He shoots - he Sscoooorresss!

2016 and the start of some regular gaming. Hurray. Today it was Guild Ball. My Masons taking on the Dark Templars Butchers. Our first proper game with six a side teams, needing 12 victory points to claim the win.

Now I had given the game some thought. We had played a couple games with the Starter Box sets and learned a fair bit from that. We both agreed that this is a really good game to play and that each of the teams has its own distinct character. The players combinations and styles are also unique and the game dynamics are very well thought out.

Team selection.

My captain Honour is in, as the whole team revolves around her.
Next is Harmony. She is linked with Honour and can even use Honours stats in certain situations.
Marbles is in the line up. He is a cool mascot and can be great for the team.
Flint is my ball carrier and main Kicker so he is a must. Long distance kicking if Influence is used well.
Mallet is a solid player if a bit slow. He will be shoring up the middle of the park.
My final choice was the inclusion of Tower. I liked the way he could dish damage against Knocked Down players.

Tactics

I had a basic plan. I knew that the Butchers would want to take hold of the middle of the field and then lock the Masons into battle and beat them senseless. To counter this I planned to kick the ball wide to create space and then pass it a fair bit to generate Momentum and use the Give'n'Go and Pass'n'Move rules to allow characters an extra 4" Dodge. This had worked well in our starter games and with Flint on the board I should be able to really take advantage of this.

I planned to use Marbles to tie up  the Butchers ball carrier Brisket. Marbles has the Goad ability. This forces the named model to move towards Marbles all the time he is on the board. Also because Marbles has Loved Creature the Butchers will not want to kill him early. This gives the team big bonuses in the turn he dies. So move Marbles away from the play and lock Brisket out of the action.

Tower and Mallet will engage the Butchers in the middle of the park.

Honour, Harmony and Flint will form a flying squad and operate on the sidelines with a view to scoring 3 goals. Each worth 4 victory points.

The plan is to score early and then use Flint, Marbles, Honour and Harmony to Tackle. They have Tackle in their first damage slot and this will be important.

The main thing is to move and pass. Score early and try to get the ball back. Take advantage of the early rounds when I have all my guys on the board.

The Game

The Masons started the game by kicking off.

I lined up with my Kicker in the middle and then split Harmony and Honour. This gave me options to move the ball away from Brisket. I kicked diagonally and placed the ball just over the half way line. 4 dice needing a single 4+ roll. Fail! The ball scatters and ends up almost off the board.

The Dark Templar had included Shank in his line-up and I think the model is just spectacular. I love those flowing chains.

Brisket was lined up on the Butchers right, so would be the target for Marbles. Ox and Boar lined up in the middle with Boiler on the left.

The chase was on to pick up the ball. I actually managed to get Flint to the ball. He ran down the line with it and then kicked back to Harmony. 4 dice needing a single 4+, Fail! OMG! The plan had been to make two or three passes to give extra movement to Harmony and Honour but No.

The ball scatters and both teams decend on it. Ox comes through and finally gets hold of it. Love that model too and the DT has done a cool painting job on him.

It looked like I was in real trouble.

Marbles had done his job and was locking down Brisket and Princess on the left and Tower and Mallet were standing up to Boar in the middle.

I realised that I could hit Boar on a 2+ and planned to try and take him out. Mallet hit him with Knock Down. I had given Tower loads of Influence and he then got stuck into the prone Boar. I got close but couldn't quite kill him. I needed to have a third person there to guarantee success. I got soon close though.

I sent Honour after Ox to Tackle for the ball.

He countered a couple of times and so the ball exchanged hands. It was very dramatic and thankfully I had given her enough Influence to do the job. Finally she got the ball and passed it down the field to Flint who used Pass'n'Move to advance towards the goal.

Finally Flint uses Super Shot to gain Kick bonuses and takes his shot with 5 dice needing a 4+.

Success!! The Masons score. It's our first ever and quite dramatic! Yippee!

