Thinking Out Loud : More on a WW2 Wargame Campaign

As I continue to seek out ideas on running a WWII-based wargame campaign, I've made one firm decision (small victories, folks): one stand = one platoon.

I don't want to worry what 1st squad, 2nd platoon is doing. I assume they're doing what they are supposed to be doing. I do want to make sure 1st platoon, A company is where it needs to be.

This lines up with the One Hour Wargame platoon basing and what I've been using for most of my recent Morschauser games. Blitzkrieg Commander supports this basing, and so does ‘Tactical Combat’ WWII rules, of which Stu Rat reminded me. The latter two have much more WWII feel, but Morschauser is a good bit of toy-soldier fun that is hard to resist. The other real contender is Portable Wargames: Modern or perhaps the Big Battles version, which as they are on grids, feel like a blend of toy-soldiers and hex-and-counter wargaming.

I am leaning heavily towards a Morschauser strategic map campaign. What can I say? I really want to use those blocks for map movement. The benefit of Morschauser's system is that no record keeping is needed, at least for the losing force. In Morschauser terms, and as I'm imagining it, each command on the map will consist of a battalion, or some part thereof, on the table.

How I generate the tabletop forces I haven't decided quite yet, but these are the options I'm considering:

• FiveCore Company Command force generator moved up a level (it's written for squad bases) each side could end up fielding anything from a platoon up to a battalion
• OHW force generator, either as is (one company to one company + one platoon), double the units (two companies to two companies + two platoons), or some variant thereof where I roll to see if the units are doubled which would mean between three and eight platoons of infantry
• Morschauser's or BKC's point systems and try to equip each side specifically for the scenario being fought
• If using a Table-top Teaser or similar, bases my forces on TT's suggestions - scaled for 1 stand = 1 platoon

Regardless, I have some painting to do to field a full battalion of infantry of nine platoons for the US and Germans (We can quibble that some battalions should have 12 platoons depending on the year of the war) with three figs per stand. I'd prefer four, mind you, but I have no desire to paint as many figures as I'd need. As it stands, the US needs two or three figures and the Germans require four for 3-figure stands.

Some nice to haves:

• assemble my 2nd PAK-40, and paint it
• touch up the existing PAK-40 - it's in desperate need of it
• acquire some ATGs for the US, as my existing field gun was broken during one of the many battles with Godzilla that my son and I play
• acquire proper scout cars (I found that Solido makes one for the US and one for Germany, in 1/50)
• acquire one more PZ IV in 1/50

And, since I mentioned him, here's a grainy pic of Godzilla:

More Thoughts on a "Modern" Campaign

As I added to my previous post, rifling around through the books on my games shelf (a single shelf. I got rid of more than 1/2 of my gaming related books collection over the past year!) I discovered both Morschauser and Featherstone (in his Advanced War Gaming) provide some interesting mechanisms for running a map campaign.

Both have a simplicity that I like, although Featherstone muddies things up with several optional bits - more complexity sounds great to me at first, but I have learned that in war gaming ,and RPGs, for that matter, there is a point where my enthusiasm wanes in proportion.

Morschauser's system is the harsher of the two, in that if a force loses a battle, they are just done and no longer available for the strategic level. There is the benefit of no record keeping in that case, but it does seem a bit difficult to swallow. Still, he uses painted wooden blocks on a map and who doesn't like the sound of that?

Featherstone 's method for generating a random map sounds quite fun - using 2"x 2" painted squares drawn at random and placed into a 12" square frame .

I believe it was in Featherstone that I saw mention of the often cited "rule" of 1/3 of casualties are killed, 1/3 are wounded and not available for some time period and 1/3 are combat ready by the next encounter.

Even if I did not see it there, that rule of thumb has a long pedigree and who am I to resist something with such history?

Of course, I could combine the two (blocks on a randomly generated map, using casualty recovery)

The other issue I find myself considering is the level of command.

Initially, I was thinking commanding a company at most in a given game, however, a battalion would not be out of the question, either with Morschauser or Blitzkrieg Commander, both of which work with the same basing systems I intend to use. It's more a narrative question than it is a gaming issue.

Scenarios in any case, I think are well accounted for with Blitzkrieg Commander, FiveCore's Company Command, and Platoon Forward (moved up a level) all providing scenario ideas, plus One Hour Wargames, and tabletop teasers (and presumably, situations would naturally arise from the campaign).

Next, I need to look at my collection and see what, if anything, I want to paint (OK, need to paint. Want is a strong word) - I think I may be short some heavy infantry, and I know my anti-tank gun teams need some love.

