The New York City Gang Of Four

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Due to Taeblewalker's absence (buying a new car!), chas, Sherman, and I will be playing

Invaders from Marr!

as a pure team game, with VPs being awarded to teams as a whole (as opposed to the individual Players). Tentatively, chas and I will be playing two armies apiece (two sets of OMs) in Games 1 and 2, respectively.

The Armies

Sherman (both Games):

[The Sherman Davies Five]
210 Braxas
150 Cyprien
180 Major Q9
120 Krug
90 Rygarn
750, 8 spaces

chas (armies named before Taeblewalker's absence announced):

Sherman Smashers
170 Moltenclaw
150 Cyprien E.
140 Master Woo
120 Venoc Warlord
80 Kumiko
50 Iskra E.
45 Sonja E.
TOTAL: 755, 7 Spaces

Kolakoski Krushers
185 Zelrig
120 Siege
120 Kaemon Awa
90 Atlaga
90 Crixus
80 Kelda
40 Theracus
10 Isamu
10 [Otonashi]
[745], [11] Spaces

Note: Fixed chas' math in first army, and suggested adding Otonashi to the second.

The Tainted Fellowship
160 Varja
140 Racheim
110 Migol
110 Alastair
100 Syvarris
90 Heirloom
40 Siiv
750, 8 spaces

Ornak's Eye
140 DW9000
130 Deathcommander
120 Grimnak
110 Brunak
100 Tornak
100 Ornak
50 Nerak
750, 11 spaces

The Match Ups
(My army in Game 1 chosen to avoid having two Grimnaks
on the Sherman/kolakoski team; chas' army in Game 2 chosen
to avoid having two Cypriens on the Sherman/chas team.)


Game 1:
Sherman Smashers & Kolakoski Krushers
vs.
The Sherman Davies Five & Ornak's Eye

Game 2:
The Tainted Fellowship & Ornak's Eye
vs.
The Sherman Davies Five & Kolakoski Krushers

[chas]

1. Thanks for the suggestion on the Ninjas, which I will take. And for letting me go 5 points over on team AB.

2. Nevertheless, I must Krush you!

[chas]

Just a cross post here that probably three of us will be attending the annual Islandscape Tournament with our pals out in Suffolk County, Long Island on Saturday, July 22. Its always a lot of fun, so if you can make it, let them know on the Events thread here, where you can check out the format:

https://www.heroscapers.com/communit...ad.php?t=54099

Tell them the NYCG4 sent ya!

[kolakoski]

Well met!

The Gang (minus one) played two games of Invaders from Marr! on Wednesday (6/7).

Sherman's army dominated both games. In the first game, chas played both his armies against Sherman and I, and Sherman's army made mine pretty much superfluous.

In the second game (in which I played my two armies against chas' and Sherman's), in spite of a number of misplays [will list upon request] on my part, I was still in the game through the eighth Round - until my Varja was Bolted by chas' Atlaga.

Thanks to chas for hosting us yet again; a good time was had by all.

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Originally Posted by chas

Just a cross post here that probably three of us will be attending the annual Islandscape Tournament with our pals out in Suffolk County, Long Island on Saturday, July 22. Its always a lot of fun, so if you can make it, let them know on the Events thread here, where you can check out the format:

https://www.heroscapers.com/communit...ad.php?t=54099

Tell them the NYCG4 sent ya!

As it happens, I will be available to participate in Islandscape this year!

[chas]

As promised on the movie thread, here are the questions and answers ()in parentheses) to my Wonder Woman Movie Trivia Quiz:

Wonder Woman: Practically perfect in every way. Best DC live action since Christopher Reeve was Superman (in a different tone). A

***

The flic features painfully accurate multinational WWI equipment and uniforms, even though some of these had almost no screen time. So if you're going to see it, here are a few trivia questions, based on my initial quick peeking out of the side of my eyes:

1. What squadron did Steve Trevor fly for before being assigned to Intelligence work?

( Eddie Rickenbacker's outfit; the US 94th Hat In The Ring Squadron. At the end when she looks at his photo on the wall, he is shown next to a Spad fighter with this insignia).

