Game 5 - The Wizard and the Burglar

Gandalf Stuck In the Corner

Another scenario that GW seems to have written in special rules order to make it completely unplayable. Once again, the goblins are set up far too close and allowed to move first meaning that by the end of their first move phase, they are 1” away from Bilbo and Gandalf. And according to the scenario rules, the goblins are allowed to bring D6 reinforcements every turn including directly behind both Gandalf and Bilbo. Which I ignored for the first turn, to try and see if that would balance out the game (it didn’t!).

So, Gandalf spent the entire game not moving more than 1” from his starting position and Bilbo took the only sensible option and put on the ring.

Gandalf used his sorcerous might to immobilise the goblin king, but his lieutenant Ginnah was able to regularly make his courage test after Gandalf cast Terrifying Aura and pin the wizard in place. Meaning the goblins were able to win every round of combat and wear Gandalf down to use up his Might, Will and Fate very quickly. With only one attack, Gandalf always struggles with multiple opponents and being pinned in place from the first turn meant he didn’t have any good options.  

Eventually the goblin king was able to get into combat and then Gandalf was doomed.

In mean time the rest of goblins chased down Bilbo and one of them finally caught him. But Bilbo was ready, and Sting did his work.

So, with Gandalf dead the good guys lost.

The flaws in this scenario seemed obvious just by reading it through. Again, do GW ever playtest or even just read through their scenarios before they print them? So, having played the campaign once, I am going to play it again with a few tweaks to try and make it a bit more challenging for everyone.

 

Rob

Goblin Town Battle 4 - Guard the Crossing

The Dwarves Finally Win One!

So, finally a scenario which generated a bit tension with Thorin & Co. only just holding on to take the win. In this scenario Thorin and Co. are holding the line and trying to stop the goblins getting past them (ten goblins in ten turns to win the game). In the end they only managed to get goblins five off the table. 

The dwarves didn’t win the initiative at all during this game and so had use some Might to call some heroic moves. But on the other side the Goblin King didn’t turn until nearly the end and failed his Courage test to charge Thorin. 

As expected, Orcrist causing Terror held the goblins up for several turns, as twice both goblins at the front failed their Courage test and bottle necked the rest following up. Dwalin didn’t have a great game and in the end fell under repeated goblin blows and Balin was left with just one wound. 

The third scenario (Brothers in Arms) was a complete wash out as the goblins were able quickly surround the dwarves and with the scribe pilling loads of goblins every turn it didn’t ever look achievable for the dwarves. 

Rob 

Reclaim the Baggage - Not at All!

The Dwarves Take a Beating

So, the dwarves got well and truly hammered in this scenario. With Bifur and Bofur both dying in quick succession without even getting off the starting platform.  

Unlike the first scenario (which the dwarves just lost), where I don’t think I used the throwing weapons and heroic combats effectively, which probably made the difference in the first game. And at the end of that game, all of the dwarves had their full number of wounds and Oin can restore wounds.  In the second game, the dwarves fought bravely but just lost. They just didn’t have a real edge over the hordes of goblins.

So, the goblins crowded around eager to get to grips with the dwarves. The dwarves were left with no option but to advance and try and pin the goblins to narrow walkways. But three dwarves just wasn’t enough and from the first turn of combat the dwarves were surrounded. Once again, the chittering hordes rule is a real game changer.

The first turn of combat had plenty of drama with Bofur (with the support of Bifur) striking down the goblin captain when he took two wounds and failed with fate roll (with a one). On the other side Bombur also received two wounds from the two goblins he was fighting but he did manage to make his Fate roll.  Then in the second turn, he promptly struck both goblins down to return the favour.

Despite the loss of the captain, the goblins surged forward and quickly overwhelmed both Bifur and then Bofur in a couple of rounds of fighting. The dwarves did take down a few more goblins but the horde was too strong.

The dwarves were always going to struggle with this scenario as they only have three average fighters and no special combat abilities. Additionally, the goblins are allowed to deploy very close to the dwarves further limiting their tactical options. I am thinking that I would like to replay each scenario but choosing my own dwarven contingent.

The more I play these games, the more I am reminded of Space Hulk with a few elites battling unrelenting hordes in tight and confined battlefields.

 Rob 

Reclaim the Lost Baggage - No Really!

Ready for Scenario No.2?

STOP !! This is all WRONG

I just settled down to play the second scenario (Reclaim the Baggage) when I realised, I had made two mistakes:

1)    First I picked up the wrong dwarf Nori instead of Bifur. Now in terms of gameplay not much between them. But still a bit of faux pax!

