For the first time I actually playtested the Christmas scenario - to see if the infinite crew of Skelly Bonez was over powered.

They got hammered, not even a challenge. Santa and co. avoided the cannons by hiding behind things, then did away with the crew from cover.

Back to the drawing board! The easiest fix is giving them a galloper gun.

The Auld Grump

Heh.

Solved the problem for the second playtest, which was much closer. I stole an idea from Warhammer, and rather than cannonballs the pirate ship's cannon now fire screaming, burning, exploding skulls. Essentailly the gunner calls a range, rolls his skill and if he succeeds then the skull hits the desired location and explodes, doing 4d6 fire damage in a 3" diameter circle. Reflex save halves it, cover gives a bonus to the reflex save.

I also just painted up the 2004 Reaper Christmas miniature, and now I want to get another - it is a great figure. A bat winged sleigh driven by a succubus. While full of christmas presents it is very easy to leave both the succubus and toys off of the figure. So I want one for the Christmas game, and one to stand in for a Black Coach for my Vampire Counts army in WHFB.

The Auld Grump

Damn, sounds cool, Grump! Wish I could be there...

After four years, think Santa'll bring you a digicam, Grump?

Final playtest was today, major changes were to drop the damage of the cannon to 3d6, and allow them to fire every other round rather than the six rounds I was originally going with. Less damage more often seemd to balance it out better.

The pirates are also getting some barrels of flammable grog that can be rolled by a minimum of two pirates each. Can be rolled for 2D6 inches after being lit, exploding in a 4 inch circle dealing 2d6 fire damage. Or they can be rolled down the gangplank - going 4d6 inches before going *boom!*Our friend mr. Giant can try to grab the barrels before they go *boom*, but has to make a Will. save or drink it dry rather than throw in back. If he drinks three barrels he must make a Fort. save or pass out...

The only way to stop the pirates is to destroy the figurehead.

The figurehead can leave the ship, but while she is not part of the ship the crew cannot respawn on the ship - however she is also the scariest thing on the ship, and capable of delivering a great deal of damage.



The Auld Grump

And I have solved the problem of what to use for Santa's Workshop... I just need to put the finishing touches on a project that I began after a Greek Festival (I overdosed on stuffed grape leaves...) a Greek Orthodox church built primarilly from CWU with the addition of some domes made from Icee lids. I should have thought of it earlier - the name of the church is The Church of St. Nicholas... (Based very loosely on an actual church by that name.) I may yet build a more Santa's Workshop for next year, but the sky blue domes of St. Nicholas' Church will do for now, just a few more days and the place will get attacked.

Meanwhile - Santa -

The Winter Wizard -


The Giant -


Cap'n Skelly Bonez -


Etc. Are all waiting on the battle.

The Auld Grump

Whoof. Played the battle twice tonight - first time with some kids (12 years old or thereabouts, and the main reason that the date of the game got moved), second with the usual bunch from Mordheim and WARMACHINE.

The one with the kids was a bit of a cakewalk for Santa, the skeletons have to work together to take down any of St. Nick's people aside from the elfs. So, they concentrated on attacking elfs, and let Santa's characters beat on 'em...

Second game was a technical victory for the fat man, Blorg the giant managed to destroy the figurehead while it was on the ship. But there was a lot more carnage, St. Nick unconcious and dying, the Christmas Treeman a blackened stump (fire damage... not good for a treeman...), the Winter Wizard with best spells exhausted, the elfs almost gone, Sophie the succubus wounded and her sleigh destroyed... If the pirates had loosed the figurehead the turn before the giant reached the ship I think that the pirates would have had victory. They had most of their force on the table, though for some it was the second or third time around - and they did a much better job of flanking than the kids had.

All in all a success, but I think that Skelly had a real edge this time, and the galloper cannon did a lot more damage in play than in the playtest. A lot of scoot & shoot.

The Auld Grump - next year - Kris Kringle: Christmas Commando?

*EDIT* Part of the lethality may have been because I pushed the ship's cannon damage back up to 4, but I did keep the galloper at 3. The galloper was allowed to 1. Shoot and reload in one turn or 2. Shoot and move in one turn or 3. Move and reload in one turn. But not all three in one turn. It pretty much took out the Christmas Treeman all by itself.

So Grump, what ruleset did you use primarily? Do you have stats?

I know you don't care for Savage Worlds much, but you gotta admit it would be perfect for a scenario like this.

A very simplified version of D20.

No feats (except for fighter types), prechosen spells. (A bit like the old Basic D&D from about 10 years ago or so,

I don't have the cards right to hand, but from memory:

Santa - 5th level Druid, Polar bear Wild-Shape

Blorg - 10 Hit Die Giant, can make and throw snowballs as a full action.

The Christmas Treeman - 10 HD Giant (originally balanced agains Blorg, back when Blorg was on the Orc side.)

Sophie - 7 HD Succubus, riding sleigh (only dismounts if sleigh destroyed.) Sleigh can teleport up to 24" in a turn instead of moving, and grants 50% cover to passengers. Sophie can fascinate one target (living or undead) within 12' per round, Will 17 to resist. While fascinated target model can do nothing. Fascination lasts for d3 turns. (So she can have as many as 3 fascinated at a time.) Sleigh can carry 2 medium models aside from Sophie. (Was not used in the games, personally I would have had either Santa, The Winter Wizard, or both riding shotgun... )

The Winter Wizard - 5th level Wizard, cold themed. (Fireball becomes 'Frost Ball and does Cold instead of Fire damage.)

12 Elfs & gnomes - 2 HD warriors, armed with bows or hammers.

Skelly Bonez - 6th level fighter with self-loading pistols. Can move and shoot without penalty, and can fire his pistols while charging with his cutlass, but cannot fire pistols once engaged. Can jump up to 4 inches up or down and 6 inches horizontal instead of his normal move.

Rogier Heriouex(sp?) - 5th level Wizard, fire themed.

The Dire Maiden - 7 HD Apparition (Balanced against Sophie, as long as she is attached to ship the officers and crew of the Dire Maiden can respawn.). Can terrify one target (living or dead) per turn (same as Sophie's fascinate). While part of the ship has Hardness 5.

The Dire Maiden (ship), 4 cannons that can be manned by 2 skeletons each (4 more are on the other side of the ship, but did not enter play.) Fire every other round. Call range then roll to hit, sot deviates if the roll misses by <5. Provides 50% cover to those aboard her.

Galloper Gun - small cannon crewed by 2 skeletons, can move and shoot, load and shoot, move and load, or move and move.

12 Crew - 2 HD skeletons, armed with pistols or swords.

No special rules for being Undead, purely a flavor text in this case.

If the Maiden (apparition) is destroyed (whether part of the ship or not at the time) then the pirates lose.

Pirates can grab 'prezzies' from piles scattered around the battlefield, if they can bring 6 prezzies back to the ship they win. (In neither game did the pirates make more than a token attempt.)

Most models on either side are essentially copied - a skeleton differs not at all from an elf or gnome.

The Auld Grump