Monday, August 21, 2017

Widower's Wood, Chapter One

OMGOMGOMG!!!  Finally, about a month after my Widower's Wood Kickstarter arrived at my door, we finally got to play the first chapter of the game!!!  As veteran Warmachine/ Hordes players, we were ready to lay some hurt down on the Gatormen rampaging around Widower's Wood.  Unfortunately, being unused to the differences between the tabletop miniatures battles game and the new board game systems, we made some pretty big mistakes, mostly with how much damage we were taking (we took a whole lot more than we had too, as you will see, haha). But even so it WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!  Everything about the game is well thought out, from the background story, to the characters you can play, chapter missions... all of it!  So!  Let's take a look at this amazing game and our experience playing through the first chapter.

Pretty game, no?

The Game:
     Widowers Wood, by Privateer Press, follows the adventures of Olo, Agata, Skarg, and Vaskis (plus kickstarter extras Victor Pendrake, Lanyssa Ryssyl, and wolf team Crede & Jagger) as they seek to prevent the mad ritual of a crazy, water fearing Gatorman witch doctor as he tries to unleash unspeakable evil upon the swamps.  The Widower's Wood is a small stretch of marshy wilderness outside the walls of Corvis, which harbors all manner of creature, from simple bog trogs to wild Tatzelworms, not to mention Gatormen, Croaks, and tribes of Farrow.

Characters:
     There are four main characters and three kickstarter characters in Widowers Wood.  You can interchange them as you please, but just to get the feel for the game we have decided to begin by using the main four.  Let's take a look at them.

Olo -
Olo is the main man of Widower's Wood. A Croak Hunter, he and his family (his wife Burita and his five newly hatched polliwogs) have recently moved to the Widower's Wood to evade the current unrest in the wild areas of Cygnar.  When his family is attacked by a Gatorman witch doctor named Rasheldonak who has been a friend until now, Olo must embark on a quest to stop the witch doctor's evil plans and make the wood safe again for his family.

Agata -
Agata is a Farrow Slaughterhauser, belonging to a tribe that lives in the Widower's Wood.  The Bone Grinder of the tribe often trades with Olo for things the Croak Hunter has gathered in the swamps.   But one day, the Gatorman Witch Doctor Rasheldonak pays a visit to the tribe, and slaughters the tribe, harvesting their body parts for a great ritual he is planning.  Fate or luck was with Agata when the doctor was unable to remove her face mask, forcing him to leave before harvesting her organs, and leaving her alive.  Now, Agata has teamed up with Olo, ready to take revenge for her fallen tribe.

Skarg -
A consummate warrior, Skarg the Voracious is a Tharn hunter.  His only goal is to find prey worthy of offering to the Devourer Worm, and proving his might in the process.  Intrigued by the sheer volume of destruction that Rasheldonak has brought to the Widower's Wood, Skarg agrees to come with Olo and Agata and assist them as a tracker, for the honor of hunting down the rogue witch doctor and whatever he may summon from the swamps as a gift to the Devourer.

Vaskis -
The Blackclads are a enigmatic group that watches over the vast wild areas of Western Immoren.  Vaskis, the Knotkeeper, has been charged with overseeing the Widower's Wood.  As Rasheldonak persues his mad scheme, the wood more and more is placed in danger of destruction.  Though the Druids of the Circle Oroboros prefer to work alone, Vaskis has decided to join the small group of heroes that are trying to stop the crazed Gatorman and guide them in their mission.

Chapter One:  It Takes A Village
  The four heroes decided to pay a visit to Rasheldonak's former village in an attempt to find where the Witch Doctor has gone.  Long ago, the Gatorman village cast the Witch Doctor out due to his mental instability and the strange aversion to water that plagues him.  However, it's the best chance they have of tracking him down.  As they enter the village, they are ambushed by bog trogs, herded by two Gatorman brutes.  Knowing that Trogs are often the unwilling pawns of the Gators, the heroes must try to kill off the Gator, and hope that the grateful Trogs will be able to give them information.