WWII and Imaginations? Some thoughts and links

Over on 54mm or Fight! you can see that the sole wargaming I've been doing of late is set in Europe, WWII. While I enjoy playing one-off scenarios, my Helvetica Campaign (you can find the posts by going here and scrolling down to Helvetica) remains among the top wargaming experiences I've had, and so, logically, it seems to me that I should try something similar set in WWII or thereabouts.

But, so few wargaming campaigns discussed in blogs seem to be set in WWII, never mind Imaginations WWII-like campaigns. That doesn't mean I won't do it, but I was hoping for a bit of inspiration. (Far mor involve  20th C. South American or African Imaginations, it seems).

The likely route will be the  continental battle between Hefeweizen ( nee Riesling in the pre-unification days ) and the allies of Sauvignon-Blanc, particularly the Federal Republic of Lager. Or, perhaps, less evocative/alcoholic, Army Feldgrau vs Army Olive Drab.

Obviously thin veneers for the actual participants but what can you do?

My searching eventually lead me to an Imaginations 20th century mini-campaign on one of the better respected blogs, Wargaming Miscellany. The posts begin with this one I believe.  Mr. Cordery also stirs up the idea a bit a few years earlier in this post.

As for campaign rules, I know already that I don't want anything terribly complicated - nothing to do with supply and all that, although reinforcements and casualty replacement should come into play. And, I really enjoy the narrative "campaign diary" stuff, so if it supports that in some way, all the better.

• Jeff, at Saxe-Bearstein's method worked well for Helvetica, and had the benefit of no map being required, although one developed during play. I keep getting stuck on the battle to the capitals though. This is probably a me thing, and perhaps I just need to change the labels? Perhaps the FRL "capital" is actually more akin to Normandy, while the initial battle takes place in a Battle of the Bulge-type situation?

• Rather serendipitously, Peter at Grid Based Wargaming - But Not Always, has recently posted a series about this very topic. Looks like it might be more than I want, but I may be able to strip out the bits I don't want.

• Featherstone, in his Wargaming Campaigns, touches ever so briefly on a WWII campaign, but focuses specifically on recon, and leaves everything else for the reader to develop (presumably from ideas presented in other chapters).

• Kevin White (one of my all time favorite contributors to Lone Warrior),  sets up a map based WWII mini-campaign in issue 182 of Lone Warrior. I had trouble following some of the setup, and need to re-read this.

• Steve's Balagan has some ides of different types
• Mapless
• Linked Scenario

• TMP is always a stop for debates about nothing, and this time is no different :D And here the participants debate why 18th C. imaginations over imaginations in other eras.

• Blitzkrieg Commander has a rather basic campaign system (and I happen to like the game itself) 

• Platoon Forward might work if I change the scale upwards for a company per side, or I suppose I could just use it at the intended level.

Edit: It turns out I should have paid closer attention to Morschauser and Featherstone (Advanced War Games). Both have systems of map moving that would work for modern games. Indeed, Featherstone  explicitly uses a WWII campaign for his example.

If you have a preferred way of building campaigns, particularly for WWII company-level engagements (maybe battalion), please shoot them my way.

Reflections on the 10th Running of the Trelleborg Campaign

Friday night I ran the tenth session of my open table D&D b/x campaign at my FLGS. Attendance was good - four returning players and one new one, a guest of one of the others. 

There were, I think, two or three big developments:

One thing we have done more or less from the start of this campaign, is to let players roll all of their own dice: secret door detection, listening, thieves skills, etc. This isn't per the rules of course. The players are always supposed to be second guessing whether they succeeded and there was nothing to find, or whether they failed the roll: "You find not evidence of secret doors", "You see no traps on the lock", etc. 

However, as someone somewhere wrote, any excuse to roll dice is a good one, player's like to roll dice, and we're all adults.  In practice, it doesn't really matter if they roll it or i do. there is tension as the dice are rolled and all await the results. 

A success is obvious to all, but often there isn't anything to find, so I decided that success meant the character was certain beyond all doubt that there wasn't the thing in question, be it trap or hidden door or noise making entities on the other side of the door, and that is how i would describe it. 

If they failed, I'd tell them that they found nothing, but obviously, they weren't totally sure. However, if they really botched the roll, I might suggest that they were sure of their finding, despite its incorrectness. The players, the thief in particular since he attempts these things far more often than the others, started, at this last session, doing that himself when he would roll exceptionally above the required target for a find a trap, would turn to the group and say, "It's safe." 

I thought that was pretty awesome.

