success."

"An excellent idea," agrees Winston.

"Besides," say Haiden, "in the morn it shall be easier to see the enemy and prevent them from escaping."

And so Killian agrees to wait until morning.

Jellies in the Temple

After a repast the next morning, the party ventures through an entrance corridor (E4) into the temple (E5). Hanging from the ceiling above the altar, they spy a blob.

They enter the room, prepared for battle. Gruff looses an arrow, which strikes deep into the blob. The thing drops from the ceiling and oozes toward the party. Our heroes attack.

Killian's slash strikes deep, splitting the creature in two. Immediately, the two halves merge back together!

"Ack, this sword is useless!"

"Try stabbing!" Haiden suggests, as his spear pierces deep into the blob.

The blob's pseudopods lash out, knocking Killian back. Winston and Haiden rush forward, striking the creature. It stops moving.

"Whew, not so bad." say Killian.

Suddenly, Gruff screams. They turn. He is practically enveloped by another blob.

Haiden grabs him and pulls him free. Winston clubs the creature until it moves no more.

Gruff is badly wounded, his flesh burned as if he were doused in acid.

Winston gets down on his knees next to Gruff and begins to pray over him. Within moments, the burns recede and Gruff recovers.

Exploring the Temple

Our heroes explore the rest of the temple. In a corridor (E7), they find another blob. They kill it easily. Note: A critical hit finished it off.

In one room (E10), they find a skeleton with a silver pendant. Winston recognizes the symbol as the mark of Erlik, lord of death. Killian rips to pendant from the skeleton and crushes it with his bare hands. He tosses the destroyed pendant away. Gruff, however, surreptitiously retrieves it.

"Silver is silver," he thinks to himself.

A Little Disagreement with the Prospectors

Finally, the party comes to a corridor that is collapsed. Unable to explore any further, they return to the prospectors. Killian trumpets their triumph.

"But ye did not get past the cave-in," Norbus points out, "so ye did not clean out the entire ruin. Ye did not live up to the deal."

Killian is livid, "You don't expect us to dig?!"

Dazlyn intervenes and settles things down. He proposes that he and Norbus dig out the corridor, then the party could "cleanse" the rest of the temple. This mollifies Killian, who agrees.

"Of course, we could cleanse it even quicker if we had help." Dazlyn suggests. And with that, Killian volunteers the party to help with the digging.

The Statue of Erlik

After a couple of days of digging, they break through. The corridor leads to a shrine (E11). There, they see a statue with a large, bright green gem. The prospectors' eyes gleam with triumph.

Winston's reaction is far different. "Erlik!" He cries and makes the sign of Daeus to ward off evil.

Killian strides forth, grabs the statue, and smashes it to the floor. It breaks into pieces. The gem disintegrates into dust.

Norbus is livid. "Why did you do that!"

Killian turns, and glares at him. In a fearsome tone, he proclaims. "I am pledged to destroy evil. Do you wish to stop me?"

Norbus is cowed.

Bandits Attack

With the temple clean, Dazlyn thanks the group for their help, and offers payment in the form of some supplies, a few silver pieces, and two shiny stones.

Just as the party exits the gates of the settlement (E2), 4 armed humans stop them.

"We'll be takin' yer valuables, yerr armor, and yer weapons. Drop them nicely and ye'll not be hurt."

"Miscreants!" Killian yells as he draws his sword. "Repent, or suffer judgement!"

The bandits sneer and charge.

Grubb manages to shoot one dead.

Wielding a great axe, another smashes Killian. Our hero staggers back, wounded, but his armor saves him from grievous harm. The bandit is about to finish Killian off when a rock smashes into the outlaw's head. He falls dead.

With two of their number down, the remaining bandits flee.

Killian turns and sees the prospectors atop the wall, rocks in hand.

"I owe you a debt of thanks." Killian says to them. "If you ever need my services, you have it."

With that, they return to Phandalin with no more incidents.

Aside

The party also had to deal with an attack from a greater cat beast, but they managed to pull through.

A Shiny Diversion

A shiny silver bayonet, that is.

As with many of my manias, this came about in an offhand way.

Last weekend, I wanted to play a quick game but did not want to pull out my minis. When this happens I usually pull out my RPG stuff but I just did not feel up to it. Lately, my RPG blog posts have been verbose and I wasn't up to the work.

