Koyote

We've only played two games so the play testing is still in the early stages, but overall I am pleased with how my house rules worked. No single warband is dominating yet and everyone's income is still fairly meager. The two areas of improvement that I've identified are xp awards and Random Encounters.

 

The modest special xp awards in the official Frostgrave scenarios suggest to me that xps should be a bit harder to come by. Also, after two games my Summoner is level 7, which is only 6 stat/spell boosts, but still I think it's a bit much. Consequently, I believe that some minor reductions to the xp awards are in order.

 

Casting ¹

The Wizard or Apprentice casts a spell from his or her own school: 10 xp

The Wizard or Apprentice casts a spell from an aligned school: 15 xp

The Wizard or Apprentice casts a spell from a neutral school: 20 xp

The Wizard or Apprentice casts a spell from an opposed school: 25 xp

 

‘Taking Out’ Enemy Models ²

Enemy Soldier: 15 xp

Enemy Apprentice: 30 xp

Enemy Wizard: 100 xp

 

‘Taking Out’ Creatures

Starting Health 01-05: 5 xp

Starting Health 06-10: 10 xp

Starting Health 11-15: 15 xp

Starting Health 16-20: 50 xp

Starting Health 21+: 100 xp

+10 xp if the creature type is immune to non-magical weapons

+10 xp if the creature was controlled by an enemy warband when it was taken out³

 

Exploits

Each Treasure Token recovered by the Wizard or a member of the Wizard’s warband: 50 xp⁴

Each Treasure Token held by the Wizard or a member of the Wizard’s warband at game’s end: 25 xp⁵

Each unclaimed Treasure Token on the Wizard’s enemy’s half of the table at game’s end: 25 xp⁶

 

...

 

I love the mayhem caused by random encounters, but if I am going to tie the level of the encounter to the level of the Wizard whose warband triggered the encounter, I ought to improve the chances that said Wizard's warband will have to deal with encounter. Thus, I've changed to the rules that determine where the creature arrives on the table from completely random to a little less random plus some fun surprises.

 

Not So Random Encounters: (optional)

If the players mutually agree to use the Random Encounter rules, then the level of each encounter is not determined randomly. Instead, the level of the encounter is determined by the level of the Wizard whose warband triggered the encounter. If a warband’s Wizard does not participate in the scenario due to an injury from Survival Table, then that warband’s level of encounter is it’s Wizard’s level divided by two (rounding up).

 

Level 1-5 Wizards: Level 1 Encounter

Level 5-15 Wizards: Level 2 Encounter

Level 16+ Wizards: Level 3 Encounter

 

Use the standard rules for the placement of creatures, but instead of determining the table edge randomly, use the following chart.

 

1 – The warband that triggered the encounter must place the creature in contact with the Treasure Token that triggered the encounter.

2-10 –The triggering warband's starting table edge

11-13 – The table edge to the right of the triggering warband's starting table edge

14-16 – The table edge opposite of the triggering warband's starting table edge

17-19 – The table edge to the left of the triggering warband's starting table edge

20 – The table edge is chosen by the warband that triggered the encounter

 

Please note that when the Random Encounter creature is placed on the table any model (excluding uncontrolled creatures) that is within 1” of the placed creature is now 'in combat' with the newly placed creature.

From Frostgrave's author's blog:

 

One of the most common requests I have received from fans of Frostgrave is for some kind of ‘captain’ to help lead their warbands. Thankfully, this is something I also wanted for the game. Sellsword presents new rules for hiring captains, a soldier who can choose his own weapons and armour, who can gain experience up to a limit, and who can learn ‘tricks of the trade’. (Not exactly skills, you see, but I’ll leave that discussion for another day). Of course, captains want a bit more than the mere retainer paid to other soldiers… Sellsword will also include three new scenarios, all of which have some sort of magical ‘limitation’ in them, so that wizards have to rely a bit more on their soldiers in those situations.

 

The focus of Frostgrave has always been about the wizards, and that is not something I want to change. Most soldiers will always be ‘extras’ as far as the rules are concerned. But the idea of a wizard having a trusted swordsman friend is just too good for me to ignore. Hopefully players will find the little bit of added complexity a worthwhile trade off.

 

I won’t say too much about Dark Alchemy at this point, except that it will focus on potions, scrolls, and grimoires. I have never been completely happy with the rules for these magical treasures, and with a lot more time to think about them and hearing a lot of people voicing various opinions, I think this will be a good opportunity to review and tweak those rules, as well as introducing a lot of fun new magical items!

http://therenaissancetroll.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/frostgrave-state-of-play-and-spoilers.html?m=1

Thug and Warhound


 

 

That's good news. It can get pretty chilly on the War Piech, especially after the sun goes down.

