Forest of Fright

The 1666 Campaign with Hans Neimand

Background

After being repulsed at a small, unnamed hamlet, Fahnrich Hans Neimand decides to return to HQ and report on the bizarre events of his patrol. However, he hears more Turkish cavalry coming up from behind him. He decides to shake them by going through the woods.

The Battle

As Neimand's force treks through the woods, they lose their pursuers. However, they hear eerie scuttling noises from the copses of trees.

Dismounted and mounted dragoons lead the way. They hear noise coming from dense thickets (indicated by the red markers).

Game Note: I initially marked possible enemies, similar to some of the Two Hour Wargames rules. I quickly dropped it because it reduced the uncertainty. Instead, I just randomly rolled each turn to see if new enemies appeared, similar to Operation Last Train. I found this method far more suspenseful.

Suddenly, a swarm of small, hideous humanoid figures swarm out of the woods.

"Kobolds!" cries out one of the troopers.

Game Note: These are not D&D kobolds. I envision them as goblins, but I am using a German equivalent.

It can't be, thinks Neimand, but he does not have time to process the threat before they are on top of his troops.

The lead dragoons drive off the kobolds, but another troops (bottom) gets overwhelmed.

The mounted dragoons backtrack and overrun the creatures.

Neimand's infantry move up and drive the kobolds into the thickets.

As quiet returns to the forest, the dragoons scout ahead. Kobolds ambush the infantry, but steady fire cuts them down.

The mounted dragoons cover the infantry as more kobolds gather.

Neimand makes a stand on a hill.

Then he forms a line that backs towards the edge of the forest. The mounted dragoons charge and wipe out more of the kobolds.

This gives Neimand's force time to escape from the forest.

Aftermath

Their return to camp in uneventful. Neimand reports to HQ. He expects his superiors to be skeptical, but they are unusually attentive.

Later, Neimand is surprised when his captain approaches and awards him a promotion to Leutnant!

Game / Campaign Notes

I've been in the mood for a skirmish but I don't really have the figures for it. Instead, I decided to do a squad-based game set in my 1666 setting.

The scenario is loosely inspired by one of the scenarios in The Silver Bayonet, where the players get attacked by goblins. I modified it to be a solo game and then game Neimand a simple objective - escape the forest.

Initially, I was using the campaign rules from Pikeman's Lament, which requires me to keep a record of Neimand's honor. I decided I am going to take a different tack from now on. I will do a series of short, 5-game campaigns. If Neimand wins a campaign (wins at least 3 of 5 games), then he'll receive a promotion. I decided that this game would end Neimand's first campaign. A win would lead to a promotion. Well, Neimand won so he is now a lieutenant!

Next up, I plan to use the solo scenarios in The Silver Bayonet as Neimand's second campaign.

Return to LARP and other happenings

Return to LARP

You'll notice that my game posts have started to drop off. That's not unusual. My gaming tends to be active in January - February then tapers off. But there is another reason this year.

As Omicron abates, I am able to return to the LARP battlefield. Last weekend was my first time out since before Christmas. I also may be working on some LARP projects, which will curtail my gaming time.

Some Painting Progress

I managed to complete some Turks before my momentum wore off.

I have some Imperialists on the painting table. We'll see how long it takes to finish them.

A Captive Audience

The 1666 Campaign with Hans Neimand

I know; I'm supposed to flip back to an RPG report. But honestly, I haven't been feeling it lately. Instead, I decided to play another 1666 skirmish.

The Situation

After defeating the troll, Niemand leads his forces across the river and through the woods.

Emerging from the woods, he spies a hamlet. A small detachment of Turkish soldiers stands guard.

A view of the hamlet as dawn's shadows (literally) play upon it

Neimand decides on a quick strike in order to take some captives for interrogation.

The Skirmish

Neimand leads his cavalry in a charge on the guards. The Turks fire and empty some saddles.

More Turks pour from the house and come thundering across the bridge.

Meanwhile, The guards retire into the hamlet, firing as they go. Their shot scatters the cavalry.

Neimand manages to escape, and form a defensive line as his infantry marches up.

But Turkish firepower scatters the dragoons on the right.

And as the cavalry comes up, Neimand's men can see the unnatural, ashen pallor on the horsemen's faces. They flee back into the woods.

Aftermath

Fortunately, Neimand's troops are able to shake the pursuit in the woods.

But now, Neimand's way forward is blocked. What should he do now? Return home with what little information he has, or find another way?

Game Notes

I rolled to determine a Pikeman's Lament scenario and came up with Morning Assault. I tweaked the situation a tad so that it makes sense within the ongoing narrative.

A 1666 Horror Crawl

I developed the Bridge of Death scenario because I wanted to roll dice one weekend but did not want to pull out my miniatures or run one of my RPG campaigns. Essentially, I wanted a light RPG-like experience without all the fuss. 

Given my latest craze for the 17th century, I decided to place the game in my 1666 setting

What Rules?

What rules should I use for my RPG-like game?

I looked into Silver Bayonet, but it is a straight up miniatures game. Nevertheless, it gave me the idea of a horror-based campaign.

I also thought of using my homebrew, D12 RPG rules, but those don't seem well suited for horror. In those rules, the PCs are a bit too heroic.

Age of Heroes, a free set on Lead Adventure Forum, seemed like a possibility but I wasn't sure how to make them horrifying.

Ultimately, I began to think of brewing up my own rules.

What's a Good Horror Game?

I don't really have a lot of experience with horror games, so I began to ponder what I needed in a homebrew set. I then started thinking about games that provided a feeling of horror.

That's when I thought of . . .

Yeah, I know. Weird to think of B-17 as a horror game. But I think it has some elements that make a good horror game. For example,

• A feeling of helplessness - there is very little that the player can do to prevent or mitigate German attacks. Basically, you just have to sit there and take it.
• Death is ever present - Crewmen die regularly, and most planes will end up as twisted heaps at some point. Every time you play, there is this sense of impending doom.
• Increasing tension - despite their bleak prospects, you get attached to your plane and crew. Combined with the previous two points, this makes missions very tense affairs. The tension increases as you get closer to the target and the opposition stiffens. It gets worse when you drop your bombs and try to nurse your damaged plane back home.
• Catharsis - if your plane and crew do manage to survive, you get this strong sense of relief.

The Horror Crawl Takes Shape

With the above points in mind, I began shaping the rules.

• Like B-17, the characters will proceed through zones as they approach their objective.
• To increase the tension, however, I won't know how many zones to get to the objective. Instead, after each zone I'll roll to see if it's the last.
• The party will include a couple of major characters, whom I will give upgrades a la Age of Heroes. I expect to get attached to them and their careers. Of course, Hans Neimand will be the primary character,
• The party will include some minions, who will be very fragile. I expect many to die.
• Like B-17, enemies will tend to pop out, seemingly from nowhere, attack, and then melt back into the darkness.

To adjudicate events, I am using the base MicroBattle system, applying advantages or more likely disadvantages as warranted. I am still tweaking things.

Irony

As I mentioned, I wanted a game without miniatures, but I ended up using miniatures (meeples actually) to track positions and casualties. 

It actually worked fairly well so I ordered some miniatures to use as markers.

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.

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!