17 June 2024
Bluey & Bingo
Question: Does one dispense with the 350 pennies concept when determining the size of a warband? For those wanting to jumping straight into the game, the simple answer is "yes". If the game is the defining outcome sought, by all means. What you are likely to get though is a game where both parties run strong and powerful warbands. It's a mindset that is acceptable as well as understandable.
Using the recommended 350 pennies as your start point however far suits campaigning more because it promotes growth and expansion as well as change for a warband. It encourages those wanting to join in where the campaign is the perfect opportunity for this to happen.
And it definitely provides a narrative for those wanting more than just a quick bash at any given moment. I personally prefer this slow-grow approach and will put to this idea to my gaming buddy. It's a slightly different mindset and approach.
The rulebook offers eight scenarios for campaigning. But gamers being the creative individuals they are, for sure there will be more additions when diving into this game.
Campaign Ideas - Design
Each warband is given a region in which they control. All warbands are located within a defined area whereby they have their den. Below is a simple map showing a rectangle broken up into four evenly size locations or regions. Each region is controlled by a warband. What is situated within a region can be up to those involved in the campaign. Or someone can be the determined as the controller or umpire who determines the size as well as complexity of the regions. All the player has to do is either choose or be allocated the region impartially by the umpire.
Of course, the map does not have to be rectangular or square in shape. It can also be circular with the various regions overlapping (as in a Venn diagram) with the areas overlapping providing the incentive for the campaigning.
Or isolated from one another with neutral territory buffeting the parties involved.
Or it can be free-form in shape and size (like a geographical area) but again with either overlapping or adjacent areas of interest to those warbands with eyes on territorial gain.
Campaign Ideas - Objective
With a campaign, there has to be an objective. The ultimate goal or reward. It might an agreed-upon reward external to the game, such as a physical prize. Or it can a bonus awarded to the winning warband, such as improvements to the den or increased recruiting power. Anything.
Campaign Ideas - Duration
How long should a campaign last? An obvious choice would be to run all eight listed scenarios at least once with the winner determined at the end. If more than two players involved in the campaign, it's for the umpire to schedule games and opponents. After a while, if the campaigning proves successful, a staleness might creep in. In order to keep it fresh and lively, this is where the creativity of the gamers steps in. Modifying existing scenarios or creating new ones based on old ones. Anything is possible with gamers.
As for the scenarios themselves, they should be, at the very least, played once. The Open Battle scenario features several times when rolling the d12 and as such will probably be played several times although perhaps tempered at the umpire's discretion.
Campaign Ideas - Umpiring
Umpire? Yes, if more than three players are involved. Otherwise, the players can determine their own scheduling between themselves.
Owl-Bear
How does one classify an Owl-Bear for B&B? It's obviously a two-in-one, hybrid, creature. However one of those component creatures exists within the game; the other does not - too exotic for the region perhaps. The idea will be to take the best elements of either creature, as shown on the model itself, and create a new attribute table as follows:
Owl: Am using the Raptor (medium) attribute
Cost M S B R N C A F P Skills
42p d6 d8 d6 d4 d8 d6 d8 d6 d6 Flight, Unarmed Fighter, Strong (1), Natural Hunter
Bear: Nothing shown on the list of beasts in the rulebook. So am going to use the Hounds attribute.
Cost M S B R N C A F P Skills
65p d6 d10 d6 d4 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 Flight, Unarmed Fighter, Strong (1), Natural Hunter
Owl-Bear: Firstly, it's Rare. Secondly, it's Massive. And thirdly, it's extremely expensive.
Cost M S B R N C A F P Skills
100p d8 d12 d6 d4 d8 d6 d4 d8 d10 Unarmed Fighter, Strong (3), Tough (3), Fearsome, Natural Hunter
The Owl-Bear strike ability has to be top-tier so its gets the d12 roll for its strike capability. Does it improve over time (ie through campaigning)? Not sure. The best after d12 is probably not advisable otherwise the game loses its unique quality. And Rare is just that.
By making it 100 pennies in cost deters perhaps further expansion into the ridiculous realm of fantasy anthromorphic creatures although they were noted back in Medieval times - a la Basilisk, etc. I only bought it at the last Briscon event because I liked the look of the model and thought it would be a fun addition to B&B.
Not sure about giving it a d12 Presence just yet. The d4 Awareness attribute makes sense though; it's just a big dumb lunk that's happy to stomp anywhere and anyplace without a care in the world. After all, who's going to openly attack it?
Second Warband
By using the 350 pennies limit, I can create a second warband. This will likely be a Freebeast or Wildbeast outfit. They provide a nice contrast to my more conventional Royalist warband. It will contain my Owl-Bear whose name, for now, will be Brutus. A tentative composition might look as follows:
Adder - Hessel. Mage spell caster.
Owl-Bear - Brutus. Savage beast.
Weasel - Weslek. Veteran Crossbow.
This lot might indulge in highway robbery and thefts. Murder not uncommon. Kidnappings. Anything that will turn a profit, this trio of opportunists are trying to eke out an existence in the wildlands not far from the royal road.
First Warband
Is this my finalised listing for my first warband whose loyalty is firstly to King Redwulf Othyr and not Prince Reinert? Not a power play outfit by any means. More like your average outpost unit somehow forgotten from the normal everyday politics and shenanigans goings-ons by their location and isolation. Guarding a part near the royal road.
Hare knight - Sir Jasper Yomps. Leader. Names changed to protect the innocent.
