Since the cold of Winter seems to follow us into spring, we put on our wizard hats and played a game of Frostgrave. We already tested some new mechanics from “The Wildwoods” in a quick homebrew and finally decided to play the campaign from the Frostgrave supplement.
Thus, hark the tale of two wizards meeting at (insert dramatic music here) “the sinking mausoleum”.
Prologue
Having left the frozen city behind them, the wizard and his warband wandered through the Wildwoods, in search for the fabled Tower of Storms. From a seasonned guide they learned of a once glorious mausoleum, hidden in the marshes, a few days of journey to the north. As the mausoleum came into view, the captain of the warband noticed three things that made them and their employer worry: (one) The mausoleum was slowly sinking into the marsh; (two) the denizens of the sinking building slowly shambled out of it ; (three) that other goddamned wizard found the mausoleum too…
Setup
We set up the game using some of Erics new and fancy swamp terrain. Sadly, we lacked appropriate bushes and hedges, as recommended in the scenario. But it will turn out later, this was kind of a life-saver for both our warbands. We used regular Mantic zombies as Petrified men, since we lacked proper models.
As in all our Frostgrave games, we agreed that claiming treasure would spawn random creatures and we would use the Wildwoods tables to determine the new foes. Also we decided to play without the hidden pools rule.
I had to set up first and deployed at the western table edge. Since we had to make a run for the treasure tokens, I divided my warband and regrouped them around my spellcasters and my captain. I intended to make good use of group activations in combination with superior magic spellcasting. Eric did the same on the east.
Looting the mausoleum
Early Game
I won initiative in the first turn and made Arthrose activate several members of his crew. My ranged soldiers, Ruby and Harald, took the highground and tried to take out a Petrified man, while covering the advance of the rest of the crew. Fridolin, my apprentice, led my knight Sir Whatshisname, supported by Thimothé, the candlemaking ork, to the central treasure.
Eric advanced more cautiously. Since the Petrified men were relatively slow, he tried to kite them away with nimble units, like his warhound or a summoned imp. Unlike my ranged crewmen, Paelio, Erics ranger managed to inflict some damage to a Petrified man.
Midgame
During midgame, the game turned into a chaotic ballet of spellcasting, fleeing from stonemen, treasure hunting and random rampaging creatures.
We rarely have games, during which the action takes place everywhere on the board. Unlike previous Frostgrave games, this Wildwoods-scenario proved rather challenging and eventually forced us to cooperate in order to survive.
Perilious Petrified men
Unfamiliar with the new Wildwoods bestiary, we initially underestimated the Petrified men. They were slow and slugish. But once they got into close combat with our respective warband members, we learned to respect them and to keep the hell away from them.
On several occasions I had to cast Wall, to block the path or line of sight of the undead stonemen, while Eric continued to lure them away from our crews and the treasure token. Suddenly an alliance of convenience was born.
With armor 16 and 16 health points (and in combination with our bad dice rolls) these undead seemed almost impossible to kill. We had to gang up on them and combine support boni in order to inflict real damage to them.
At one point, Eric did a very wizardly manoeuvre. He cast Transpose on a Petrified man and made him switch places with his barbarian Glomp!. This move brought the undead close to a group of Rangifer, that threatened Erics apprentice and the unfortunate shambler became the prime target of the hoofed creatures. At the same time, Glomp! became free to assist his wizard and protect him from yet another Petrified man.
Rampaging Rangifer
At the end of turn 2, several rangifer appeared at the table edges. Since our main concern were the undead Petrified men, we initially welcomed those undead-hating abominations… I mean noble barbarians.
Our joy lasted for 5 seconds, since we realised, that both of us had necromantic spells in our spellbooks! Thus our spellcasters became potential victims to the rangifer.
Engame
Uninvited guests
Usually the appearence of random creatures is a source of entertainment (and experience points). But during this scenario, they spawned in such an unfavorable fashion, that they messed up our game. Two of them, a bogman and an ice leech turned up next to our treasure carriers. Luckily, they were way less powerful than the Petrified men.
A careful retreat
At the end of turn 4, all the treasures had been claimed, and we agreed, it would be a swell idea to get our crews (and treasures) to safety. While Eric was a lot closer to the table edges, I had to move my merry men and women quickly away from the surviving critters. But a few lucky blows by my soldiers opened an escape route off the board
Ending the game and final thoughts
We ended the game after turn 5, agreeing that the soldiers on the board would escape anyway and that there was no need to prolongue the game.
Eric finished with two treasures and two casualties (which both would recover before the next game), while I secured three treasures and had no casualty, although some of my soldiers suffered heavy wounds. In any regular Frostgrave game I’d have won, but since the Wildwoods forced us eventually to cooperate, we called it a draw. Good sportsmanship obliged us.
Had we not supported each other, the Petrified men and Rangifer most likely would have torn our respective warbands to pieces. While we won’t agree on total cooperation in future games (this is Frostgrave after all), we agreed, that we could assist each other at a certain level in order to survive the Wildwoods.
Next game: The Temple of Cats! With extra fluffy cats !!!
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