Now in reality I was being beaten to a pulp elsewhere on the board. All that messing at the beginning was costing me. I had been 6-0 down but this score got me back to 6-4.

In Guild Ball the ball bounces straight back into play. It bounced out to the far wing so I used Run the Length to advance Flint in its direction.

The problem for the Masons was that we were losing players. This then gave numerical advantage to the Butchers and additional dice rolling advantages. We needed to retrieve the ball quickly and score again to have any hope of victory.

Both Marbles and Flint have Tackle in the first damage columns. I needed to use this. Marbles continued to Goad Brisket so she couldn't escape with the ball and this gave Flint the chance to get close and Tackle the ball back.



Shank was close and he stole in back for the Butchers. He hit Flint hard and did a lot of Damage allowing him to Wrap. He Tackled on the first damage and Flint used Close Control to hold on to the ball but Shank Tackled again on the Wrap and then stole away.



Honour went down to Ox. Marbles went down and then in the Maintenance phase Flint finally went down to Poison.

Butchers win 12 - 4.

Summary

We love the game. This one was good fun. It was unfortunate that I fumbled the ball so much in the beginning but once I finally got hold of it and generated Momentum I started to shine.

It is clear that each character has its own role and getting them doing the things that they are good at is vital to having success. We learned a lot in this our first proper game and it was great to see some of the new characters in action.

We still have a lot to learn and I know I will enjoy the journey.

Building my Warband for Frostgrave

Yes folks,  Frostgrave is giving me lots to think about.


Spells
Spells are a big part of the game. Each Warband has 2 casters and they cast the same spells. The Apprentice is less good than the main wizard and suffers a +2 to the dice roll. I figure that it is important to choose low value spells in the beginning to increase the chances of being successful when casting.

I have decided to take an Elementalist as my Wizard. In my mind this is a proper wizard. He has lots of damage related spells which should be fun and a couple that provide cover in the form of a shield or wall. The down side is that all spells are starting level 10 / 12 to cast (on a D20). There are no level 8 spells.

I just like the idea of Elemental Bolt. You shoot a bolt of lightening at anybody in line of sight. No distance restriction. You get a +8 benefit to your dice roll. So it is my Shoot against the target Fight. We both roll a D20 and add the modifier. Most characters have a Fight of around +2 so my +8 is a major advantage. It is a level 12 starting spell so not great in the beginning but later in the campaign could be dominant.

Elemental Shield might be handy and is starting level 10. It absorbs 3 damage.

Wall is another level 10 spell and allows a 6" section of wall to appear on the board near the caster. Could be great for breaking LOS.

He is allied with Chronomancer where the spells are mainly to do with movement and the environment, Summoner who summons a lot and Enchanter who does what it says on the tin. In order to use spells from these disciplines you suffer a +2 to your dice roll. I thought I would go for level 8 spells to start with.

I like Leap from Summoner - you can move the target 10". If carrying treasure your move, typically 6" / 7", is halved, so a 10" move could be very handy indeed.

Enchant Weapon from Enchanter is also level 8 and bestows a benefit to a weapon that lasts for the entire game. Cool. Might be good on a bow.

Telekinesis from Enchanter is also a level 8 spell. Move any treasure within 24" unto 6".

I can start with two more spells but from the Neutral schools of magic. To cast these I have to add 4 to the dice so they will be pretty useless in the beginning.

I am thinking that I will only look to these spells in an emergency so I had better go for something dramatic.

Steal Health looks interesting. You gain 3 health and the opposing character loses 3 health. When its down to the wire and it is do or die I might just opt for using this level 10 spell.

Blinding Light also looks good in that you dazzle the opposing character and they can't use their Line of Sight abilities. Again this could be a last ditch action so I think I will go for it. Another level 10 spell though.