Mouse knight - Sir Longshins. Deputy.
Squirrel - Wanda Witchazel. Spell caster.
Mouse shield-maiden - Ada, wife to Longshins.
Mouse - Dods. Scout/thief.
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20 June 2024
PC Gaming: Chants of Sennaar
"And now for something completely different...." Monty Python
Taking a break from the usual PC games and modelling and trying something more relaxing - a linguistic puzzle game set in the mythical Tower of Babel-like structure.
Deciphering the five different languages to reunite the communities living in this tower is the main goal of our protagonist.
Starts off easy enough. You encounter the first person and have to navigate the water locks to advance further. So far, so good. Pay attention to the clues. Lovely game design. Clean lines, Interesting colours.
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22 June 2024
More Chants of Sennaar
Made a bit more progress last night playing the game. Deciphered enough to learn that the Preacher character is missing from the Abbey. The Preacher character is an important person in the Abbey. And the Preacher is essential for you to complete a few tasks.
Entry to the Abbey is restricted to Devotees, who are worshippers of their God. Outsiders are not welcome into the Abbey. But you interact with a young child outside the Abbey, befriend that individual and eventually show a secret way in. You follow but have to avoid the gatekeeper who will throw you out. Watching how the child deals with this situation enables you to slip past but you need to find a way into the inner sanctum of the Abbey. Once achieved, you part ways and you are left to explore and interact with the various characters. Doing so provides more clues to deciphering their language. Doing so furthers the narrative and expands your understanding of the language which is in glyphs.
For example, the image above is made up of three glyps which transliterates: You open door.
Before this happens though, after making you way through the various water barriers, you pass several monuments documenting the history of these people. More glyphs to decipher. Once done (or as best as you can attempt) you enter a main square where you encounter more devotees who wish to advance to the next level but the gate is locked and guarded by a trio of Warriors armed with nasty looking blades. The guards speak a different "language" of glyphs (clue is that journal you keep opens up a new tab devoted to the Warrior group) and they are ready to attack you if you persist. I figure that completing the tasks surrounding the apparent disappearance of the Preacher from the Abbey is important if you wish to progress further.
In the square, as if to reinforce the "class" of this level, there is a dude who is like those street card hustler. Only the cards he deals depict the four classes: the individual, the devotee, the warrior, God. Beating the hustler earns nothing other than praise for winning.
Note: there are locations (or booths) that are like transporters and/or communicators. As yet I have not worked out how to use them properly. But they are useful for getting in and out of the Abbey without negotiating the gate keeper.
There are various clues at times when interacting with the game. So far, I've earned a coin to give to the beggar outside the church area. The beggar directs you to where the Preacher is normally located.
The Abbey is divided into three distinct areas - the temple, the graveyard, and the garden. There are other areas of interest. One such is where the Devotees offer skills and/or items to those within the Abbey. There is an instrument maker (music), a potter, a locksmith, and an alchemist.
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Historical Gaming
Interesting commentary by an English YouTuber.
https://youtu.be/SA4YEKs6Exk
I like how he is commenting on why 40K has such a massive global appeal whereas historical gaming has become so niche and loses out on that global connection because it is so niche. Funny that he mentions the popularity of Black Powder and Valour and Fortitude whose creators worked for GW back in the day. They, it seems, understand what makes a game globally appealing and have applied it to historical gaming insofar as the historical element has been reduced to the level of cosplay - dressed up historical but not historical. If that makes any sense.
People understand and can connect to historical in the way that it is very much a part of human history whereas the universe of 40K is made up; it is not real and therefore anything virtually goes. But not history. He describes how there are limits imposed by timeline. For example he cites the problems a 1798 Napoleonic army encounters when coming up against an 1809 or 1814 army. The two are so different in so many ways it's not funny. Tactics, formation, dress are just part of it.
And the number of Napoleonic rules are so vast as to make it virtually impossible to have a standardised set of rules that everyone will agree upon. Unlike 40K.
Yes, there is complexity. But all one has to do is show up with a basic understanding of how 40K to easily field their own niche army. And it does not matter if the Space Marine force you bring is 2nd edition or 10th edition, the core rules remains the same. Not so with historical because of the technological advances made over time historically. So, for example, an Early Way Fokker EIII just cannot compete with a Late War SPAD XIIIC. And it would be totally inept against a modern day jet fighter.
Not so 40K. A Rhino from 40K universe is a Rhino whether it's from the first century or third century. Time is an abstract concept whereas in history it's for real. Hence why you will never ever have a universally acceptable standardised Nap ruleset. Ever.
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PC Gaming
Bought Little Kitty, Big City tonight. And I finally installed a few others that have been on my Wishlist on Steam for some time now. Games like OpenTTD, Crusader Kings II, Cloud Climber (very short game), The Alters (demo), Solaris, Plant Therapy, and Sheep A Short Adventure. Some are free while those that do cost are low priced (or cheap). Doubt I will ever play all of them over the coming days or weeks, especially the free ones.
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Air Wargaming
SPAD A2 (
SPAD S.A - Wikipedia) had a very brief operational life in French military aviation in 1915 although it was much prolonged in Imperial Russia who acquired a quantity of the A2 and A4 types and maintained them due to aircraft shortage during the First World War. Served in both roles as fighter and reconnaissance.
Gaming buddy found the above kit locally and currently seeking purchase of it. Looks dangerous if the wiki is to be believed. Model is historically accurate and based on the real thing below.
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