2)   Second there was no baggage for the dwarves to reclaim. So, a root around the bits box uncovered some rucksacks from Combat Zone gangers (which also got used for some of my halflings) and a few spare tools from Oathmark light dwarves (which seemed very appropriate 😊). 

Disaster Averted - We found the Baggage

'Bofur discusses the returns policy'

After all of this emergency painting, I didn't actually get time to play the scenario. Still next time. 

I also managed to finish off the first of my DIY walkways including some press moulded bones and dubious looking stains to complete the goblin chic look.

Second disaster of the evening averted, I  found the last bottle of beer in the fridge - Old Speckled Hen. 

Rob 

 

Goblin Town Game 1 - The Break Through

Gimli's Dad Shows the Way

With a pile of goblins and the walkways painted. It was time to play a game. 

To win the dwarves had to get three or more dwarves off the opposite side of the table in ten turns or less. The goblins had one captain (In fetching blue warpaint) and dead goblins could be recycled back at the end of each turn on a dice roll.

As the expected, the three goblins on the forward platform got taken down easily and then it became a battle of attrition on the central walkway. In the end the goblins managed to tie down the dwarves long enough to run out the clock. But the dwarves were beginning kill the goblins faster than they were being replaced. A few more turns could have seen a dwarven victory.

It turns out that Gloin is a much better fighter than either Fili or Kili (Which I only noticed once the battle had started) because he has 3 attacks, defence of 7 and special skill allowing him to reroll 1’s on wound dice. Which meant once he got into combat he was killing at least one goblin per turn which allowed the dwarves to push forward. Gloin also killed the goblin captain early in which helped.

Oin’s prognostication skill (which allowed a nearby dwarf to reroll a combat dice in exchange for a point of Will) early in the game also allowed Fili and Kili to survive a couple of tough combats. Although both lost their Might and Fate early in the game.

The dwarves overwhelming advantages in combat and heroic abilities  did help but it didn't go all their way. 

The goblins chittering horde skill meant that for most of the game Fili and Kili were rolling two dice against two dice in close combat. And the goblins were able to exploit this advantage. And with a defence of 5 both Fili and Kili were vulnerable if they lost their combats.

In a much tighter game than I was expecting. The dwarves have basically used all of their Might, Will and Fate (Fili & Kili). So, on to the next game.

The goblin captain leads the charge. 

The goblins forgot to leave any spaces and so took double hits

 when they couldn't back up after a losing fights. 

They only made this mistake once. 

Gloin proves his worth and takes down the goblin captain. 

The narrow walkway meant the dwarves struggled to use

their superior skills to their advantage. 

The game at the end of the last turn. 

Rob 

Ral Partha Cloud Giant

One More Ticked Off the Oldhammer Bucket List

My Ral Partha Cloud giant arrived today from Ral Partha Legacy (via Miniature Heroes ). He has been on my Oldhammer list from the start and I didn't even realise he was still in production. Until I came across the RPL site. 

Now I just need to work out how I want to paint him... 

 Rob 

Chittering Horde

Fili & Kili Now Have Fight on their Hands

Reckon I have now sorted the paint scheme for goblins. And can produce them on masse. They look a sickly bunch but still ready to take on all comers. 

 Rob

Albino Goblin Appears

Mark III Paint Job - Much better!

 

Ok, so after several aborted attempts. I now have goblin that I like the finished look.  Just another 38 to go... 

Rob 

Painters of a Nervous Disposition Look Away Now!

Time for Plan B

This is a bit of an unusual post for me, as I don't normally post stuff I that I am not happy with the finished result. But my first attempts at painting the goblins from Goblin Town have not gone well. 

In fact it is the first time in a long time that they were repainted immediately because I was so unhappy with the result. They were supposed to albino diseased goblins but they just came out a weird dirty pink. The washes completely covered the white and all attempts to lighten them up just made them look more pink than white. 

Given they only have loincloths and few bits of equipment then the skin tone has got to look right as it the main feature of these models. 

I have just started prepping a new batch which I will shade rather than wash. And see if this keeps them looking more albino. 

Papa Nurgle would be proud as they are very diseased and deformed. I first thought the left leg was covered in cloth but then realised it was just diseased! Obviously they would fit in very well with a Nurgle army 

I actually think the mini looks better in the photos but still looks rubbish.

Time to retire to my fortress of Solitude for a good think...

