Rescuing Golfo

A large party was organized for the mission to Xitaqa: Beatriss; Tetsukichi; Al-Fitar; Phi Phong; Kreppu-san and his three companions, rescued from the slavers’ stockade; Xīngqíliù and his six brothers. Their path followed a dry channel worn into the escarpment that rises on the north side of the Lam River. After an hour or so on the path, Xīngqíliù pointed out the top of the well-fortified tower that is the major landmark of Xitaqa. They saw dark shapes flying around the top of the tower and Kreppu-san recommended that rather than meet any enemies in the confines of the path, they would do well to seek higher ground. With ropes and the assistance of expert climbers, the entire party managed the climb up onto the higher ground.

The ground was rocky and there was no defined path, but up out of the channel, they could all get a good at not only the tower but the little ghost town beneath it—a warren of twisting “streets” carved into the stone by the weather, and lined with small structures that were half-carved into the stone and built out with bricks of the same mottled red, pink, and yellow color.

On top of the escarpment, the party also attracted the attention of the flying creatures, which, as they drew nearer proved to be very large bats.  Several members of the party were very good shots with their bows, and they shot enough of the bats in their approach that the survivors circled back and flew away.  The party continued until they came to a place where unless they were willing to divert their course, they would need to “cross the street”—that is climb down one side of the gully and then back up the other side.  They found a relatively gentle slope with natural footholds where they could climb down, but climbing up was not so obviously easy.  One of Kreppu-san’s companions, a woman named Jintara, was a skilled climber and so they sent her up with a coil first of rope to help the others.  As soon as she reached the top Jintara, turned back and waved her hands in alarm.  The party took a defensive position and were well-prepared for a group of men, armed with spears and leading apes.  Tetsukichi warned the party not to attack the apes unless necessary, as he had knowledge of animal speech.  So when the spearmen order the apes to attack, the party’s archers shot at the spearmen while Tetsukichi warned the apes that they need not be enemies.  Several spearmen were shot and killed; the others, seeing the apes’ hesitation to follow their orders, retreated in panic, dragging their “pets” with them.  Two of the apes remained behind, and they told Tetsukichi that the area belonged to the apes and no humans were wanted.  The party made a show of cautiously retreated and the apes went there own way.

Swayambhunath Monkey Face, Kathmandu, Nepal, a photo by Peter Akkermans Fotoakkermans.nl on Flickr.

  With Jintara’s help, the party found a place to climb back up on top of the escarpment and continue their approach toward the tower.

Soon the group came to a point that overlooked a small plaza, surrounded with buildings of slightly larger stature than the others they had seen and, directly opposite them, tall doors leading into the tower itself.   One of the doors was slightly open, but the interior was unlit and no one could see anything inside.  wo of their local guides agreed to climb down ropes into the plaza while the rest of the party either held the ropes or covered their descent.  As the guides descended, men from inside the tower shot and killed them and then rushed out with their spears, only to be shot down by the party’s archers.  Two more volunteers, both more heavily armored, descend next, and reached the plaza floor without incident.  They confirmed that the sides were dead, that there was no obvious danger waiting for them and signaled the rest of the party to follow.

Entering the tower, they found a once grand foyer with a tiled mosaic floor and well-carved statues of wolf-headed people, plus the hammocks, eating utensils, and other personal belongings of the men who had attacked them in the plaza.  Pushing onward, they reached a large atrium with a dry fountain in the middle of it, where two wolves, each the size of a horse was waiting for them.  The wolves attacked viciously, but the many strong warriors held a defensive line to protect their weaker comapnions and together killed the beasts.  As ; Xīngqíliù tended the wounded, his brothers explored the room.  One of them prodded at a tapestry, and feeling his spear hit something behind it went for a closer look.  A very large man jumped out, brandishing his sword, and struck down ; Xīngqíliù’s brother.  The other party members reacted quickly and the man—who bore the markings tattoos Jintara recognized as those of the Bloodhead tribe and whose armor and headgear indicated he was likely its chief—was partially subdued ; Xīngqíliù found that his brother was grievously wounded but not dead and with the other brothers’ help, carried him aside to give him what aid they could.  Meanwhile the party questioned the chief.  They told him that they had killed Golthar and were looking for their friend Golfo.  The chief confirmed that there was a prisoner upstairs.  He did not know where the prisoner was held or even that he was still alive, but showed them where the stairs were and announced that if they wished the brave Golthar’s magical guardians, he would neither help nor hinder them.  During these discussions, X and the brothers assisted their brother in retreating from the tower, offering that would hope to meet the party later. 

