Bogged Down - Red Book of the Elf King AAR

Sam and I met up this past weekend to play a game of Red Book of the Elf King. It had been a little while since we had last played, so our rules knowledge was a little rusty. But we remembered quickly enough and soon go into the rhythm of the game. 

We decided to try the Ruin of An Rhar scenario, which sees one Circle ambushing another Circle's encampment.

Sam and I randomly chose our Thanes with some under-the-table card shuffling. I drew Meksant Farseer, the most powerful spellcasting Thane of the original six, while Sam drew Lowic Angersand, a combat-orientated Thane only second in physical prowess to Vachel Goldenhand.

Seeking a mystical tome, Meksant had led his Circle deep into Lowic's territory. With the sun setting, the Circle made camp in the ruins of an ancient hall of some forgotten Fae lord. The Circle's Companions took up their watch, while others sat down to rest.

However, the spirits of the old Lord and their Companions were not quiet, and the Circle listened as their unearthly cries echoed through the night air.

It was with a fearsome cry that Lowic and his band of sworn Fae emerged from the twilight gloom, setting upon the intruding Circle. Meksant's Circle was awoken by the sudden flashes of Rhud Magick, some of which struck home and damaged Meksant's forces.

Taken by surprise, Meksant and his Circle were unable to respond in turn as they awoke and scrambled for their gear, although a couple elves were able to fire back and score a hit with their own magic. Meksant gathered his arcane energies to cast Thane's Writ, which would make it more difficult for the opposing Thane to cast their next Glamour.

Undeterred by the restriction of his arcane energies, Lowic dispelled the Writ and instead cast Endless Fen. This turned the entirety of the ruins into a murky, swampy mess that sucked at the boots of Meksant's Circle.

For a moment, the elves of the Pallasades despaired, but their training prevailed and they managed to rally. Lowic and his warriors had the advantage of mobility, where they could charge or cast Rhud Magick with impunity.

Stuck in the mire, Meksant cast Cruel Grasp, which allowed him to gather a burst of energy for some future use. Lowic responded with the dreaded Red Death, but the virulent disease was quickly deterred by the opposing Circle's defense.

Some of Meksant's warriors were able to escape the mire and began maneuvering against the enemy. To aid them, Meksant bent his will to cast Infernal Embrace, which added to the attacks of the Companions.

With Lowic's men pressing the attack, Meksant also cast Deathly Touch, making his warriors' weapons deadlier.

Lowic countered with a fiendish combination with his earlier Endless Fen. By casting Pit of Ultimate Despair on the same area, he forced all of Meksant's Circle that were still in the bog to lose their courage, which meant even the briefest of attacks was another to gain a Penalty Counter during the subsequent Courage test.

Both sides were dealing heavy damage to each other. Enough wounds were building up that Companion units were losing Elves, or being wiped out entirely.

Hoping to buy time, Meksant used Winds of Time to remove action counters from the bag, ending the turn early.

The game ended rather suddenly in a bright explosion of magick. Lowic came out from behind his wall to butcher a unit of Meksant's Companions using his Troll Cleave Glamour. With the enemy Thane finally in the open, Meksant stepped forward and released the energies he had gathered using Cruel Grasp earlier in the battle.

In one massive burst, the Mage-Thane released a Rhud Magic blast that overwhelmed Lowic's defenses and felled the Thane of the Hunt in a single attack. With that, the game ended, with Lowic's Circle retreating. Meksant's Circle, however, was forced to recuperate for some time from their losses.

I enjoyed the game with Sam, which ended with a chancy gamble that would have left Meksant exposed had I not gotten a really hot roll of the dice! We're looking into using the Troll Wars supplement to play the campaign scenarios that the book provides for further games.

Starlight, Starbright - Red Book of the Elf King AAR

Yesterday, Sam and I decided to meet up at the local community center (which turned out to be very nice, so we're planning to use it for future games!) to play our first full sized game of Red Book of the Elf King. 

We're running a four-player game this weekend (basically a regular game but with two Thanes per side), so we wanted to re-familiarize ourselves with the rules, as well as get our painted miniatures on the table. 

Sam used Vachel Goldenhand as his thane, while I used Lowic, Hero of the Ecanna. Vachel is the most combat focused Thane in the game, while Lowic is close behind in melee ability, so we thought it'd be an interesting match. 

We set the table up with some impassible and rough terrain and decided to play the Star Fall scenario. You can see the piece of starmetal at the center. Both sides start off the table and move on during the first turn. Either player's Thane need to grab the starmetal counter and move off the table by the end of turn seven, or take out the opposing player's Thane.

The complication is that the starmetal's power gives the Thane a Penalty Token at the start of the turn. A very important detail, as Sam and I were about to learn!

During the first turn both sides moved onto the table. I managed to use a Glamour (Red Book's version of spells for the Elf factions) to remove the activation tokens from my Thane and surrounding Companions, which gave me a decent headstart on moving towards the objective.

Both Thanes watched as their Companions formed shieldwalls and advanced. The starmetal sat, emanating waves of power.