As I pondered what to play I thought it would be neat if there was a mini-game that would cover Hans Niemand's activities between skirmishes.

This thought led me to En Garde! but I could not find a PDF copy. Besides, I'm not too keen on carousing and womanizing.

Perhaps I could some RPG-style gaming. But who would be the enemy?

At this point, I was perusing the Lead Adventure Forum and came across a post about Silver Bayonet. Of course, I thought, Niemand can fight supernatural terrors in his spare time! 

This then led to a crazy setting idea. After the Turks retreat from Vienna, Imperial scouts pursue into Ottoman territory, only to find it overrun by supernatural terrors. It turns out that the Turks woke Vlad Dracula, who unleashed a horde of undead that conquered the Ottoman Empire. Now the undead have turned their sights on Vienna!

This setting will allow me to intermix skirmishes a la Pikeman's Lament (with undead Turks as the enemy) along with RPG-style monster hunting. I probably won't use miniatures for the RPG-ish sessions; it will be theater of the mind.

While researching other gothic horror games I came across one called Anno Domini 1666 (emphasis added). I love the title for a horror game, so I will likely move the setting back a bit to 1666. This will require some minor adjustments to the setting (no siege yet) and possibly the rules, but nothing significant.

Anyway, stay tuned for the 1666 campaign!

Some Thoughts on my 1683 Project

Just some random thoughts on my project after I've done a little research.

Uniform Colors

They aren't uniform, and that is a problem with 3mm.

For 3mm wargames, I have found it easiest to distinguish sides based on color. For example, red army will fight the blue army.

In 1683, there is a lot of color variation among units on a side. Some examples:

• Janissaries are often depicted in red or blue while Azabs are green
• Polish infantry seemed to favor blue while the hussars preferred red

Because of this, I am leaning toward a decidedly non-historical approach (or call it alternate history if you will). I'm thinking of doing the Polish army in red, Ottomans in blue, and Imperialists in white. If (more likely when) I add Russians, they'll be green.

Battle of Vienna Scenario

I found a really good scenario for Jan Sobieski's relief of Vienna. It's in Wargames Illustrated # 204. I was able to get a copy via eBay.

Here is a map of the scenario, with the Turks in orange:

The order of battle is for the DBR rules, but I can convert quite easily.

The scenario is quite large. Even if I scale it down a bit, it will be too big to handle on a single board. Therefore, I think I'll run it as three scenarios - left, center, right.

Bye Bye Byzantines

When I first got bitten by the 1683 bug, I mentioned that I planned to finish my Byzantine project first. Well, I've thrown that plan out the window.

How did that happen? When I received my recent order from Magister Militum, I put the Byzantines aside and began rummaging through my pike & shot figures. I then realized that I don't have the motivation for the Byzantines right now.

With gaming, I generally have the philosophy of just going with the flow. If I am in the mood for pike & shot, just do it. Don't try to force something else because I won't enjoy what should be a fun hobby.

So there you have it. My 1683 project moves to the top spot. I plan to keep it small at first and just paint what I need for my Pikeman's Lament-ish campaign.

But don't worry about the Byzantines. I'll get back to them. Those Sassanian elephants are really tempting.

Skirmish at Dimpelhof

Time for a bonus battle report!

I managed to play a couple of miniature games recently and wanted to share both.

Pikeman's Lament Campaign

I previously mentioned that I liked the campaign system in PL. I decided to give it a whirl using MicroBattle rules.

The year is 1683,

The location is the countryside around Vienna.

The Ottoman Turks have invested the city, which holds out heroically.

Meanwhile, Imperial forces outside the city are harrying and raiding the Turks.

Our hero, Fahnrich Hans Niemand commands one of these forces.

Fortunately, as the son of a priest, he is blessed. In PL terms, he is immune to lucky blows. I'll see how that plays out with my rules.

The Mission

HQ has received word that a Turkish force is raiding for supplies in the area. His commander sends Niemand out to drive off the raiders.

Game Set-Up

I lack figures in white coats, so I am using red to represent the Austrians. The Turks are in blue.

I am using my 5 x 7 battle board.

