Frostgrave – Brycho’s Celestichord

What if you played Frostgrave on top of a game of whack-a-mole? That was my starting point for the Frostgrave scenario which appears in the new issue of Wargames Illustrated (#393).

I think this scenario is a great example of why the Frozen City is such a great setting for a wargame. Essentially, I (or you) can come up with any crazy thought for what might make a fun scenario, and then create a narrative that uses the strange, broken magic of Frostgrave to justify it. That’s right, a wizard did it! In this case, it’s old Brycho Tarran, the greatest Astromancer that ever lived!

If you are in the UK you should hopefully be able to find the new issue at W.H. Smiths. Otherwise, it can be ordered direct from Wargames Illustrated.  North Star also gets some copies of each issue in stock, though they don’t seem to have this one at the moment.

Rangers of Shadow Deep: Menagerie - Print-on-Demand!

The print-on-demand version of Rangers of Shadow Deep: Menagerie is now available on DriveThruRPG!

Frostgrave: Perilous Dark – A Double-Winner!

It was a big day for Frostgrave yesterday, as the first-ever ‘virtual’ UK Games Expo came to a close.

First, Frostgrave: Wizards 2 won both the Judge’s Award and the People’s Choice award for Best Miniature Range.  A huge congratulations to Nick at North Star, Phil at Osprey Games, and to the sculptor, Bobby Jackson. These guys all had a lot more to do with this set than I did!

A few minutes after that, Frostgrave: Perilous Dark also ‘pulled-the-double’, and took the Judge’s Award and People’s Choice award for Best Miniature Rules. I admit that I’m very proud of that book, and I think its use stretches beyond Frostgrave. It also didn’t hurt that it’s a book on solo and co-operative wargaming that came along just when such a book was more useful than ever.

It’s been a crazy, confusing, and mixed-up year. I am delighted and proud to have won the awards, but I wish that I (and everyone) could have been at the show celebrating this hobby we all love. I wish I could have shared a few high-fives and maybe even a hug or two with the Osprey Games gang and other friends. Next year, hopefully! (And who knows, maybe Frostgrave: Second Edition will be up for the award!).

Many thanks to the organizers of UK Games Expo. I’m sure it was a major effort to organize the online version and it sounds like a lot of people had a lot of fun because of it! Also, a big thanks to everyone who voted for Frostgrave in the People’s Choice Awards! 

Odyssey of the Dragonlords (for 5e)

If you like Dungeonsand Dragons: 5th Edition, and you love Greek myth, then go ahead and buy Odyssey of the Dragonlords. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Odyssey of the Dragonlords is a mega-campaign set in an ‘undiscovered’ continent that can be dropped into any D&D world. It’s a bronze-age place, filled with centaurs, satyrs, minotaurs, etc. It is also a land on the brink of crisis. Essentially, the non-aggression pact between two sets of gods is about to come to an end and all hades is about to break loose!

Each of the players becomes one of the heroes prophesied to save the land, and this is more than a mere narrative tag. Each hero basically has a specific background (whether they know it or not) that ties them into the greater story, and gives them specific objectives during the campaign. It’s a neat, but not overly-intrusive system. The heroes start as low-level adventurers, who are essentially wandering-around, looking for ways to increase their wealth and reputation by fighting monsters in the classic Greek myth style. However, they are slowly drawn deeper and deeper into the looming war of the gods.

Over the course of this long, sprawling campaign, they will make a journey of exploration like Jason and the Argonauts, descend into the shadowy underworld, and eventually battle the gods themselves.  It’s EPIC with a capital everything!

I have no doubt that this book could provide years of gaming, but for those of us who are unlikely to play such a thing, it is also just a great read, filled with numerous cool ideas that could be used in other games and other campaigns. The writing is excellent, the editing is good, and the artwork is lovely. It’s the kind of book that just makes you want to pick up some dice and fight some monsters!

It really is an excellent gaming book that captures the spirit of Greek myth without just rehashing all of the stories we already know. It’s a great addition to a gaming library.

[Disclaimer: Odyssey of the Dragonlords is published by Modiphius who also publish my own Rangers of Shadow Deep: Deluxe Edition. That said, I only reviewed this book because I thought it deserved it.]

Frostgrave: Second Edition - Launch Day!

The day has finally dawned! Frostgrave: Second Edition is now available!

Now, I don't want to create a panic, but there is a rumour (aRu-Mor?) that it is going fast!

For the moment though, you can still order it in the UK from North Star.

Or, in the USA from Badger Games or Brigade Games.

I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations.

Undead Decorating

Despite moving into my current house nearly three years ago, I have never finished decorating my small office. In truth, I’ve never been much of a decorator, but I thought it was high-time I got a bit of ‘inspirational’ artwork upon the wall. I have started this with my all-time favourite Dragon Magazine cover. (You can see a clearer shot of the artwork here.)

Luckily, I found a copy of the magazine in good condition on ebay for under £5, and ordered up a cheap frame for it as well. I admit, I had some qualms about cutting up a nice copy of a thirty-year-old magazine, but I did it anyway.

I’m actually glad to have the ‘cover’ as opposed to just the artwork, as its connection to Dungeons & Dragons and to the greater hobby gaming genre is part of the appeal to me, and thankfully, most of the text is non-obtrusive.

I don’t know why, specifically, this piece speaks to me, but it always has. The posing on the two figures is just fantastic - the menace as the creature looms over her - the hopelessness of seeing her sword and arrows sticking ineffectually in its armour. And yet… she’s got one arrow left… she’s still got a chance.

Here the cover blurb from inside the magazine:

Daniel Horne said the scene on his cover painting “takes place on a frozen tundra. The sun is setting, the hoar frost is glittering like thousands of pieces of broken glass.” A ranger in the service of the High King has just been attack by the undead remains of one of her old opponents – a frost giant who has waited a long time for this moment of revenge. Having lost her sword and used up her normal arrows, the ranger has a single elven arrow left – from which comes the painting's name: “Saving the Best for Last”.

So, perhaps she has a slightly better chance than I first realized. It all sounds very Rangers of Shadow Deep doesn’t it? Well, all the parts had to come from somewhere.

Anyway, it makes me smile to see it on the wall, which I guess is the point of decorating!

Rangers of Shadow Deep: Menagerie PDF

Menagerie, the latest mini-supplement for Rangers of ShadowDeep, is now available as a PDF from DriveThruRPG.

It includes 9 new animal companions that rangers can recruit to join their adventures, as well as a two-scenario mission set inside the Shadow Deep.

As usual, a print-on-demand version will hopefully be following in a couple of weeks, as I have to wait for the files to be approved and then a sample printed and shipped to me for approval.

For those that are in the midst of The Rescue mission, the mission in Menagerie can be slotted in with only minor modifications.