The Reluctant Bride - A High Moon AAR

I came up with this idea after recently watching the film, The 3 Amigos.  Watching the movie, I thought, "What if the person they kidnapped what not what they appeared to be?"  And since witches are my favorite monsters in HM, I figured that worked perfectly.

The map is actually a mix of maps from different games, to represent the villains' lair.  And while I'm using HM characters, I'm also using the 2d6 rules from Fortunes Won and Lost as I prefer the 2d6 rules.  In addition, I roll on the Action table every turn with the idea that the witch can Blink if she wins on the table.

Now, on to the adventure!

It's way too hot out, Kara thought as she swept the sand off the sidewalk near the doors to the inn.  While Santa Caliente was a friendly enough town, it felt like it kept getting hotter each year.

"Kara, child, what are you doing outside in this heat," Rosa said, exiting the inn.  The older woman called nearly everyone 'child,' even Kara, who looked in her twenties.

"I'm just clearing off the sidewalk," Kara answered.

Grabbing the younger woman by the shoulders, Rosa ushered her in.  "Yes, just like you spent the morning cleaning all the tables and mopping the floor.  Do you not rest, child"

Kara shrugged.  "I'm just trying to earn my keep."

"Oh you've more than that, child.  I swear you're as stubborn as your late mother."  She paused to gaze over Kara.  "And you look just like her.  Here have some lunch before we get busy."

Before she could answer, they heard gunshots outside and rushed out.

In the street, they saw people run for cover as several men on horseback fired their pistols into the air.

"It's El Maton and his men," Rosa said, stepping into the street.  The men drew their horses back as she approached.  "Why are you here, El Maton?" she asked.  "We already gave you protection money last week."

"That you did," the middle-aged man with a green sash around his neck said.  "I'm here today to find a new wife."

"New wife?"  Rosa looked around.  "What happened to Clara?"

"Ah, dear dear Clara," El Maton said, in mock grief.  "I'm afraid she had an accident.  But life must go on.  Perhaps I will take you, Rosa as my new bride."

With a gulp, Rosa nodded.  "I will go with you, if you swear to never return here."

El Maton thought it over.  "No, but I will not return for some time, maybe a year, how is that?"

"Very well."  Rosa stepped forward but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"No," Kara said, "I'll go in your stead."

"No, you cannot," Rosa said.  "You are young woman, with whole life ahead of you."

"I'll be find."  Hugging Rosa, she stepped forward and joined El Maton.

(I know it's a long intro, but I felt I had to build up the story).

Arriving at his home, El Maton led Kara through the courtyard.  "Tonight, my men, they want to throw a party for my birthday.  Tomorrow, we shall be married.  Until then, my men have a place for you to sleep.  Oh, and if you change your mind, you will join my other former brides."  He pointed to the graveyard just outside the compound.  "Perhaps I'll be merciful and kill you first."

(I'm playing a Raid encounter.  Note that for this game, Kara is completely on her own.  She cannot recruit.  Her objective is to wipe out El Maton and his men.)

As he led Kara to her cell, the guard reached for her staff.

(To give Kara a little help as she's alone, I let her use a Casting Tool, but only if the guard lets her keep it.)

"Oh please, kind sir," she said, "you see, I have trouble seeing and I need this staff to find my way.  After all, it is not much of a weapon against such strong and armed men like yourselves."

(Rolling on the UIC, I'm treating this challenge as Normal.  Even though the guard has a lower Rep, I don't want it to be too easy.)

(Success!)

With a shrug, the guard pushed her into the cell, allowing her to keep her staff.

Later, she heard music and laughing.  The party had begun, in multiple ways.

(Time to attempt the witch's Bewitching ability.)

Leaning against the cell door, Kara whispered, "Hello my friend.  Will you not bless me by opening this door?"

(Success!)

"I'd love to," the guard said.  Smiling, he unlocked the door, and Kara stepped out.

"Now," she continued, "step into the cell yourself."  As the guard did so, she closed and locked the door.  "You look tired, my friend.  Rest now."