The opposing forces:

• Niemand - 2 platoons of infantry, one of dragoons (represented by skirmishers), and a regimental gun
• Raiders - 2 bands of Tatar horsemen (4 figures per stand), 1 Azab infantry, and 1 troop of Sipahis

The Skirmish

Niemand's infantry spots the Turks marching on the village of Dimpelhof.

The Tatars reach the village and set it alight.  The dragoons move forward and mow the Tatars down.

Another unit of horse charges Niemand's gun. It gets overwhelmed.

The remaining Turks choose to fight on. Niemand moves to the infantry on the left so he can encourage them against the Sipahis. The infantry's musketry keeps the Turks at bay.

Niemand draws the infantry back, giving the gun an open shot on the Sipahis. The gun goes into action, and the Sipahis flee.

The Azabs quickly follow!

Niemand rushes to aid the village. Fortunately, Niemand's arrival prevented wholesale slaughter, and most of the villagers escaped harm. Niemand's troops lend a hand dousing the flames. Some houses are destroyed, but the village is saved.

Niemand returns to HQ to honor and acclaim!

Game Notes

Well that was quick. The Austrians managed to rout the Tatars in one turn, leaving the Turks outnumbered. It seemed pretty much over at that point.

This victory gives Niemand 5 honor. His career is off the a good start.

I did not use any of the additional objectives found in PL. I may do so next skirmish.

On the Outskirts of Vienna

It's time for a miniatures game so I decided to did a small one with my mini set-up. Also, in the spirit of my latest historical craze, I'm featuring Poles vs. Turks.

Set-Up

I rolled on my scenario chart and came up with Defense. I decided that the Turks will defend a village on the outskirts of Vienna during the siege.

The Poles (red army) have 2 cavalry and 2 infantry with a leader

The Turks (blue army) have 3 infantry and 1 skirmisher unit

I'm using my MicroBattle rules for horse & musket battles. I'm not exactly sure yet how to tweak the rules to represent late 17th century battles.

Background

September 1683.

The Turks are besieging Vienna. The Poles have ridden to the relief of the city.

A Turkish detachment has garrisoned the tiny village of Nirgends outside of Vienna. Part of the Polish army approaches the detachment.

A unit of hussars crests a hill. The Turk sentinels raise the alarm.

The Poles advance on the village but are repulsed. On the left, the hussars wipe up Turkish skirmisher but the horse on the right is surprisingly immobile.

Note - the horse kept rolling 1 for activation, and I forgot to give them a bonus for having a general with them.

Finally, the hussars on the right charge into battle, overrunning some Turkish infantry.

They get swept up and attacked the village. They failed to take it, but did inflict some casualties.

The Polish infantry come up and storm the village. 

Victory for the Poles!

Game Notes

I made one tweak to the rules. Previously, I changed the rules so that both sides roll in melee. However, I realized that this provides a disincentive for getting stuck in. For musket-armed infantry, it's better to sit back and shoot. In order to encourage melee, I decided that units losing a melee will have a disadvantage when rolling for disorder and retreat. This will make melee risky, but potentially more decisive.

Project Updates

1683 Vienna Project

I've been doing research for my 1683 project.

I picked up a couple of rulesets:

• Baroque is an Impetus variant. It has a few army lists, including Imperialists, Ottomans, and Poles.
• But I am most interested in Pikeman's Lament from Osprey.

It's really geared toward smaller actions, but I find the campaign system very intriguing. It follows the fortunes of your commander, as he leads a company through a series of actions, and (hopefully) rises in experience and rank. I'm thinking of creating an Austrian officer and running a campaign for him.

PL's force lists are geared for western European armies, but I found some online suggestions for eastern armies.

I currently have some 3mm figures that will do for cavalry. I placed an order with Magister Militum for some infantry and dragoon. I can do 1683 as a small side project.

Byzantine Project

I placed my orders for my Byzantine project. 

Miniatures will come from Magister Militum's 3mm line. Here is my shopping list:

Byzantines:

• Heavy/Medium Infantry will represent the skutatoi
• Skirmishing Archers will be light infantry
• Parthian Style Cataphracts will do double duty as Byzantine Cataphracts. At this scale, I can't really tell the difference
• Likewise, Parthian Style Horse Archers will do double duty as Hunnic allies

Sassanian Persians:

• Parthian Style Cataphracts and Parthian Style Horse Archers for the cavalry
• Persian Sparabara will be levies
• Skirmishing Archers as light infantry
• and Seleucid Elephants

I also ordered some terrain; the Roman Buildings from PicoArmor.

