Rangers of Shadow Deep Campaign

[Rat13]

47 minutes ago, Great Khan Artist said:

I've been putting off making the river because I want an MDF one, but until I buy Dad a special sawblade, he won't cut it for me. I might get the Hirst arts blocks out and mess around with making a bridge. 

Not having any river pieces or even a spare bit of blue cloth I had to improvise. I just ripped up a sheet from those blue shop paper towels, it didn't look great but it got the job done. 

 

As for bridges I actually have one or two (with another one on the way from the last Bones kickstarter) but they're not painted yet. So I just used two of the Dollar Store fairy garden paths. Side by side I think they looked alright, not great but alright.

Edited February 14, 2021 by Rat13
Dang autocorrect...

[Rob Dean]

Bridges are pretty useful in miniatures games, so I have a collection ....

[Great Khan Artist]

I bought the troll bridge too, and I have the Hirst Arts bridge mould. It's great, but I want an Egyptian themed one. Turns out, ancient Egyptian architecture seems to be short on arches, so it's been harder to find a concept that will work. I've been looking up bridges and learning about them. I think I will make a clapper bridge. Maybe not something the Egyptians used (I think they just used boats), but it should fit my imagi-nation. It should be a fun build anyway. It's always interesting all the little things I learn in this hobby.  

[SotF]

On 2/14/2021 at 6:03 PM, Rat13 said:

Not having any river pieces or even a spare bit of blue cloth I had to improvise. I just ripped up a sheet from those blue shop paper towels, it didn't look great but it got the job done. 

 

As for bridges I actually have one or two (with another one on the way from the last Bones kickstarter) but they're not painted yet. So I just used two of the Dollar Store fairy garden paths. Side by side I think they looked alright, not great but alright.

Kind of wish the local dollar stores had those...they do have some interesting fairy garden stuff now though, but they require some repainting for the majority of them.

[Rat13]

Excerpt from Ranger Aarn Cral's campaign journal 

 

After crossing the river we managed to avoid a couple Gnoll patrols before eventually reaching Tor Varden. From the outside it seems completely deserted. There are no patrols in the area, the entrance itself isn't guarded, and there is very little indication anyone is inside. We are preparing to approach the tower itself using what little cover there is. A scream pierces the night...

 

Before we can get to the game's usual proxying this scenario requires a bit of an explanation. This scenario calls for three 1.5' x 1.5' rooms in the shape of an L, if I had setup the second table this wouldn't have been a problem. I was being a bit lazy however so instead I tried something else instead, without spoiling it I'll say it was a partial success. Also instead of the normal event cards this time the cards indicate which room "spawns" every time you open a door. So you can't exactly setup in advance without losing the surprise element which is a lot of fun. If that wasn't enough once you open a door you only have four turns to open the next one before you're penalized with tougher and better prepared enemies. With all that out of the way on to the proxying.

 

First up are the walls themselves, I initially thought this would be a great time to breakout an old anniversary present. I thought they'd work great at representing two of the four walls but it wasn't meant to be.

No combination of the pieces I had on hand hit the 1.5' size I was looking for and they also proved to block too much in the test photos. Oh well, at least I tried. In the end I opted for squares marked by yarn.

 

As with the previous games its time to introduce the proxies. 

The Kobolds will be filling in for the Gnoll archers again.

The "White" Knights will be filling in for the Gnoll fighters.

The Orcs will be filling in for Gnoll Sergeants.

The Witch will be filling in for a Gnoll Shaman.

The large Football player will be filling in for a Flesh Golem. I'm sure there is a joke there.

 

For the first room I drew the Armory from the room deck. Having found the keys in the previous mission we could open the door avoiding a Pick Lock Check (TN8). Unfortunately we still needed to pass a Stealth Check (TN8), my Ranger tried this and failed so we were penalized for this room. Instead of Gnoll fighters it spawned two Sergeants in addition to a Gnoll archer. The Room itself also has two clue markers (Marker 1 and 2) in the corners. On the first turn only half your party makes it inside as well with everyone else arriving at the start of the second turn. One last note, I hope you like those wooden cubes proxying as just about everything because you will be seeing them a lot. Turns out I don't have much interior scatter at the moment.