Lying on the cot, the guard was fast asleep.

One down, several to go.

This is the map I'm using.  The dice represent the PEFs.  For this game, I'm using 4 PEFs, with all of them representing possible outlaws of El Maton's gang, along with El Maton himself.  Outlaws are Rep 3 or 4 and use whatever weapon the figure is using (chosen at random.

(The first PEF resolves as 'Something is out there.")

Wandering through the hallway, she heard the voices of the men, along with El Maton himself.

"Ah, a sweater," she heard El Maton say, "what a lovely gift.  I must ask though why you chose to give me a sweater when it's HOTTER THAN A HORSE'S CULO OUT HERE???"

There were sounds of some yelling and then it soon went back to laughing and music.

Peering out the door, Kara saw she was about to enter the very-open courtyard.  Perhaps a little artificial cover would help.  Casting an Invisibility spell, she stepped out, not even casting a shadow on the sandy ground.

(In retrospect, Sandstorm probably would've been the better choice, but oh well, 20/20.)

(The next PEF resolved as a single guard.  However, the first figure I chose was armed with dual pistols.  If he struck first, Kara was in trouble.  Time for another Bewitching attempt!).

Seeing a lone guard on patrol, Kara quietly approached him.  "Hello handsome," she whispered.  "You look tired.  Lie down on the soft bed of sand, roll yourself a pillow, and listen as the wind sings you a lullaby."

(Success!)

"Thank you," the man said.  "Time to go night night."  Falling to the sand, the guard soon began snoring.

(The next PEF moved into the courtyard.  As it wasn't close enough for LOS, I moved Kara into cover.)

Hearing voices approach, she slipped behind a barrel and waited.

"Hey Jefe,"  Another lone outlaw stepped out and approached his unconscious friend.  "You got into the barrels early, yes?"

"Not quite," Kara said.  Pointing her staff at the outlaw fired a blast a magical energy that struck the man right in the face.

(Damage spell - outlaw is OOF.)

(At this point, only one PEF remained.  Since the most it could resolve as was 3 opponents, I immediately created another, resolved both as Contact, and treated them as if 3 men had appeared from each.)

"What was that?"  Several men stepped out into the courtyard.

(El Maton, the green figure, is Rep 5.  All others are Rep 3 or 4.)

"Look!"  One of the men pointed.  "She killed Jorge!"

With weapons out, they all began firing.

(At this point, I forgot that the courtyard was actually 3 different sections and instead treated it as one.  It gave El Maton's gang a slight edge but didn't hurt the game at all.)

(El Maton's gang won on the Action table.  Even though El Maton had the higher Rep, I moved the men from the first PEF first as that PEF had entered the courtyard before the other.  The first man scored a hit and OOF, but Kara's Star Power saved her.)

Kara ducked behind the barrel as shots fired all around her.  One even graved her shoulder, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

(The next outlaw scored a hit and OD result, but Star Power saved her again, barely!)

One of the outlaws fired his shotgun, and the top of the barrel exploded right near Kara's head.  Scrunching down, she covered her face, protecting it from splinters that covered her hair.

(The remaining outlaws missed or hit with only a Duck Back result.  Rolling again on the Action table, Kara won.  Time to use Blink!)

El Maton's men approached the shredded barrel and froze in their tracks.

"Where'd she go?"

"She just disappeared?"

"Is she some kind of witch?"

"Time to find out."  Appearing behind the men, she raised her staff.

(Damage spell.)

Suddenly, the men dropped their weapons and screamed and they were pulled into the sand.  El Maton and his second in command, Trevor, could only watch in horror.  One man escaped by grabbing onto a cart.  Pulling himself free, he took off running as the rest vanished into the sand.

(I rolled Duck Back for one man; OOF and OD for the rest.)

Spinning around, El Maton and Trevor fired their weapons but missed completely.

(Kara wins on Action table and uses Blink again.)

Suddenly, Kara vanished again.

"Come on," El Maton said, "she can't be far."