Beatriss led the way up the narrow spiral stairs to the next floor.  As she reached a closed door, she heard a shout from below.  It was Al-Fitar, the rearguard, who had been attacked by the Bloodhead chief.  Al-Fitar dodged the main force of the blow, and threw himself back against his attacker, knocking the chief back into the room and giving several other party members room to get back down the stairs and assist their friend.  Overpowered and outnumbered, the chief fought with valor, but was killed.  The party looted the chief’s body and Al-Fitar claimed his great sword, which bore the mark of a renowned smith.

handmade chinese sword fittings dynastic dao jian saber peidao, a photo by swarovskilighting on Flickr.

Once again the party ascended the stairs and opened the door into a barracks.  Besides beds for 10 men, spare weapons, and typical personal effects, they found manacles and other accoutrements of kidnappers and slavers.  And they found another spiral staircase that led them still higher in the tower.

On the next floor, they found what appeared to be a bare room with a cell one side of it.  A man, naked and bruised lay on the floor of the cell and some creature seemed to be trying to batter its way inside.   Beatriss charged into the room—and disappeared!  They could still hear her footsteps—and then her voice, calling out that she was still there, but no one could see her.  But the unseen creature could see her and attacked.  Taking a defensive position, she took select strategic slashes at her invisible foe, while warning the rest of the party to stay back and out of her way.  The creature followed maintained its attack, but Beatriss deflected most of its powerful blows, while her own struck again and again, not only harming the creature, but also giving her a better sense of its great size, general shape, and fighting style.  When she began to tire, she lured it toward the entrance so that her companions could try to strike it without hitting her by accident.  By this ploy, they killed the beast, and dragging it out of the room found it to be a anthropomorphic bull, wielding a powerful sword.  (Jinatara claimed the sword.)

Rose with sword, a photo by jmolives on Flickr.

(It suits her.)   Phi Phong and Beatriss rushed to the cell and confirmed that it was indeed Golfo.  He was alive but in very bad shape.  The party despaired of how to get into the cell.  Neither Phi Phong nor Jintara could pick the lock.  And the strongest of them was smart enough to realize that if anyone could break in, it would have been the bull-monster.  Then Tetsukichi remember the bag he had looted from Golthar back in Menkan,  sure enough it contained several keys and one of them opened the door to the cell.  Golfo and Phi Phong reunited in a way that was at first touching and very soon uncomfortable for everyone else, and then Beatrsiss loaned him some clothes and suggested they should get to safety.  Golfo protested that he wanted to find his armor and that Golthar’s room upstairs must contain a hoard of treasure, but wiser heads prevailed.  They descended the tower. 

Xīngqíliù and his brothers were holed up in one of the smaller building off the plaza.  The injured brother could walk with support and the reunited party agreed to leave Xitaqa together, following the surface streets this time due to the difficulty in trying to get the injured people up on top of the escarpment.  They encountered no one and made it all the way down to the beach.  There they were ambushed by group of slavers on horseback.  It was a fierce fight.  Although the party killed most of the slavers and drove off the one or two survivors, one of X’s brothers was killed and several more were wounded.  The party captured the horses and used them to pull litters for the dead and most seriously wounded.  But once they reached the boat, they decided not to try to bring them aboard and instead boarded it themselves and sailed down the Lam toward civilization.

Smashing the wolf-people's idol

Smashing the Wolf-People's Idol

Beatriss and Tetsukichi, together with their companions and guides, traveled downstream along the western branch of the Lam River and then turned upstream into its eastern branch, following the directions of Xīngqíliù. Along the way they passed near Quitokai, where they were rejoined by Afu the Priest and his assistant, Ju-Mei, as well as Kreppu-San, a warrior from Zipang who claimed to have traveled with Gwinch and accompanied him during the attack on the slavers' stockade.

