So, there's a new fantasy skirmish game on the block -
Rangers of Shadow Deep, by
Frostgrave designer,
Joseph A. McCullough.
The PDF came out a week or so back, and Joe sent me a preview copy (in the interests of full disclosure, I've worked with Joe on a load of projects, most recently
The Wizards' Conclave, and I'm mentioned in the acknowledgements for
Rangers...). With it came my wargaming mojo which, like the mistral wind, blows irregularly throughout the year. It's based on the
Frostgrave system, so I know it inside and out, but it's much more RPG than the previous games that used that system - a ranger (your character) has skills, stats, special abilities, etc., and is wonderfully variable from the get-go. It's also solo/co-op, so I'll be running this alongside a couple of friends, and with three players we each need just three models (at most). More than anything, it means I can finally bring to the table some of the figures that I haven't really ever had a chance to play with (and there are LOTS that match that description).
So, for the first time in... a distressingly long time, my knight and a couple of soldiers that I originally built for the
Sewer Watch are going to take the field!
It's a pretty balanced starting ranger (I hope) - I've split my character customization options pretty evenly between skills, special abilities (one use per scenario), stat upgrades, and extra recruitment points with which to hire companions. Essentially, the more players there are, the fewer companions you can field alongside your ranger - and the fewer points you can spend to recruit them. This does mean that I have an arcanist carrying a shield, even though that's not an option for the troop type. Oh well, it's a co-op game, so no-one is going to complain, and these figures only have to last until I can get a bespoke gang built for the game.
So, for however long he survives, I give you Steiner, the Carrion Knight, and his motley associates. Much like the Sewer Watch, I see these guys as castoffs and outsiders, carrying out a miserable task for little reward and even less thanks. In this case, they patrol the realm's cemeteries, mausoleums, and catacombs, keeping them safe from the menace of the undead. With the rise of the Shadow Deep, they take on a more offensive role, venturing beyond the borders of the realm to take the fight to the enemy... Steiner is a pretty standard knightly character, but I gave him special abilities that played to dealing with the undead, while Magister Bohr and Sauer received a little 'thiefy' touch to hint at a shady history (each companion receives a free +3 skill of the player's choice - I put that into Pick Lock and Traps). What I do not have is a ranged weapon. Oh well.
 |
| (L-R) Magister Bohr (who definitely isn't carrying a shield), Steiner, and Sauer. |
They should be taking the field very soon. Most likely against the re-purposed forces of the
Choleric Order of the Yellow Bile.
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