(Oops, forgot to to roll on Will to Fight table, so I did it now.  El Maton failed on the Will to Fight table, and I decided the outlaw who ducked back had then run away.)

Looking back, El Maton and Trevor saw the young man who had survived running out of the compound.  "Coward!  Come on, Trevor, let's get that brujah!"

They caught up to the woman in the hallway.

"You should have become my bride," El Maton said.  "Now you'll be just a stain on the ground."

(I decided at this point to have a little fun and attempt another Bewitching spell to make Trevor turn on his boss.  I chose to make this Difficult for that reason - Success!)

"That's not what you really want, is it Trevor?" Kara asked.  "After all, didn't your boss just insult that lovely sweater you made him?"

Tears filled Trevor's eyes.  "I worked for weeks making that for you, and you yelled at me?  I thought you loved me like a brother!"

(I rolled on the action table for these two, and El Maton won.)

Shaking his head, El Maton pointed his shotgun at his former friend and shot him right in the chest.  "Idiot."

Looking up, he then realized he was alone in the hallway.  Returning to the courtyard, he found Kara awaiting him.  

(I rolled on the UIC for El Maton to find Kara and succeeded.  If he had failed, she would've immediately attacked.  Instead, I rolled again on the Action table and Kara won.  Damage spell - hit, but El Maton Ducked Back.)

As magical blasts struck the ground near his feet, the once-fearless El Maton took off running.

Racing inside. he hid behind the door and peeked out.

(Kara used Blink again and again used a Damage spell.  And again scored a Duck Back for El Maton).

Suddenly, he felt a tapping on his shoulder and spun around as a ball of fire struck him, setting his clothes ablaze and heating the shotgun in his hands.  Dropping the weapon, he rolled on the ground and out the door.

Reaching the center of the courtyad, El Maton's eyes leaped from windows to doors as he attempted to back away and flee his own compound.  

Then Kara stepped out.  "What was it you said earlier about burying me alive?"

(Another Damage spell, but this time I scored an OD for El Maton.)

Eyes falling to the ground, El Maton shrieked as his former gang members, now groaning, mindless undead, reached up.  Latching onto his legs, his shoulders, his head, they dragged the gang leader into the sand, leaving nothing but his green scarf.

Surveying the result, Kara decided to try and find the money the gang had stolen from the town.

(UIC roll.  I chose to make it Difficult and passed 1d6 twice.)

Unfortunately, she found nothing.  Leaving the compound, she noticed one of the horses missing.  no doubt the lone gang member had used it to escape.  Well, she thought, the town is the closest settlement.  If he returns there, hopefully he can tell them what happened.  Then they'll send people here, and hopefully they'll find the loot.

However, Kara realized she could never return to the town.  No doubt the gang member would tell stories, and they would no-doubt realize her true nature.  With a sigh, she decided her next course of action.  Perhaps, after two centuries, no one would recognize her in Salem.

The Saurian Scholar Part II

I finally got to continue my game of Edd's Pub.  Last time, they met a Saurian caster named Drastica Trembletoes.  Drastic, unlike others of her race, preferred books and learning over bloodshed and sought a way to the escape.

"I have heard of a land called Zamonia where I may be more-welcome than here," Drastica said.  "I grow tried of being hunted just because I don't wish to eat my enemies and for wanting to continue my career in writing."

"Well," Skandor said, "Edd's Pub possesses many doors leading to countless lands.  Perhaps one will lead you there."

"And we'll help you get there," Mara added.

Leaping to his feet, Aerus drew his bow.  "What are we waiting for?  Let's go?"

As they walked, Skandor turned to Drastica.  "So have you written anything?"

"I've gotten one book published," Drastica answered.  "It's titled; Alchemy for Fools."

Skandor nodded.  "I remember that book.  'White's all right, green is serene.  Drink the red; bye bye, you're dead."

Drastica chuckled then turned to Skandor.  "I have a question.  Were you not a dwarf only hours ago?"

"Yes," Skandor answered, "but in the night, I was cursed to resemble a human by an unknown being."

"I see," Drastica replied.  "Though it sounds like something a writer would do if he forgot you are a dwarf."