2. What type of vehicle does WW throw around easily at the airport?

(A British tank)

3. Where is Themiscyra Island, home of the Amazons probably located in this reboot? Apparently not in the Bermuda Triangle, as originally set in DC comics. This is hinted at only with an implied connection with a certain WWI scene.

(Hint: an alternate previous draft had the film taking place during the Crimean War; a conflict I am currently gaming out with 54mm toy soldiers; the only one to ever do this as far as I know).

(Ans: The Meditteranean or Tyrrenean Sea. This is suggested by the scene in the Ottoman Empire).

4. Who is wearing uncovered 'dress parade' pickelhaube helmets?

(The German guards outside the Castle were the gala is being held).

5. What type of fighter plane does Steve Trevor escape in at the start of the movie?

(A Fokker E1 monoplane fighter).

6. Who wears a 'diced' tartan cap?

(The sniper in Steve's team).

7. What type of huge plane is shown toward the end of the film?

(A German Gotha heavy bomber).

8. Who invades Themiscyra Island?

(The Germans).

9. Which historical senior WWI General plays a major part?

(German General Ludendorff).

[chas]

SCAPE OF THE RINGS (Draft 2)
A Heroscape Scenario Using Sherman Davies' LOTR Customs
by Chas


This is an alternate Lord of the Rings scenario, using some of the LOTR customs by Sherman Davies (SD) and classicr Medieval Fantasy Scape cards or C3V/SOV Fantasy/Medieval Customs (no guns or more modern units). It is set for four players in two player teams.

Victory Good Players: Get The Ringbearer to any Mt. Doom Lava Field peak hex and have him spend one further round there adjacent to the top cone molten lava hex. He must use Order Marker Three on this following round to “throw the Ring into the fire!”

Victory Evil Players: Kill The Ringbearer before the above can be accomplished!

Good Player Armies:
The two Good Players must split up the nine Fellowship cards into 4 and 5 Fellowship cards per player armiy.

The Fellowship
(All Sherman Davies (SD) Cards)
Gandalf the Grey 230
Aragorn 150
Boromir 135
Legolas 140
Gimli 140
Frodo Baggins 60
Samwise Gamgee 60
Meriadoc Brandybuck 40
Peregrin Took 40
TOTAL: 995

In addition, each Good player may add cards which, with his Fellowship cards, total 750 Points. Good players may use the SD cards
Lothlorien Archers 120
Spears of Imladris 75

Evil Player Army 1:
750 Points Total, 24 hexes maximum
May include SD Cards:
Lurtz 130
Uruk-Hai Warriors 100
Any cards from Utgar and Valkril (no guns or moderns)

Evil Player Army 2:
750 Points Total, 24 hexes maximum
May include SD Cards:
Mordor Orcs 55
Any cards from Utgar and Valkril (no guns or moderns)

The Map:
The map will be smaller than our usual map, to get everyone into the action. Each player starts in a 24 hex start zone on either the opposite Good or Evil board edges. Mount Doom, in the center, will be five levels high with a few lava field hexes here and there, and a central molten lava cone at the top.

Special Rules:

1. See Victory Conditions

2. The Ringbearer:
Frodo Baggins starts out as the Ringbearer, and a Ringbearer cannot voluntarily give up The One Ring. Only one of the four hobbits can serve as a Ringbearer. If any Ringbearer is killed while rolling for The One Ring (not any other death), the Ring may be transferred to any other Hobbit within 3 hexes. That Ringbearer then is give The One Ring special power from Frodo's card. If there is more than one possible Hobbit who can receive the ring, the Good Player controlling Good Army One need not reveal which Hobbit is The Ringbearer until either using the One Ring special power or throwing it into the fire of Mount Doom.