Kreppu-San's story seemed plausible enough. As their boat worked its way upriver, he pointed toward a range of jungle-covered peaks and identified them as the mountains behind which the stockade lay.

They were also, according to Xīngqíliù, drawing close to Xitaqa.

That was important. Somewhere near Xitaqa stood the tower that had once belonged to Golthar and that they now believed might be Golfo's prison. Xīngqíliù knew how to find it. But before revealing the route, he demanded the favor he had warned them would be his price.

It was, he explained, also a test.

Xitaqa was an evil place, built by wicked people in an earlier age and still a beacon to those who followed in their ways. If Beatriss and her companions expected Xīngqíliù to lead them there, he wanted proof that they were not themselves servants of that older evil.

He pointed toward a faint trail visible from the riverbank.

Some distance inland, he said, was a cave inhabited by a family of wolf-people. They possessed an idol in the form of a wolf, which they had worshipped until it rewarded—and cursed—them with the ability to assume wolf form and command ordinary wolves. Xīngqíliù claimed that they also preyed upon human beings.

Bring him the idol so that it could be destroyed, he said, and he would reveal the way to Xitaqa.

Beatriss, Tetsukichi, and Kreppu-San were not immediately convinced.

What quarrel did they have with the wolf-people? What if the creatures in the cave were simply wolves? On the other hand, they were being asked to steal an idol, not exterminate its worshippers. Natural wolves would presumably have little use for a jeweled clay statue. And if Xīngqíliù was telling the truth about wolf-people hunting and eating humans, their innocence was somewhat harder to defend.

Eventually they agreed.

They would enter the cave at night, when Xīngqíliù believed most of the pack would be away hunting.

Neither Xīngqíliù and his brothers nor Afu intended to accompany them inside. Afu did, however, offer magical assistance. With Ju-Mei attending closely beside him, the priest prepared two enchanted stones. One cast a steady light without flame; the other muffled the sounds of the bearer's movement. Ju-Mei's role was mostly that of an apprentice—fetching what Afu required, watching the preparations, and listening while his master explained how the charms were to be used.

Then he remained with Afu while the warriors went ahead.

The party disembarked farther upriver and doubled back until they found the trail Xīngqíliù had indicated. It led through the jungle to a cave whose smell and littered entrance left little doubt that it was the den of a sizable pack.

Al-Fitar remained outside to watch for the hunters' return. Beatriss, Tetsukichi, Kreppu-San, and the others entered.

A short passage opened into a central chamber from which several smaller caves branched away. Above them was a ledge. Climbing to it, they discovered a shallow alcove containing exactly what Xīngqíliù had described: a crude clay wolf with gemstones set into its eyes.

The enchanted stone allowed them to move almost soundlessly, but not invisibly.

While they silently debated how best to remove the idol, the ordinary wolves sleeping deeper within the cave caught their scent. Shapes began emerging from the surrounding passages.

The fight was sudden and vicious. In the confined cavern there was little room for maneuver, and whatever doubts the companions had entertained about attacking wolves disappeared once the animals were upon them. They killed those that attacked, seized the idol, and hurried back toward the entrance.

Al-Fitar had seen no sign of the returning pack.

Nobody suggested waiting for it.

They made their way quickly back to the river and rejoined Xīngqíliù, Afu, Ju-Mei, and the others aboard the boat. Xīngqíliù received the idol with evident satisfaction. His brothers guarded it while the exhausted travelers attempted to sleep.

A few hours later, sometime before dawn, howling began in the jungle.

It was not the ordinary calling of distant wolves. The cries were prolonged and piteous, passing from one unseen voice to another along the riverbank.

Whatever Xīngqíliù thought they meant, he showed no desire to investigate. The boat was pushed away from shore, and the travelers spent the remainder of the night anchored safely in midstream.

Ju-Mei listened to the howling until daylight.

When the sun finally rose, Xīngqíliù and his brothers asked to be put ashore. There they performed a brief ritual over the clay wolf before smashing it to pieces.