Unfortunately, before the group could go far, they ran into a group of Saurians bent on revenge for the loss of the buddies in the previous battle.

Winning on the Action table, the Saurians struck first.

Mara was double-teamed and stabbed, falling to the ground before her shocked teammates.  Luckily, they fought on without pause or fear.

Enraged by the loss of their ally, Aerus and Drastica defeated four of the Saurians, while the final one fled.

They group then returned to their mortally-injured friend.

"We'll never forget you," Aerus said.  "You'll be in hearts, Lady Sweetness."

Even while choking up blood, Mara rolled her eyes.  "That's Mara, you stupid sack of-"

Too bad those were her final words.

A few hours later, the group reached the edge of The Woods when they encountered a woman hunting wolves.

"I am Aerus, leader of this brave band."

The woman bowed.  "Noble sir, I am known as Lyra."

Skandor turned to Drastica.  "Noble?"

"We are preparing to cross the forest," Aerus said.  "Care to join us?"

"Thank you," Lyra answered.  "Safety would definitely exist in numbers."

"I wonder about that though," Skandor pondered.  "It seems like every time we add members to our group, the number of opponents we face increases."

"That's just your imagination," said Aerus.

The group then started to enter the forest, ready for anything.

Well, almost anything.  Two trolls emerged from the forest.

"Hey, you want to join us in playing Troll Ball?" one of them asked.

"All right!  Sports!"  Aerus jumped up and down.

Drastica stepped back.  "If you plan to use our heads for the balls, we'll opt out."

Hearing the answer, the second troll slapped the first.  "Why'd you even give them a choice?"

The first one shrugged, then grinned.  "Oh I just like my victims to believe they have one."

"Think again."  Raising her hands, Drastica launched a series of magical bolts.  The bolts struck the trolls, and the creatures crashed to the ground with a loud Thud.  Turning to her allies, she spoke.  "I apologize if I acted impulsively.  I have read in the past about Orc and Troll Ball games and knew the outcome would not end in our favor."

"No arguments here," Skandor replied, surveying the smoking carcasses.

Some time later, the group ran into a ghoul, digging in a makeshift graveyard.

"Hey pale face," Aerus said, stepping forward.

"Pale face?"  The ghoul stopped and looked up.  "How dare you?"

Aerus gestured to the graves.  "I may be a womanizing, self-centered, impulsive . . . what was I saying . . . oh yeah, but I believe the dead should be left in peace."

"They at peace," said the ghoul, jabbing at the dirt with its shovel.  "Now Mozy just want pieces for dinner."

Drawing his bow, Aerus shook his head.  "I think not, rotting one.  We shall respect the departed."  With that, he lifted his bow to the sky and began singing a hymn to the departed.

(Intimidation check - Passed)

"No more!  No more!"  Covering what was left of his ears, the ghoul spun around and vanished in the brush.

Drastica nodded.  "Well that was clever."

"What was clever?" Aerus asked.

Before she could answer, a series of shrieks surrounded them and several cloaked women dropped from the trees.

"Witches!" cried Lyra.

Aerus grinned.  "Hello ladies."

However, the witches seemed unwilling to play nice and began hurling spells at the group.

Aerus shot one with his bow while Lyra lunged forward and buried her mace into another's skull.  Drastica hurled more magic bolts and dropped the third, and the fourth took off, vanishing into smoke.

"So when am I going to see some action?" Skandor asked.

"Hey, you healed us," Aerus answered.

"You aid us in your own way," Drastica said, "and for that we are grateful."

Skandor grunted.  At least the curse lifted and I look normal again.

Lyra pointed.  "I think we're reaching the edge of the forest."

"Thank you for your help,"  Drastica said to the group.  "I wish I could continue with you but I used my last coin.  I will find the path to Zamonia on my own."

"We'll miss you," Aerus said.  "Stay safe."


(After the adventure, Aerus improved to Rep 6, Skandor improved to Rep 4, and Drastica improved to Rep 5.  Perhaps this is not the last our heroes have seen of the mysterious scholar!