For reference, Sherman Davies' customs LOTR thread is here:


http://www.heroscapers.com/community...s+LOTR+Customs

[chas]

Gentlemen,

Our armies are set for Wednesday:


Good Army 1: Sherman Davies
Frodo - 60
Samwise - 60
Merry - 40
Pippin - 40
Boromir - 135
Gimli - 140
Dreadgul Raiders x 4 - 260
Total Points - 735

Good Army 2: Chas
Gandalf 230
Aragorn 150
Legolas 140
Lothlorian
Archers x2 240
Total Points 760

TOTAL GOOD: 1,495


Evil Army I (Kolakoski)
300 HS Brutes x 4
140 Morgoloth
140 Racheim
130 Skull Demon x 2
40 Siiv
750

Evil Army II (Taeblewaker)
280 HG x 4
140 Othkurik
120 Grimnak
110 Brunak
100 Ornak
750

TOTAL EVIL; 1,500


Last Minute Game Master Calls and Scenario Changes I Made:

1. Ashi-Dhulu (Evil) and Theracus (Good) were disqualified as scenario breaking.

2. Good was allowed to tranfer 15 building points between their two armies (actually only 10).

3. Again, the Poisonous Fumes rule from Draft 2 is out, based on how the map came out.

4. There is no time limit. The game ends when all four Hobbits are dead or if The One Ring is thrown into Mt. Doom. Points killed do therefore not matter. Warning: players may tend to feel thin and stretched toward the end.

Any further minor changes will come as the result of the play test I run.

The Map:

The Mt. Doom map is composed of sand, swamp, swamp water, jungle bush, rock, rock outcrops, shadow, lava field, and molten lava. What do you expect in Mordor?

The mountain is five levels high in the center, with lava field at the top rim, surrounding three molten lava hexes.

The four army start zones are split into the four corners, but not quite as far apart as usual on our large maps.

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Originally Posted by chas

Gentlemen,

Our armies are set for Wednesday:


Good Army 1: Sherman Davies
Frodo - 60
Samwise - 60
Merry - 40
Pippin - 40
Boromir - 135
Gimli - 140
Dreadgul Raiders x 4 - 260
Total Points - 735

Good Army 2: Chas
Gandalf 230
Aragorn 150
Legolas 140
Lothlorian
Archers x2 240
Total Points 760

TOTAL GOOD: 1,495


Evil Army I (Kolakoski)
225 Brutes x 3
140 Morgoloth
140 Racheim
130 Skull Demon x 2
115 Ashi-Dhulu
750

Evil Army II (Taeblewaker)
280 HG x 4
140 Othkurik
120 Grimnak
110 Brunak
100 Ornak
750

TOTAL EVIL; 1,500


Last Minute Game Master Calls and Scenario Changes I Made:

1. Ashi-Dhulu (Evil) and Theracus (Good) were disqualified as scenario breaking.

2. Good was allowed to tranfer 15 building points between their two armies (actually only 10).

3. Again, the Poisonous Fumes rule from Draft 2 is out, based on how the map came out.

4. There is no time limit. The game ends when all four Hobbits are dead or if The One Ring is thrown into Mt. Doom. Points killed do therefore not matter. Warning: players may tend to feel thin and stretched toward the end.

Any further minor changes will come as the result of the play test I run.

The Map:

The Mt. Doom map is composed of sand, swamp, swamp water, jungle bush, rock, rock outcrops, shadow, lava field, and molten lava. What do you expect in Mordor?

The mountain is five levels high in the center, with lava field at the top rim, surrounding three molten lava hexes.

The four army start zones are split into the four corners, but not quite as far apart as usual on our large maps.

Evil Army I (Reconstituted)(Kolakoski)
300 Brutes x 4
140 Morgoloth
140 Racheim
130 Skull Demon x 2
40 Siiv
750, 18 spaces

[chas]

Right, corrected, K.

Note that although the start zones are split, it should not degenerate into two separate battles, because the victory can only be gained in the center! This has been a concern in some previous games.

I've now got all four armies set up for my solitaire play test tomorrow, to shake out any bugs in the scenario if there are any.

[kolakoski]

Well met!

From chas' email to the Gang:


Guys,

I've played three turns of tomorrow's scenario Scape of the Rings so far. I'm happy to report that there was already fighting by Turn 2, and inter-team cooperation by Turn 3! There are losses on both sides; a Fellowship Hero and a Good squadie vs three Evil squaddies so far!

Its a large cool looking map with varied figures on it (I'm using only a few proxies). Please bring your cameras! I've been wanting to do this scenario for a long time, and I'm really enjoying it.