However, I also started doing something new this session. I think it's from reading Dungeon World and the whole "make maps, leave space" dictum. 

About midway through the session, it dawned on me: if the player's roll a success GIVE THEM A SUCCESS.  Some of you undoubtedly spit your beverage all of your screen just now, and are perhaps shaking your head in disgust. Hear me out.

The base line assumption in most classic RPGs is that the GM/DM knows all, especially when it comes to the dungeon, or the village or whatever, that it is all well laid out. But, the reality is, we improvise a lot. We improvise NPCs, we roll random encounters and go with it. Some DMs randomly generate hexes as their party explores. All I've done is decided that, my map is incomplete.

So when the characters searched a wall for a secret door, and one of the players rolled a 1, damn right there was a door there. News to me AND to the players, which adds some additional enjoyment to the game for me as well - I'm exploring right along with them. 

I started small: a secret compartment with a minor treasure, finding a trap that had already been triggered (so the door was in reality still not trapped). I got a little cocky with a hidden passage to a room (even though I was able to use it to spotlight one of the characters who rarely gets it), and, although I was glad to reveal some more of the history of the dungeon and why the dwarves abandoned it, I inserted something into the fiction during my improv that I'm going to have to think on a bit. Fortunately it doesn't effect the present state of the dungeon, but the players are going to follow up on it as they try to gain an understanding of the place and I should be ready for that.

The other development Friday night was that I learned that my players, at least what I consider my core group, have an interest in a long lasting campaign that goes beyond the walls of the dungeon. There was talk of renovating the ruined tower above the dungeon to serve as their base of operations. They are claiming several abandoned cottages in town to refurbish and use eventually as worker housing (for the crew who will work on the tower), there was a suggestion of creating their own merchant caravan and selling their wares up and down the road to Hedeby, of buying a ship, exploring the coast for natural protected ports and becoming pirates, etc. 

I could not believe my ears; their characters have goals that go beyond the stated mega-dungeon crawl i use to advertise the game. I had hoped for this, but I did not expect it.

It's a very exciting thing - at least from where i sit - although I might need a new name for the campaign!

Session 34: The Ever Expanding Dungeon

We rejoin our party on their way out of the dungeon. You will recall that last episode ended with the following

Do they encounter anything on their way out? 1, wandering monster ,

5 Dwarves.
Room 3 RED HERRING/RESOURCE DRAIN

The following was played on 9/5/14

Chaos 6
Are these the same dwarves from Session 29? LIkely, 13, exceptional yes

Setup: Approaching from the direction of room 31 came 5 dwarves marching two abreast, with one in the rear. As they entered the party’s torch light, one of the dwarves in the front rank immediately recognized the party and hollered out to the others. Although Maglom understood what they were saying, it was Eomond who understood their anger.

“It’s those dwarves Lykidas dropped with his Sleep spell!”
Dwarves surprised? No, Party? Yes
Does the setup hold? 1, No, Altered
Is it that the dwarves don’t recognize them? 69, No.
Is it that the dwarves have other issues?10, exceptional yes, Attainment information

New setup: Approaching from the direction of room 31 came 5 dwarves marching two abreast, with one in the rear. As they entered the party’s torch light, one of the dwarves in the front rank immediately recognized the party and hollered out to the party in Dwarvish.

Maglom translated, “He said they are hunting the green-skins, a band of them.” 

Upon noticing the bodies, the leader of the Dwarven warband added, "Where are the rest?”

After explaining that this is all the party had encountered, the Dwarven leader entreated the party to join them, and offered that all will be forgiven in the matter of the ring and their unknowing aid to the thieves.

Does the party want to go?

Leegand and Maglom are badly wounded  Both of them strongly want to go back to town to heal.

Zilliniy and Eomond are injured but less so
Runolf is all for going - he needs the money and perhaps there’s some to gain by joining with these fellows.
Maglom is torn between helping the dwarves and healing
Lykidas doesn't have a horse in this race. His remaining spell is Hold Portal.
Ygg can see reasons for both sides and is playing the classic fence sitter.

The values below are the Charisma plus the shift away from 50/50. If someone starts at 50/50, I rolled to see which side of the Yes/No divide they fell on.

Leegand- Impossible 12+5
Maglom - Very unlikely 15+2
Eomond - Unilikely 12 +1
Zilliniy - 50/50, yes. 7+1
Lykidas - 50/50, Yes 12+1
Runolf - Very Likely - 11+2
Ygg - Neutral

No- 47
Yes - 35
+12 to roll (to shift it towards No)

I rolled a 21 and then add the 12 = 33, which is a Yes result.