The idol was destroyed.

The gemstones that had served as its eyes, however, somehow survived the denunciation of evil and disappeared into Xīngqíliù's possession.

Afu apparently saw no theological difficulty worth discussing.

The test had been passed. Xīngqíliù was now more than willing to reveal the route to Xitaqa. Indeed, he offered to accompany the party there himself.

And so, after one more night's delay and one more strange errand in the jungle, the search for Golfo resumed.

Putting pieces together in Menkan

The morning after their battle on the dirty side of Mekan, Tetsukichi, Beatriss, and Al-Fitar were nursing their wounds, and eating a late breakfast at The Nice Inn, when who should walk in the door but Golfo’s wife Phi Phong. She was very happy to see them and at the same time very distraught.

Golfo had been captured or killed or had been captured and was about to be killed. She explained what regular readers already know—not long after they left Quitokai in resumption of their mission to find Gwinch, Goyat, and Kawabi, she and Golfo, along with Tsao Ho and the other monks were ambushed by a large group of men, led by a flying sorcerer in yellow robes. Their brave guides had assisted Phi Phong in escaping their assailants, but when she rejoined Tsao Ho and his monks, Golfo was not among them. Two monks had fallen as well and Tsao Ho refused to risk their mission to go back and try to find them.

When it was time to make camp, Phi Phong convinced one of the guides to help her go back and look for Golfo. At the site of the ambush, they found the dead bodies of the monks, but no sign of Golfo. Phi Phong and the guide returned to Quitokai. Some people there knew of Golthar, the flying sorcerer in the yellow robes, that he was in league with the slavers, and that he may well captured Golfo alive, whether to interrogate him or send him to a mine, or for some other evil purpose. They knew that Golthat lived at an ancient citadel known as Xi Ta Qa, but they didn’t know where it was. Phi Phong decided to go to Menkan, both with the hopes of meeting Tetsukichi and enlisting his aid in rescuing his cousin and with the object of finding someone who knew something more about Xi Ta Qa.

Tetsukichi and Beatriss were interested in helping. And they recounted the story of their encounter with Golthat the previous night. They made a plan to return to the scene of last night’s battle, hoping Golfo might be found there.

But first, they were injured, and needed healing. They visited several temples on the north side of Menkan and received some small measure of expert care for their injuries. They also asked various priests if they had heard of Xi Ta Qa, and received a few blank looks and a few vague answers (“in the mountains.”) And when they returned to The Nice Inn, they found a self-styled holy man waiting for them: “I have heard that you are looking for Xi Ta Qa.”

Hermit :), a photo by aufidius on Flickr.

The holy man, who was named Xīngqíliù , said that he knew the exact location of Xi Ta Qa, and that he, with his six brothers, would take them there. “But I will want a favor from you in return. And horses.” Xīngqíliù also agreed, for the price of 30 taels, to accompany them in their return to Golthar’s hideout in Menkan.

When they returned to the dingy neighborhood in the vicinity of the south end of the wharf, they found a crowd of people milling in the alleyway in a state of restrained excitement. The people’s stares seemed less hostile and they gave the party space to pass. Beatriss knocked on the door of the gate, demanding Golfo. “Go away. He’s not here,” said the people inside. There was a woman’s voice among them, probably that of the woman in black robes. After some argument, the party barged in. Besides the woman in the black robes, there were three men, one of them armed with Beatriss’s bow, which she’d dropped the night before. The woman fled while the men held the party at the gate—briefly.

After dispatching with the men, the party pursued the woman through the house and into the street. Here the party hesitated, but then, noting that the crowd was perhaps very subtly hindering her flight, continued the chase. People in the alleyways, with nods and half-glances guided Beatriss into the alley where she at last captured and killed the woman. The party returned to the house, searched it, and found no sign of Golfo. They did however, recover a good bit of money. Now it was time to make plans for Xi Ta Qa. Learning from Xīngqíliù that Xitaqa was on a cliff overlooking the Lam river, they decided not to buy horses, but instead to pay for everyone to go by boat. And so the next morning they set sail.

