Leaving the path...

I've been running a weekly role playing campaign using the Fantasy Flight Star Wars rules: Edge of the Empire. When it started I wasn't much up for planning and running a whole campaign, so I got hold of one of the FFG campaign books, Mask of the Pirate Queen.

This could have been a review of Mask of the Pirate Queen, which is the campaign I had fully intended on running, but we left the path pretty quickly, and to be honest, we never looked back.

This is no criticism of the campaign itself, I'm sure it's well written and well plotted, but is a by-product of my mind-set when coming to run it. In short my mind-set was that the campaign setting at the start of the campaign was exactly as is laid out in the book: the characters accepted a job to pursue the mysterious pirate queen, at the beginning of the book seemingly in hiding on the planet of Saleucami. But that the characters actions, choices, and behaviour would change what followed, and the various players, powers, organisations, and people around them would react in ways that suited their own interests.

The characters followed the first few breadcrumbs pretty much as laid out in the book, but things took an unexpected turn when they decided to infiltrate the organisation (the Veiled Sorority in the campaign) by working for them (this option was not in the book). Now, Edge of the Empire has an Obligation system that the GM rolls every session to see if any of the characters might have something pop up as a result of a choice they made in the past. This is a system I have a love/hate relationship with, but is meant to reflect things like Han Solo being chased by random bounty hunters at various points over unpaid debts, and so on. For the first 5-6 sessions every single time we rolled Obligation something related to the Empire came up. Every single time. I started with just flavouring: that the Imperial presence here has stepped up patrols of the space port. But as the players kept rolling the same result again and again, I decided to escalate.

As the characters worked through a few sessions infiltrating a criminal group connected to the Veiled Sorority, the Imperial focus tightened, what started as background details (patrols are increasing) became more and more focused on the areas the characters were interacting with, and the characters themselves. At this point in the campaign I was wondering how I might massage things more in line with the campaign as written, but in the end I decided to abandon the path altogether. A decision, I might add, that was strongly influenced by me rewatching Andor, and watching what was/is taking place in the US, which seems to be mirroring the same playbook: how to do a fascism.

I came back to my original mind-set: what is it these groups are doing, what are their goals? For the Veiled Sorority and the people who had hired the characters I already had a good idea, but I hadn't really considered the growing Imperial presence. All of this came to head when the party was split, the Imperials had locked down the spaceport, and half the group outside the spaceport used a mix of stealth and violence to reunite the group. This was exactly what the Imperials had been after, I decided. Much like Andor's depiction of the Ghorman Plaza, the goal of the ISB here, tightening restrictions around the space port, was to push for a confrontation they could use as an excuse to assert a more dominant role in the planet's politics. Allowing them to strengthen their military presence, and exploit the local industry (which I decided, based on some research, was pharmaceuticals they needed to support the ongoing war effort against the Rebel Alliance). 

The characters escaped the spaceport, and used the contacts they had made infiltrating the Veiled Sorority to meet up with the shadowy pirate queen. But by this stage they were in the news, they were on the holoscreens: they had been declared terrorists who had attempted to stage a violent attack on the busy spaceport, only to be foiled by the valiant efforts of some doughty Imperial troopers.

The Empire's goals here became clear: they would hunt the characters, sure, but a majority of their focus would be on the exploitation of the pharmaceutical industry on Saleucami, and sweeping away any political resistance. The stage was set for the characters too: stay on Saleucami understanding that the oppression they were watching unfold would get worse, or flee. They elected to stay, and a nascent rebellion was born. 

We played this campaign for about a year and a half, with the characters going into hiding, finding a place to lay low, connecting with sympathisers, dealing with gunrunners and gangs, seeing the propaganda machine of the Empire smear their names and deeds. In that time they built an off-the-grid  comms network, made contacts and friends, built up an armoury to equip them, and work out what the Imperials really wanted with the planet. There was a major battle when their safe-place, a small farming community that had sheltered them, came under attack. It was an attack that resulted in the deaths of many of their closest friends and allies, but it also showed the rest of the planet what the true face of the Imperial presence on Saleucami looked like. After this they went into hiding again, dissent grew in the population, and they connected with a group of real Rebels. The campaign culminated in an instrumental attack that helped destroy the orbiting fleet, and end any tangible presence of the Empire on Saleucami, which (in the game world), is now in territory held by the Rebel Alliance.

