STALKER7

A NIGHTWATCH – BLOOD AND BONE AAR

Had the rare privilege of running a two-day game event earlier this month. Six players drove across the state to hunt for a lost Dwarven artifact. Hammering out the ‘tactical RPG’ concept for the upcoming NW-BnB, this was basically a huge play test session. All the minis, dice, and terrain were ready for a Saturday morning start.

IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WEST MARCH

In the Stormcrag Mountains of the West March lay the ruins of the ancient Dwarf kingdom, Vahr Turum. Despite the remote fastness, its caverns and crumbling clan halls are long-plundered, picked over by centuries of treasure hunters and scavengers. Now, the mountains are a haunt for beasts and bandits, the hunting ground of fierce greenskins and savage monsters. It is a bad place to go – and a worse place to die.

DAY ONE – THE RUINS

Six Nightwatch hunters set out to scour the Dwarf ruins for clues to the location of the tomb. The table was set with eight POI, (points of interest) all of which offered a Risk and Reward (hostile creatures and loot) while three contained the mission objectives as well. (the clues) There would also be occasional hostile creatures (a goblin patrol, a wandering monster, an ork war band…) entering the mission area from randomly generated spots. Given the presence of enemies at the POI and the narrative element to the game, that spawning was less frequent than the usual once per turn in the current NW rule book.

Regardless, these weren’t threats one could ignore.

Points of Interest

Three examples pictured below. All scenery items marked by a Dwarf coin. Interact with the terrain to ‘search’ the location, a challenge is presented, usually in the form of a creature or similar threat. Solve the puzzle/eliminate the threat, players could roll on a loot table. If the POI also contained an objective, that was rewarded as well.

Oh and the coins could be redeemed by players for a re-roll, but had to be used that mission/that day.

A solid 5-hour session (lunch was in there, at some point) the crew had fought giants, giant snakes, ork marauders, toad demons, and numerous fanged gribblies to clear all eight POI, re-up on vital supplies (healing potions!) and find the location to the tomb’s entrance.

DAY TWO – THE CRYPT

Pulled out the modular dungeon tiles and dusted off my on-call, dwarf king ‘Alric Steelheart’ to set the stage for the next session. Once again, dwarf coins marked eight POI scattered throughout the cramped passages and dark chambers. Certain areas could only be accessed after key elements were recovered and puzzles were solved. (Note: to up my medieval/fantasy riddle game, because they were answering the cryptic enigmas on the first try. ) The goal was to enter Steelheart’s burial chamber and retrieve The Steelheart Circlet from his tomb. (Forged of mithril, etched with arcane runes, adorned with a single Orphic Opal. An ancient and potent artifact)

It was a hard-fought battle in the underdark; zombies, skeletons, vermin and foul beasts. But by blade and arrow, spell and explosive, cunning and courage, the party battled their way past arcane obstacles, traps, and hordes of enemies to finally confront a vile necromancer in Alrik Steelheart’s tomb.

Low on everything except grim resolve, the heroes waded in to do battle with the sorcerer and his champion. (Spells, potions, and grenadoes are less common in Blood and Bone, and consequently much more valuable.)

A serious brawl ensued. Blood was spilled, lots of it. The undead ogre was an absolute beast. Terrible magic scorched the ancient stones on the walls and floor of Steelheart’s final resting place as the Mancer and Corpse-Humper traded spells. The outcome teetered on a knife’s edge at several points, but ‘there are other forces at work in this world besides the will of evil’. In the end, it was a combination of sacrifice and cooperation by the heroes, plus failed action dice rolls on the part of the Necromancer and Champion that carried the day for the brave members of the Nightwatch. Steelheart’s Circlet was recovered.

As our heroes made their way back to the surface bearing the artifact, questions rose before them: Will they make back to the capital in time? And if so, will the Circlet be enough to turn the tide against the force of evil that threatens to overwhelm the kingdom?

To be continued…

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So, that’s a very short summary of 10+ hours of gaming over the course of two days. I’m grateful to the Western MA crew for taking a road trip to play with toy soldiers and chuck dice. Their names will be forever enshrined in the annals of Nightwatch history – or at least mentioned on the ‘Acknowledgments’ page in the NW – BnB rule book.

I apologize the post is light on game mechanics: I’m keeping the details Blood and Bone vague until they’ve been thoroughly play-tested, not to mention that preparations are underway to fold my fiction/writing blog (Hot Space Station Justice) in with Stalker7. (Get all my stories and games under one roof.) So that’s been one more chainsaw to juggle.

Coming Soon: Cyberpunk Espionage and Mayhem with CY-BORG sessions and Exploit Zero battle reports. Stay Tuned.

Thanks. Have an excellent day.