Convinced that the added number of the Dwarves will offset their injuries, the party agreed to go with them.


Room 4: Big Bad , Chaos 5
Listen(Leegand and Eomond both fail with 3 and 4 respectively)

Setup: The party approached the door the dwarves suspected as the direction of the orcs, and after taking a listen, move out of the way for the dwarves to open the door. As they kicked in the door and the light from the party’s torch shone into the room, the eyes of many green skin orcs met theirs.

Does the setup hold? 5, Modified- altered

Setup: The door kicked open and the party’s light flooded a room empty save for some chains hanging on the wall [an owl bear was hear once i think]

The party and dwarves pressed onward. Listening to the various doors out of the room, noises were heard coming from the east door..

Do the orcs burst in?50/50, 43, Yes
How many? 14 orcs (2 abreast)!!!!!!!!!!

The door suddenly smashed open and 2 large orcs barreled into the room followed by more.

Party and dwarves are surprised (rollled a 1)

The front orcs attack the dwarves immediately in their way, swinging battle axes. One of the brutes liberated the head of a dwarf from the attached shoulders.

[Here all hell broke loose. This is a LONG combat - the longest I have ever played. It isn't the most prosaic thing I've ever written, but I don't think I could do it justice without the round by round summary. Names next to rounds are the initiative order.]

Round 1 - Orcs, Party + Dwarves

4 more orcs entered the room but their attacks were blocked and parried. Ditto for the Dwarves. Runolf was the first of the party to dive into the fray.

Round 2- Party + Dwarves, Orcs

Again the Dwarves managed to do nothing.

Runolf slashed an orc with his hand axe (4 HP), but it just sneered at him.

Ygg raced up to meet the orc tide.

Lykidas, Eomond and Zilliniy begin preparing an escape route and check the west door:and hear nothing

Round 3 - Party2 (Lykidas, Eomond, Zilliniy), Party 1(Runolf and Ygg)

+Dwarves, Orcs, Party 3(Maglom and Leegand)

Eomond kicked open the west door, and Zilliniy charged in to secure the space.

Ygg crashes his war hammer into an orc (5 hp) but it shakes off the blow.

The dwarves fare better this round and drop two orcs but more rushed in.

Round 4 - Party 3, Party 2, Party 1, Orcs

Confident it's unoccupied, Zilliniy signaled the all clear. Lykidas followed her in, and Eomond signaled to Maglom and Leegand. He held the door as the latter two dove into the room beyond.

Runolf crashed his axe into the orc in front of him again and this time it collapsed into a butchered heap

A dwarf near Ygg ganged up on the orc the cleric had wounded previously and sent it to the abyss.

More orcs spilled into the room. (It's like a freaking clown car of orcs!)

Round 5 - Party 2 (everyone but Runolf and Ygg), Party+Dwarves, Orcs

Eomond hollered for party and dwarves to fall back before ducking in the room

Zilliniy's elven senses go crazy and she detects a secret door (in S&W: Whitebox, elves auto-detect on a 1-2)

Lykidas runs to listen to the north door while Maglom runs to the east

Ygg falls back towards the door.

will the dwarves fall back? 50/50, 70, no

Will Runolf? unikely 43, NO (chaos is 5 remember)

Runolf attacked and wounded another orc (5 HP damage) but the injury is not enough to end its existence.
A nearby dwarven ally goes for the same target, and the orc succumbs to its wounds.

In the far corner of the room, a dwarf drops another orc.

Do the orcs keep fighting? 29, yes

Orcs move in (yes, more)

One of the dwarves in that far corner is skewered on an orc's sword.

Round 6 - Party 2, Orcs, Party 1+ Dwarves

Over the din of battle from the other room, neither Maglom nor Lykidas could hear anything.

Ygg called Zilliniy over to use her bow and hollered for Runolf and the dwarves to fall back.

Zilliniy ran over, knocking an arrow as she did.

Meanwhile, two more dwarves met their end at the hands of the green-skinned orcs. Only one dwarf remains.

Do runolf and dwarf fall back? Likely, 95, no

Runolf and the dwarf were in a blood-fueld rage and unleashed blow upon blow on the nearest orc, but to no avail.

Round 7 - Orcs, Party 2, Runolf/Dwarf

Do the orcs charge Ygg and Zilliniy? Very likely 41, yes

Several of the beastly horde rush toward the party in the adjacent room as the final dwarf meets his maker.