So there we have it. After much reading I am going for Baldric the Elementalist and his apprentice Ming. They will be using Leap and Telekinesis to enhance team movement, dropping walls and shields to protect the war band and ultimately they are a massive threat because of the ability to hurl bolts of lightening across the table. I am getting into character already! Kaboom!

Warband

I have decided to go with the following: -

Silas as a Ranger 100 gold, Clovis as a Man-at-Arms, 80 gold, Ann the Treasure Hunter, 80 gold, Samson as a Thug, 20 gold and Nelly as a Thief, 20 gold.

My Apprentice, Ming costs 200 gold so that is all my 500 spent.

My Warband is 7 members strong and looking forward to its first outing.

Gaming weekend approaching - preparations ongoing

Well myself and the DT have been bold enough to book in a regular gaming event. One a month and if we can work something else in between then all the better. Our first is scheduled for 2 weeks time and preparations are a foot. There may even be one or two new players in the coming weeks. Amazing.

Guildball

We are planning to have a game of Guildhall, building on our very enjoyable set of starting games. I plan to field the Season One team. I will hold Chisel in reserve for another day. Something to look forward to.

The painting is going well and I now have paint on all the models.

I still have more work to do. There are details to highlight etc but the bulk work is completed and it is all looking rather splendid.

I thought about creating a set of goals for my team. I had a look online and found some inspirational stuff for many of the other teams. I thought I would share some of them. Some really creative work here. Be inspired.

I really love this for the Fishermen. Someone had a proper brain box moment.

And how about this for the Engineers? Great thought process.

This could only be the Morticians!

And of course the Butchers.

I am still searching for inspiration for my own guys. We will just have to see if the muse pays me a visit. I would like it to be something of a Wow thing, a man has to set high standards you know.

Frostgrave

I am hopeful that we can get a test game for Frostgrave. The rules look handy enough and it has the potential to be a really fun campaign. If we could get one game every time we meet up then the war band could be building nicely.

I have been considering which way to go with my Wizard. As things stand I have started with an Elementalist, they seem to be fairly balanced, and then have chosen some low value spells to start off with. Spells are hard to cast in the beginning so I wanted to have a reasonable percentage chance when using them.

I plan to stick with the Zombicide names. So Baldric will be my leader.

I plan to use my Zombicide Black Plague models for the war band. I am preparing a list and having fun doing so. I have undercoated the models and at least two are advancing near to completion. I will keep you all posted on my final list and show the painting progress over the next few days. There is a lot of detail to the models.

I am very excited.

Frostgrave - its grabbed my attention!

A new year and a new set of rules. The Frostgrave rulebook was a present over the Christmas and it has been fun thumbing through the pages and getting into the whole scene. Your Warband builds over time, a little like the Blood Bowl that we played and enjoyed so much, last year.

The great thing is that we have been looking at developing a skirmish game ourselves and so I have a selection of models that might suit. However Zombicide Black Plague also landed over the Christmas and there are some lovely models in the boxset that are begging for inclusion.

They would make a wonderful Warband! To start I need a magician and apprentice.

That seems easy enough. Either could act in the roles depending on the nature of the skill set chosen. The chap on the left has that Necromancer feel to him while I imagine the guy on the right to be more of an Elementalist or Enchanter. There are 10 options to choose from with a whole host of exciting spell options. A total of 80 to select from so the resultant character will be very unique. I am loving the sound of it.

The next couple of models also seem to slot into appropriate rolls.

The guy on the left has a shield on his back and has all the hallmarks of an Infantryman while the guy on the right is definitely a Ranger with a bow over his should and quiver of arrows at his side. There are other options that could suit such as Marksman, Barbarian, Treasure Hunter, and others.

Finally we have the three remaining models.

I see the Dwarf as some kind of Thug and then one of the ladies could be a Thief and maybe the other is a Treasure Hunter. Anyway loads of possibilities.

One thing is for certain - they will need the application of some paint to get them ready to enter the fray. I am looking forward to this one. The level of detail is just outstanding.