Rob 

Escape from Goblin Town

Beware of Channel Hopping

This was a bit of an impulse buy after switching over channels to see the Company of Thorin escape from from the goblins of the Misty mountains.  And suddenly this is the next big project. After the scouring of eBay, I finally settled on a second hand copy, where most of the minis have been put together and undercoated. A few have been painted but they will all get a repaint. 

 Pluses & Minuses

The seller was upfront that the set may not be complete and the photos weren’t great but I was pretty confident Thorin (& the company)  and the goblins where all included. And on those points I was right. But unfortunately Radagast was missing but on the other hand I did gain Bolg, a metal Haradrim captain, a few LotR minis and bit of a dragon I can’t yet identify. 

All suggestions welcome on the make of the mini above and any ideas on what I could do with it!

Long time readers of my blog will have followed my ups and downs as I painted the company of Thorin. But after all that work they have never made their way onto the gaming table, a problem which will hopefully be resolved soon. 

The goblins have been undercoated black which seems an odd choice for a mini that is predominately a very pale off-white. I plan to try using the purple shadow technique I used on some my zombies from last year to give them that suitably diseased look.

Friday Night Beer

I am trying something a bit different (for me) tonight which is the unfiltered Stella Artois which I am quite enjoying. It seems to have a better flavour but could just be the third bottle talking 😊.

Rob 

The Tool Shed

A Quick Post

I decided that I needed a few more small(ish) pieces of scatter terrain for my games to make them a bit more interesting. So, first off is a shack which was made from coffee stirrers and a small block of foam. 

Rob 

What is the Opposite of Grimdark?

The Giant Rainbow Frogs of Lustria!

Finished off the last two giant frogs. I am particularly pleased with the orange one. Which is one of those colours I struggle to get a really bright colour. They were great fun to paint  and I may need to  get a couple more to make a hunting pack for Slann animal handlers. 

Once I painted a red, green and blue ones, I sort of had paint the other ones to complete the colour spectrum. 

'Slann trappers find their prize, the Giant Rainbow frog. 

Considered a real delicacy by Slann nobles.' 

One in every colour!

'Poachers hunt the giant Rainbow frogs for 

their hallucinogenic poison glands.'

Rob 

Free Bosham Car Wash!

 Save a Pound but... 

Now, I don't normally post on topics not directly related to the hobby. But occasionally am off-topic post is needed. A friend and I stopped at Bosham harbour for a well deserved coffee after a MTB ride. With tide coming in, the harbour side car park was filling up and someone had forgotten to move their car! Attempts were made to find the owner but to no avail. 

I recommend to pay the £2 to park in the nearby carpark if you come to Bosham harbour. As that doesn't flood. 

Now this second picture is only 30 minutes after the first picture. Proving that the tide comes in fast! In case you are wondering there are plenty of signs warning that the tide floods the impromptu carpark and adjacent road on every tide.  It would be fair to say that the owner was entirely happy when they returned to car a little bit later. 

Goldberry

Anyway I have managed to paint a couple of minis including this repaint of Goldberry. Which I found surprisingly tricky because of the simplicity of the mini. There really very little detail and she is very uncluttered (for GW mini especially). Meaning that the dress needs to be blended smoothly. 

After hunting round my paints, I found this green in a twenty year old pot of Humbrol paint. Whilst certainly an improvement over the first attempt. I am still not quite happy with the final result. So, will probably wait a couple more years, like I did between the first and second paint jobs. 

Rob 

Home Improvement - The Reveal

One Barrow Upgraded

After a generous amount of scatter and grass tufts, the barrow entrance looks a lot better. I also gave it a couple of skull entrance poles to give it the homely look. 

Rob 

Beachhead 2024

A Day Out Beside the Sea

After missing Beachhead last year it was good to get back this year. And the weather was considerably better than the last time I attended.  Beachhead had the usual mix of traders, display games, competition games and special events. Although I thought the mix of traders included too many traders just selling RPG dice. Often with a great deal of overlap on the dice for sale. 

I did buy a few minis but it was mostly hobby supplies such as paints and brushes. And this regard Beachhead has a good selection of traders.  

All sunny on the South coast

This Age of Sigmar troll army caught  my eye. 

Proving that Citadel still makes some great minis. 

And this dryad army also looked really good. 

As usual the titan guys turned up with so many titans. 

There was a big display by a group of Star Wars reenactors which was very well done. Probably should have taken more pictures!

Truly impressive the amount of detail on these 10mmm minis from Rok.

Played Wings of Glory at the show for the first time. I thought it was a great game and the dice less mechanics were were excellent. My Fokker DR.I Triplane managed to take out one of the Sopwith Camels before being shot out of the sky. 

Rob