The Old City 3: Bungle with Bugbears

 A game I got in before Christmas, that sat in the back burner, patiently waiting to be posted:

The Crimson Dandelions have heard that there may be treasure upstream just across the river. However, there is no bridge across the Great River at this section, so they will have to row across two at a time.

The Warband deploys around its wagon on the western side of the river. They seek to gather and bring as many treasure tokens as they can back to the wagon.

3” blips

1-3: 1d2 Bugbears

4-5: Nothing

6: Treasure!

*If treasure is found, all other blips become Bugbears

Above is the map layout. Three red search points, or blips, are on the map. The boat required one person to man it, meaning that one of the four members of the party would have to remain at any given time, in order to ferry the others.

The first blip reveals nothing but air, so Gregori, the Dandelion Captain, moves toward the lower set of ruins…and two hulking Bugbears burst forth!

The first bugbear is dispatched while the Dandelions move into position.

Then, the unthinkable happens! An ace is drawn, a chance is rolled, and the result (5) is the appearance of a monster! The only thing I had on hand was my grand ogre, who apparently smelled the menfolk and heard the killing, so of course came to greedily seek his pound in flesh!

More bad luck! Gregori, wounded from battling a bugbear, decides that he might as well check the last search point, since they’re so close (and his archers have wounded the ogre twice already). To his dismay, there is naught but another pair of bugbears hiding in the ruins of the chapel grounds!

The ogre charges the archers who attempted to pin cushion him with their tiny stingers, while the two bill men of the party face off against three foes!

Gregori dispatches his two assailants, the Dashing Swordsman trait gave him much needed assistance.

Alas, he turns from the remains of his foes to find his entire party slain!

Through thrilling activations and fierce die rolls, Gregori finds himself aboard the boat, shoving off from the shore…

Tragically, his luck turned sour as the ogre gained initiative and through a fierce three-turn melee, finally brought down Gregori, First Captain of the Crimson Dandelions.

This game found a run of bad luck for my little band! It was fun and intense, though. And the bright side is, I can simply reroll a new set of soldiers to take on the mantle of Second Generation Dandelions. I have a skeleton of a monetary system for campaigning in my pocket notebook I’m working on. These “Old City” games are my tribute to games like Mordheim, and an easy diversion from the whole Baron of Bleudingle narrative I (at first unintentionally) created.