Chapter one set up and ready to go
And the game begins!  First, set up the board.  The game starts with the heroes together near the middle of the board, while the bog trogs and a Mist Speaker surround them.  Waiting in the reserves are several more spear carrying Bog Trogs, a few Mist Speakers, and some Gobber Pirates.  For every Mist Speaker killed, an XP is added to the clock tile on the edge of the game board.  When there are four XP on the clock, the Gatormen are deployed and the finale begins.  To win, the heroes must kill the Gatormen before time runs out.  In this scenario, there are seven rounds to fill the clock, engage the finale, and kill the Gatormen.

Game turns - 
Each round begins by turning over a card from the Event Deck.  The Event cards are special conditions for what the environment is each round as our heroes battle through the swamp.  For example, the Ominous Silence card has no special effects, while the Ripples in the Water card spawns a deadly enemy near the hero who rolls worst.  Then, each player takes their turn.
Round 1, GO!


Player turn - 
There are three parts to a player turn.  First, at the start of EVERY player's turn, they spawn a villain by a dice roll that determines type of villain and spawn site.   EVERY TIME!!!  That means in a four player game, villains spawn FOUR TIMES A ROUND!!! At the beginning, it's not that bad, but believe me, it gets out of control very quickly!!!  And if you run out of monsters to spawn, then the monsters get an extra activation... ugh!
Villains waiting in the wings

After the spawn, it's the hero's turn.  To start, movement!  It's a little different from a standard Hordes game... for instance, there is no "run" movement.  You can walk one space, or charge two, but only if there is a target you can reach.  After movement, there is the action phase.  This ranges from attempting a stat challenge, making an attack, using feat cards to make some superhuman, epic move... you know, the good stuff!  Then, you draw an extra feat card if you have less than three in your hand, and end with .... VILLAIN ACTIVATION!!!  Dum dum DUM!!  Because they haven't have enough chances to ruin our plans!
Event deck, character sheets, Villain actions, and the villan reserve
Our heroes moved onto the field of battle, hopes high!  Everything seemed to be going so well.  All four of the heroes spread out in their own directions, which was a BIG mistake!  Suddenly, with all of the villain activations and spawns, our two support characters, Olo and Vaskis, were cut off from the tanks of Skarg and Agata, and began taking some pretty heavy damage!  (Okay, so we got the rules for damage in Widower's Wood and Hordes kind of mixed up and took quite a bit more damage than we should have),  The big lesson here, never leave the support characters by themselves in a sea of bog trogs... especially when there are mist speakers around.  Those guys are vicious!
Vaskis, are you napping?  GET UP!!!
We were having so much fun (except for Vaskis... he actually got incapacitated since he was left on his own), that we kind of underestimated how many turns we had before we straight up lost the game... all of a sudden, we were half way through the event deck, and hadn't started the finale yet!  We had to get a move on!  But finally, the fourth Mist Speaker fell, and the clock was full!
Fill up that clock!