We used this game to get our heads around combat in Red Book. It's fairly straightforward, but in our previous game we played as though you just rolled dice and assigned hits like most other unit-based rules. However, a reread revealed that only shooting works that way. In melee, fighters square off as evenly as possible.

This made combat a little slower, but it felt more tactical. And with such a relatively low model count, it went faster as we got into the rhythm of declaring combats and rolling dice.

The first round of fights were fairly bloody, with Lowic's Companions forcing Vachel's warband back. Lowic took the opportunity to move up and claim the starmetal - a fateful choice.

As Sam and I quickly discovered, the single penalty counter that the starmetal gave to the Thane holding it was detrimental, especially when you rolled low for activation counters. It also didn't help when Sam used a Glamour to restart the turn after I had gotten ten activation counter's to Sam's five.

Lowic was stuck holding the starmetal as his Companions kept the opposing warband at bay.

However, the tide began to turn against Lowic, and he soon found himself stranded as his warriors were pushed back, bloodied and weary.

And fate showed its displeasure for the Elven Thane when he failed the Courage test needed to remove the Penalty Counter at the end of the sixth turn, and ended up with two!

In Red Book, units can be given multiple Activation Counters, but only if they're evenly spread out. Penalty Counters are also included when dealing out Activation Counters, so every other unit in the warband would need to be given a Counter before Lowic could be given one! He was thoroughly stuck in the middle of the board.

Vachel now had a good chance of, if not retrieving the starmetal, then at least striking Lowic down. To prevent this, I charged unit after unit of Companions into Vachel. While his Sunsword easily cleaved the Elves into neat little pieces, I was able to deal three wounds to the enemy Thane. With only a single wound left, Vachel was suddenly less eager to attack Lowic, who could use his twin swords to defend himself with ease.

And so the game ended with neither Thane able to claim the objective or fell his opponent. Both Circles withdrew from the table to deal with the wounded and dead.

Sam and I both had a great time getting Red Book back on the table, and this second game went a long way to understanding most of the game mechanics. I'm looking forward to playing again, especially since the Troll Wars expansion was recently released. The Troll and Mortal Thanes look interesting, and I'll likely pick them up as soon as more Companion units are released for the two factions.

Painting Update - Red Book of the Elf King, ADLG, Blood Bowl

Here's a look at what I've been working on since the last update. 

These are the six Thanes currently released for the Red Book of the Elf King. They're somewhat akin to the Warcasters and Warlocks of Warmachine/Hordes. They're powerful warriors capable of wading into a fight, while also having access to powerful spells. Each Thane has its own special rules and weapons, and tend towards either being better at close combat or spellcasting. 

A Circle of Companions accompany the Thane into battle, and a normal sized game of Red Book of the Elf King will see a Thane leading six units of Companions (made up of three elves each).

The stats and abilities of the Companions change depending on which Thane is leading the warband - some might be able to move and shoot their magic with a slight penalty, while others ignore Courage tests taken from magical attacks. It makes for a fun bit of variation.

I also completed a Tamil Indian army for ADLG, and ran it at a tournament (you can find the AARs on the blog).

It's a pretty simple force - lots of Medium Foot and Elephants, with some Mediocre Bowmen and Cavalry to round out the flanks. With poor command and no initiative, it really relies on marching forward and hoping the first round of combat goes well.

In its first tournament, I lost two games and won one. Hopefully I can get this force out on the table in the near future.

Recently I kickstarted a Blood Bowl team from Gaspez Arts. It's supposed to be a Slann team, but modelled after the Kislev that were added to the Blood Bowl video game (who wanted to add the Slann, but weren't allowed by Games Workshop. Thus, Fantasy Russian Acrobats). The miniatures are resin and the details are crisp. I'm looking forward to playing them soon.

As for what's coming up, I'm heading to Fall In! this weekend. I'll be taking part in a Warmaster Revolution tournament, as well as playing in a few other convention games. And there will probably be loot to show off as well.

Darkness on the Fens - Red Book of the Elf King AAR

Recently, Sam and I met to play another game of Red Book of the Elf King. 

While my miniatures are fully painted (and will be shown in an eventual Painting Update), Sam's Circle is still in the process of being painted by a local painter. So we decided to play another small game of Red Book, with a Thane and three units of Companions on each side. This time, however, we'd play for a regular length game, with seven randomly drawn Glamour card for our Thanes to use. 

The table had the same approximation of terrain as last time, setting the game in a rocky, ruined section of the Isles of Eas. The scenario used was The Red March, which has a fairly simple victory condition - kill the opposing Thane before the end of the game (seven turns). If neither Thane is killed, then whoever caused the most wounds is the winner.

Sam decided to use Orelea of Ry Fert as his Thane, while I chose Alloysian of Vasterlant. Both Thanes are middling in their abilities, neither favoring close combat or magical attacks.

Both sides began off the table at the start of the first turn. As our units entered the table, our battleplans quickly began obvious - Sam had chosen to spread his forces across the tables, while I had focused my Circle on the left side.

