Dungeoneers and Dangerous Denizens

The road to League of Dungeoneers

I've focused more recently on boardgames but continue to play tabletop miniatures games - specifically Grimdark Future from OnePageRules. For OPR, I haven't bought or painted any miniatures, preferring instead to deploy my 40K armies of old such as my Tau and (rarely) Black Templars. OnePageRules is a lot of fun and has replaced 40K in my gaming group. There is a lot of love for the granddaddy of grimdark gaming, but OPR is simpler to play, faster, and more flexible, and crucially, with a far lower cost of entry (even just in terms of rules alone.)

On the hobby side I have been painting an eclectic mix of metal and plastic fantasy models from a variety of manufacturers. I've been putting these together with one eye on League of Dungeoneers, a tactical dungeon crawling game lovingly created by Von Braus publishing. 

The game comes with hundreds of awesome cardboard standees, but in keeping with the models I craved in my youth I am attracted to metal and plastic 28mm figures (GW fantasy models just seem way oversized to me now!) I've kept an eye out over the last few months for models that I could use in the game for my party of four, as well as enemies. Along the way, I've picked up models that aren't on the game's list of foes, but have been painting those too.

What is this cast of characters that I have painted? Who are they? What enemies might they face? Just for fun, here are some photos with some backstory. I've noted the actual L.O.D. classes for each.

Dungeoneers

Classic adventurers!

Jack the thief, Gideon the hedge knight (warrior), Belinda the cleric (warrior priest), and Peter the mage (wizard) walk into a bar...

...which would be the start of a great joke, except that each has a hunger in their heart and adventure on their minds.

Thief, hedge knight, sorceress, mage

Belinda, Cleric of the lake

Belinda's beauty, noble bearing (and extensive wardrobe) belie her experience and ruthlessness. Forced to leave her family's estate behind after falling foul of her scheming sister's plans, she now travels in search of riches and rare magical treasures to fund her revenge. The night she fled the estate she stole her grandfather's sword and her father's eagle-headed mace (the symbol of his office). She keeps these weapons close (her family has plenty of money to spend on bounty hunters) and knows she is more likely to survive to get her revenge if in the company of other adventurers (who will protect her willingly, or be sacrificed as necessary...)

Barefoot Peter, Purple order apprentice

In contrast, Peter has no interest in riches or revenge. An apprentice of the Purple Order of Wizards, he occupies the lowest rung of that esteemed enclave - a fact symbolised by being barefoot. He wears a chain to show that he has finished his initial studies and is never far from his books. His notebook is where he obsessively captures his observations, and his spellbook contains the simple cantrips and spells he has learned thus far. These large tomes are always on his person. As befits a wizard in training of the purple order, he dreams of only two things - gaining more knowledge, and the right to become an adept and wear shoes!

'Black Jack' Thief

"Black" Jack is a thief. Always on the run from a failed job and only a step or two ahead of his creditors...

...a man of mystery, he shares little and little is known of him.

Gideon, the hedge knight

Gideon is a hedge knight - brave, but poorly equipped. Aside from his knapsack he has but a dirty padded hauberk, hand axe, and frog-mouthed helm (gifted to him by his grandfather). Surprisingly, his most-prized possession is not the armour or weapons that he and the party rely on, but the yellow scarf around his neck. Dropped at Gideon's feet by a passing noblewoman from high on her horse he tried to return it, but was told 'keep it, young knight!'. This gift (accompanied by a dazzling smile over a pale shoulder), lit a fire in the young man's heart...

...one day, by dint of arms, he will escape this hardscrabble career and rise to greatness, accept service in a mighty house, and wed a noble lady equally as beautiful as the pale lady in yellow.

Our adventurers are gathered, but who else is waiting in the wings?

Loitering in a nearby tavern and ready to join the party should anyone ask (or better yet, pay!) we have Darkwolf the Barbarian (a not uncommon name it seems)!

On stage at the same tavern a summoner (wizard) - Abigail - entertains the crowd with her pet miniature dragon (little do they know this is merely a cover for her true mission!)

In her employ we find the elderly Willard. 