Agata used her restorative potion on Vaskis to get him back into the fight, and we made a bit more of an effort to get rid of the mist speakers.  Luckily, one of the Gatormen spawned right next to Agata, who managed to take care of it using a combination of her Great Strength powers and feat cards!  However, the other Gatorman was a bit more of a problem.  It gave Skarg a bit of a beating, and we wasted a few more precious rounds trying to seal the deal...
Agata chops up some Gator for lunch.
Finally, it came down to the final turn.  We either had to kill that Gatorman, or even with all of our hard work (and massive pile of XP we had earned killing off Bog Trogs and Mist Speakers) we were going to lose.  Imagine!  Losing the very first chapter of the campaign!  That was definitely not the way we wanted to start our adventure through Widower's Wood... That was it!  We were going to make it work, even if it took a crazy play!  The Commissar has SPOKEN!!!  Olo and Vaskis did what they could, but as starting level characters, they didn't have the ability to really hurt the Gatorman.  Next, Skarg took his turn.  Skarg is a brutal fighting machine, and we were totally expecting him to make sausage out of this Gator, but we didn't count on one thing... tough.  The bane of heroes everywhere... Skarg was successful in his attack, but the Gator was tough enough to shrug it off, and proceeded to slash and bite Skarg to pieces in his retaliation during the villian action... poor Skarg.  He managed to hold on with a single wound left...
Skarg becomes a Gatorman chew toy.
So it all came down to the last activation of the game.  If Agata could pull it off, we would win.  If she couldn't, then we would lose.  Using her Great Power, she charged over the rough terrain that blocked her from the Gatorman.  A roll of the dice, and she managed to hit!  Okay, here is where Skarg's attacks went wrong.  We needed a roll of 6 or higher to wound the Gatorman, but there was a pretty big chance that he would make his tough roll and shrug off the damage, and we would lose.  Now, in Widower's wood, if the damage roll was more than four greater the enemy's armor value, then you would do super damage, which is two damage points.  Tough can only soak one damage point, so if Agata rolled a 10 or greater on two D6, we would win.  Dice down..... rolling around.... came up .... 11!!!!!!!  That's it, Ladies and Gentlemen, at the very last second, in the very last attack possible, our valiant heroes managed to defeat the second Gatorman, and win the day!
Piggy Power!  Agata saves the day!
Conclusion - 
     This is a great game!  We learned a lot, and the next chapter should go a little bit more smoothly.  Big lessons this time... don't leave support characters by themselves, and don't forget how many rounds you have to wrap up the victory.   We spent a while after the game was done looking at the abilities that we could buy with the huge pile of XP we accumulated, so we'll have a little more control over our next adventure into the Widower's Wood.
Look at all that XP!
 Great game, Privateer Press!  Thanks!

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

AAR Skirmish! Gatormen Vs. Protectorate

The July meeting of the Fukuyama gaming club was on the same weekend as two great Warmachine/ Hordes events.  The first, I already mentioned last time was the tournament in Osaka, which sounded like it was a pretty fun day with a fairly good result for some of our members (great work, Rantei and the Kid!).  The other event this weekend was the Lock and Load Privateer Press event in Washington State, USA.  Oh man, Lock and Load!!!  I can't explain how much I want to go!  I am finally making plans to go next year, so look out, Lock and Load 2018, the Commissar is on the way!  This year was the big release of the new Hordes faction, the Grymkin, and I am super excited it.  The Grymkin are unlike any of the other Hordes factions.  Imagine Hordes during Halloween - pumpkin headed corpse gatherers, beasts cloaked in the faces and skins of their victims, hollow troopers whose souls have been sucked out, and rabbits with big, pointy fangs that would scare the likes of wizards named... Tim?  I have to get my hands on this faction!  My biggest problem with it is that I've already got a Hordes faction (my Mardi Gras Gators) AND a Warmachine faction (The Interdiction of the Dawn of Menoth) and I'm not sure I can convince my husband that I need another army....  Perhaps a few models at a time?  Well, we'll see... maybe I can convince him I need the all in one army box for our upcoming Anniversary, heh heh heh.

My first game last week was a full on 75 point battle against DanTrollBlitzer, but I also got another game in against our new member, Leland.  Leland is almost ready to field his very own Cygnar army but it's not quite ready yet, so once again he borrowed my Mardi Gras Gators for a 35 point skirmish against Reznik, the Wrath of Ages!  We agreed on the Recon scenario (square zone in the center with an objective at each end, and a flag off of each long edge of the zone).