Slum on Chao Phraya River Bangkok Thailand 1995, a photo by wordcat57 on Flickr.

Tough time in Menkan

Beatriss and Tetsukichi had promised Afu-- the Priest from the Temple of the Sun who had accompanied them from Khanbaliq-- that they would join him in making an expedition to the slaver's stockade in hopes of rescuing any captives still imprisoned there. After several months of delay, they decided that they would delay a little longer and instead make a trip to Menkan, to see if they could hear news of how their families were doing. In this they disappointed not only Afu, but also both Tsao Ho and Golfo, who argued that their commission from the Emperor had not been satisfied-- it was not enough to find that Gwinch was no longer languishing in Quitokai, they had to confirm that he was still pursuing the traitors, and be ready to assume this mission themselves. Without argument, Tetsukichi and Beatriss simply confirmed that they were going to visit Menkan and would return to their responsibilities in good time.

 Tsao Ho with his disciple monks and Golfo, accompanied by his wife Phi Phong, set out on the trail of Gwinch, Kawabi, and Goyat alone, guided by three villagers from Quitokai and the area. Afu declared that he would continue to investigate the slavers' dealings on his own, while waiting in Quitokai. Beatriss and Tetsukichi, accompanied only by Al-Fitar, made good time traveling to Menkan, and checked in at "The Nice Inn," their designated meeting place. And then they got ready to wait for one of Sansar Anca's ("Uncle") men to show up and take them to where the herds were grazing.

 While waiting, they got to know the town.

Temple amidst the river-side slums, Bangkok, Thailand, a photo by JGHurst on Flickr.

Beyond "The Nice Inn," and the avenue where it sits, the town of Menkan is not very nice. The main avenue-- running from the main gate past the governor's house and the favored temples, and a handful of inns and shops catering to Imperial visitors and other well-heeled foreigners, to an imperial warehouse at the riverside-- is the only street well patrolled by the watch.

The three visitors became the subject of much interest, both official and unofficial. They were questioned by the watch who, finding their papers counterfeit, ordered them not to leave the city until representatives from the Sansar family arrived to vouch for them. A fortune teller warned them that a man in yellow robes was looking for them. A dropped note let them know that they were being targeted as "Gwinch's friends" and that their "secret admirers" were meeting that night at a boarded-up tavern on the very south end of the riverfront. They found the moribund tavern, but rather than venture inside, lingered and watched.

dim lights, faint shadows, a photo by Brayo on Flickr.

They noticed someone watching them, a hooded figure who, being noticed, ran down an alley. The party pursued, the lightly-armored Beatriss running ahead, and staying close enough behind the watcher to see him enter a deserted house. They entered the deserted house, and in the upper story found the foot bridge connecting it to a fortified compound. And as they entered the compound, they were attacked by close to a dozen armed men. Beatriss, Tetsukichim and Al-Fitar are seasoned warriors; adopting a disciplined defensive position, they cut down their attackers. But then the spellcasters emerged-- a man in yellow robes and a woman in black robes. The sorcerer's magic seized Beatriss's muscles from within, incapacitating her. And he threw bolts of magic energey at Tetsukichi and Al-Fitar. The initial attackers were replaced by stranger foes, half-human beasts with the heads of rats, and with the rats uncanny habit of popping out of small holes and scurrying up walls.

Chinese Horoscope - Rat, a photo by Yoyo Miyoko on Flickr.

 Al-Fitar lifted Beatriss over his should like a sack of flour and made for the exit, Tetsukichi guarding his retreat and slaying several of the ratmen. But then the sorcerer threw a net of sticky black netting, like the web of spider, both blocking the exit and ensnaring Al-Fitar.