Runolf, in blood splattered armor amidst a sea of red and bodies, is now cut off from the party. Without missing a beat, he lopped the head off the orc in front of him.

Round 8 - Runolf, Party, Orcs

I realized I had misread the rules for fighters, and found that Runolf attacks TWICE per round because he's 2nd level and the orcs have only 1 HD.

Swinging both axes now, he hit two different orcs (scoring 4 and 5 damage) but both stand.

Finally the orcs have hit a log jam and can't press onward, their numbers having reached the doorway for the party 

Due to the close range, Zilliniy dropped her bow in favor of her sword.

Runolf's good fortune breaks for a moment, and he takes painful slash on his arm (3 HP, he's down to 8)

Ygg is nearly run through (5 HP damage, and dropped to 1). The amount of blood spraying from his side is sickening.

Round 9 - Runolf, Party, Orcs

Runolf swings but his blows are blocked.

Ygg fell back and Eomond, arguably in better shape, moved up to face the crushing horde.

Zilliniy let loose a warrior cry and the last thing the orc saw was the look of hate in her violet eyes.

Lykidas pulled out an oil flask and set about lighting in to throw.

Meanwhile, Runolf was struck again (3 HP, down to 5) and Eomond took a piercing wound to his thigh (down to 7 HP).

Round 10 - Runolf, Orcs, party
Runolf, hoping to survive a bit longer and to gain a tactical advantage (right now, he can be surrounded on all sides) crashes out into the hallway,hoping the use the doorway to limit the effectiveness of the orcs.

do any orcs pursue? likely 77, nope

The orcs facing Zilliniy snarl and roar as they each deliver terrible blows upon the party members (Zilliniy hit for 3, Eomond hit for 3 (down to 1))

Eomond fell back but Zilliniy chose to stand and fight. Unfortunately, in her rage she lodged the blade of her sword into the door frame. (she rolled a 1)

Nothing like hoping a one-eyed man hurling a flaming liquid is on target, but Lykidas took the chance (with a chance of hitting Z.) and his oil  landed true on the orc directly in front of Zilliniy, igniting the orc, though not killing him quite yet.

Round 11 - Orcs, Party, Runolf

The flaming orc fell backwards into the rest to die, while the one that had been in front of Eomond, rushed in to face Ygg.

Another pushed past the burning orc to take its place.

With all her might, Zilliniy succeeded in wrenching her sword free of the frame.

Lykidas ran to her side with plans to slam the door shut (but that can't happen until next round).

Runolf, seeing he wasn't followed, threw an axe at the mass of orcs, but the blood caused it to slip out of his hand, ruining his chance of hitting one.

Round 12 - Runolf, Party, Orcs

In no shape to rush back into the fray, Runolf pulled his dagger and threw it, piercing some vital organ of one of the orcs opposite. It dropped to the ground dead a few moments later.

Lykidas slamed the door shut and yelled at Zilliniy to hold it so that he could cast Hold Portal.

Ygg and Eomond and the orc engaged in a scrum, but no victor could be declared.

The orcs outside the door attempted to force it open again. Do they succeed?22 yes. Sigh. Of course, they do.

The door flew open and knocked both Zilliniy and Lykidas back.

Round 13 - Runolf, Orcs, Party

Knowing the party was in bad shape and that his chance of survival was dwindling, Runolf raced in swinging.

The orc facing Eomond and Ygg slipped under the force of his swing and crashed to the ground.

Two orcs charged Zilliniy and Lykidas.

Zilliniy (rolled a 20 and did 6 damage) - cleaves her attackers head in two, and then kicked his body back towards the throng of orcs trying to surge forward.

Do the orcs retreat (down over 50%)? 100, exceptional no, Nope, they’ll fight to the the death.

Round 14 Orcs, Party, Runolf
The orc on the ground struggled to his feet.

The orc attacking Lykidas hit the unarmored one-eyed man for 3 points of damage (not to belittle the orc's accomplishment, but come on. one eye? no armor? a freakin' dagger?)

Another orc moved up to attack Zilliniy.
Meanwhile, two ganged up on Runolf and he was gravely wounded (down to 1 hp).

Zilliniy, with orc blood streaming in rivulets down her blade and over her hands, lost her grip and her sword flew from her hand (another 1 rolled)

Before the orc in front of him could stand, Eomond struck downward with a mighty blow that ended the foul creature's life.

Lykidas, pissed off no doubt at being attacked, deftly sliced into his opponent with the blade of his dagger (for 2 hp)

Runolf has the heart of a fighter, and giving up was not an option; he struck and killed one of his attackers.