It was a hell of a campaign. It was exciting, emotional, explosive, and a whole lot of fun. The characters got the chance to see their names dragged through the mud, and the chance to shine as heroes. I think it really felt like Star Wars, and has probably been some of the best GMing I've done. All of it, really, down to staying true to the idea that the NPCs and powers of the world around the characters all want different things, and that their actions and choices are generally in pursuit of those things. Oh, and Andor, Andor especially, for showing that side of setting: what fascism looks like in action. That, and the accompanying hope that it can be defeated.

Leaving the path led to a longer journey than expected, but the trip was more varied, unexpected, exciting, and memorable as a result...

Here come the Bretonnians!

 I have finished my Bretonnian Blood Bowl team!

I am sure there are many minis painters out there for whom this is not so big an achievement, but for me, and the pace at which I knock over the miniatures in my 'to paint' line (which could be described as glacial at best), this is a day for party poppers. I'm thrilled to have them done, and am very pleased with how they've come out.

In a previous post I put up photos of the first six miniatures. Without further ado, here are the final six, alongside a full team shot! (as per usual, my photography skills and set-up and well below par, but it is what it is).

Knight Catcher

Squire Lineman

Squire Lineman

Squire Line(wo)man

Squire Lineman

Grail Knight Blitzer

The full team, all painted up.

I've also sorted out my storage solution for the Bretonnians and the Tomb Kings, which is my go-to for small mini-count games: a plano storage box and some metal inserts so I can magnetise the bases.

Mouse Guarding

Mouse Guard is, unsurprisingly, set in the world of David Petersen's delightful Mouse Guard comic book series. What follows is, at best, something of an early review, or at least, some random thoughts.

Let's start with a gripe, because while there is one, it should be said that I am enjoying this game and looking forward to learning it more. I want to finish on a positive note, so let's get this out there now.

My gripe with Mouse Guard is how the rules are presented. At times I felt like I was trying to piece the rules together like a puzzle: You think you are reading the rules for how skill tests work, but wait a hundred pages and there's another layer or three, and actually the rules for how this leads to advancement are to be found in another elsewhere, don't ask me to be specific about where... Yes, this is where we define the thing, but the rules about the thing are in a different chapter, or maybe you've read them already, or have you (mysterious wink)? 

The index is not entirely useful in dealing with this issue, mostly because the rules are spread out like seasoning on a hot chip from the middle of the bag. Trying to find something specific feels like trying to single out the squeak of a mouse in the midst of an enthusiastic orchestra.

All that said, the rules are interesting, and I think once we have a better grasp of how everything stitches together, it will run smoothly. The core of the game system asks the players to roll a number of D6, counting successes to meet or beat either a difficulty level, or an opposing roll. From this stand point the system is relatively simple and easy to implement. Combat (or other forms of confrontation) is particularly interesting, with participating players rolling for their collective 'health', choosing an approach they want to take (attack, defend, feint, maneuver), and then trying to wear down the opposition before they themselves are worn down. We haven't played enough to give a fair analysis, but I like it, and I want to keep playing to learn how the semi-rock-paper-scissors choice to approaches can be leveraged by clever play.

The element I am most keen to come to grips with is the way in which the game tries to mechanise a lot of narrative elements. Mouse Guard asks the players to lean into doing things like using their traits against themselves, pitting their goals against their beliefs and so on. It feels like there are multiple levers here a player can manipulate to gain benefits and develop their characters, at the same time as creating a layered story. I really like how these narrative elements are sewn into the fabric of the rules, and setting comes through strongly in how goals, beliefs, instincts, and traits can be used and set against each other or the actions of the character. They can be a great benefit, but they can hinder the character, and when that happens growth occurs. 

I enjoy narrative style games, and this game, like the more recently published Blades in the Dark, seeks to bring this to the fore by creating a scaffold of rules and sub-systems that enable and encourage the story of the characters' internal struggles, victories, and growth. I really do enjoy reading and playing systems where the designers have been deliberate and purposeful in the mechanisms they create to help engender a style of play or reflect a setting or theme through their game. In many RPGs narrative elements, tropes, or themes rise as a sort of emergent property of the play group; an expected natural consequence of the setting or genre. In Mouse Guard these elements are there for the players to lean into mechanically, and can be of great benefit, or if set against the character's intentions, can lead to growth. I like that.