The Saurian Scholar - AAR for Edd's Pub

Edd's Pub is a fun little game from Two Hour Wargames' creator Ed Teixeira that allows you to travel through many of THW's other fantasy worlds.  I decided to run a little game whilte also using my Job rules that I adapted to Edd's Pub.  As with other THW titles that use the Battle Board, you're free to use whatever miniatures and board you wish.  In my case, i'm using Mage Knight minis (along with a few plastic figures) and Pathfinder boards.

But first, our hero:

Meet Aerus Aecius, an Elf Rep 5 Missile (and whose name means, 'Pointy Ears'), ready for his first adventure.

First let's get a few interactions under our belt:

Greeting a fellow elf, we shot the breeze for a minutes before he headed off for the bar.  No gain or loss in that conversation.

Next I ran into a Dwarf Healer named Skandor Widechin.  After a brief exchange of pleasantries, I asked if he wanted to join me in my adventures.

Apparently, this wasn't what he had in mind.

"Well then, new friend Skandor, let us head ourselves off in search of fortune, fame, and . . . is that a gambling table?"

Aerus rushed to the table and dropped some coins while his diminutive friend looked on.

Yeah!  Jackpot!

Several coins richer, Aerus left the less-than-pleased crowd and strutted over to Skandor.

"So are we ready for adventure yet?"  Skandor asked.

"I would say so my friend . . . just after I have a chat with that lovely lady in the corner."

"Hey there, sweet legs," Aerus said, with a twinkle in his eye, "looking for the companionship of a real man?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," she answered.  "Have you seen any?"

As Skandor chuckled under his breath, our dejected here dragged himself away and headed to the bar for a drink.

Downing his honey mead (Don't judge!  He's a cheap drunk!), Aerus struck up a conversation with the bartender.

"Hey there, V-neck, know any exciting rumors?"

"Well," she answered, "I've heard of an obnoxious elf stumbling around a pub awaiting a kicked backside."

"Too boring.  What else you got?"

She thought for a moment.  "Have you heard of the Dwarven mine that's overtaken by giant spiders?"

Our ever-so brave hero shuddered.  "Pass."

The bartender considered for a moment.  "I've also heard of a Saurian scholar being held against her will in the Saurian Frontier."

Nodding, Aerus turned to Skandor.  "Her, huh?  That sounds like a quest for us."

With that, the two headed for the door.

"Thanks for the coins, Edd!"

With their coins pocketed, the two made their way out the door and off to their adventure.

The door opened into a forest, filled with trees, hedges, and flowers of every color imaginable.

 After wandering for some time (We were NOT lost!  We passed that same tree for a purpose . . . that is . . . top secret.), our heroes encountered a human woman.

"You're lost, aren't you," she said.

"No we know exactly where we're going," Aerus answered, pointing.  "That way."

She smirked.  "Funny since I watched you pass 'that way' three times.  I'm Mara Steelfist, and I'll help you find your way for the right price."

After a short discussion, the three agreed on a price, and Mara joined our heroes in search of adventure and danger.

They didn't have to search long for the latter.

"Hey, you!"

The three turned to see four men approach them.

"Uh oh," Skandor said.

Aerus looked to him.  "What is it?"

Skandor's hand fell to his wargammer.  "Those are the guys you won money off of."

"You're just paranoid."

"We're here to get back the money you won from us," the group's leader said.  "We know you cheated, so hand it all over."

Aerus pulled his bow out.  "Come get it."

The group's leader, a mage, clapped his hands, and suddenly, Aerus felt dizzy.  Dropping his bow, he backed into a tree to steady himself.

"Some great hero you are."  Rolling her eyes, Mara pulled out her sword and lunged at the nearest thug, cutting him down before he could blink.

Another thug pounced at Skandor, but he blocked the attack.

The final thug charged at Aerus, but he finally regained enough composure to dodge the attack and stab the man in the face with an arrow.

"On second thought," the mage said, "maybe you won fairly.  Our mistake."  With that, he and the remaining thug took off into the trees.