Tetsukichi, unencumbered by any immediate assailants, exchanged his katana for his bow and fired several arrows at the sorcerer who, responded by sailing into the air and out of sight. The black robed woman directed the remaining ratman and her personal guards to attack Tetsukichi, simultaneously offering him a chance to surrender. He hesitated, but then concluded his superior skills still outweighed his attackers' superior numbers (and if nothing else that he would have additional opportunities to surrender) made an all-out counter attack. He swiftly killed most of the his assailants and put the others to flight. For her part, the black-robed woman clumsily clubbed the helpless Beatriss and Al-Fitar and then ran for her life. Tetsukichi did not pursue her. Instead, he cut Al-Fitar's web and together they carried Beatriss across the bridge, and out to alleyway.  They stopped to look for anyone following them, and Tetsukichi spotted the yellow-robed sorcerer, silhouetted against the moon.  As he raised his bow, the sorcerer flew higher, but not fast enough.  The arrow found it mark and a body wrapped in yellow robes plummeted from the sky, crashing the slanted roof of one of the alleyway hovels on its way down.  Their were gaps and muffled cries of surprise all around, but the houses stayed dark and closed.

Treading their way through the slum, the three warriors returned to The Nice Inn.  With some hot water and time, Beatriss muscles loosened and she was back to normal, save for a couple bruises. Tetsukichi and Al-Fitar had suffered some more serious wounds and the three concluded that they should stay at the inn for a few days.

Golthar vs. Golfo (When NPCs collide, SBH can help you decide!)

What do NPCs do when they’re off-stage?

Liming, a photo by Brayo on Flickr.

Probably nothing and perhaps preferably nothing since the player characters must remain always the center of the story. But sometimes NPCs have to do something on their own, and I have struggled with how to resolve conflicts between different groups of NPCs-- especially when the conflict arises of something the PCs did, and the results of that conflict will have a future effect on the PCs.

For example: Tetsukichi recently allowed his cousin/henchman Golfo (and Golfo’s lovely wife Phi Phong) to go off on a dangerous mission without him. The cousins had both accepted the mission which was to  “Go to the Southwest Border Region and find Gwinch.”  But then Tetsukichi decided he had more important immediate priorities, leaving Golfo to continue the mission as part of a smaller, much weaker party.

It would be easy enough to just have it that Tetsukichi never hears of Golfo again, but I decided it would be more satisfying, at least for me, to “know” what happened to him. So I used the rules for Songs of Blades and Heroes, and played out a crucial encounter.
The Southwest Border Region is dangerous, and especially dangerous when you openly announce that you are friends of Gwinch, the foreign-born sohei who recently tore up the slaver’s stockade from the inside out and so upset the balance of power in the region. Golthar, a sorcerer, was a chief ally or associate of the slavers, and had a strong motivation to seek revenge on Gwinch either directly or by way of his friends. And perhaps capture some new slaves in the process.

Street magician, a photo by Little Big Joe on Flickr.

For the purposes of SBH, all you need to know is this: Side one is hiding in a thick jungle, waiting to ambush side two. Side two is on horseback, following a narrow trail that cuts through the jungle. Side one wins by capturing the non-combatant (i.e. Phi Phong if you like flavor text). Side one wins by getting everyone, and especially the non-combatant away to relative safety (off the board). I’ve done this enough times that it’s not hard to convert D&D character types to SBH rules. For first level fighters, I use an activation score of 3 and a combat add of 1. I think this is lower than what the rules provide for in the case of a “grunt” human infantry, but it gives room for level progression. Golfo, at 5th level, is the highest level guy in the fight and is at 3 (activation) and 3 (combat add). For Golthar, I used the SBH magic rules and also gave him the ability to fly on a successful activation.

Here are the rules as provided to the other players . . .


Jungle
Everything off the path is thick, nearly impassable jungle.


1. Unless they are running away, figures move through jungle at half-speed.
2. In order to avoid becoming lost, figures must be part of a chain of other friendly figures that leads back to a square that is next to the path.
3. Lost figures move only one square.
4. EXCEPTION—Scouts move at normal speed through the forest, and do not become lost.


Horses
All of the good guys, except for the scouts, are riding horses.


1. Horses move 12 squares.
2. In melee combat, a rider on a horse gets a +1 vs. someone not on a horse.
3. Horses cannot go off the path or into the jungle.
4. If a figure on a horse is forced to run away, they must run away on the path. If they run into a bad guy before finishing their retreat, they must dismount and retreat into the jungle.
5. It costs one “success” for a horse to pass one or more other horses on the path.
6. If two horses are next to each other on the path, no other horse can pass by; pedestrians must use a “success” to get around them.
7. Riders can spend one “success” to get off a horse or to get back on.
8. If a horse does not have a rider, either side can use one “success” to drive that horse 12 squares or until it runs into another horse.