Round 15 - Party, Runolf, Orcs

Zilliniy grabbed her dagger and stabbed the orc in front of her (for 2 HP) but he still stood.

Eomond rushed over to assist.

Ygg joined Lykidas.

Meanwhile, Leegand, who had been severely injured (1 HP) by the orcs on the steps, mustered his strength to whip a sling stone at the orc attacking Lykidas but missed.

Maglom, sensing an imminent end to her recently found friends, charged into battle (she has 2 HP).

Runolf, meanwhile, dealt blow after blow to his opponent (5 HP) and it still stood.

Fortunately, the orcs were completely ineffective this round although Runolf would now face two.

Round 16- Runolf, Orcs, Party
An orc attacked Eomond but missed in his rage and managed to drive the sword into the stone floor (he rolled a 1)

Ygg's warhammer connected with the thick skull of the orc before him, but it just shook it off.

Eomond's blade cut into orc meat but it STILL stood.

Round 17 - Party, Runolf, Orcs
Eomond struck the orc again and this time sent it back to its maker.
Runolf, a whirl of blades and blood, mowed down another orc.

Another orc charged up to Eomond, this one was bigger and scarier than the rest.

Round 18 - Orcs, Party Runolf.

An orc attacked Runolf, and this time the fighter's defenses failed (He's at -1 and will die in 2 more rounds from bleeding out without someone to bandage his wounds)

Eomond suffered the same fate!

Leegand, seeing his comrade in danger, charged to grab Eomond and drag him away.

Round 19 - Orcs, Party
Zilliniy was struck with a devastating blow (for 5 hp she’s down to 2). She staggered as her own blood streamed down her face.

Leegand, despite his own injuries dragged Eomond out of harms way, the thick black red trail revealing the gravity of Eomond's woundsl

Zilliniy, with a fury like no other, impaled her assailant with her sword and wasted no time to look for her next target.

Lykidas, making a good show for a magic user, tries to stab an orc but trips on his own robe (rolled a 1)

The orc, distracted by the sight, meets his end as Ygg's warhammer crashs into the side of his face.

Runolf is down to -2, he dies next round without attending

Eomond is down to -2 he dies next round if leegand doesn't stabalize him

Round 20 - Party, Orcs, Runolf

[I held my breath rolling initiative]

Picture this in slow motion if you will. The floors are a river of blood. Not one member of the party is free of the red goop. It pours out of them and their opponents. The sounds of yelling, of weapons clanging drone and drown out even your own screaming.

Ygg saw Runolf's body on the ground and realized he must act; he charged to get past the orcs to reach Runolf and stop his bleed out.

[i rule he has to roll 2 successful attacks to force his way through AND HE DOES. I pretty much cheered outloud

BUT I also rule that Runolf will have to make a save to stay on longer though since technically Ygg is only allowed one action per round. I figure the save adjudicates whether Ygg is able to do enough this round or not. ]

Zilliniy sliced into the orc in front of her, but it only stopped for an instant (4 hp damage)

Maglom charged to face the head orc.

Lykidas taking advantage of Maglom's stature, threw a dart over her head at the orc but missed in the chaos of the moment.

Runolf rolls his save HE ROLLS 18!!!! HE SAVES!!!! And stabilizes at -2 HP.

Round 21 - Ygg, Party, Orcs

Ygg tended to Runolf's wounds, tying bandages and applying pressure.

Inside the room, Leegand did the same for Eomond.

Of course, all of this would be for naught if the defense at the door collapsed.

Speaking of which, Maglom was struck hard and flirted with a loss of consciousness (she's down to 1 hp)

Zilliniy hoping to end this madness, stabbed furiously for the orc's heart but, it was ready, (she rolled a 1) and her dagger jammed in the orc's wooden shield.

Round 22 - Party, Orcs

Picture if you will, amidst the spraying gore, the smell of death, the sounds of violence, a small, but solidly built elf with braids of white hair matted with blood, leaping up to throw her fist into the face of her large, brutish, green-skinned orc antagonist. 

And missing.

Meanwhile, despite the Crouching Tiger style action going on to his left, Lykidas lets loose another dart and his aim was true (3 HP). 
Maglom got in on the fun, and struck the orc (for 3HP), causing it to momentarily say a prayer to its deity of choice.

Laughing the hearty laugh of the evil, Zilliniy's orc attempted to run her through, but only managed to catch her side (still, she's down to 1)

I felt terrible that people might think I fudged to give Runolf a chance to live. I decide he needs to make another saving throw. He does!!! i stopped feeling guilty.