Alloysian used his magic to cast Endless Fen, creating a 12" bog of difficult terrain that Orelea and one of her Companion units would have to traverse. In return, the Queen of the Long Isles cast Shroud of Night, creating a 6" sphere of darkness that blocked line of sight, directly in the path of my advancing circle. I would need to go around it to prevent Sam's force from getting a bunch of free charges.

Both sides spent the second turn skirmishing at range with Rhud magic and maneuvering through the rocky terrain, to little result.

Alloysian, however, hit Orelea with the Spear of Fate spell, causing a single wound (had all three gone through, it would've ended the game!). Sam's Glamour for the turn was Spirit Cry, which increased the Circle's Courage values by one for the rest of the game. This was an amazing Glamour that, if I ever had the chance to assemble my own spells for a game, I would definitely never go without.

With both sides rolling a total of ten actions in the bag, we knew turn three was going to be bloody.

Elves charged back and forth in the ruins to the sound of battle cries and Rhud magic. When the dust cleared, both sides had been wounded, with Sam holding the center of the table and my units surrounding him.

During this turn, Orelea cast Entropic Gaze, causing wounds to all of my units in her line of sight. Hoping to even the odds, Alloysian used Troll Cleave to try and fell a unit of Companions. But not only did he fail to reduce the unit, the Thane actually came away from the combat with a wound of his own. One more, and Oreleas' Circle could claim victory.

The fourth turn was rather short. I thought putting Alloysian out in danger might entice Sam to engage his Thane in combat...

The plan worked, although too well. Even with Alloysian's Pale Realstones, which could force redraws of the action counters, Orelea was able to active twice in a row thanks to some present penalty counters on her Companions. Alloysian's Fen Blade failed to strike the opposing Thane down, but Orelea had no such difficulties - her sword, Virtue, found its mark, and down went Alloysian.

With our second game, Sam and I are starting to get a handle on the rules. While simple, there are some tactical elements, especially with how quickly units can move or charge (10" on a 4'x4' table), which keep the battle fluid. And the Glamours add a lot to the game.

With two of the six Thanes played, I'm hoping to get the others to the table, and to start playing with full sized Circles.

The Mountain Pass - Red Book of the Elf King AAR

Red Book of the Elf King is a new game produced by Lucid Eye Publications and written by Rick Priestly, to accompany Lucid Eye's line of miniatures. 

The game is set during the Fae Revanche - the great civil war between various Circles of the elves, after the Elf King left his throne for the Outworlds. 

Players chose a Thane and a number of Companions (units of three Elves each), along with their Glamours (powerful spells that only the Thane can cast) and then attempt to assert their supremacy and claim the vacant throne!

This was our first game, using the special introductory scenario in the rulebook. Two Thanes and their Companions find themselves at an impasse - while traveling through a mountain pass, both sides block the way, and neither Thane will back down and allow the other to continue on.

We used Vachel Goldenhand and Saylian Trollblood for this game, with Sam taking Vachel and the set of Glamours with lower casting value, while I played with Saylian and the Glamour set with higher casting values.

The objective was simple - either kill the opposing Thane or cause the most wounds before the end of four turns.

The Thanes and their Companions deployed on opposite sides of the pass, taking cover in the shade of old ruins.

Both sides spent the first turn advancing, out of range for either charges or Rhud magic (shooting attacks, which all elves can cast).

The second turn saw all the action. Combats between Companions sprang up across the ruins, with Vachel's warriors of the Throne of Towers easily thrashing Saylians supporter from the Sarlant March. It didn't help that Vachel's Companions were immune to Courage tests from Shooting attacks, which Saylian's Companions favored.

In the midst of battle, Vachel was able to charge Saylian, and caused three wounds - leaving Saylian with only a single wound left! Saylian's attacks were unable to pierce his opponent's defense.

A unit of Saylian's Companions, seeing their Thane in mortal peril, managed to charge and force Vachel to retreat. However, this left Saylian open to a charge from one of Vachel's Companion units. While Saylian's blades did their work - leaving only a single, wounded Companion left - one elf's spear managed to find its mark, striking Saylian down.

The Lord of the Sarlent March's beaten and bloodied body was pulled from the field by his Companions, while Vachel led his victorious warband through the mountain pass.

This was a fun, if quick, intro scenario. I'm looking forward to playing more and larger games, where both sides have a Thane, six units of Companions, and seven Glamour spells to cast. The rules are fairly simple, with a unique activation mechanics (both sides roll a d6 to determine how many activation tokens are placed in a bag, along with an amount equal to a neutral d6).

The Glamours are interesting, and can be fairly powerful, if they go off right. For example, I used Red Death during the game, which causes a chain reaction of Defense rolls with a penalty. Any model that fails a Defense roll has takes a wound, and the spell jumps to the next elf in the unit. If a unit all fails their Defense roll, the spell then jumps to the next closest unit. With enough poor rolls, an entire warband can be affected.

Of course, Sam managed to save on the first warrior, and my spell sputtered out.

I'm looking forward to playing more games of RBotEK, and to seeing what releases lie in the future. Lucid Eye has already released Trolls and Humans (with only the Trolls having rules in the game thanks to a scenario in the back), and there are rumors of Goblins and Dwarves.