The classic 'Useful man' - he is talented in fetching, carrying, and fixing things. Beware though - as with his employer there is more than meets the eye to this bearded fellow! If cornered he is not averse to stepping out of his current role (and rather dramatically stripping down to his wolf pelt underwear) and reverting to the 'Wild Willard' of old - barbarian battler from the Sharp Hills! As famed for his braids as he was feared for carrying his 'three friends' - Biter (sword), Spiker (short sword), and Headsplitter (axe), the old man is as tough as nails.

Come and 'ave a go then... if you think you are 'ard enough!

Dangerous denizens...

Any dungeon-crawling party needs a plethora of enemies to face, so I also started painting some fearsome foes to fight. These may not all be types featured in League of Dungeoneers, but who knows when they may come in useful?

A genie, a giant, and a dusk troll...

The genie is the brains of the bunch. His immeasurable age and deep-seated anger at being forced to grant wishes to greedy imbeciles over the millennia make him a devious and dangerous foe. Alone, he would be formidable enough, but over the years he has managed to capture a coterie of henchmen in his lamp who serve him in the hopes of one day being released from his magic.

Big Ben the hill-giant (always with his club 'Red Masher' in hand) make an 'impact' wherever he goes. Every worst impulse and bad idea he has is acted upon with little hesitation. He has a terrible habit of listening to the 'little voice' in his ear - not realizing that these whisperings are not from his own 'genius', but rather the whisperings of the insane (and magically invisible) Weezle, goblin master-manipulator!

Big Ben and Weezle

Observers (those who have survived meeting Ben long enough to share their observations) have noted that along with Red Masher he is always to be seen with a rock in his other hand. Unknown to most, this is Ben's hobby. A dedicated rockhound, his hobby goes beyond simply preferring igneous to metamorphic (as evidenced by the quiet conversations he is happy to engage in with the very rocks he carries and is festooned with!)

Run!

Rnnnr-Grrr the dusk troll.

Rnnnr-Grrr (and friend)

Do you know any dusk trolls?

Dusk trolls are a rare and misunderstood breed. Compared to their more common, green-skinned cousins, they are less willing to socialize with fellow green skins or adventure in their company. Unbeknownst to many they have a greater level of intelligence than other types of troll, and are quite happy to avoid violence, favouring cattle rustling instead. This is a pastime they are well suited to. They have an uncanny knack for quiet movement, and their darker skin means they can be difficult to spot as day turns to night. While cattle rustling naturally alarms their neighbours, the cattle are kept as bovine companions and only devoured in times of severe famine - being far more highly valued for their milk and companionship. 

Dusk Trolls are far longer lived than their lesser green cousins. Over their lifespans they tend to accumulate a great deal of knowledge, and are thus sought out by wizards and witches as sources of local information. Dusk trolls have keen senses and know well in advance of the arrival of a visitor, and (somehow) whether they harbour ill intent. Although no-one has ever seen a female dusk troll, those researchers who have spent time studying them theorize that they mate for life. Those brave souls who have visited their lairs note the decor and design are likely to have been the work of the female of the species. They theorize that the partner is hidden away for safety, perhaps watching from the shadows. One popular theory is that those dusk trolls who most engage in cattle rustling do so out of loneliness, rather than spite.

I hope you enjoyed meeting some of the case of characters on my painting table. I hope to post more in the coming days and weeks.

:-)

Reboxing and storing Vantage (with upgrades)

 It fits! Nearly...

After purchasing Vantage and he associated upgrades, I wanted to see if I could fit everything back into the box again. I found instructions on how to do this, but for the life of me couldn't find the post again, so here are my own photos.

The following results in a 5mm lid-lift, but includes:

• All punched original components and tokens. (Story books, cards, dice etc.)
• Upgraded wooden skill tokens.
• Upgraded Metal coins.
• x6 upgrade dual-layer player boards ('grids')

How to pack Vantage:

1. Base game tokens, money, and player tokens. By pushing the three stacks of large location cards to the left of their spaces, there is enough space to carefully insert the original component to the right of each large location card space (see coins, skills tokens, and player tokens below in their baggies.)

2. Upgraded tokens and coins, and dice. With the original tokens bagged and stored, put the upgraded skill tokens, metal coins, and dice into the green boxes. Put a small baggie on top of each box to keep things in place as you slide them into their spaces. When you get them out, place a couple of fingerson the plastic baggies to help keep things in place and avoid spilling everything as you withdraw the boxes.

