Showing posts with label Traveller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Traveller. Show all posts

Friday, 14 October 2022

Gaming in Sep 2022

 

  • 4 Sep - The Beast of Errinsford (OSE) - face-to-face
  • 7 Sep - Traveller
  • 18 Sep - The Beast of Errinsford (OSE) - face-to-face
  • 27 Sep - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
  • 30 Sep - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming

The Beast of Errinsford


The open table OSE game at our FLGS is becoming so popular again that we've made arrangements for a second table for when too many people turn up.  I volunteered to GM it and, given less than a week's notice, decide to dig out the campaign I ran online earlier in the year.  This is The Beast of Errinsford, loosely based on the module The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford by Chance Dudinack. 

Of course, in the first session the party went off in a direction that the other players never reached...  Player agency!
  • 4 Sep
Constable Ward -
my favorite NPC

The party had an ice-breaking encounter with a wild boar, entered the town of Errinsford, where they met several of the leading inhabitants (upon some of which they made a better impression than others).  There was a big info-dump (with more to come!), before an afternoon's stroll in search of the delayed caravan ended with a leathal encounter with goatmen and the desecration of bodies.  Then home for tea and XP!
  • 18 Sep
Joined by an old friend, the party continued its interviews with the townsfolk, getting madeleines and Maderia wine (and some lore) from Fr Willem the priest before deciding to head out to see Vivienne, the witch that lives in the forest.  On the way, they came across the body of an elf being devoured by giant centipedes, which managed to poison Winston the dwarf.  Vivienne got their trust by curing him and, over tea, told them about the curse that had created the original beast.  Yet another tussle with goatmen - this time they didn't desecrate the bodies, but instead fed them to the wolves.


On Day 3 of their stay in Errinsford, Derek the thief cased out the abandoned General Store, while the rest went to spoke to Riffin, the traumatised hunter who is the only known survivor of an encounter with the beast.  After picking up their packed lunch, they then headed out of the village, with the aim of getting to Sir Errin's tomb to reciover magic weapons.  They renewed their acquaintance with the local bridge-troll, who gave them directions, and had a night in the woods.  Sprites were plied with spirits.

Day 4 saw them come to the border of the marshes.  There they came across a strange shrine, which they debated robbing, but instead made offerings and petitions.  This led then the the missing Friar Dirk, who had spent the last few days in a pit after unsuccessfully trying to loot it.  Over elevenses, Dirk told his story.

Classic Traveller
  • 7 Sep

Our band of Free Traders did a bit of arms smuggling, almost immediately returning to the site of our last crime.  Contracting the Corporate goons who'd previously employed us as assasins, we were offered a black-bag job.  We very efficiently managed to exfiltrate a turn-coat scientist with minimal casualties.

Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls
  • 27 Sep
  • 30 Sep


My solo play of a version back in August of the Battle of San Domingo, 1806 at The Games Table worked out well, so I thought I would give it another go.  At the end of the first session, the rear of the French line had been forced to strike, but more damage had been done to the British van.  There was enough to call it as a French victory, with a good chance of them successfully withdrawing.  However, I thought I'd carry through on the scenario and and see if the approach of the rest of the British squadron made any difference.


In the end it didn't, the French were able to concentrate their fire as the British came into range, and ended up winning the day.

The Games Table...

Although I obviously didn't need much scenery for the BBIB game, I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of that on the neighbouring tables.  This is one of the reasons The Games Table is an excellent place to play a game.



Monday, 29 August 2022

Gaming in August 2022

 After a few month's break, I plunged back into gaming.

  • 1 Aug - Classic Traveller - face-to-face RPG
  • 3 Aug - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
  • 5 Aug - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
  • 6 Aug - Barrowmaze (OSE) - face-to-face RPG
  • 8 Aug - Classic Traveller - face-to-face RPG
  • 13 Aug - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
  • 15 Aug - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls - solo wargaming
  • 21 Aug - Barrowmaze (OSE) - face-to-face RPG

Classic Traveller
  • 1 Aug
  • 8 Aug


My first face-to-face RPG session since a Hallowe'en one-off game of 'Chill' last year.

