Return to Castle Ravenloft!

Howdy folks!

A couple of weeks ago, Jerry brought us a real treat.  He had been to a local game store near OKC, and saw something that hearkened back to adventures of old.  Seized by a sudden impulse, he grabbed up a copy of one of Wizards of the Coast new Dungeons & Dragons boardgame, Castle Ravenloft.  It had been his experience (and my own) that boxed games of this ilk tend to be very fun, and remain collectors items for years.  Oh, woe to us, how we didn't keep up with our Heroquest and Warhammer Quest and Dragon Quest and maybe even First Quest.

I'll cut to it...Castle Ravenloft is a blast!  We first tried it out back during Halloween's festivities, and it proved a huge hit right off the bat.  What I found interesting, however, is how close the game seems to be to Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition.

It plays fast and quick, and it's easily taught to new players.  If those players are gamers already, it swiftly becomes second nature to breeze through a turn.  The mechanics are simple yet elegant, but are very similar at the same time to the new edition of it's parent game.  I had sworn never to get 4th Edition, but it was this game that changed my mind about that.

It plays fast, and there are a lot of cool components like Power, Treasure and Monster Cards to tinker with, as well as the miniatures for the heroes and monsters that come in the game.  There is an Adventure Book that presents a series of missions that form sort of a campaign.  We've been playing through the adventures here at the Wargate, and they are far from easy, which makes for great re-playability.  I think we had to try the first group mission four or five times before we succeeded, and the next time we play it will be the third time for the group to try the specific mission we are attempting to finish!

There are Encounter Cards that create nifty effects like traps or magical dangers such as the Icy Corridor.  It has a randomness to it that likens it to Diablo the video game a bit, but it's still a huge hoot.  It even provides gamer nostalgia, because after all, it is Castle Ravenloft!!

It's almost like Speed D&D.  The game can turn deadly very quickly should the heroes become separated, and some of the monsters and other dangers are quite nasty in and of themselves.  The game uses a system for Healing Surges that gives the party a certain number of "resurrections".  You decide how many Surge Tokens your party will take (between 3 and 5 usually), and every time a hero goes down, at the beginning of his next turn he spends one of the party's tokens.  When a hero has fallen and cannot get up (due to there being no more Healing Surges), the game is over and you lose. HAHAHAHAA.

The Dungeon Tiles are another interesting bit.  A lot of those old boxed games came with large dungeon boards or tiles, and Castle Ravenloft does not disappoint.  The squares are the perfect size for a tactical map, if you're into using a grid.  If you're not, they are still well illustrated and can serve alongside your other gaming utensils to provide you with even more RPG or wargame fodder!

After playing the game, I found out it had kin!  Wizards has done another boxed game that is almost identical, except it has different heroes, monsters and a different setting!  It's called Wrath of Ashardalon, and it's all about dragons!  Set at Firestorm Peak, another iconic dungeon, I've heard that the two of these games can be combined into a giant mega dungeon!

I'm considering getting it just for the components, but the games themselves present hours of fun in and of themselves.  So the next time we go vampire hunting, try not to use up all the surges if one of Strahd's goons comes over and lures you into a secret hallway teeming with undead monsters.  Regroup!

Warband Briefing: The Pharoah's Mace

The

Pharoah's

Mace

By Scriveners Hannan and Potter

Land of the Dead, 2522 I.C.

Awakened by a call of unknown origin, Atekh-ra-amon, the most High King of Numas, rose from his thousand year slumber.  Impelled by a renewed desire to fill his coffers and assert the might of Nehekhara upon mortals, he called for his priests to assemble his army at once.  The High Priests set to work, and after much labor raised a great army that pleased their master, Atekh-ra-amon.  The King of Numas would once again feel the thrill of battle and feel the glory of victory.

Mighty Atekh-ra-amon summoned his eldest son, Prince Armaeus.  He spoke at length with him, and called forth the Liche-Priest Zaphnath-Paaneah.  They were dispatched with an important mission, to the lands far from their home in Numas.  The Prince and the Liche-Priest departed from Numas to parts unknown, searching for strange treasures and arcane secrets.  For many years they traveled, and recently have come upon a place called Khazid Grimaz.

The Doomforge

Armaeus and his undead warriors have found gold and treasure, even warpstone.  However, the rumors of something called the Doomforge has captured their attention.  It is said that the dwarfs of the Khazid Grimaz possess the ability to channel the power of the Realm of Chaos using this magical item.  Zaphnath-Paaneah is certain he can understand the magics of this strange contraption, and use it for the High King.  Armaeus himself only wishes to please his father, for that would greatly increase his power and standing.

It is unknown as yet whether the Doomforge can be found, or if it will even be useful.  At least there is a treasure to be had, and many enemies to garner glory from in tireless battle.  Only time and prowess will tell if the Pharoah's Mace will successfully return to their home in the Land of the Dead, laden with riches and gifts for their deathless King.

Josh's Adherents of the Repeated Mean

Welcome back to the Wargate!!

Today we're going to talk about Josh's new Mordheim warband, the Adherents of the Repeated Mean.  A few interesting things about this warband, and Josh took a moment to tell us a few interesting things about his warband.  

Firstly, this warband has been formed of two separate Mordheim Possessed boxed sets.  Half the models once belonged to Dirty Greg, but with all of that stuff on his Mountain of Models, he never quite got to them.  Josh loves pointy hats, and well....

Another nifty thing about this warband is that it's the first project at the Wargate that was completed entirely with Army Painter supplies.  The primer and paints were all purchased in one of their Wargamer Starter Paint sets.  The paints checked out great.  Some settling did occur, but when they were shaken (not stirred) they performed admirably.

Josh used a nifty gimmick to break up the monotony of the figure's poses.  These are pretty old, and they only cast a few different warriors.  Check out the pics above and you'll see an alternating paint scheme that is really cool.  In practice, this gives him the ability to dictate different statistics or skills for individual warriors, as they are each unique (even though they are twins).

  

The models were shaded with Quickshade Strong Tone, and the bases were made to resemble greasy, green warpstone!  All in all, the project looks slick as all get out.

We're going to be taking a look at some of Josh's other projects, as well as some other stuff by the guys here at the 'gate.

And remember, Magister Kakikak sez "Get your Warbands painted, nerds!"