Operation Last Train

I wanted to order PicoArmor's Desert Buildings for my Operation Last Train sci-fi project. Alas, they were out of stock. I'll keep an eye out for them.

The Corrupt Forest

A Tweedle & Dunh Adventure

I'm planning on alternating between miniature games and roleplaying. Last week was a minis game so this week I bring you another installment of the Tales of Tweedle & Dunh.

Introduction

After their adventure in the forest, Tweedle and Dunh report their experiences to their master Groombal. He seems very concerned.

He sends them back, but they are attacked by vine blights. Dunh kills one but Tweedle is seriously wounded. They retreat and return home.

A couple of weeks later Groombal tells them, "Prepare to return to the forest. You leave tomorrow."

The next morning, there is a knock on the door. A young warrior, armed with a mace and shield, stands there.

"Good, good!" Groombal says. He introduces the warrior as Jonuz.

"A little extra muscle never hurt. I need you to venture back into the forest and find out what is causing the corruption you found."

So our trio sets off.

The Adventure

The TL;DR version is in bold italics

They make it back to the hag's hut without incident, then venture deeper into the woods.

The party's path through the forest.

They battle a giant spider

They come to the site of their battle with the blights (1) but now pass without incident.

Turning right, they come to a clearing. As Dunh steps in, he puts his hand out to push back a branch. He feels something sticky. He pulls back.

"Wait." he whispers, then shows his comrades his hand. A sticky web hangs from it.

"Spiders!"

The look into the clearing (2) and see a giant arachnid. 

It spots them, and leaps at Jonuz. He dodges. The party all strike, and slay the creature.

The spider's lair is a dead end, so they reverse course. They come across a pool (3) with green, sludgy water. Dead animals lay scattered about.

They discover a dead pool

Tweedle investigates, then announces, "It appears that these animals were poisoned by this befouled water.. There is great corruption in these woods."

They begin to follow a stream that feeds the pool.

They run afoul of some traps

They continue on their way, following the polluted stream. At one point (4), they fall into a pit trap. They managed to pull themselves out, but escape with some bumps and bruises.

Later (5), a swinging log trap strikes Dunh. As he dusts himself off, he comments, "I get the feeling that someone doesn't want us here."

"Indeed," Tweedle agrees. "Let's step more carefully from now on."

They battle some cursed elves

Eventually, our heroes come to a clearing (6), where they spy 4 elves. However, there is something off with these elves. Their skin is a dull gray and their eyes are filled with an angry red glow.

Tweedle steps forward, "Good day, good people..."

He gets no further, for three of the elves draw their swords and rush at them. The fourth scampers away down a path that exits the clearing.

Tweedle is caught off guard and cannot get a spell off. However, Dunh reacts quickly. He steps forward, parries a blow, and buries his axe into the elf's chest. The elf collapses.

Jonuz manages to hit his opponent, but gets wounded in return. The combatants begin to circle, looking for an opening.

Seeing that Jonuz is holding his own, Dunh goes to Tweedle's aid. He stabs the elf. Tweedle follows up with a successful strike, but his staff skitters off the elf's armor. The elf turns and slashes Dunh. Dunh ignores the pain and counters, striking down the elf. He turns and sees that Jonuz has also dispatched his opponent.

Panting, Dunh asks, "Why did they attack us?"

"There is something strange about these elves," Tweedle agrees.

Ambush gone awry

Dunh then asks, "What should we do about the one that got away? Should we pursue him?"

"No," Tweedle commands. "I have a better idea."

They bind their wounds, then hide in the bushes surrounding the clearing. Tweedle then casts an illusion of the party sitting in the middle of the clearing.

"I bet that the elf went for help. When they return, we'll surprise them!"

They wait and wait, but no one shows.

"This is ridiculous," Dunh states. "They're not coming. I'm going for them."

He then steps out of the bushes and begins marching down the path. Frustrated, Tweedle just shakes his head and follows, with Jonuz in tow.

They suffer the drider's sting

As Dunh strides down the path, Tweedle then Jonuz race past him. Then another figure brushes by; it's Dunh!

Dunh stops, puzzled. He looks back and sees his comrades.