This session was an experiment by the GM to see if there was any interest in running Classic Traveller as an open table.  Not only did he have the table-full above, but also others waiting.  As is his Old School way, everything was player-led and randomly generated.

In classic Traveller style we had five deaths in character creation (not me!) - much to the amusement of the staff at The Games Table.  

We then spent a lot of time trying to find trading opportunities, before hitching our star to a local smuggler.  During our week in hyperdrive, a great deal of speculation took place on whether our inexperienced gang of newbies could over-power the heavily-armed and experienced crew.  In the end, we went along quietly, and made a small profit on our trade goods.

Almost immediately ater hitting planetside we got hired as assasins in a corporate war.  A fortnight was spent on survellance and planning before we carried out an old-school mafia hit, gunning the exec and his bodyguards down in the street as he visited his mistress's appartment.

Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls

It's that time of year again!  With International Naval Wargaming Day (INWarD 2022) on 6 August, my mind turned to playing some solo games.  I wanted to sit down for an afternoon and do a fleet action, but first I needed to familiarise myself with my ruleset of choice - Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls.  

I've decided that I quite like BBIB.  It may be too simplistic for some, but it suits my needs nicely at the moment.
  • 3 Aug
In a single-ship action, Sir Henry Fearless of HMS Possum (74) faced-off against a Frenchman, with predictably disastrous results.


  • 5 Aug
This session was based on an engagement in which two British frigates engaged a French 74 on a lee shore.  

About an hour in, I realised that I was forgetting an important rule.  This had the effect of reducing the British firepower by 57%, but the French by only 22%.  I played on under those conditions, but perhaps unsurprisingly, both frigates had struck their colours by Round 7.
  • 13 Aug
Same as above, but now with added marines!

In the end, only one ship's marines got to fire (once), and they missed.  This was because the frigates failed to engage the 74 at close range.  After a game of long-bowls, the French managed to withdraw and complete their victory conditions.  Nevertheless, I've made a record everyone's positions and damage, and may play it as the start of a chase-engagement (a bit of a forlorn hope for the British, but we'll see).
  • 15 Aug

And I finally got the fleet action I'd planned for INWarD, courtesy of a big table at my FLGS.  Write-up here.

My version of the Battle of San Domingo, 1806, played solo over four and a half hours (refreshments were on hand!).  On this occasion, the French won.  Highlights included the collision of two British ships and the French piling fire into the confusion.

Having a big set-up at The Games Table worked very well, I will do it again.

Barrowmaze
  • 6 Aug
Regular readers will know that this is a long-term, open-table game at my FLGS.  With lockdown and me now working on Sundays, I've not been to a session since March 2020.

Six years has passed in game-time, during which time my character has been wandering the earth, preaching the Word of Solis and, in particular, telling of the Solstice Miracle that took place in our stronghold.  Unfortunately, he didn't survive this delve, but his legacy lives on.
  • 21 Aug
My new cleric turned up at the stronghold expecting to start his training, only to find his mentor dead and they weight of his responsibilities thrown on his shoulders.

We took our new boats for a spin and got lost in the marshes, ending up near what looked suspiciously like a dragon's lair and a temple occupied by a Medusa.  We beat a retreat back to the barrows we knew!


Going to the entrance we'd planned to start in, we had a successful delve, defeating a Black Pudding and finding what we hope is the key to a locked door that's been holding us up.  We then fell foul of "one more room" and had an encounter with a couple of Mummies, which left one PC dead and another comatose with Mummy Rot (we abandoned him).  

Apparently smashing the capotic jars doesn't destroy Mummies. 
*smash* *smash* *stamp* *stamp*
"Any effect on the mummy?"
"He's absolutely furious."