The forces for today's battle!
     Army List:  Gatormen, controlled by Leland.  Leland chose to stick with Bloody Barnabas.  This is definitely the warlock that I would recommend to a new player for Gators.  He's solid, his feat is easy to use, and he has a decent spell list.  Plus, since Leland used Barnabas last time, reusing him should make things a little easier.  There is just too much to remember for a new player to keep changing casters, so Barnabas should feel a little familiar.  Most of the list is the same as last time, with just a few changes...  The list still uses the Blindwater Congregation Theme Force, so the Posse has 8 damage boxes instead of the normal 5, and also they gain Snacking, a really great healing ability, especially in conjunction with the extra damage, and it helps to keep the Posse on the table.
     Warcaster:  Bloody Barnabas
                        Blackhide Wrastler
                        Ironback Spitter
                        Bull Snapper
                        Gatorman Posse
                        Croak Raiders
                        Croak Hunter

     Army List:  Protectorate of Menoth, controlled by moi, Kommissar Koala!  I feel like I'm really close to being ready with this list for the tournament in October.  Hordes armies, WATCH OUT!!!  Your flesh... IS WEAK!!!  Obviously, I had to make a few changes to accommodate the 35 point restriction (the actual list is 75 points) but I tried to keep it as close as possible).
     Warcaster:  Reznik, Wrath of Ages
                        Scourge of Heresy
                        Blessing of Vengeance
                        Heirophant
                        Idrian Skirmishers
                            +Chieftain and Scout
                        Alligent of the Order of the Fist (I know the model looks like Dartan, but really, it's an
                                                                                                                                       Allegiant!)
                        Vassal of Menoth
                        Vassal Mechanic
                        Paladin of the Order of the Wall

Dice came up Menoth, but I prefer to choose my table edge, so I decided to deny Leland the easy water terrain that the gators love, and he took the first turn.

Set up: Gatormen
Gators on the move!
The Posse made a skirmish line in the center of the table, and behind them Leland set the Ironback Spitter, the Blackhide Wrastler and the Bull Snapper behind them.  And behind THEM, Leland set Bloody Barnabas... Seems a little hesitant for Barnabas to me, but knowing Leland, he has a plan!

Set up:  Protectorate of Menoth
Reznik, moving into position
Battle Engines... so good for Menoth.  Pathfinder and a high speed, plus reposition (if I can remember to do it) are hard to come by for the Protectorate, and Reznik has it all!  He went over behind the lake since he don't care about no rough terrain!  Next to him, the Heirophant, Blessing of Vengeance, the Vassal, Scourge of Heresy, and the Mechanik line up.  The Paladin Order of the Wall headed out on the other side of the lake to try and protect the flag.

Advance Deployment:  Gatormen
     The Croak Raiders and the Croak Hunter lined up across from the Paladin... yes, he is to be feared!  Good luck, little froggies!

Advance Deployment:  Protectorate of Menoth
     The Idrians and their Officer and Scout lined up across the middle of the deployment zone, ready to lay some Combined Ranged Attacks on the Croaks or the Posse coming up at them.  I can't damage the objective yet, so I really want to try and clear out few Croaks before they get to me and rain flaming oil on my head, so the Idrians chose the Croak Raiders as their Prey.  Then, the Allegiant/ Dartan deployed on the far side of the pond, to protect the flag just like the Paladin.

Our Story: 
Barnabas, ever seeking to extend his area of influence, is taking a small skirmish force against a small Menite settlement on the edges of Protectorate lands.  He heard that there is an Arms Cache hidden in the small village, intended to arm the civilian militias should they be called to action, and has decided to take it for his own use.  Across the courtyard of the small town, the Effigy of a Paladin hero watches over the cache.  As Reznik arrives to protect the citizens, both he and Barnabas plant their standards, each claiming the village as their own.

Reznik is ready to wrack some Gators!

Round One:  Gatormen
     The croaks activated first and ran into the cover of the forest.  Polliwogs!!!  Babies!!!  Afraid of a few Idrians!  The Posse prayed for concealing mists, and then ran forward behind their own objective.  The Spitter ran into the middle of the cloud, gaining concealment.  The Wrastler riled THREE TIMES!!!  That is one pissed off giant gator.  He then took off running towards the cabin.  The Snapper ran between both of the heavies, while the Croak Hunter ran forward towards the middle of the table.  Finally, Barnabas moved forward and cast Death March on the Posse to give them vengeance, and Warpath on himself to give his battle group extra movement.