"Yes," Tweedle expounds, "let the fake us take the lead."

And it proves to be a good plan. As they approach a clearing, the escaped elf jumps out and hacks at the illusory Dunh.

Simultaneously, a hideous figure leaps upon the fake Tweedle. It is half spider and half human!

Dunh rushes the creature and strikes. His axe bites deep into its torso. It lashes with its sword, cutting into Dunh's arm. He begins to feel woozy.

"Poison!"

Meanwhile, Jonuz and Tweedle take down the elf, then turn on the drider.

Dunh and the creature exchange blows. Tweedle casts a protection spell on his pal.

Seeing Tweedle cast magic, the drider turns on him. It strikes, wounding and poisoning Tweedle.

Turning, the creature strike Dunh again. He is bleeding profusely and the poison slows him. The creature is also badly wounded, but Tweedle doesn't think they can take it down. Not in their weakened state.

"Dunh! Let's get out of here!"

Dunh nods his head and limps from the fight. Tweedle and Dunh cover him as they all retreat back down the path. The drider chooses not to pursue.

They retreat and return home

They make it back to the elves' clearing and take a moment to bind their wounds. But they are clearly too weak to continue. They head back. Fortunately, they do not have any encounters on their way home.

What happens to our heroic trio? Find out next time!

Some Game Notes

As I mentioned previously, I've come back to the idea of creating monster cards customized to my own RPG stats. I created some for this adventure.

I didn't actually use them. Instead, I had some unillustrated index cards. Nevertheless, I like the look and will continue to develop them. For example, I notice I don't have room to include special abilities. I also plan to add more monsters.

Ultimately, I'll get them printed at a local copy shop.

A Bout of Insanity

In keeping with my plan to alternate between miniature game and RPG reports, I have an adventure on tap for this weekend. However, I've been thinking ahead about my next miniature battle. I'd like to do something historical, and this has led me down the path of insanity. I'm considering another project.

Note: I'm not giving up my Byzantine project. I'm just waiting until after my birthday to order miniatures and terrain.

My Convoluted Thought Process

How did I come to a new project? Well, it goes like this:

Step 1: Consider my options using my current generic armies

I have red and blue armies. Two historical campaigns immediately spring to mind:

1. American Revolution - Redcoats vs. Continentals
2. Napoleonic - British vs. French

None of these particularly appeal to me at this moment.

I did a little research and came up with another option - 1848 Danes vs. Prussians. Meh.

Step 2: Consider creating a new army

Perhaps I could supplement my forces with another generic army. If I go this route, the answer is simple. I'm rather partial to the Austrians, so white is the obvious choice.

Step 3: Consider a campaign against my existing armies

Where and when should my Austrians fight?

I have a blue army already, so Napoleonic Wars vs. the French or Seven Years War vs. Prussians spring to mind.

But again, not feeling it.

Step 4: Consider creating another army

Who else could fight the Austrians? Quickly, my mind turned to the Ottomans.

Step 5: The Ah Ha Moment

If I go Austrians vs. Ottomans, why not step back a bit to very early in the horse & musket period (or late in the pike & shot period)?

1683 - Siege of Vienna

From the cover of Osprey's Vienna 1683

Now I'm getting crazy visions. Imperial cuirassiers, Janissaries, and Polish winged hussars! Oh my!

Problems

There are a few:

• What uniforms do the combatants wear?
• Do they even have "uniforms"?
• What are the army compositions? How many cavalry, infantry. etc.?
• How should I treat pike & shot units?

The Plan

I see this as a long-term project. Here is my current plan.

1. Begin research on the campaign.
2. Complete my Byzantine project first.
3. Paint up a small, generic white army - this is an interim project to let me play Austrians vs. French or Prussians, and perhaps form the backbone of the Imperial army.
4. Then begin work on the 1683 project. This may become a project for next year.

As far as research, here are some considerations and plans.

• To get a better idea of the various uniforms, I ordered Vienna 1683 by Osprey
• To gauge how to tweak my MicroBattle rules for pike & shot, I'm reading through some rules that focus on the period: One Hour Wargames, The Portable Pike & Shot Wargame, and Twilight of the Sun King for starters.
• I'm also on the look-out for scenarios or army lists.

Stay tuned for updates on this project.