Note the baggies on top of the green boxes.

Boxes safely inserted!

3. Boost tokens and character card place holders can sit flat on the top large card space, which has spare depth.

Silver 'boost' cubes in their bag (at top of image), lying flat, before the 
secrets deck (in its pack) is laid on top of them.

4. Plastic card holders and secrets pack. The holders stack vertically in the storage space next to the card decks (shown at top left below.) The secrets deck (in it's plastic pack) can 

5. Dual-layer player boards. All 6 player board 'grids' lie down flat in a stack to one side of the game card decks.

6. Book of Vantages and Book of Secrets. On top of the player boards, place down the 'Book of Vantages' with the spiral binding against the wall of the box. On top of that, add the book of secrets, but leaving a gap so it isn't on top of the spiral binding.

7. Rulebook. Add the rulebook on top of the book of secrets. 

8. Game board. With step 5 ~ 7 done above, the main game board (really just a thin card) will lie flat on top of the card decks, book of vantages, and rules.

9. Storybooks. Insert the eight story books one at a time, putting the bound edge of the story book against the wall of the box. Do the same for each, but putting them down so there is just one against the box edge, then do the next one. This spiral of storybooks will slowly rise in height, but do this for all of them.

Storybook is laid down, with its binding touching the box.

2nd storybook is laid against the next edge of the box in a clockwise direction. 
Continue doing this for all storybooks.

9. Box lid. Close the box! There should be no more than 4~5mm of lid lift.

Hope this is useful!

Cheers,

On the table: Vantage by Stonemaier Games

 On the table: Vantage

It seems as though everyone is talking about Vantage, a new exploration game by Stonemaier Games.

I too was sucked in by the hype train (willingly) after some good reviews from YouTube channels that I watch and respect, including The Dungeon Dive, Man Vs. Meeple, and One Stop Co-op shop. I've never owned a Stonemaier game before, but being a fan of exploration games (I've enjoyed Lands of Galzyr and 7th Citadel) I thought this would be right up my alley. Crash land on an alien planet? Explore an alien world making choices about how to interact with the flora and fauna? High replayability due to hundreds of cards? Self-contained - not campaign - sessions? Yes please!

Also, the game is particularly suitable for solo play, and that is an important part of any purchase decision I make these days.

Seeing as it is releasing from a well-known and successful publisher, there is plenty of online coverage of the rules, as well as solo and multiplayer run-throughs to watch, so I'll just take a look at the components here and some initial thoughts.

Being located in Japan, I used Stonemaier's Australia storefront for my order. Customer service was fast and helpful in response to my questions, and Australia post provided tracking and updates. The box arrived in one piece quite quickly, and nothing was damaged (excellent packing by Stonemaier - or their distribution partners.)

I went all in, and also bought the dual layer player mats (or 'Grids' as they would be called in-game), metal coins, and wooden tokens.

Wooden tokens, coins, and dual-layer player grids.

Dual-layer player grids (x6). Note that each character
has their character card printed on the grid.

Wooden tokens (L), and metal coins (R).

I really dig the coloured metal coins. In denominations of 1, 2, 5, and 10, they could probably be used for any low player count sci-fi game (e.g. Star Wars Outer Rim), especially if playing solo.

The provided storage solution works well too. For a game that is comprised of so many cards, it is nice that they are easy to get in and out of their allotted spaces. The included cardboard boxes work well too. People are already posting very nice 3D printed insert blueprints that can replace the included cardboard (if that is your thing) and Etsy has some very thematic storage solutions for sale. I can get all the original components and upgrades into the box with about 4-5mm lid lift. (I'll post a step-by-step, inspired by some reboxings seen on YouTube.)

The components (in the base box) are fine and get the job done.

After some more images I'll share who I think the game is (and isn't) for.

Who is Vantage for?

I've played the game several times solo, and my initial impressions are:

Play this game if:

1. You like free-form exploration and a 'choose your own adventure' experience.
2. You are comfortable making choices without having full information.
3. You don't mind an 'experience', more than a 'game with deep mechanics'.
4. You (or your group) are happy to listen to the experiences other players might be having.
5. You aren't bothered by always having a clearly defined route to succeeding in your mission.
6. Using your imagination to fill in the narrative gaps left by the game is enjoyable for you.