Round 23 - Party, Orcs

With unmitigated fury, the elf hauled back and unleashed a fist like iron into the face of the orc, collapsing its snout and driving the head back with such rapidity that its neck snapped. A BARE-HANDED KILL!

Round 24 (I thought it was 23, but i misnumbered this round) Orcs, Party

Maglom is struck and dropped unconscious (she’s unconscious at -1)

This is looking like a very close run thing indeed.

Zilliniy, feeling her oats, punched the leader, and sole remaining orc, repeatedly in the ribs until one of them cracked and pierced something vital (2 HP damage but combined with the Lykidas's dart and Maglom's sword it's enough)

After the last orc fell to the ground:

Lykidas quickly bound Maglom's wounds (she rulls 4 and is back up to 3.
Leegand bound Eomond's wounds, but he only recovers enough to still be unconscious at 0

Ygg finished binding Runolf’s wounds and he’s at 1 and conscious but badly wounded

Ygg bound his own wounds and is back up to 3

Lykidas does his own and back to full

Zilliniy bound her own and is up to 5 (gained 4)

Leegand isn’t elligible as he suffered no damage in this combat.

The party agreed to get the hell out but not before searching ALL of the bodies

Any coin on the orcs? Very likely since this could be seen 5 the treasure 47 yes
Using the S&W: Whitebox treasure rules, I roll a die, and get 6 for my multiplier.

210 xp * 6 = total value 1260 gp

Scene 5 TREASURE!!!! Chaos 6 [I ruled that it won't go up since the party was victorious but it certainly isn't going to go down with a near TPK]

Looting the dead dwarves and orcs, the party found ten 100 gp gems and four 60 gp gems, which made sense since the orcs were just wandering around.

party exits dungeon any encounters?no THANK HEAVENS!!!!

Skalafell : Danger at the Evil Wizard's Tower (part 1)

This took place two sessions ago,  played prior to DragonCon. I think we played for maybe an hour - hence the brevity.

Per her orders from her new teacher, the Evil Wizard Inhabiting Sister Rebecca's body, Fjörgyn made preparations for her expedition to clear out any possible inhabitants from his long abandoned tower.

After a short journey into the woods, she spied the tower in a clearing, its door open a bit, a shiny brackish splatter around head height. Fjörgyn just shrugged it off as probably just blood: "Whatevs." (that's a paraphrase but it shows far she's come since wanting to run away at the first sign of danger back in March!)

She carefully peered in using her infravision before igniting a torch and heading inside. The main room was largely empty but for two stairwells and something giving off some heat in a terrarium above the fireplace. She opted for the steps up, which led to a sitting room of sorts, with two doors.

Trying one of them, she was electrocuted, mildly and so decided instead to kick open the other door.

There, on a bed, in perfect stillness, undisturbed by her dramatic entrance, was a man, above whom floated a green swirling mist. Wasting no time, Fjörgyn pulled a stake from her bag and plunged in into the Sleeper's chest. 

Green Mist by DarkGX

The mist swirled and bloomed into a spectral visage of the Sleeper's face twisted into silent angry howl before rushing into the nostrils of the body, which then sat bolt upright, in no particularly good mood.

The stake had missed the mark and a fight ensued with the man who eventually loosed 3 unerring bolts of magic light at our poor hero, who fled the tower somewhat worse for wear.

The Ever Expanding Dungeon : Session 33 (by my probably inaccurate reckoning)

we rejoin our heroes as they climb up the stairs.

Room 1 - Guardian, Chaos 6

Setup: The party climbed the steps up to the next level, as they did so, they heard the unmistakable click of a trap engaging.

Does the scene setup hold? 6, yes
.

I rolled up a trap using a sheet I made up for improvising in my Trelleborg dungeon - I rolled a 2, which is ye old scythe trap. 1d8 damage, save for half damage,

I decided with 4 ranks, each rank had a cumlative chance of tripping the trap.

Did the 1st rank trip it? 25%, 71

Did the 2nd rank trip it? 50% 01, exceptional yes.

An axe blade of enormous proportion on a pendulum sliced across the party - the blade caught both Lykidas and Leegand. Lykidas, spry for a one eyed magic-user, avoided the danger mostly, but Leegand was not so lucky (not very nimble for a thief I guess).

[Of course both failed their save and Lykidas took 2 HP, while Leegand took a life threatening 7. Even after binding his wounds he was only at 3 HP.]

Having tended their wounds, and with admonitions for everyone to be more cautious, the party continued their climb. At the top of the steps, they came to a large steel banded wood door.

