Opening Festivities - Carnevale AAR

After getting back from Cold Wars, I met up with Kevyn, who I hadn't seen in a while. After catching up, we finally got a chance to play Carnevale. 

We both backed the project way back in the summer of 2017, before I had moved away for my current job. I decided to pick up the starter set and get most of the Guild, while Kevyn chose the Doctors (I was surprised he didn't pick the Strigoi, but as he explained, plague doctors beat vampires any day of the week). 

One of the coolest parts of the kickstarter campaign (and the two player starter) was the inclusion of 1'x1' paper tiles with canals and streets on them, along with paper bridges and actual 3D paper buildings of two different heights. With these and some 3D printed barrels and crates, it created a fantastic looking area to play in.

Kevyn's Doctors consisted of a Doctor of the Mind as a Leader, an Alchemist Doctor, Morgue Doctor, and a Warden for Heroes, and a Carrion and two Madmen for Henchmen. My Guild was lead by a Capodecina, along with a Barber, a Butcher and a Recruiter for Heroes, and three Citizens as Henchmen.

The scenario was Gang Wars, and the objective was simple - kill more of the opposing faction by the end of five turns.

My Capodecina, Barber, and Butcher each leaped across the canal using a gondola, and the Capodecina easily used his speed to reach the Carrion.

On the other side of the square, my Recruiter urged the Citizens forward as the Alchemist Doctors scaled a building.

The center devolved into a bloody melee. While my Capodecina took out the Carrion, the Barber and the Morgue Doctor got into a shaving-razor-on-scalpel fight.

It was at this time that Kevyn and I decided that his Doctors needed to get their magic, and quick. We had started the game thinking that we'd give magic a miss for the first experience, but quickly realized that without some thaumatergical backup, the Guild were going to roll over the workers of the Ospedale like a tidal wave.

So Kevyn quickly put together spells for his Doctor of the Mind and Morgue Doctor (Blood and Fateweaving Disciplines, respectively), and then used that magic to shred my Butcher before he could get to grips with the enemy.

As soon as they had the chance, my Citizens charged the Alchemist Doctor. While their improvised weapons weren't strong individually, there were enough of them that damage started to get through.

Not wanting to deal with that, the Alchemist Doctor fled, leaping to the bridge and throwing bombs behind him. Two of the Citizens managed to shake off the damage and charged again, but the third missed her leap and fell into canal.

The Capodecina ran towards the Doctor of the Mind, blades flashing, while the Warden charged the Barber.

While the Alchemist Doctor escaped again and had a Madman take his place against the Citizens, the Capodecina and his twin blades made short work of the spellcasting Doctor of the Mind, killing the Doctors' leader in turn four. 

At that point, we decided to call the game, since it was only going to end one way. 

Despite having to check the books a lot, and some confusion in the wording of the rules, Kevyn and I had a great time with the game. It's fun and the rules evoke a lot of the movement and speed that the models can pull off, leaping across canals and easily clambering up and down the sides of buildings. Combat is simple but can be brutal, and the Destiny Die adds an extra twist of fun when rolling to attack, jump, or to drown an enemy!

I'm glad that I picked up the two player set, as I can also paint up the Rashaar (i.e., Cult of Dagon) that came with it. Since the Guild is one of the armies/warbands I'd like to paint up this year, it's now on my painting table.