I would say to anyone that it is always worth trying a game at least once to see if it hits. Having said that...

Avoid if:

1. You are the kind of player who 'switches' off when other players are taking their turn.
2. You dislike working with limited information in pursuit of a goal.
3. You aren't able to gloss over small thematic or mechanical inconsistencies (e.g. why can I only do ONE thing when I'm at this location out of a choice of SIX!)
4. You like long passages of narrative to set the scene.
5. You are expecting a linked campaign of missions.

Personally, I can see myself getting a lot of value from Vantage. The art is always fun to explore, the narrative results are interesting, and the replay value is incredibly high.

Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers,

Have you played...Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy?

 A BIG 4X, in just a few hours...

The Galactic Center Defense System (GCDS) dominates the 
heart of the universe.

...although, for your first game a 'few' might still be 5-6!

First impressions

I'm going to presume that if you are here, you already have some knowledge of what Eclipse is, and perhaps how it plays. If not, turn to the usual sources like boardgamegeek or YouTube for more info! I'm just going to share some thoughts in this post.

After one, four player game (using the symmetrical human factions recommended for starting players), I came away with the following impressions:

• With experience you could get this down to a 3 - 4 hour game, which is apparently fast for a game of this type (when compared to other games like Twilight Imperium.)
• The player turn itself is simple - you have a limited number of actions to choose from, and what each does is straightforward.
• The 'create your own' ships and fleet system of blueprints and upgrades works well, and offers some cool choices.
• The game comes with storage trays for everything. This makes setup, play, and take down relatively easy (and even fun, as you can pass the trays around in game.)
• The random draw each turn of new tech, increasing discounts for purchases as you buy, and the variety of tech, make that whole system exciting and integral to your approach.
• Exploring and uncovering the galaxy is fun (but can be challenging depending on the cards you draw.)
• Most turns have interesting decisions based on managing your economy and resources, alliances/ enemies. 
• The feeling of 'down time' between turns is reduced as you have lots to consider and plan with your tech, fleet upgrades and more.

...are there potential issues? Sure.

• Analysis paralysis can add to every turn for some players (like any game.)
• If you pull some unlucky sectors/ tiles when you explore you can have a rocky start or be hemmed in. Depending on your approach to life that might be a huge downer, or simply a challenge to be overcome and a new path you need to adjust to.
• If you like deterministic combat, the die rolls for conflict might frustrate you as you fail to land a hit roll after roll. 
• If both sides in the combat are having a run of bad luck, the back-and-forth rolling might be frustrating for those in combat and the other players.

In this post I'll pick up on just three of my comments above and explore a bit further:

1. Storage
2. Economy
3. Ship design 

Tray(z)

A feature of E: SDG that gets near universal acclaim (in the reviews I've seen) is the integrated storage system. Designed by Game Trayz, each player receives a 'Species Tray' to accompany their choice of playable race. This stores all the game components that the player needs in one easy-to-use tray...

The species tray for the black faction (bottom center),
showing the resource trackers.

• Influence disks
• Influence cubes
• Species specific miniatures (18)
• Starting sector hex
• Turn summary tile
• Ambassador tiles
• Colony ship tiles (3)

More importantly, beyond being storage, these trays are an integral part of the game. If they were just a simple storage solution that would still be great for setup and take down, but you also use the trays every turn to track your resources and income. A simple track around the outside of the tray, combined with wheels on the lid from which you remove cubes, reveals these essential numbers to you (and your competitors...)

No less important in terms of convenience and gameplay are the Tech tray and Upgrade tray. The former accommodates the randomly-drawn tech tiles that appear each turn (of which you will have 114 in a bag). The latter holds all 282 (!) tiles that you will use to upgrade your ship blueprints on your species board.

Upgrade tray (top) and tech tray

At the beginning of each turn, you will draw a random assortment of tech tiles from a cloth bag, and then add them to the tech tray, making them available to research. In the draw, you might pick out rare technologies, which are added to the bottom of the tray. The upgrade tray holds every single upgrade tile, so if you decide to do the upgrade action, you can take the tray and choose a tile of the type you have researched.

