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A Trio of Trouble

I decided to play around with skirmish rules Saturday morning using a three-way gunfight (loosely inspired by this). I am using some sci-fi figures from Rebel Minis.

The adversaries - Red (left), Black Widow (middle), Buck (right)

 Note - for the purposes of this scenario I assumed they were armed and armored the same - laser pistols and light armor. So no WYSIWYG.

Buck acts first, shooting at Black Widow but missing. Red advances on Buck and also misses. Black Widow sidles to Red's side. Her shot wounds him.

This time Black Widow fires first, killing Red. Again, Buck misses Black Widow.

The adversaries close. Black Widow grazes Buck; he is rattled and misses one more time.

After another round of misses, Buck gets even closer, and still misses! Black Widow doesn't. That's the end of Buck.

For this take, I borrowed the action point mechanism from Munera Sine Missione but used a 2D6 combat mechanism (a la the original Traveller rpg).

The Summer Lull Has Started

I posted this chart in January 2017. Although it hasn't been updated since, I think the story it tells still applies.

As it shows, I typically go into a blogging slump beginning in May and lasting throughout the summer. It looks like this year is following a similar pattern. I have only posted once before this month, and it had nothing to do with miniatures.

I tried to break out of the slump this weekend. With no pressing chores, I had the time. I just did not have any inspiration. I planned to experiment more with Munera Sine Missione but just wasn't feeling it. I managed a couple of quick plays using some 2D6 skirmish rules I jotted down a while before. I used tokens and very little terrain so they did not last long enough to write about. I also have some minis on the work table, but again I was not motivated to paint.

I did make an interesting discovery - Amazing Tales

Billed as "a game for children who love adventures," Amazing Tales is a rules-light role-playing game. Characters are simply defined with a name, a description, and a list of four things they are good at doing. Play is likewise simple - the GM starts the story, confronts the players with a challenge, and then asks the players what they want to do. When players use one of their four things then they get to roll a die (ranging from a D6 to a D12 depending on how good they are), needing a 3+ to succeed. If they succeed, they get to narrate the result. If not, the GM will increase the challenge. Note that it's really more of a collaborative storytelling game than a classic RPG (where the GM decides what happens). Nevertheless, it is an incredibly light rules system for crafting adventures.

Now I don't have kids and don't plan on finding any to play this game. However, it intrigues me because my wife has typically been put off by all the math in role-playing games. I'm curious if she would take to this.

A Couple of New Games

My wife and I have grown a bit tired of our current crop of games. We have some good games but they are a pain to set up (looking at you Fortune & Glory). As a result, we have primarily been playing card games with little set up time. However, we are bored of the same old thing. Thus we decided to do a little game shopping last night. We went to Barnes and Nobles looking for some simple games.

First up was Forest.

Elizabeth just adores the artwork and theme (a fairy forest). The game was surprisingly fun for such simple rules. You lay down cards with random numbers and kinds of little fairy creatures. You can claims cards once there is 7 of a kind on the table. The goal is to claim the most cards.

While the rules are simple, there is some nuance to gameplay. First, you must be observant enough to recognize when there is 7 of a kind. You also need to plan your moves - you want to build up to 7 but you don't want to accidentally set up your opponent.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience.

We then tried Dragonwood, by the company that published Forbidden Island.

In this game, 5 Dragonwood cards, representing monsters or enchantments, are placed on the table. Players try to overcome a monster/enchantment and collect its card. Monster cards provide victory points while enchantments provide bonuses in future battles. Players use Adventurer cards to buy dice; the player must roll a certain number or higher to win the battle. There are different types of attacks, adding some decision making to the process. The game continues until the two dragons are defeated (or until Onyx the cat sits on the card deck. Sorry, no picture. :( ).

This was another light game with simple rules that provided an entertaining experience.

Overall, we felt we chose well. We enjoyed both games. There was enough strategy in each to keep us thinking, but it was not burdensome with respect to rules or set up time. I recommend both these games for some short, light fun.

Note: all photos are from Boardgamegeek.

Munera Mayhem

Unsatisfied with my home brew attempt at gladiator rules, I decided to try out Munera Sine Missione from Alan Saunders (aka Kaptain Kobold) and Victor Jarmusz. As a test, I played a couple of matches this morning.