Fluger, do you have your warband assembled?

 

If I burn the midnight oil I should have a new thug and war hound painted in time for tomorrow's games.

I haven't received my copy yet. :(

 

I ordered the spell cards so my order was delayed. :(

Hey on a side note, what time do we kick things things off on Saturday? I noticed the website for the Warporch 40k event that first round begins at 9, will that be true for the Birthday Bash-Up as well? Makes sense to start early.

Typically we start around noon, but it's really up to Fluger.

 

 

In addition to Frostgrave I am going to bring BLOOD RAGE!!!

 

 

Blood Rage plays pretty fast, so we should have time to get in a game or two after Frostgrave.

Thaw of the Lich Lord has shipped!

 

 

 

Below is an synopsis posted by people who have received their Nickstarter goodies.

 

Crowmaster comes with a Blood Crow that moves and acts separately, but you need to add a special building to your HQ before you can include one in your warband.

 

Lich Lord power level; one word, scary. High level necromancer with many spells, most improved (Bone Dart on 5+), and 25 health. Plus he comes with an equally scary retinue, that turn up with him even when he's a random encounter.

...

 

Another thing about the Crowmaster is that you essentially get to field 2 figures for one warband slot, which is nice. Also, if the crow gets killed but the master survives, the crow gets replaced for free at the end of the game. The Bard gives a bonus to willpower for nearby friendly figures. Javelineer is a bit meh - poor at fighting and shooting but cheap. The Mule can carry 3 (iirc) items and exchange items with nearby friendly figures which opens up a lot of possibilities of you are lucky enough to have more items than available item slots in your warband.

 

Death Cultists are weak in all respects (stats-wise not the sprues) but some of the other creatures are downright nasty.

 

The new magic items bring in quite a few new features and seem to be well thought out.

 

The scenarios all look interesting with environmental effects, special terrain, monsters and so on.

 

For those wishing to get a head start on preparing terrain for the new scenarios, here is what you will need:

 

At least one wrecked ship and preferably a few more smaller ships or boats.

A cart or wagon.

A cauldron.

A throne.

6 doorways.

4 pillars.

The strange one is a 6 inch diameter wheel (think something like a bicycle wheel lying on its side but made of bones!). I'll probably make one with 6 or 12 straight sides rather then being truly circular, mounted about an inch above the ground with a few spokes coming out from the central mounting.*

You could also make 2 3 feet by 6 inches sections of riverbank if you really wanted to but this isn't at all essential.

 

Monster-wise some of the scenarios require Armoured Skeletons, Frost Wraiths, Death Cultists, 2 Banshees, the Ghoul King, a zombie troll, and another uses 6 Ragnifiers (hybrid reindeer beast thingies).

 

There are probably a few things I missed out but those are the ones I noticed on first reading.

 

* if you wanted to go the whole hog you could get some 'casualty' figures (Gripping Beast make some) that could be tied/strapped to the wheel!

Looking good.

 

Those are some fun conversions/kit-bashes. You are really getting into the spirit of things.

Those of you who joining me Saturday for the Hunt for the Golem, please arrive with your new warband's Wizard Sheet filled out and a writing implement. Below is a link to PDF copies of the "official Frostgrave resources," including the Wizard Sheet.

 

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=84340.0

I can't take credit for the Cork Golem. It's an image that I found on the internetz. Although know that I've seen it, I may have to make one of my own. :)

 

How's your warband coming along?

Where do you think Uggs originally came from?

 

Friday my 50mm Lost Souls bases arrived in the mail. In The Keep scenario one Treasure Token is placed on each of the four discs. Below I've arranged a mock up of my thief dashing to the disc to retrieve the valuable wyrdstone. He's in for an unpleasant surprise.

 

Also pictured below are all of the Imps that I should need for my Summoner's warband. I don't care for the look of the original sculpt's strange, human-like nose, so I've removed all the noses and replaced them with more frog-like snouts and nostrils. I used greenstuff to patch the casting defects and to rebuild the original model's snout.

 

Lastly, I've made some progress on my giant yeti's legs. I experimented with a number of fur sculpting techniques before settling on one that I like. And then it took me a few more attempts to develop the proficiency that I need to pull it off. The new fur doesn't closely match the fur on the other parts of the yeti, but I can live with that. It cost me too much time and greenstuff, already. I need to finish up the legs and move on to other things.