Economy management

Every action you take on your turn will cost you. This is represented by moving a disk on your player sheet to the action you want to take. When you do so, a new cost is revealed from beneath the disk you moved, and that cost must be paid at the end of the turn. Do more - pay more! It is simple, easy to understand, but thought-provoking. I can do a lot of cool stuff, but should I, and what should I do?

In the image below (right at the beginning of the game), the red player has taken a few actions. They have moved their disks from the bottom right to the left of their player board. This has revealed increasing costs for faction upkeep (the number in the yellow circle). If this round was to end now, he'd have to pay a total of 2, or face bankruptcy.

Red player board, showing disks (bottom)

Starship and fleet design

Every player has access to the same selection of ship types/ hulls (fighter, cruiser, dreadnaught, starbase). 

The fun comes from upgrading the blueprints for each with any combination you like of weapons, power sources, targeting computers, hulls, and more. Your imagination will be limited by keeping within power limits (which you can also upgrade) but sparked by the realities of the dangerous other factions that surround you. 

• Has your neighbour upgraded his fleet to have thick hulls? How could you arm yourself to deal with that? 
• Do you create lots of cheap, fast, fighters with low-powered weapons and hope to overpower him with hits? Or create one or two super-powerful dreadnaughts?
• Do you pursue researching the more lethal military technologies that will give you extra proficiency in combat? Or, keep things simple and save your research for other valuable tech?
• How fast should you make your ships? Faster ships will strike first, but upgrading their propulsion systems is another tech to research. You could focus instead on armour or weapons...or should you try to strike a balance.

Don't be surprised to see your neighbours looking over at your player board...

White player ship blueprints, with upgrades

This is almost a whole mini-game in itself!

As I hope you can see, there is plenty to dig into. My group was unanimous in agreeing that we would be happy to play again. When we do, we'll give the alien races a spin!

 

Lands of Galzyr: The best bimble boardgame?

 

Mor the frilled lizard makes his way towards
the small town of Chabahr, and the two quests available there.

A slow walk in spring

I previously shared some early thoughts about Lands of Galzyr, a narrative driven open-world adventure game featuring anthropomorphised characters. I've recently been playing the game more (solo) and stumbled across a term that I think perfectly describes the experience:

bimble (verb)

[intransitive] (British English, informal) 

to walk or travel without hurrying

• We spent the morning bimbling around the market.
• I bimbled into town.

(Oxford Learners Dictionaries dot com)

In L.o.G. your character will 'bimble' around the world and experience small stories. Called 'scenes' in the game and the (webapp) storybook, these are often stand alone, but they may also be small chains as part of a quest. These are available for any character to choose and pick up from a 'noticeboard' of random quests next to the board once they visit the town where the quest is located. Over the course of a single game you'll measure your success on how much prestige you gain by completing scenes.

Track your prestige over the course of your adventure.

Does this sound like the kind of experience you want? 

For many boardgamers, the answer is a firm 'no'. 

They want the excitement and motivation of a story driven by a strong and obvious goal, such as discovering (and ultimately fighting) a great evil. In L.o.G the pleasure to be had from the game comes from the world unfolding (and changing over time) before you as you 'bimble around', the characters and situations you encounter, and the ongoing and self-contained nature of the experience. To use another term that is common, it is a very 'cosy' game.

Personally, bimbling around in L.o.G is an experience that makes a nice break from many of the other games that I enjoy. I like the well-written scenes, the generally low stakes (although there are some quests dealing with morality), the quick pace (as a solo player, about an hour), and the simplicity of the mechanisms. Compare this with a game like Hexplore It: Valley of the Dead King, which I also really enjoy! A race against time where the whole focus of the game is levelling up to face a final climactic battle against a deadly foe.

The appventure continues

Yes, L.o.G uses a web app. I think it is handled well and is an essential component of the success of the game (the included sountrack really adds to the experience IMHO). If nothing else, the massive amount of text in the game seems unfeasible to have as a printed book. I also noticed after coming back to the game that the downloadable website had been updated - another benefit. 

For more info about apps in boardgames, Daniel over at the Dungeon Dive on YouTube posted a good comparison of three of his favorites that use apps to great effect:

• Lands of Galzyr
• Mansions of Madness 2e
• Freelancers

Video below and on YouTube. If you are even remotely interested in thoughtful takes on Dungeon crawl and adventure boardgames you should subscribe!

Thanks for reading!