When I first read through the rules, there were elements that had me scratching my head. For example, it took more action points to move sideways than forwards. In my medieval LARP career, that really has not been my experience.* I was also concerned that it would be easier to move to the flank / rear than in real life. Nevertheless, I decided to give the rules a go as written.

I don't have gladiator figures so I grabbed some D&D minis. In my first bout, Jenna the halfling took on Durin the dwarf. Early in the bout, Jenna snuck in a couple of stabs, but Durin's heavy armor deflected the blows.

Then Durin got into an excellent position for an attack, and promptly fell flat on his rear (the attack roll was a double, which led to a special event; in this case the attacker got knocked down).

Durin managed to scramble to his feet. However, Jenna slipped to his side and thrust into a kink in his armor. Durin was now bleeding profusely.

Staggered by his wound, Durin could not match Jenna's agility. She got to his rear and plunged her dagger into his back. Durin fell down dead!

I did not bother with appeals to the crowd, although I am pretty sure Durin was a goner.

Anyway, I tried a second bout. This time Jenna faced Zorac, a lightly armored warrior with twin scimitars. Jenna drew first blood (a fairly deep wound) but Zorac replied with a slice that left Jenna in serious trouble. Zorac spared her no mercy; he followed up vigorously and ran her through

Overall, MSM worked quite well. It solved my main issue - lack of maneuvering. At first glance, some of the rules seemed a bit sketchy but they worked to create a balanced game with plenty of decision points. Maneuvering was important but was not out of proportion (note that I was using a square rather hexagonal grid, so that likely affected gameplay to some extent). At first, combat seemed like it would be fiddly but it actually was simple to implement. Kaptain Kobold has another winner here!**

* In LARP combat, I find I can move quite easily sideways while facing forward. In fact, doing just that sent me to the doctor once. Trying to cut off a flanking attack, I was running sideways while facing the enemy. I ran smack into a tree and injured my shoulder; I could not lift my arm above my head. Several weeks of physical therapy ensued.

** Lately Kaptain Kobold has posted about some changes to MSM  that he is testing. I'm curious to see how they play out!

Gladiator Experiment

This past week I experimented with some home brew rules for gladiator games (using a virtual board). I used the Song of Blades and Heroes activation system. Because I was only using 1 gladiator per side, I added a "fumble" in case the gladiator failed 2 activation rolls; otherwise there would be no incentive for rolling less than 3 dice.

Both gladiators are wounded

The system worked and gave an interesting game, but it did not work like I envisioned. Once the gladiators were in contact, there was no maneuvering. Often, the gladiator only had one activation, therefore attack was the order of the day. I want to see gladiators circling each other, retreating and advancing, as well as attacking. The SoBH system did not provide it.

I am now looking into the Munera Sine Missione system.

SMASH Ball

Continuing with my latest bout of GADD (Gamer's Attention Deficit Disorder), I had an idea for rules for a futuristic sport I'm calling SMASH Ball. And yes, SMASH should be capitalized.

The game is played on a 5 by 5 grid with 3-player teams. The miniature players (figures) try to carry a ball over the opponent's goal line. Players smash into one another trying to break through the line or get to the ball. Knock downs and injuries are frequent, much to the delight of the crowd.

A SMASH Ball court
A cross = injury. X = knocked down

Some notes on the rules

• The game starts with the receiving team on its back line and the defenders in the center. The ball is randomly give to one of the receiving players.
• I use the Song of Blade and Heroes activation system to determine how many actions each figure may take. As I described before, the SoBH activation system provides a lot of decision-making and suspense.
• With each successful activation die, a figure may move up to 2 spaces. Contact occurs if a figure moves into a space occupied by an opponent.
• Contact is resolved with opposed die rolls. The loser is pushed back or knocked down, depending on whether the winner doubled the loser's score.
• Getting knocked down might cause injury (roll for it), which inhibits the figures effectiveness.
• In standard SoBH fashion, figures are given a Q (quality) and C (contact) rating.
• Crossing the goal line is worth 1 point. Crossing in the center (red zone) is worth 3 points.
• Figures can also throw the ball back and forth.
• In my first test game, I played 12 turns for the half.

I have only played half a game so far but the rules have promise. I do plan to miniaturize it. Fortunately, there can be a lot of leeway on the players - I can envision my mutant gladiators playing SMASH Ball.