Hungry gators moving up the field
Round One:  Protectorate of Menoth
     The Idrians moved forward into firing positions.  Not everyone could get into range due to the little frogs hiding out in the forest, but I did manage to get two combined attacks off.  One shot missed, but 1 did manage to kill one croak.  The Allegiant moved and used his Shifting Stones Stance to gain +4 to his defense.  The Paladin ran forward, not needing to fear for his safety from any shooting, so I didn't feel the need to give him his stone and mortar stance.  The Blessing of Vengeance ran forward behind the Idrians, while the Scourge of Heresy ran between the forest and the objective.  The Heirophant moved up and put Harmonious Exaltation on Reznik.  Both the Vassal and the Mechanik moved forward to keep pace with their Jacks, and finally Reznik moved into the pond, cast Death March on the Idrians, just like the Posse, and then Lamentation on himself.  Now, to get into range of Barnabas to shut down his spell casting.

Getting ready for a tussle!
Round Two:  Gatormen
     Barnabas leeched all the fury on the board, and upkept both spells.  The Ironback moved forward and put it's animus Counterblast on itself.  It then spit a glob of acidic goo at the group of Idrians in the zone.  With a boost to hit, all 4 Idrians melted away to a puddle of ooze.  Killing them off triggered Barnabas' Warpath spell, and the Snapper got a free mini move, which he used to come forward a little more.  The croaks moved about 3 inches through the forest.  The three in the front threw oil and flaming darts at the middle group of Idrians, killing off three more and triggering Warpath again, this time giving a small movement to the Wrastler.  The Croak Hunter ran into the forest to join his froggy friends.  I'm not sure what's going on in that forest right now, but must be some kind of big party, since everyone wants to be there!  The Posse prayed again for the concealing mists, and ran forward into a skirmish line behind their objective.  The Bull Snapper walked sideways behind the objective, while the Wrastler walked straight up behind the Posse fighting line.  Barnabas walked forward into the center of the cloud and cast Swamp pit, placing a shallow water obstacle into the zone.

Still no engagement.... hmmm...

Round Two:  Protectorate of Menoth
     Hmmm, that seemed... awfully timid of the Gators.  Between the objective, the cabin, and the line of Gatormen, all the beasts are trapped in the backfield.  But, let's see how it plays out... The Idrians took their vengeance 3 inch movement forward, but were too far away to get an attack off.  Then, I made a TOTAL ROOKIE MOVE and forgot to allocate focus.  Man!  I know... I know... if you've been reading this blog, you're thinking, "Again, Kommissar?  You make rookie moves in almost every game."  And you would be right!  I wish I could claim that I'm just trying to help the new guy out but... well... we all know that's not the case.  Anyway, with their power up only, I can only hope my jacks will still be able to get some stuff done.  The Idrians charged the croaks in the forest.  One missed, but the others hit beautifully, with four dead croaks to take home for trophies.  The Allegient walked forward and assumed his Shifting Stones Stance, followed by the Paladin in his Stone and Mortar stance.  Two intimidating solos, if I do say so myself.
Reznik claims his flag
The Scourge of Heresy used his one focus to run forward towards the swamp pit.  The Heirophant moved forward and put Harmonious exaltation on Reznik.  Reznik, my man, moved forward onto the flag, ready to DOMINATE!!! But before he could do anything else, the gators threw in the towel, handing the victory to the Protectorate.

The Executioner at work
Conclusion:
     Victory for Menoth!  Witnessing the terror that is the Wrath of Ages in all his fury, Barnabas thought better of his rash decision to raid the village weapon stores.  With a final snap of his jaws, he called to his croaks and beasts, and slowly they faded back into the swamps.

This was a good game because I think Leland learned a lot about how to move around the board, and even more importantly that his brutal, vicious warbeasts need to get out in front to EAT PROTECTORATE FACES!  The Wrastler is a very strong beast and needs to out destroying stuff.  Learning games are great games though, and I'm sure that Leland will pose a great challenge next game!  I look forward to facing off against his Cygnar army, when it's ready!  Next gaming date, August 20th, in the community center near Fukuyama Castle.  Come and get a game in!