Fun with Sellswords & Spellslingers or How Hard Can it be to Roll an Eight!?!

No, I haven't been abducted, imprisoned or otherwise hidden away. I've been busy painting up some of my lead mountain - both 10mm fantasy and 15mm scifi - and spending money on a variety of sets of rules. 

And I may finally have found my Holy Grail for fantasy skirmish rules - Sellswords & Spellslingers by Ganesha Games. I have always appreciated Andrea Sfiligoi ideas but I think that he has really excelled himself with this set. I won't spend any time decribing them - there are several others who have already commented favourably on them. See, for example, John's thoughts, The Raft or Argonor.

But this morning I managed to have my first game, playing solo and will give a blow-by blow account which should give you a good idea of how it works. This is going to take more than one posting but here goes.

So firstly, here's my initial warband, all 10mm Pendraken Miniatures:

From Left to Right, Oswyn Strong Arrm, Jurius Flamewielder, Rodmar Oaksoul and Aldun Swiftblade

Oswyn - Archer - 10Xp

Archery Level 1 (6Xp)

Strong Level 1 (4Xp)

Armed with a Strongbow (Damage 2) and Dagger (Damage 1)

Jurius - Magic User - 17Xp

Spellcaster (20Xp)

Spell - Fireball (5Xp)

Negative Trait - Weak (-8Xp)

Armed with Dagger (Damage 1)

Rodmar - Druid - 13Xp

Fighter: Staff Level 1 (5Xp)

Healer Level 1 (2Xp)

Tough (6Xp)

Forrester (3Xp)

Negative Trait - Heavy Drinker (-3Xp)

Aldun - Swordsman - 20Xp

Fighter: Sword Level 2 (10Xp)

Armour Level 1 (6Xp)

Shield Level 1 (4Xp)

Like probably all wargamers, I had a little tinker with the rules but nothing too drastic.

The rules suggest a board of 36" by 36" with a normal move of 4" for 28mm figures and suggests that for 15mm and below, the board should be 60cms by 60cms and the numbers are given simply regarded as centimetres instead.  However, that would mean that a 28mm figure could theoretically traverse the board in nine moves while a 15mm figure would take fifteen moves. I, therefore, decided to say that 1" for 28mm figures is 1.5cms for 15mm figures.

Also random deployment is done by rolling d6 x d6 but, as other players have identified, this tends to lead to foes or terrain being placed centrally. Instead, as my board is 60cms x 60cms  I used a d6 to decide the tens and a d10 to decide the units for each axis.

Like others, I decided to plump for the first scenario in the rulebook - Through the Badlands - where the characters have to cross from one side of a rather bushy board to the other confronted initially only by one Green Troll and four Brute Orcs and the potential of a trap or two laid in the northern half of the board. 

And the characters only needed to roll 8+ on 1-3 d20 activation dice apart from Rodmar who needed to throw 9+ due to a bad hangover following a heavy drinking session at the Duck and Dragon the night before.

Easy, right?!

I used the above method to randomely place the bushes and then the Troll (fortunately right in the top left corner) and four Orc Brutes (one right at the top centre, two in open ground in the northern half and one on the right flank behind a bush). 

The Initial Set Up with the Warband at the Southern Edge

Move One

So I decided to move Aldun first and threw two dice - 5 and 20. I could have used the 20 (critical success) to cancel out the 5 but decided to risk it and drew the Monster Frenzy card - all foes move. So that was a good start! Fortunately none were within charge reach but they all got a little closer...all apart from the Troll who just wandered around. Aldun then moved on.

Oswyn - 1 and 13. Mana Flux - an equal chance to increase or reduce Jusius' chances at casting magic. I rolled a 5 so chances have improved by +2. Oswyn decided to shoot at the Orc Brute on the right flank and succeeded - 2 damage.

Jusius - 8, 8 ans 20. He decided to launch a fireball at the Orc Brute to well and truly finish him off so I rolled and got a 1 - a critical failure. Jusius can not cast magic for the rest of the scenario so that Mana Flux +2 came in handy! Now all put harmless, Jusius decided to use the rest of his activations to catch up with Aldun so that he had some protection.

Rodmar - 9 and 17. He also moved to catch up with Aldun and Jusius.

The End of Move 1 - Oswyn pauses to take a potshot at the advancing Orc Brute on the right while the others leg it! Meanwhile the rest of the Orcs draw nearer.

Move 2

Oswyn - I decide to roll three to enable him to catch up with the others but 1, 3 and 19. Tread on a Scorpion - fortunatley he rolls above the necessary DL10 and so managed to squash the creature without being poisoned. Then Monster Attack - the Orc Brute charges Oswyn, who decides to have a go at an Opportunity Shot - 7 and misses! The Orc Brute is on him and attacks - 16. Thankfully Oswyn even with his little dagger manages to finish the wounded Brute off. He uses his successful roll to search the Brute and finds 9Sp.

Aldun - 8 and 20 and, ignoring the desperate combat going on behind him, decides to continue towards the horizon with two moves.

Rodmar - 12 and 16. He follows suit.

Jusius - 12 and 15 - is no better.

The End of Move 2 - Oswyn may be a little richer but his friends seem to be deserting him.

Well, that's enough for the first post. I'll get more of the report done later.