 

Turn one I group activated my Ranger, Templar, and Knight. Using a double move my Ranger and Templar closed the distance into combat but my Knight was just a little short. The first Sergeant hit my Ranger dropping him to 14 health, then the second one hit too dropping him another 4 down to 10 health. Not exactly a great way to start a game. The Gnoll archer then took a shot at my Hound and missed which was even nicer because initially I thought he killed him outright. In the heat of the moment I had mixed up the two dice and applied my warband's high roll instead of the enemy's low roll, it wasn't until I had knocked the miniature over and took one final look at the die that I noticed my mistake. Since the Hound wasn't killed it took a double move to enter into combat. 

 

Turn two didn't go much better but at least the rest of my party spawned in by the door. I used another group activation with my Ranger, Templar, and Knight. My Ranger was hit again by a Sergeant and dropped down to 4 health. The Knight hit but did no damage and the Templar brought a Sergeant down to 2 health. The unharmed Gnoll Sergeant took a swing at my Ranger but lost and dropped down to 7 health. The Gnoll archer took a shot at my Archer nearly one shotting him and dropping him down to 1 health. Then the previously injured Sergeant took a swing at my Ranger and was killed. The Arcanist, Recruit 1, and Recruit 2 all took double moves trying to get into combat range. My heavily injured Archer decided to take a shot at the Gnoll archer and missed. 

 

Turn three my Ranger used yet another group activation with the Templar and Recruit 2. With all that additional help the Ranger killed the remaining Gnoll Sergeant. Then the Gnoll archer took one last shot at the Hound knocking him out. I guess it had something to prove after that initial dice mix-up. Recruit 1 reached Clue 1 and found a Golden Beer (essentially a health potion that heals for 2 points). Finally the Arcanist double moved into combat with the Gnoll archer and my Archer double moved toward Clue 2.   

 

Turn four my Ranger group activated with the Templar and Recruit 2. Reaching the door my Ranger opened it to avoid a room penalty. Unfortunately the deck spawned the Torture room. Inside were two prisoners chained to the wall and a wounded and unarmed Man-at-arms fighting for his life against a Gnoll Sergeant with two Gnoll fighters closing in. During the monsters turn the Sergeant attacked the Man-at-arms but missed. The first Gnoll fighter also missed, but the second one hit killing the Man-at-arms outright. The Gnoll archer attacked the Arcanist but missed. My Archer reached Clue 2 and found a Book of Astronomy (Any figure carrying the book receives +1 to Navigation Rolls). Last but certainly not least the Arcanist crits against the Gnoll archer killing him in one blow. 

 

Turn five my Ranger group activated with both of the Recruits. Once inside the second room my Ranger used his heal spell to recover 5 health, bringing him up to 9. The two Recruits took a double move forming a shield in front of the Ranger. The three Gnolls all took double moves to enter combat with the Recruits. The Templar moved into the room attacking a Gnoll fighter and bringing it down to 3 health. Then the Arcanist moved in and finished it off, racking up yet another kill. Meanwhile my Knight started moving around the fray hoping to surround the enemy on the next turn. 

 

Turn six my Ranger group activated again with the two Recruits. My Ranger moved into combat and dropped the Gnoll fighter down to 1 health. Recruit 2 hit the Gnoll fighter but couldn't get through it's armor. Recruit 1 lost his fight with the Gnoll Sergeant and dropped down to 5 health. Immediately after that the Gnoll Sergeant atttacked Recruit 1 and knocked him out. The Gnoll fighter attacked my Ranger and was killed. Then the Templar attacked the Sergeant and brought him down to 3 health. It was at this point that my Knight entered the fight and killed the Gnoll Sergeant.

 

Turn seven found the survivors moving towards the door with the Arcanist opening it. The room deck then spawned the Shaman's workshop and unfortunately I forgot to take a picture. Inside was a large table in the center of the room with a massive Flesh Golem laying upon it. Right beside the table was the Gnoll Shaman himself and directly between the table and door were two Gnoll fighters.   

