wargaming

This weekend I introduced the other half to Rangers of Shadow Deep. I created her ranger and filled in our rangers stats in the week, so we were ready to kick off as soon as we set up to play. A couple of turns in, things are starting to hot up in the village square. The glass of wine is a magic item that gives the bearer +5 enjoyment. Tiny discovers the body of Ranger Aventine, and a great dice roll later she recognises his sword. My ranger spots something glittering at the bottom of the mill pool—a treasure token. Tiny makes a grim discovery, a mangled body with some strange bite marks on it. Looks like the poor soul got it while taking a leak. Zombies, they're like buses, you don't see one for 3 turns, then 4 turn up at once. Our bowman couldn't hit the broad side of a barn all game. The man-at-arms however was more like man of the match, always jumping in at the right time and chopping up zombies and rats in one hit. The game received the thumbs up, so we're looking...

Here's what I've been painting up over lockdown. There's more here than I'll probably ever need for RoSD, but I got carried away, and I like the variety. My Witch Hunter inspired rangers. In my world these guys are more like warrior scholars than fanatical puritans. This chap's a mix of parts from the Frostgrave Soldiers and Wizards sets. Alladorian travelling folk. I took inspiration from the Tuatha'an people from the Wheel of Time novels, only these guys clearly aren't pacifists. Conjurer with crystal ball. The crew. A Skyrim inspired barbarian.  Archers from the royal army of Alladore. Backwoodsmen trackers. The two chaps in the middle might double as Rangers should I need more. Necromancer made from the Frostgrave Wizards set and load of Mantic Zombies.

Like the rest of the world, I've been trying to get my hands on a gaming mat over the lockdown period. With most of the stores I know either closed or sold out it looked like I wasn't going to be in luck. However a quick scan on ebay introduced me to a UK company called Artistic Impressions .  They make hard-wearing, digitally printed gaming mats, with over a dozen patterns ranging from frozen wastes, to grasslands, to ruined cities and deep space. They are all available in 3x3, 4x4, 6x3 and 6x4 ft. The style I wanted to try out was called ‘Battleground’ but didn't seem available in 3x3, however after a quick message, Phil popped one on ebay for me the next day. I ordered it and 4 working days later it's with me. So what's it like? Well if you're familiar with oiled tablecloths (the sort you see in France or in Mexican restaurants) it's basically that. The surface is mat and very hard wearing, while being very slim in profile.  The texture I chose initially,...

Like a lot of you I've been playing and hobbying Joseph McCullough's Rangers of Shadow Deep lately. For the few of you who are unfamiliar with RoSD, I can't recommend these rules enough, especially during the current lockdown (though it's much more fun if there's a group of you playing). They have rekindled my interest in the hobby which was waning of late. There's not a huge amount of miniatures required to start a game (though the number soon builds up if you intend on playing the various campaign missions), the space needed is generally quite light (a 3ft square will usually suffice) and the terrain can be as complex or as simple as you like. Your humble narrator checks the rules, while our adventurers arrive at the Infected Forest. The rules are simple enough not to get in the way, but complex enough to feel involved. They sit happily between board game style fun and RPG style immersion. And once you're all set-up it's no great stretch to ...