Chas of the Rings


Looking forward to it, chas. It sounds as though the map is small enough to enable Evil's mostly melee armies to triumph handily . . .

[chas]

Guys,

GAME ONE (continued)

The Good Guys have a very interesting decision to make as to when to "go for it" by putting Frodo up on the mountain peak to stay, stand through another round (this time a full one) and throw the ring into the fire. They decided to go for it on Round 3, and succeeded on Round 4 after several close calls! Frodo died, but Sam, who had ascended with Frodo on Turn 3, got The Ring and managed to hold out until his Turn 4 Order Marker #3, as required.

Do the Good Guys take a quick risk, or wait to thin out the ranks of the Evil pieces before putting a Ringbearer up on the mountain peak? It partly depends on the situation on the mountain peak. Who has been killed, and who is close enough to still affect the game? How vulnerable is a hobbit when brought even to the edge of the combat zone? How early does one risk the Ringbearer by bringing him onto the peak? Does he risk using Frodo's The One Ring card power, which strengthens him but also risks a die roll that will kill him?

After only four rounds, all of the characters except squad members were out of their start zone, except for a single hero. All of the figures which had left their start zone were already on the mountain!

Casualties also tell part of the story:

Evil: Morgoloth, Brunak, Othkurik (4 wounds out of 5).

Good: Frodo, 3 Dreadgul Raiders, Legolas, Aragorn, Sam (2 wounds out of 4).


Further Scenario Rules Clarifications

1. Can a Ringbearer throw the ring into an adjacent peak molten lava hex if it is occupied (by a Lava Resistant Character)?

Yes. It must be thrown into an adjacent hex.

2. If a second Ringbearer receives the Ring while already on a peak Lava Field Hex, must he start the entire sequence over again by waiting two more rounds?

No--he need only spend one further complete round after receiving the ring, throwing it on his Order Marker #3. He need not use any other OMs himself that round.


You'll notice that I'm not discussing any of the specific tactics used by either side, other than the Good Guys "going for it early." It will be important for partners on each team to coordinate what they are doing with each other. In several cases moves were made to cross over into the other player's "sector" or make scenario specific moves that might not be made in a regular Heroscape scenario with more general victory conditions.

Since it was such a short play, I'll reset and try it again today, and let you know what happens. It certainly seems like either side can win. If our first game goes that quickly, I'll certainly suggest changing sides and playing one more.

Chas


GAME TWO

As a tester I wanted the Bad Guys to win this one, or at least come even closer. However, the Good Guys had amazing combat die and initiative rolls, and blew most of the Bad Guys off the top half of the mountain. So by Round Four Frodo and Sam were again on the peak. Previously unhit, they each did take a wound from the Lava Field roll at the end of the turn.

On Round Five Evil managed to get a number of powerful figures back up on the peak, and kill Frodo, among others. So the game now could not end on this turn. Then Evil put 2 more hits on Sam (now 3 of 4 taken). Had Sam died with no other Hobbit within 3 hexes, Evil would have won the game (the ring is lost but not destroyed, and Good and Evil would continue to search for it beyond the scope of the game)! At the end of Round Five characters had to roll for Lava Field hits from being on the peak of Mt. Doom, but no hits were taken. Had Sam taken the hit here also, Evil would have won. About eight figures remained locked in adjacent combat over about half of the peak. Sam is completely surrounded by friendly and enemy figures and cannot leave his hex.

On Round Six Battle rages all over the peak. Pippin is brought up to within 3 hexes of Sam in case he dies, but is himself slain! However, Sam survives somehow until his third Order Marker. Once again, this time two rounds later, Good wins the game!

Casualties

Evil: Othkurik, Brunak, Grimnak (4 hits of 5), Ornak (2 hits of 4), 3 Heavy Gruts, Morgoloth, Rachiem, 3 Horned Skull Brutes.

Good: Aragorn, Gandalf (3 hits of 7), Gimli, Frodo, Pippin, 3 Dreadgul Raiders.


Further Rules Clarification

3. May a Ringbearer toss the Ring into the fire if the Order Marker is on another character using bonding to give him a turn?

No, the Ringbearer must be using OM #3 himself.