Winning: Capturing the non-combatant
One of the good guys is a non-combatant.


1. If the non-combatant is knocked down, a bad guy can use a “success” to capture the non-combatant.
2. If the non-combatant is forced to run away and crashes into a bad guy, the non-combatant is captured.
3. Once captured, a bad guy can move the non-combatant at 4 squares.
4. If a bad guy moves the non-combatant off the map, the bad guys win.
5. If a bad guy moves the non-combatant into jungle and at least five squares away from the path or any good guys, the bad guys win.
6. If the non-combatant moves off the map freely, and using the path, then the good guys win.


Flying
One of the bad guys can fly. Jungle is no obstacle. As his altitude varies, he becomes very hard to shoot.

horse offering, Mỹ Sơn, a photo by eltpics on Flickr.

The forces on each side . . .



Side one (bad guys)
Golthar (human mage, flying)
Cleric (3 activation, +2 add)
12 militia
5 medium infantry



Side two (good guys)
Golfo
Phi Phong ("non-combatant" actually a 3 activation and +1 add)
1 mounted archer (Tsao Ho: activation 4, +3)
4 light cavalry (other monks: activation 4, +2)
3 scouts/thieves (villagers: activation 3, +0, special move through jungle)


AND HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED . . .

The good guys (or side two) had a single archer who traded shots with a flying Golthar. The archer had one good shot and that was enough. Not enough to kill Golthar but— according to SBH rules— enough to make him flee one full move. And because he was flying that meant “off the board and out of the game.”

Despite this major setback, the attackers did a good job of blocking either end of the path, and because of their superior numbers, it looked likely that Phi Phong would be captured. The good guys started dismounting so that they could get up to where the fight was happening. It was only after the scout’s leader was killed that the scouts had the idea of helping her escape by moving through the forest. After Phi Phong escaped, the players decided to play out the battle. Golfo ran back to help two of the monks who had been “knocked-down” (SBH rules, temporarily incapacitated and capable of rallying, especially with help.) Instead, Golfo himself also fell to Golthar's minions.

Hommelet is starting to wonder if it’s all part of some weird game

Taverne du 10 octobre, a photo by Yenna-chan on Flickr.

This time the marauders bypassed the tower of Rufus and Burne and centered their attack on that well-loved tavern and inn at the village crossroads, named (officially) “Wendy’s Inn” in honor of the innkeeper’s daughter. The attack was well-coordinated, with two groups of about half-a-dozen rough and desperate men charging simultaneously from thickets on the north and south sides of the village. The Hommeleteers were caught unawares and the attackers surrounded the Inn, with about half of them gaining entrance to harass, worry, and molest the diverse crowd of travelers and villagers enjoying a drink or their noontides meal. But perhaps the attackers misunderestimated the good folk’s courage and prowess, for no sooner than they enter than they were exited and in considerable disarray both corporate and individually. Those surviving their misadventure were put to flight. Surely, a most wicked, but nonetheless well-devised plan was most poorly executed. Many are wondering, who was behind it?

Tunnels! Trolls!

Tunnels & Trolls Ad, a photo by B_Zedan on Flickr.

Last night, we finished a three-session game of T&T. My character, Miłosz, a human wizard, sat out the most dangerous bits, but he did help make some really good soup. And he helped fight the orcs with a dancing skeleton. (Animate dead at first level! "Dead" singular, btw.).

Compared to D&D, there's a lot of unavoidable book-keeping because XP is delivered in little morsels and then converted into incrmeental point-buys. Combat is more honestly abstract as the hit and damage rolls are replaced with one roll and there's no initiative turn-taking. I'd like to be able to incorporate this into D&D-- mainly the sense in combat that everything is happening at once.

Last night's finale was very good. We were holed up in a little shed, fighting off waves of orcs, and then during a lull made a break for it and floated off down the river. (Now I've got a cold!)