 

Turn eight my Ranger moved to the right of the door. The Gnolls all moved toward the door and one of the fighters attacked my Arcanist. This brought my Arcanist down to 1 health. My Arcanist immediately moved away from the door tying to avoid any more combat. My Archer took this opportunity to move and shoot an arrow though the door, but he missed. Next my Knight moved into the doorway and attacked the Gnoll fighter. To my surprise she critted and killed him outright. The rest of the warband jockeyed for position preparing to either enter the next room or surround any enemies that entered.     

 

Turn nine my Knight and Templar group activates alongside my Ranger. The Ranger holds his ground while the Knight enters the next room with the Templar right behind her. My Knight attacks the Gnoll fighter and drops him down to 4 health. The Gnoll Shaman tries to attack the Knight and receives a brutal hit for the trouble dropping down to 1 health. The Gnoll fighter hits the Knight but can't get through her armor. Then just to make matters worse the Flesh Golem awakens.

 

Turn ten does not go well for the Knight. She attempts to attack the Gnoll Shaman but the Shaman crits dropping the Knight down to 2 health. The Flesh Golem double moves and almost makes it into combat. Then the Gnoll fighter crits as well knocking out the Knight. The Gnoll Shaman tries to hit the Templar but can't get past his armor. In response the Templar attacks and the two dies tie at 19, thankfully however the Templar has a +4 Fight and he kills the Shaman. 

 

Turn elven my Ranger group activates with the Templar and Archer. The Templar retreats to the left of the door, the Archer positions for a shot through the door, and the Ranger moves way back to the right of the door. The Archer takes a shot at the Flesh Golem but misses. The Flesh Golem enters the room immediately attacking Recruit 2 dropping him to 7 health. Deciding to risk it all my Arcanist enters the brawl and manages a big hit against the Flesh Golem bringing it down to 3 health. 

 

Turn twelve the Ranger moves into combat and kills the Flesh Golem. The last Gnoll fighter enters the room and tries to kill my Arcanist, thanks to all the assistance however the Arcanist easily kills the Gnoll fighter instead. With that last kill the scenario ended and I started the end of game paperwork. 

 

As you can see most of my surviving party were pretty banged up. Thanks to the nature of this particular scenario however they don't fully heal after this fight. Instead they only regain 8 health, which can bring them back to full health but as you can see most won't be that lucky. 

So here's the starting health of my survivors in the next scenario.

 

As for the Knight, Recruit 1, and the Hound they required a few more rolls just to figure out if they survived or not. First up my Knight made a "full" recovery and she'll enter the next game with 8 health. Next Recruit 1 also made a "full" recovery and would have entered the next game with 8 health had I not left him behind to look after the surviving prisoners. This decision may come back to haunt me as I've very nearly TPK'd on the last two scenarios but that extra XP was too tempting (you receive an additional 20 XP by doing this). Last but not least my Hound who wasn't quite as lucky. It received a permanent injury in the form of a Crushed Arm (-1 Fight). This seemed a little odd for a Hound but it does impact the Hound's effectiveness so I decided not to think too much about it. Besides once I start thinking about the way some of the injuries affect the animals I'd just end up writing a completely different system for them and I just don't want to do that.

 

After this game I've decided to start naming an MVP after each scenario. It may come as no surprise but my MVP this time is the Arcanist. Racking up three kills, 1 Crit, and a brave last ditch assist against a Flesh Golem while almost dead himself he really was my Most Valuable Player.       

[Great Khan Artist]

Looks like you are doing really well with using your proxies and having a fun time, too. The string is clever--I use masking tape. Poor hound; looks like there's no love lost between species cousins. It's plausible that when the valiant hound leapt up to bite a gnoll, he took a mace to the shoulder or forepaw, shattering it. At least that's the story I'd tell. While "Menagerie" is a great supplement, it doesn't change the injury table. Reading the mass damage caused each round, I would suggest more terrain. I know you are making steady progress on this, too. It's funny how little terrain I have in my collection as well. It's a bit of a balancing act to get the right amount. According to Joe in "Perilous Dark", too much makes it too easy for the party to avoid the monsters. Looking forward to the next one! 

