Sword Masters for Open Combat plus Pulp Alley Deck Boosters

My copy of Sword Masters...the new swashbuckling supplement for Open Combat...arrived yesterday. I've not had much chance to do more than skim through it so far but it looks to be full of new skills, abilities, weapons and scenarios focusing on swordplay, promising to add more depth to combat...and at £8 it's a bargain.

I also noticed that Second Thunder are now offering a cheaper paperback version of the rules. Containing the full rules and three scenarios, it is significantly cheaper than the £30 hardback at just £15 but it does strip out the Campaign Rules and Appendices. Definitely offers a cheaper entry point into the game, though.

I also noticed today that Pulp Alley are offering for pre-order some boosters for their Horror, Solo and Fortune decks. Sally 4th are doing a 10% discount on their pre-orders here.

So many shiny new toys...

Thulsa Doom!

I've found the time...in between clearing the loft and boxing things up...to make another quick post as yesterday I got my latest batch of painted figs from the talented Mr Slade of Glenbrook Games. Behold...Thulsa Doom!

Thulsa Doom

These are from the recent Dark Fables Miniatures Indiegogo Temple of Set campaign. Lovely figs!

Cultists

Stheno, Consort of Set

Stheno, the Gorgon

Stheno...before and after!

Thulsa Doom and his priests!

Matt has...as always...done a fantastic job on these! I can't wait to get these onto the table against my Conan warband...though, unfortuntately, that will have to wait until I've moved and found all my stuff amidst the many boxes!

Open Combat - Zogar Sag and the Picts Warband

Here is a Hyborian Pict warband I've put together for Open Combat using my Lucid Eye Cro-Magnons and North Star Frostgrave Witch as the Pictish shaman Zogar Sag!

Name	SPD	ATK	DEF	FOR	MND	Weapons/Skills/Abilities	Renown
Zogar Sag (Shaman)	4	4	6	6	8	Double-Handed Weapon, Leader Focused Blow, Evade, Exert, Intimidate	33
Magwa (War Leader)	5	6	6	7	4	Spear, Bow Aim, Evade, Intimidate	33
Warrior x4	4	4	4	4	2	Spear Aim, Evade	84 (21x4)

Break Point

25

Total Renown

150

These will go up against the Conan warband I posted a few months ago (here). 

You can find a PDF of the warband on Google Drive here or Dropbox here, if you're interested. 

Hyborian Picts and Skraelings

Things have been a bit quiet on both the wargaming front and blogging front recently. Real life getting in the way...and it's likely to be the same for the next couple of months. Any gaming has been mainly of the short and sweet variety...lots of Odin's Ravens and Magic the Gathering with the kids.

Today, though, I got my latest batch of figs from the inimitable Matt Slade of Glenbrook Games! This time a mix of Lucid Eye Cro-Magnons and the Frostgrave Witch and Apprentice that I intend to use as Skraelings for Blood Eagle and Hyborian Picts for Open Combat with the Witch and Apprentice as Shaman types. They will also fit quite nicely into my The Northern Tribes (here and here) warband for Dragon Rampant as well as Frostgrave.

As always, Matt has done a superb job. Here are some more pics...

Frostgrave Witch and Apprentice with Lucid Eye Cro-Magnon Leader

Lucid Eye Cro-Magnon Leader

Frostgrave Witch

Lucid Eye Cro-Magnons

Skraelings or Hyborian Picts

Bêlit, Queen of the Black Coast

Bêlit, Queen of the Black Coast

Here are a few more figs that I've recently had back from the inimitable Matt Slade's paint table. These are for our Dragon Rampant, Frostgrave and Open Combat games.

First up is a superb figure from Hasslefree...Xanthia. She's probably a little underdressed for Frostgrave but will do perfectly as Bêlit, Queen of the Black Coast, for Conan games.

Hasslefree - Xanthia

Then there are two Red Box figures that will fit in perfectly with our Northern Tribes warband for Dragon Rampant as well as for our Frostgrave and Open Combat games.

Red Box - Ullr the Red

Red Box - Fearless Hvitarnor

Here they are all together...

Bêlit and her barbarians!

Matt has, as always, done a superb job on these figs!

Conan and the Shadow King - Open Combat AAR

The boy and I have finally found the time to finish our latest battle report...this time using the new Open Combat rules. So, without further ado...

There is a bigger and easier-to-read PDF version of the battle report on Google Drive here or Dropbox here, if you're interested.

This time the boy wanted to play the evil Thoth-Amon so I got to play Conan and Red Sonja...and I won! Hurrah! Certainly makes a change. 

We both really liked the rules...they are really easy to pick up and the game plays nice and fast. The combat is tactical without being overly so...probably slightly more so than Dragon Rampant...and this is largely because of the weapons, skills and abilities which make each character feel unique. 

The only thing lacking is a magic system...I believe a magic supplement is in the works but, meanwhile, the suggestion is to use magic as weapons (eg.'lightning bolt' as bow, etc). Personally, I prefer the low magic of sword and sorcery anyway so didn't miss lightning bolts, fireballs and the like...we just gave the sorceror lots of Mind skills and had him summon the Shadow King just as the game started. Worked a treat. 

Of course, the great thing about these rules is that you can use any figures you want to make any (pre-gunpowder) sort of warband you want. Our kind of system! We're certainly looking forward to playing more Open Combat! Great fun!

The figures, a mix of North Star, Hasslefree, Red Box and Reaper, were painted for me by the initmitable Matt Slade of Glenbrook Games. 

Open Combat really is available from North Star now!

You really can pick up Open Combat from North Star now...here's the link.

The boy and I are still trying to finish the battle report for our recent game of Open Combat...Conan and the Shadow King! We hope to have it done some time next week.

Coming Soon...

Coming soon...but not that soon, I'm afraid.

The nasty flu bug that has being going around has finally made it to our house...just in time for the Easter holidays! So I'm afraid I'm playing nurse not wargames.

The cover for the battle report of our recent game of Open Combat is about as far as I've gotten with it...so I thought I'd share it as a little teaser of things to come...at some point in the, hopefully, not too distant future!

Open Combat now available from North Star

Open Combat from Second Thunder is now available from North Star here, for those who are interested. The boy and I played our first game last Sunday and really enjoyed it...we haven't had a chance to do the battle report yet but hope to get it done at some point over the Easter holidays!

[edit: North Star have made it unavailable temporarily as not all Kickstarter backers have received their copies in the UK yet. It's now going to be available from the beginning of April.]

Open Combat - Thoth Amon and the Shadow King Warband

Here is the Open Combat warband to go up against the Conan one I posted yesterday...Thoth Amon, with the aid of a High Priestess of Set, has summoned from the darkness the terrible Shadow King!

Name	SPD	ATK	DEF	FOR	MND	Weapons/Skills/Abilities	Renown
Thoth Amon	4	6	6	6	8	Double-Handed Weapon, Hand Weapon Focused Blow, Evade, Distract, Intimidate (Leader)	36
Priestess of Set	4	5	5	5	6	Double-Handed Weapon Focused Blow, Quick Recovery, Distract, Feint	30
The Shadow King	4	8	6	8	4	Double-Handed Weapon Resolute, Quick Recovery, Intimidate	34
Temple Guard Sword & Shield	4	4	5	4	4	Hand Weapon, Shield Shield Bash, Resolute	25
Temple Guard Double-Handed Weapon	4	5	5	4	4	Double-Handed Weapon Resolute	25

Break Point

27

Total Renown

150

You can find a PDF of the warband on Google Drive here or Dropbox here, if you're interested.