Leegand searched the door for traps and gave the all clear when he found none. He and Eomond each pressed an ear to the door, but could hear nothing on the other side.

[Leegand and Eomond listen - Do they hear anything? 6, no

Leegand checks for traps - 17, fails]

Room 2  - Roleplay/Puzzle, Chaos 6

Setup: Eomond kicked in the door while Runolf stood at the ready. As the door swung open, the light from a circle of flame around a pedestal lit their faces. Upon the pedestal sat a large gem.

[Does the setup hold.?3. No.. Interrupt]

As Eomond kicked in the door, Maglom, who was protecting the party’s rear, called out “something is approaching!”

from some Disney movie i have not seen, but now must.

Seven angry-looking green-skinned orcs [are they members of the delegation the original party once met? 93, nope] came charging up the steps

[The orcs were generated using the D30 DM Companion. They can only go 2x2 just like the party .

Initiative:

Maglom will swing away with her war hammer

Zilliniy will move up to aid Maglom

Lykidas will hurl a dart

Leegand will fall back to use his sling from the top step

Ygg will advance to the 2nd rank with Runolf who wends his way down. Eomond will make sure nothing comes from the room

Orcs 5, Party 3

Do the orcs have missile weapons? Unlikely.26, yes

The first rank has hand axes

the 2nd rank spears

the third rank has short bows

the fourth rank has a sword and is the leader

First rank attacks:

Orc attacks zilliniy - hits - 5 HP

Orc attacks maglom - hits - 5 hp

2nd rank with spears

Orcs attack ziliny 13, miss

Orc attacks maglom - 8, miss

3rd Rank

Fires at Ygg - 7 misses

Fires at Leegand - hits for 2 HP - Leegand is down to 1!

Good lord.]

Leegand dove into the room, without worry about what might be waiting, while Maglom sliced up one of the orcs (but it still stands) and Zilliniy and Lykidas were ineffective.

[Round 2

Maglom will fall back and Ygg will take her place

ZIlliniy will fall back and Runolf will take her place

Eoomond will move down as Zilliniy and maglom fall back

Lykidas will cast sleep once they are past him

Party 6, Orcs 2]

Runolf and Ygg embarassed themselves and the less said the better. Thankfully, Lykidas, who had begun the incantation for a Sleep spell, was able to get it off without a hitch.

[Lykidas’ spell goes off - 7 HD.

Are Runolf and Ygg effected ? 50/50 - 45, yes.]

Unfortunately, Ygg and Runolf were in the way and they dropped to sleep along with the first 2 ranks of orcs.

[Do the orcs break? Roll 1d8 if greater than yes, otherwise no. 3, nope]

The 2 orc archers fired at the magic user - and missed him!!! 

[I pretty much did a happy dance.]

The one with the sword swore a lot at the two incompetent bowmen.

In relative safety, Leegand tended to his wounds. [He regained 1 HP. up to 2HP. Not even remotely close to the edge of the woods, let alone out of them. ]

[Round 3

Lykidas will fall back while Runolf charges the Orc

Zilliniy will fire her bow before he does so

Party 5, Orcs 3

ZIlliniy shoots and hits one of the archers - 3HP, but still standing

Eomond crashes into the orcs but fails to do any damage

Maglom runs down behind him to assist - but is of little help]

As the party closed in for a relatively ineffective melee, the archers drew short swords and start swinging but were equally ineffective.

[Round 4

Zilliniy will try to shoot at the leader over everyone’s heads (-1 on roll)

Eomond and Maglom keep fighting

Orcs 3, Party 2

Maglom is hit for 3

Eomond is hit for 5

Zilliniy shoots at leader 17, hts!!! and kills him!

Maglom hits - for 3 HP

Eomond - hits and kills one of the archers]

With the leader and the other archer dead, Maglom shouted to the lone remaining orc to surrender or die.

[Does the orc surrender? No and will turn and run

Round 5

Orc 3, Party 2]

The orc, undoubtedly fearful of the safety of his life at the hands of such vicious killers, turned and ran away. As he reached the bottom of the steps, the Zilliniy loosed an arrow.

[I ruled -2 to hit: 19!  and drops him.]

Everyone bound their wounds and then woke up the sleeping Ygg and Runolf

A thorough search the orcs resulted in no coin and some reflective questions about the line of work the party members had chosen.

With many badly injured, returning to town was the obvious choice, And so, licking heir wounds they made their way down the steps.

[1, wandering monster , 5 Dwarves.

Next session: Room 3 RED HERRING/RESOURCE DRAIN]