Bloody Politics - Empire of the Dead AAR

This past weekend saw the beginning of the "Shadows Over Domesin Street" campaign at 7th Dimension games. Starting at 150 shillings, the factions currently involved are:

Me - Lycaon

Gary - Nosferatu

Carl - Holy Order

Bob - Gentlemen's Club

This means we've got quite a bit of variety for the games. We've also been contemplating allowing alternate factions for each player, especially if some groups begin to outpace others in their standing (i.e., how many shillings they're worth, which is an indicator of their in-game overall strength). If we're really lucky, West Wind might release the rules for the rest of their available factions from their Requiem Kickstarter, but none of us are holding our breath for that result.

That being said, I think the campaign had a great start, and I'm definitely interested to see where it goes from here.

My first game was played against Carl, and we ended up playing a Prisoner scenario in the countryside. A ruined old church dominated the center of the table, where the Holy Order would be defending a member of the House of Lords who wanted further taxation on the lower classes. My anarchist Lycaons had decided that this particular aristocrat needed to go, and would be the attackers.

Gary and Bob's faction ended up playing the Blissful Ignorance scenario (where the opposing players must either attack or rescue members of the unknowing public) which took place at a Thames-side quay somewhere in London. Bob ended up winning the scenario, greatly advancing his Gentlemen's Club.

Back in our game, Carl deployed his Holy Order members around the prisoner, wisely keeping him in cover. The two Sisters  (technically the Sisters are Brothers for in-game stats) on the upper floor had firearms, while the mace-wielding priest represented a winged Knight Marshall. I didn't expect Carl to use his Spanish Inquisition miniatures!

My Lycaons deployed in a circle around the ruins, with the wolf and werewolves covering one side, as they were able to move much faster than their Wolfskin brethren. A Wolfskin with a crossbow, decked out with a telescopic sight, waited out of sight behind a building in a small hamlet.

Two more Wolfskins waited on the other side of the church, ready to move in.

The crossbow Wolfskin was quickly removed from the game. Since the crossbow is a move-or-shoot weapon, the Wolfskin was readying a shot when he was knocked off his feet from a direct hit from a hunting rifle. The Wolfskin was only able to crawl back into cover before succumbing to his wound and being removed from the game. First blood to the Holy Order!

While the two bow-armed Wolfskins skirmished with the pistol wielding Sister on the top floor, my Beastlord, Pack Master and Wolf made a dash for the runs, preparing to charge into combat.

Carl finally got initiative, and the Holy Order got the drop on the Lycaons. While a claymore-armed Sister was deterred by the Beastlord's Spine-Chilling presence, the Deacon and Knight Marshall charged forward. One again, however, the Lycaons demonstrated their superiority in close combat. The Beastlord took apart the Knight Marshall and Deacon, the Pack Master tore into the Sister, and the Wolf brought down the Brother guarding the prisoner. A lucky bow shot also downed one of the Sisters on the top floor.

With only one member of the Holy Order still standing, Carl decided to cut his losses and retreat, leaving the Lord to his fate. Victory went to the Lycaons.

This being a campaign game, Carl and I then sat down to determine what the after effects of the various injuries would be. Unfortunately for Carl, he took quite a few losses. While his Knight Marshall turned out to have no lasting wounds, one of his Sisters became Unhinged. Two of his faction members, the Deacon and a Brother, were arrested. While the Deacon will be missing two games, the Brother was deported back to Italy. The last Sister was taken Prisoner herself by the Lycaons and converted to their cause, adding another member to my pack.

With my winnings, I decided to up the skills and stats of my group. The Beastlord and Pack Master gained Fighting Beast and Fury respectively (making them better in close combat), while one of the Wolfskins gained a point in Bravado and the crossbow-armed Wolfskin gained a point in Marksmanship. In one game, my standing increased from 150 to 204 points!

With such a high standing, it looks like I'll be facing off against Bob's Gentlemen's Club in the next game.