"Well that was easy," Aerus said, finally able to see again.  Picking up his bow, he led his group as they continued on.

"Let's practice a little more caution," Skandor said.  "I only have so much needle and thread on me."

"Don't worry," our here answered.  "I'm sure we've seen the worst."

Yeah, about that . . . 

Before they could take more than a few steps, our heroes were approached by a trio of Beastman.

Aerus looked to the wolfen leader.  "Why the long face?"

The leader glared at him.  "That's the best you can do, Pointy?  Come on, fellas, these guys are pathetic."  With that, the trio walked away laughing, but at least our heroes finally located the forest's exit and entered the Saurian Frontier.

After walking some time, they managed to sneak past any threats.

"So how do you think we'll tell this scholar apart from the rest?"  Aerus asked.

"Oh," Mara answered, "I'd say lucky guess."

Aerus then noticed where they were looking and saw a blue reptile in a light blue robe.

"Greetings," she said.  "I am Drastica Trembletoes.  My fellow Saurians despise my scholarly studies and tried to prevent me from exploring the world.  Would you be so kind as to allow me to follow you away from this place?"

Just then, they heard a roar as several not-so-pleasant Saurians approached, licking their teeth.

"I hope you have a thick book for hitting them," Aerus said.

"Did I mention," Drastica responded, "that some of the books I have read are spell books?"

The enemy lizards roared and charged into battle.

Aerus shot one dead while Drastica waved her claws and fired magical bolts, dropping one.  The third and forth charged Mara and Skandor and the two held their ground until Drastica dropped the third one.

Seeing himself alone, the last one turned and bolted away.

With our quest complete and the maiden 'rescued,' it was time to see how our heroes fared, experience-wise.  Would any of them improve their reps?

"Whoo hoo, Rep 6!"

"Nope."

"Rep 5, heck yeah!"

"Damn."

The next question is, what's lies in store for our heroes next?

Dreamer's Guide - A playing aid for Deadly Dreams

Deadly Dreams, the first supplement to Lovecraft's Revenge, is now out for sale.  In addition, I've completed the Dreamer's Guide, which provides rules and other options for running games outside the scenarios.

Here's an example.

Our heroes started in the small town of Ulthar, where the priests found one of their own lying on the ground, eyes bulging, veins clearly visible in his face.  They asked us to investigate what could have caused this.

We're told the nearby ruins may hold ancient scrolls which describe ancient horrors that crossed the lands.  We decided to head there next.

Outside the ruins, we ran into some lava gatherers, on their way home from the mountains (I couldn't find any minis to represent them, so I just went with d6 this time.).  After a brief dialog, they pointed us toward the ruins.

Arriving, we explored the ruins and found the scrolls in the only vase that was in one piece.  According to the scrolls, the land between Ulthar and the distant mountains teemed with dark magic, and spiritual figures terrorized the populations until imprisoned in a vault just north of the ruins. That's where we're going next.

Unfortunately, the vault we found was opened and destroyed.  Rushing to the nearby towns, we found nothing, until the last one . . .

Entering Dylath-Leen, we saw that the graveyard had grown considerably.  Natives of the town told us of an evil spirit preying on the populace.  Knowing we've found our goal, we camped out near the graveyard an awaited the creature.  We weren't disappointed.

By midnight, a shimmering crimson glow appeared and manifested into the form of a Hobgoblin.  Not wasting any time, we attacked.

It struck back, blasting Percy and Justin with the crimson blast before turning to me.  In a panic, I rushed to escape as the swirling bloody energy surrounded me.

And, I woke up, in my home, all safe.  Leaping out of bed, I phoned Justin and Percy, and both were alive, though shaken by crippling dreams.  They'd recover in time, but for now they were okay.  Setting the receiver down, I sat on my bed and breathed a sigh of relief . . .

 . . . until I realized the breathing wasn't mine and was coming from behind me!

Deadly Dreams is now out from Two Hour Wargames.

Go here for the Dreamer's Guide:

http://site.twohourwargames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3222

And sleep tight!