 

I'm so excited.  I should probably put my band together!  

You had better get to work on your warband of I will command the cork golem to crush you like a grape.

 

Nine days and counting.

 

As I was planning my Summoner's warband I decided that I didn't want my Wizard to summon run-of-the-mill demons. In order to match the odd model that I've chose as my Summoner,   As I was perusing the webstores of some of my favorite miniature manufactures I remembered the frog on the shoulder of the Mordheim Warlock model that I am using as my Wizard and I got an idea. My Summoners is going to summon demonic frogs to do his bidding.  Yes, demon frogs.  Bwah ha ha!

 

 

 

In Frostgrave there are three classes of demon (Imp, Minor Demon, and Major Demon), so am going to need three different sizes of giant frogs.  I've settled on Heresy Miniatures' Demonic Toad Familiar as my demonic frog Imp.

 

 

 

I purchased one of these odd little toads from a the clearance section of a US webstore, but I am going to need  at least 3 more.  To save money I broke out the Instant Mold and went to work.

 

 

 

When I made the mold, I was able to pull the original metal model out of the Instant Mold without much trouble.  However, the epoxy that I used as a casting material isn't nearly as strong as metal, so to remove the cast from the mold I simply cut the mold open with a hobby knife.  Because Instant Mold is reusable, destroying my mold costs nothing but time..

 

I had to clean up some of the detail with a hobby knife and fill in a few areas with greenstuff, but overall I am pleased with my first cast.  I have a second cast curing right now.  This time I used greenstuff instead of the less expensive Apoxie Clay.  I'm curious to see if I get better results from the greenstuff.

 

 

 

edit: The detail on the greenstuff cast didn't turn out as sharp as the Apoxie Clay cast. I suspect that this occurred because the newly mixed Apoxie Clay is more pliable than newly mixed greenstuff.

It's almost time to start painting!

 

I've assembled all of the beasties that I will need for the Random Encounters Table. My Frostgrave games will be set in Mordheim, so some of the critters from my menagerie will be counts-as models. The Giant Yeti (still pantless) is a counts-as Frost Giant. The Fimir is a counts-as White Gorilla. The Beastman is a counts-as Werewolf (both are a mix of animal and human and both have a bounty on their heads). The Cave Squigs are counts-as Ice Toads (both have wicked bites). And the rest are either generic or Old World versions of the creatures found on the Random Encounter Table.

 

 

I've also collected and assembled the terrain and figures that I will need for the 10 Scenarios in the rulebook. Giant Worm? Check. Genie? Check. Mausoleum? Check. My ruined Cathedral should work for the Silent Tower scenario. I still have 4 statues that I made for Malifaux Special Terrain Encounter Features and enough bits to make two more. Together all six statues can serve as Living Statues or as columns for the Temple scenario. I used a 60mm Lost Souls base to make a pool/well for the Well of Dreams and Sorrows scenario. Once it's painted I will pour a thin layer of water-effect into the pool to make it appear as if the faces are just below the water's surface.

 

 

Lastly, I have ordered four 50mm domed Lost Souls bases to serve as the teleportation discs for The Keep scenario. Borrowing from the 40K fluff, I've decided that the teleportion discs open temporary pasageways through the Warp. Thus, the tormented faces on the disc are the denizens of the Warp pushing against the barrier that separates the Warp from the material universe.

 

According to Munchkin, you shouldn't underestimate a Stoned Golem -especially if you happen to be a halfling.

 

 

 

I don't know if anyone beside us four will be playing Frostgrave, but you are certainly welcome to bring your terrain.

Those of you who have agreed to join me on this expedition, heed my warning: hunting the Stone Golem will be no easy task. Unlike the Stone Golem's cousin, Fred the Friendly Flesh Golem (pictured below helping a choking adventurer with a whack on the back), the Stone Golem is not at all welcoming to trespassers.

 

How's everyones' warbands coming along?

 

In less than three weeks we will be hunting the stone golem.

 

I'm in for the Illusionist.

Cool! Now we have four players.

Hey, I'd love to come down and play in the Frostgrave event if you still have space! I picked up the rules with plans to run the game up here on Orcas this winter with our local club, haven't played it yet but I'm familiar enough with the rules that I'm confident I can jump right in.

Peyer, were the first to respond so you are first in line for the last two spots in my Hunt the Golem campaign. And don't worry about being a novice, the 21st will likely be my first game of Frostgrave as well.

 

What kind of Wizard do you want to use? I plan to play a Summoner and Fluger is going to play a Thaumaturge.