I have watched some of the play testing videos on utube and the games seem to be short and sharp. This is going to be fun, fun, fun.

2016 Guildball Match Report

Hello all and welcome to 2016. May it prove to be a great one for the hobby. Lets get paint on models and play for fun.

We started the new year year with a new game - Guildball. The Dark Templar came back from his trip up north and we were ready to go. I was playing the Masons boxed starter set which I had painted earlier in the year. DT was playing the Butchers and he had done a splendid job on painting his captain Ox.

We laid out the board and were ready for whatever the day would throw at us.

The excitement was palpable. We were using the the full 3x3 and did not place and debris. We set  the target Victory Points at 6. There are 4 for scoring a goal and 2 for taking out an opposition player. They recommend playing 2x2 and I think this would have been better in terms of play, but we had the  mat so .....

There are some excellent utube videos out there to give guidance to any new players and it is advised to take advantage of this resource. I found it really helpful. The rulebook itself is not easy reading although the starter rules are excellent!

The Masons team was made up of my Captain Honour, my ball carrier Harmony and Mallet for some power.

We faced the Butchers who fielded the captain Ox, ball carrier Brisket and Boiler.

We kicked off and were both trembling with excitement.

First thing to say is that this game has real personality. We really got into it very quickly. There is a lot to take on board and the first game was all about getting a feel for the characters and learning a few tactics.

The Brewers are an extreme team. There way of winning is to stick the ball 'up their jumper' and wail on the opposition. The Masons need to play and score. It was great fun.

The first game was a static affair and Ox set the tone. By laying into Mallet.

This was followed by a proper 'dust up' in the middle of the park.

Before finally the Brewers got the first Touchdown. Mallet had already been 'laid out', so 6-0 to the Brewers to conclude game one.

So I had learned that I could not 'mix it' with the Brewers!

Game two was a much more fluid affair. I started with the ball. I passed a few times and each time used Pass'n'Move with the Momentum gained to Dodge forward an extra 4". This proved to be a really cool tactic and got me moving well up the board. We also spotted that Honour has a Momentous 1 Damage, 2" Dodge in the second column of her damage table. So if she Attacks and does 2 damage she can trigger this outcome. I used this to revolve around the group of Brewers. I had success after success. It was amazing and exciting. Really cool game mechanics. I loved it!!

Finally I got myself in shooting distance. I had 4 Kick dice and just needed to roll a 4+ on any of them for the fist Masons Touchdown! I picked up my blue dice and confidently rolled .....

No matter the game - you still need the luck of the gods. The Brewers pounced on my miss and proceeded to pummel my guys into submission. 6-0 to the Brewers. A trend developing. On the up side I had learned how to move the ball quickly and effectively. I had learned about Momentum and how it could be used to great advantage. 

The third game followed and more learning.

I started with the ball and this time I teamed up Mallet and Honour, using Quick Time to drag the slow moving Mallet up the field. I did't use Topping Out except once and this was a mistake as the extra Armour or Influence would have been important.  Responsive Play is a great advantage when linked with the Momentous 1 Damage, 2" Dodge. It takes Honour out of harms way. I slid Harmony up the field while tying dow the Brewers in the middle of the park.

This time Harmony got close.

And closer still, however Brisket got in a vital Tackle to retrieve the ball.

The Brewers had the ball back and were able to march down the field before Ox stepped up to do the honours and score the final Touchdown.

A familiar out come 6-0 to the Brewers.

Summary

This is a great game. There is a lot to learn and it is very chacterful. It feels like a cross between Bloodbowl and Malifaux. The game needs to be 6v6 on a playing field of this size. This will increase the options for each side and tigger more of the interesting plays.

The game is great fun and there is lots happening. There are plenty of dice to roll and there is a need for a multitude of markers. I'm not sure how this will feel when there are more characters in play but it manageable at 3v3.

We need to get dates in diaries and get a few more games under our belt.

Happy 2016 to one and all.