[kolakoski]

Well met!

On Wednesday, 11/6, the Gang of Four (at least 3 at Noon, all 4 by the late afternoon/early evening) will gather at chas' Game Palace for a day of 'Scape. The featured scenario is THE HILLS ARE ALIVE! A Halloween Heroscape Scenario, devised by chas, to ensure that he is on the winning side for a change.

Spoiler Alert!

Evil Bonus

Oh yeah. During Rounds One to Three at night, all Evil Army figures are +1 to Attack and Defense, and +1 (or –1 if they prefer) to all D20 rolls. This Evil Bonus will stack with any others. During Rounds Two to Seven, Evil players may choose any one card’s worth of figure(s) each to receive the Evil Bonus once per round. Because we’re evil! Mwahaha! The bonus ends during daylight—Rounds Eight through Ten.

chas and Taeblewalker have been conspiring for weeks to ensure that Sherman and, especially, I do not dominate as usual. (See Isle of Dragons! - Battle Report, Molten Valley Battle Report, Game of Thrones 'Scape Battle Report, Three Gates Battle Report, etc.)

But, of course, chas' nefarious scheme will fail, as usual.

Night Time and Dawn Breaking

Don’t get caught on the Moors at night! Too late; you did! The game will last ten rounds, using a Modified Memoir 44 Dawn Rule. The first three rounds are Night Time, when visibility/distance attacks are limited to a 1 hex range. Starting on Round Four, range will open up while dawn breaks slowly (as mists prevail) at a rate of one more hex per round, (Round 4: Range two hexes, Round 5 Range three hexes, etc.) until Rounds Eight to Ten, when normal daytime rules and ranges apply. This rule affects all types of normal and special distance attacks and other powers such as Healing, etc.

Even with a head start,

Set Up

The Good Armies start one movement turn in from their (long) board edge, counting any board edge hex as the first movement hex of any figure (Good Head Start; they’ll need it). The Evil Armies start on their own long board edge hexes (or the second row in when the first is full). Exceptions are made for cards that are dropped or summoned, etc. during the game as their normal initial deployment method).

the Evil forces plan to rip us up early (with their Evil Bonus), taking

the center . . . large hill, affording a good defensive position for them as cares to take it up

Fortunately, we have the perfect units to take advantage of the Good Head Start and mitigate the Evil Bonus - the newly released Cathar Spearmen with Braced Spear!

Sherman, as usual, has not yet indicated what he will be fielding, and probably won't address the issue until a few days prior to game day, so our armies will most likely be created independently. So, unless Sherman chimes in with a Cathar build in the meantime, I will modify the Roman army I created to include an even more recently released unit (the Azure Warlord ) to include the Cathars:

Having just sent my check off to nyys, I'll be fielding

150 Cathars x 2
150 Romans x 3
145 Azure Warlord
100 Marcus
550, 22 spaces

[This will undoubtedly be one of the first appearances of the Azure Warlord (post-release) in a game.]

while Sherman will be fielding

Spoiler Alert!

[Matthias will love us - no range!]

360 Templars x 3
120 Eomer (LotR custom by Sherman)
70 Martial la Hire
550, 21 spaces

Spoiler Alert!

Eomer's card:

Of course, the usual Battle Report, with pictures, will be forthcoming!