 

 

We have one more open slot for my campaign. Who's interested?

 

 

As Fluger mentioned, there will be plenty of table space, so if you don't want to play in my campaign, there will be table space and other gamers to play to play against.

Yes, the more the merrier. :)

The Citadel cemetery makes a great addition to a Mordheim table. It's thematic and provides a good mix of obstacles and cover.

I've given more thought to Frostgrave's campaign system and i've devised some rules that, in combination with my proposed changes to the XP rules, should address many of the complaints that I see on Frostgrave message boards and blogs.

 

 

Victory Conditions:

Unless a scenario states otherwise, the warband that recovers the most Treasure Tokens wins the scenario. In the event that there is a tie for the most Treasure Tokens recovered, the game is a draw.

 

If one or more Treasure Tokens remain on the table at the end of the scenario, then the player controlling the victorious warband recovers one of the remaining Treasure Tokens (the victorious player chooses which token to recover) and any remaining Treasure Tokens are lost. In the event of a draw, all of the Treasure Tokens that remain on the table at game’s end are lost.

 

 

Game Length:

Despite the thaw, the weather in Frostgrave remains unpredictable and lethal. Anyone caught in the open during one of Frostgraves’ unnaturally cold blizzards will succumb to the freezing temperatures within minutes. For this reason, forays into the city are timed to coincide with temporary lulls in the weather. When the temperature drops rapidly and the winds begin to roar, expeditions into the Frostgrave must flee the city or risk joining the city’s innumberable frozen dead.

 

At the end of Turn 5 roll a die. On a result of 6-20 the weather holds and a 6th Turn is played. On a result of 1-5 the scenario ends.

 

At the end of Turn 6, roll a die. On a result of 16-20 the temperature begins to drop, but there is still time, play a 7th Turn. On a result of 1-15 the scenario ends.

 

At the end of Turn 7, the winds begin to howl and the warbands must flee the city or perish. The game ends.

 

Please note that unless a scenario's rules state otherwise, a scenario immediately ends when the last Treasure Token is carried off the table.

 

 

‘Last Warband Standing’:

If all opposing warbands have been destroyed or left the table and Treasure Tokens remain on the table, the player controlling the ‘last warband standing’ may choose to end the scenario or continue playing until the random game length rules end the scenario or until the last Treasure Token is carried off the board. If said player chooses to continue playing, he or she may terminate the scenario at any point during any of the remaining turns.

 

 

Legends Never Die:

When rolling on the Survival Table for a Wizard, replace the ‘Dead’ result with: “The Wizard is both ‘Badly Wounded’ and suffers a ‘Permanent Injury.”

 

If a Wizard suffers a second ‘Lost Eye’ result, reroll the injury until the result is something other than a ‘Lost Eye.’

 

 

Not So Random Encounters: (optional)

If the players agree to use the Random Encounter rules, then the level of an encounter is not determined randomly. Instead, the level of the encounter is determined by the level of the Wizard whose warband triggered the encounter. If a warband’s Wizard does not participate in the game due to a ‘Badly Wounded’ result on the Survival Table, then that warband’s encounter is Level 1.

 

Level 1-5 Wizards: Level 1 Encounter

Level 5-10 Wizards: Level 2 Encounter

Level 10+ Wizards: Level 3 Encounter

 

 

Underdog Bonuses:

"I love being the underdog, sometimes." –The last words of the wizard Graaver The Wise

 

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger – If, at the start of a game the level of one of the Wizards on the table exceeds that of another Wizard, consult the following table to determine if the lower level Wizard receives bonus experience points at the end of the game. In multi-player games, each warband calculates this bonus by subtracting its Wizard’s level from that of the highest level Wizard who participated in the game.

 

Level Difference : 1-5 = No bonus experience points

Level Difference : 6-10 = 200 bonus experience points

Level Difference : 11+ = 400 bonus experience points

 

 

The gods love children and fools – As the defeated warband limps back to its base they stumble upon a strongbox, half buried in snow and rubble. When the strongbox is opened, the disheartened adventurers see something that makes them smile.

 

If, at the start of a game the level of one of the Wizards on the table exceeds that of another Wizard by six or more levels AND the lower level Wizard’s warband does not win the game, then the defeated warband is granted one additional roll on the Treasure table. The defeated warband receives the additional roll, regardless of how many Treasure Tokens it recovered during the scenario.

 

In multi-player games, each warband determines whether it qualifies for this bonus by subtracting its Wizard’s level from that of the highest level Wizard who participated in the game.