Tag: fantasy games

skirmish games

DIY Wargaming: Fleshing Out a Character

Circling back to my Wargame Heartbreaker*, I’m realizing the only way I can test out what I’m working on is by creating some characters and letting them fight it out. Drat. What a drag… how ever will I survive the fun?

I’m going to start with my Witch Hunter Captain. We’ve seen him before, he’s a dashing lad and should be entertaining to stat out!

Here’s the stats as they currently stand:

-Movement (MOV): Usually 6″, can be more or less, never less than 4 or more than 12 without use of powers.

-Melee (MEL): Fighting in close contact with an enemy

-Ranged (RNG): If it shoots or fires something, this is the parent stat for using it.

-Willpower (WILL): Used for break tests and deflecting supernatural attacks

-Endurance (END): Used as the base for figuring out Hardiness, and for working out how much damage a model can take.

-Strength (STR): Base score used for determining damage dealt in melee combat. (Strength+weapon damage)

Finally, his Wound Capacity (WC) is derived from his END stat.

For the Witch Hunter Captain, I want him to be above average (d6) in a few areas, and I want him to have a few perks and hindrances that give him that witch hunter energy.

MOV: 6 MEL: 8 RNG: 10 END: 8 STR: 6 HRD: 6 WC: 8

Skills: Perception (6), Stealth (4), Faith (8), Intimidation (12), Persuasion (6), Taunt (8),

Weapons: Sword, Hellbringer (signature flintlock pistol) Range: 5/10, AP 1, DMG: 2d6, Reload 2

Armor: Thick Leathers (armor 2)

Perks: Signature Weapon (+1 to RNG with Signature Weapon), Arcane Protection (-2 on offensive spells cast against this model), Command (grants +1 to allied WILL checks within 12″), Fearless (immune to fear effects and spells)

Hindrance: Suffer Not the Witch (+1 to MEL and STR attacks against spellcasters, cannot break from combat or retreat.

That’s an awful lot to digest, and I still need to work out a points-buy system, but it’s a beginning. Now I need to work out some opponents and make sure everything flows okay.

If you’re interested in seeing the rules system I’m cobbling together here, let me know in the comments and I’ll share my progress with it!

Again, apologies for the lack of minis progress, I’m still on the mend from the fourth major abdominal surgery I’ve had in the last 2 years!

*The team “heartbreaker” was originally coined for games that were designed to be “better” than the game that inspired it, most often Dungeons & Dragons back in the day. The term was a little mean-spirited when it was coined, but I kinda like it!

skirmish games, Workbench

Warcrow Orc Revenant

New year, new game!

I have always been a fan of Corvus Belli‘s Infinity miniatures, and have probably painted more Infinity figs than any other game. Mostly, that is because I worked in a game store that sold a ton of Infinity, and I was often contracted to paint armies for folks. I loved it. Loved the minis, loved the lore, but the game? Damn. I’m just not that kind of masochist. It’s crunchy, tricky to play, and I often found myself knowing I had lost in the first turn. Still, those minis are sublime!

We had been hearing about Corvus Belli developing a fantasy game for years, and most of us just assumed they would be putting out a fantasy re-skin of Infinity. Flash forward a few years, my store is gone, my game group is fractured, but dammit, CB just put out some lore for Warcrow, their new fantasy game. And… wow. It’s not an Infinity clone. It’s a good, solid game with very little crunch, and some amazingly well done minis. The lore is pretty spiffy, too!

My first fig for Warcrow is an Orc Revenant. The Orcs of Warcrow expect to die gloriously in battle, but they also continue growing throughout their lives. Once they reach their 30’s, they are pretty damned big, and salty as hell about not being dead yet.

These salty lads and ladies become Revenants, and set out into battle to meet the best end possible. The figure makes me happy, and I had a really good time painting him!

Assembly, on the other hand, wasn’t so great. The model is made from Siocast, which is a pretty environmentally friendly type of thermoplastic. I approve of that. The mold lines? Not so much. I also snapped the blade that goes on Punchie’s Stump, since it appears that Siocast is pretty fragile. I was going to complain a bit, but having put together more recent Warcrow minis, I’m happy to say that CB has worked out the kinks in the molding process and Siocast is working out pretty well for them!

Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, Miniatures

MESBG: Rangers of Gondor

I really wish I had started these sooner, but I really didn’t even dip my toe into the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game until this year (maybe last?), so I will be playing a bit of catch-up.

The Rangers of Gondor are a pretty good kit, especially considering they are mono-pose, push-fit miniatures. I was expecting a lot of sameness with the figures, but I’m actually finding that a little color variation can go a long way towards breaking up any repetition!

I’m holding off on painting Faramir (the true best boy of Gondor) up until I get the rest of the rangers done, but I’m having enough fun with these that I think I might, just really might, play a game with these guys!