Lastly, and by no means less significantly, is the setting. David Petersen's Mouse Guard is a stunningly illustrated comic book series. Loyalty, duty, honour, betrayal, and sacrifice are all strong themes in the comics, and are lifted into the Mouse Guard role playing game by the clever implementation of the Burning Wheel system. Small heroes struggling in a world where danger is bigger than they are, is one of the things I love about anthropomorphic stories like Mouse Guard, and the comic books capture this well. 

Did I mention the art is amazing, and beautiful, and amazing, I think I did, but it deserves to be said again!

Half Way to Bretonnia...

I'm half way through painting my Bretonnian Blood Bowl team, and while that's not a huge landmark by the standards of many painters, given the slow progress I've been making it feels like one to me.

So here's a post to celebrate! Behold, (half) my Bretonnian team! *Apologies for the quality of the photos, I'm not very good at taking these yet...

Knight Thrower

Squire Line(wo)man

Grail Knight Blitzer

Squire Lineman

Knight Catcher

Knight Thrower

All (half) of the team so far...

Various gubbins...

Well, that's the team so far. I'm pretty happy with how they are coming together. After much heartache over the colour scheme, I'm pleased with the choice I made. Half down, and half to go... At my current pace the next update featuring the full roster is likely to drop in another two months.

Blood Bowl Tokens

I was looking forward to Season 3 of Blood Bowl for some time. To be clear, this was one Games Workshop game I had never played back in the day (the late 90s for those curious), but I have been enjoying Mordheim and Necromunda lately, and seeing Blood Bowl was getting a new starter set caught my attention. Here was a chance to get in on the ground floor, as it were, and pick up two teams in the process. Given the luxurious large hardcover rule book, the tokens, templates, and minis, the cheat sheets, and the board, the whole set was actually pretty good value for money I think - not something I thought I'd ever say of GW, but here we are.

Of the two teams in the starter set, the Bretonnians were the ones who caught my eye. I've been dallying over the colour scheme I wanted to use for some time: green and yellow, red and green, red and blue... I couldn't quite decide. In order to delay the choice, I decided to start work on the tokens. These tokens are used to signify various in game effects, and come about a million to a sprue. They are thick, solid, and good quality casts. I had originally considered painting them on the sprues and cutting them out, but every token had 5 or 6 connection points to the sprue frame, and beveled edges, and I felt after cutting them off and filing them down, I'd essentially be repainting them anyway, so I clipped them off, and painted them that way.

Cutting them off the sprues and cleaning them up actually took a bit of time. Each token had 5-6 connection points, and with the angled edge of the token, the cuts always left flashing which had to be cut and filed back.

The Stunned and Prone tokens, if you follow the colour guide in the rules book, are the only ones which have one colour one side, and another colour the other side.

No prizes for guessing where I was holding them...

The most annoying to paint, but not that difficult really. I started with the yellow, then the red, then cleaned up.

I decided to use Tamiya Panel Liner to fill the letters and symbols. I wish I hadn't. The size of the recesses for the letters and symbols really isn't suited to panel liner in my view - it took an enormous amount, and was messy to use. I should have varnished them before using the panel liner, so I could use a rubbing alcohol to clean them up, but again, I didn't. In the end I wish I had simply used a dark wash. Cest la vie. 

With the 'messier than I wanted' results, I decided to fork out on some new dry brushes I had been eying off. These are really nice, but... they are so soft, and with the large round heads it's sometimes tough to feel when they are actually connecting with the model. This meant some of the early ones were a much heavier dry brush than I intended, and I had to take a step back in the process.

This is the tokens roughly finished. I always wanted them a little dirty, but not quite this much. Still, on the whole they look ok, and are certainly serviceable. I fixed a few up after taking this shot, and the photo itself is in poor light, but they are done!

Crap, I still hadn't decided on the colour scheme for the Bretonnians... 

What would I do differently if I had my time again? 

I could have gone through the same process, using a dark wash instead of panel liner. I think the dry-brush afterwards would have felt more naturally layered, and it would have been a lot quicker.

I've also seen good results on TikTok and YouTube with people spraying them black, and then using paint markers or Sharpies to lay the colour on top. From what I've seen this works quite well. I'd want to experiment with something first, but I could see this working if you wanted a more vibrant set of tokens.

Next, the balls and team token things! Which means I have to make a decision...