[Rat13]

22 minutes ago, Great Khan Artist said:

It's plausible that when the valiant hound leapt up to bite a gnoll, he took a mace to the shoulder or forepaw, shattering it. At least that's the story I'd tell. While "Menagerie" is a great supplement, it doesn't change the injury table.

That's a better story than I would have come up with. I know from a mechanical standpoint the injury table for animals doesn't actually matter, it is just so weird. I'm trying my best to just not think about it, mainly because I don't want to put the work in to create a separate system for them. If that hound acquires anymore weird injuries however I think my hand will be forced. 

 

26 minutes ago, Great Khan Artist said:

Reading the mass damage caused each round, I would suggest more terrain. I know you are making steady progress on this, too.

I think more terrain, to block line of sight, may help a little and I am working on that but I don't think that's the actual problem. I have notoriously bad rolls, always have, it's just who I am. So literally rolling against myself I think the dice don't know how to cope. As we've seen in the last two games the enemies are consistently rolling high and the only thing stopping a TPK are the fact that I gang up on them as much as possible. Thankfully enemies don't get that bonus crit damage or I would need a new Ranger.

[Zink]

14 hours ago, Rat13 said:

I think more terrain, to block line of sight, may help a little and I am working on that but I don't think that's the actual problem. I have notoriously bad rolls, always have, it's just who I am. So literally rolling against myself I think the dice don't know how to cope. As we've seen in the last two games the enemies are consistently rolling high and the only thing stopping a TPK are the fact that I gang up on them as much as possible. Thankfully enemies don't get that bonus crit damage or I would need a new Ranger.

 

You're not the only one with a rolling disability.  My dice fail me all the time and when they don't it's reason for great celebration. Cooperative games are good for me because it doesn't seem contagious. The other players can save me when I choke most of the time.

[Rat13]

8 minutes ago, Zink said:

 

You're not the only one with a rolling disability.  My dice fail me all the time and when they don't it's reason for great celebration. Cooperative games are good for me because it doesn't seem contagious. The other players can save me when I choke most of the time.

It's nice to know I'm not alone when it comes to bad rolls. You are right about co-op games too. That's the main reason D&D was so appealing when I first got into tabletop gaming. I came in already aware of my bad dice rolls from years of board games. That safety net of the other party members usually was the only thing standing between me creating new characters ALL the time. 

 

Though that isn't always enough to offset my bad rolls. I actually have a spear fighter that has died no less than four times when I used to play in Adventure League. It got to the point that DM's would actually ask me before a game if I was playing that spear fighter again. 

[Rat13]

Excerpt from Ranger Aarn Cral's campaign journal 

 

We've cleared the lower floors but it cost us. Almost all of us are injured at this point but retreat is not an option, as tempting as it is. I'm leaving this journal with one of my recruits just incase something happens on the higher floors. If myself and the rest of the team don't return he is ordered to retreat with the survivors and deliver this to the nearest Ranger Enclave. Hopefully this won't be necessary but we just don't know what we'll find at the top of the tower. 

 

Like always its time to introduce the proxies.

The Kobolds will be filling in for the Gnoll archers again.

The "White" Knight will be filling in for a Gnoll fighter.

The Kurgan inspired Skeleton will be filling in for a Shadow Knight.

And of course in the background the 40K shipping containers will be filling in for a wood pile.

 

As with the previous scenario this one requires a few additional explanations. This scenario calls for a 2.5' x 2.5' table with a 1.5' x 1.5' square marked out in the center by a low wall. The 6" wide area outside of the wall represents a wooden walkway that overhangs the rest of the tower. Any figure taking damage while on the walkway will have to make a Acrobatics Roll (TN5) or fall through the old decaying wood. This is also the only way to fall from the tower. There is a solider chained to the top of the wood pile and it is impossible to break the chains during the scenario. The end of turns two, four, and five all have fixed events as well. Last but not least as in the previous scenario only a few heroes enter on turn one with the others arriving turn two. 

 

Turn one my Ranger, Templar, and Knight entered through the trapdoor. Using a group activation the Templar and Knight used a double move. My Ranger however used a single move and finally remembering that he has a bow took a shot at a Gnoll Archer. He hit but did no damage. The Gnoll Archer took a shot at my Knight but missed while the second one hit but did no damage. The Gnoll Fighter managed to get into combat with my Ranger using a double move. The last Gnoll Archer and Shadow Knight with no line of sight were forced to randomly move.   

 

Turn two the rest of the party joined the battle. Group activating again alongside my Ranger the Templar and Knight closed into combat with the Gnoll Fighter. With their assistance my Ranger one shotted the Gnoll Fighter. Using a double move the Shadow Knight entered combat but couldn't fight. The Gnoll Archer missed my Knight again while the other missed my Hound. The Hound, Recruit 2, and the Arcanist all used double moves while my Archer missed his first shot at a Gnoll Archer.

 

The end of turn triggered the first event. In the distance the heroes can see a flame spring up from one of the neighboring watchtowers. Tor Dargos has been lit but the flames are a phantasmal green. All the heroes must make a Will Roll (TN10) or become poisoned. Unfortunately not everyone passed with my Archer and Templar becoming poisoned.

 

Turn three I group activated yet again with my Ranger, Templar, and Knight surrounding the Shadow Knight. As my Templar was the only one with a magic weapon he attacked first and hit but did no damage. My Ranger attacked next but without a magical weapon the damage was halved, using the ability Powerful Blow however he managed to do 8 damage bringing the Shadow Knight down to 6 health. Then to my surprise the Knight was able to finish the job and killed the Shadow Knight. This took the most 'dangerous" enemy out of the game before he could do any damage. Right after that victory two Gnoll archers took shots at the Knight but they missed. The final Gnoll Archer then took a shot at the Hound and brought him down to 2 health. Missing his Acrobatics Roll the Hound then fell off of the tower completely. My Arcanist and Recruit 2 double moved trying to close the distance with the Gnoll Archers. Lastly my Archer shot a Gnoll Archer bringing him down to 5 health.

 

Turn four saw yet another group activation with my Ranger, Knight, and Templar surrounding a Gnoll Archer. My Ranger attacked first bringing the Gnoll Archer down to 1 health and just like last turn my Knight was able to finish the job right after. The Gnoll Archer at the top of the board continued with his rampage by one shotting Recruit 2. The other Gnoll Archer missed my Arcanist right before he closed into combat. The Arcanist lost the fight however and was brought down to 6 health. My Archer took another shot, this time at the Gnoll Archer at the top of the board and missed. 

 

The end of turn then triggered the second event. Another green flame bursts from the other direction and the heroes realize Tor Hammel has been lit as well. All the heroes must make a Will Roll (TN12) or suffer -2 Fight for the rest of the scenario. This time my Knight, Templar, and Arcanist fails the check. This leaves my Templar poisoned (only one action) and at only +2 Fight (instead of the normal +4).

 

Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of this turn.

Turn five brings about another group activation, I'm sensing a pattern. My Knight double moves while my Ranger and Templar use single moves. My Ranger shoots at a Gnoll Archer and misses. The Gnoll Archer returns the favor with an arrow of his own but misses as well. The other Gnoll Archer attacks my Arcanist and brings him down to 1 health. My Archer shoots the Gnoll Archer and brings it down to 3 health. Last but not least my Arcanist tries to finish off the Gnoll Archer but loses the fight, fortunately he doesn't take any damage. After turn five the Shadow Knight would have killed the soldier and lit the bonfire but luckily he was already dead.  

 

Turn six my Ranger and Knight group activate. The Knight double moves while my Ranger uses a single move before shooting at the Gnoll Archer, missing yet again. The Gnoll Archer then attacks my Arcanist but loses and is brought down to 3 health. The other Gnoll Archer shoots at my Knight but misses. The Templar moves over the wall with the hopes of entering the combat next turn. My Arcanist attacks the Gnoll Archer and loses getting knocked out in the process. Then my Archer took another shot and missed yet again. 

 

Turn seven was a real turn of misses. First my Ranger missed the Gnoll Archer. Then the Gnoll Archer missed my Knight. The other Gnoll Archer shot my Templar (before he closed the distance) and managed to hit him but didn't do any damage. Closing it out my Archer shot and missed the Gnoll Archer. 

 

Turn eight my Ranger shot and missed the Gnoll Archer again. Then the Gnoll Archer missed the Knight. The other Gnoll Archer attacked the Templar and brought him down to 4 health. My Archer took another shot at the Gnoll Archer and finally hit killing him. Last up my Templar hit the Gnoll Archer but did no damage. 

 

Turn nine My Ranger started moving toward the last enemy. The Gnoll Archer knocked out the Templar. My Archer attempted to shoot him in retaliation but missed and my Knight began the slow trek across the board. 

 

Turn ten started off with a bang that ended the game. My Ranger took one last shot at the Gnoll Archer and critted, killing him. 

 

As for the injury results I'm happy to report that everyone will make a full recovery. Somehow I didn't roll below a 16 when determining everyone's survival results.

 

Not too bad of a showing, though I am a little miffed that the most dangerous enemy turned out to be the tower itself. It wasn't until the game was over that I realized only my party was taking the Acrobatics checks on the wooden section. Turns out every time an enemy took damage and needed to pass the check I completely forgot to roll it. I bet that would have been helpful in picking off the last few enemies.  

 

Oversights aside this is an interesting scenario though not for the right reasons. As it's written it seems like you cannot push an enemy off the tower, your heroes also cannot be pushed off so there is a balance but it is an odd one. I assume this is mostly because the wooden walkway is dangerous enough but as you can literally fall from the tower anywhere on the wooden walkway it makes it all the stranger. I believe there may also be an oversight in the aftergame XP section. Again as it is written you receive no XP for killing the Gnoll Fighter only the Archers. In this case I believe it is only an unintended omission as I've already come across a few errors throughout the book.

 

As for naming an MVP I think this time I have to choose my Ranger. One shotting a Gnoll Archer turn two, halving the health of the Shadow Knight despite not having a magical weapon, nearly one shotting a second Gnoll Archer the very next turn, and finally crit shotting the last enemy he really was my Most Valuable Player.   

[Great Khan Artist]

I haven't played this one yet, but I remember thinking it was odd that no one could push anyone else off the tower. 

 

I always keep a few dudes with the ranger so they can activate in his turn. I don't know if it makes that big of a difference, I want to replay the scenarios and do different things to test balance. That's one of the things I hope Joe discusses in his panel. I'm attending the RoSD one, hope you are too! 

[Rat13]

5 hours ago, Great Khan Artist said:

I always keep a few dudes with the ranger so they can activate in his turn. I don't know if it makes that big of a difference, I want to replay the scenarios and do different things to test balance.

I'm not sure how much of a difference it actually makes with other playstyles but it seems to help with my mine. Keeping at least two (the maximum you can group activate) beside your Ranger at all times does give you two extra attacks before the enemies turn. It also really helps if you use the pile on style of fighting I'm so fond of. Plus with my rolls I usually need the assistance buffs from multiple allies. 

 

There are drawbacks however. Instead of three independently moving figures you get one group. In a scenario containing a lot of clues, treasure, or points of interest it can be hard to reach them all. The randomized spawn locations of enemies can cause the same problem if the group is on the other side of the table. Using them as a group in that way can also tie them up in combat or other things for too long on the shorter missions.

 

As you can see I'm of two minds on the subject. For myself however I think it's in my best interest to try and keep the maximum amount of figures nearby for group activations. 

[Chaoswolf]

Great game reports! You're really making me start to jones for a game of my own.

[Rat13]

10 hours ago, Chaoswolf said:

Great game reports! You're really making me start to jones for a game of my own.

I'm taking that as a win. Since I first starting playing 40k semi regularly with a group I've been talking up Ghost Archipelago but no one was ever interested in trying it out. As we haven't been able to play together this year and Rangers has a solo play system I tried yet again with the same results. So try as I might I am no good at "recruiting" people to systems or even encouraging people to play.

 

As for this week's game I'm running behind yet again. I did however play tonight, so I should have the report up by tomorrow night.

[Rat13]

Wanted to make sure I posted this before I forgot. Yesterday my family and I left the house abruptly, returning to my hometown to help arrange and attend a funeral. With my full plate of making arrangements and contacting everyone I'll be pretty busy for the next few days. So this campaign won't be updated until I return home.