Alan and I got in a game of Frostgrave, We played Hunting Grounds from the Perilous Dark. In this game the Wizards and their warbands have to run a gauntlet of spiders to get across the table and collect some treasure along the way.
This is the table layout, we have the central tower containing a treasure and two side treasures, there are also two buildings at the edge of the table with treasures. All the treasures are guarded by a spider Mariarch. Those are tough, the worst part is if you wound them in close combat their blood poisons you unless you can roll a will TN 14 test. For most warband members this is tough target. being poisoned means you count as wounded.
Here is the view down Alan's side of the table.
Here we are all ready to go. I am still a model down after last game because one of my infantrymen got badly injured and only the wizard can cast Cure Serious Wounds and it was more important to get will scarlet back into the game.
We have our ghostly companion to help out as spider bait.
Here we are advancing down the over bridge and the first matriarch spider is scuttling towards us. My archery is completely ineffective. Did I mention there is a snowstorm and line of sight is 14" and all shooting is at -2. Oh and Matriarch spiders are armour 12 and 16 health. I now remember why I hate spiders.
Task Force Beta are down on the ground. We put up some fog so we could move up without the spider in the surrounding building moving out and attacking us. Unfortunately the spider in the tower cam out of the window on our side and saw some tasty adventurers so now there was another one of them to deal with.
We begin the battle to try and kill the first matriarch spider, this turns into a long grinding battle where my fighters did damage, got poisoned from venom splash and then got healed by my wizards.
My illusionary soldier is distracting a small spider and my apprentice is doing a good job of distracting a Matriarch.
More fighting and spraying venom now we are blocked up behind the spider.
Over on Alan's side of the table his lower team are making good progress.
One of Alan's warband has been poisoned by a Matriarch and is now staggering back. The spider is in hot pursuit. A small spider has just eaten Alan's war rabbit and is now taking a bite out of his bear while the templar looks on and waits her turn.
We have defeated the first spider and my apprentice has teleported over to an empty treasure. Alan has picked up the central treasure and this spawned another Matriarch and this has seen my apprentice and decided that its a dine in all you can eat buffet.
The Matriarch has defeated my illusionary soldier and is now trying to make a snack out of Will. Alan is also busy fighting off a small spider. Alan kills his small spider and then steps back to give will a hand only to see him get eaten.
Operation save the apprentice is a go. There is lots of running and healing going on.
The crew start racing down the walkway towards the apprentice. Alans treasure hunter has grabbed the central treasure and dived out the tower window and is now ready to race off with it.
The apprentice does her best to fend off the spider by not attacking it.
Will and Alan stand back to back as they get eaten. Will did at least manage to wound the spider.
Now I don't have two solders to distract either matriarch spider who are now advancing towards the rest of the party.
We transpose the apprentice with the new Man at Arms, unfortunately my wizard rolled a 1 to cast the spell and had to empower it with most of her life force. This left her exhausted, fortunately the apprentice is now within healing range. Nasir got his foot stuck in a crack in the stonework and spends his turn pulling it out. Much is currently wounded and poisoned after fighting off a small spider.
The man at arms runs out of luck and gets taken out by the Matriarch. More blips are making the motion tracker go wild. "We have movement in front and behind". Marion looks enviously at Alan's warband who is making off like bandits with 4 treasure markers.
Marion goes on a little solo adventure and teleports down next to the treasure in the building on the edge of the table. The Matriarch originally in the room has wandered out the back door. She isn't stupid.
Another Matriarch has arrived and Nasir and Rbin get their act together and manage to kill it and not get poisoned.
Alans warband are making it off the table.
We are starting to run out of bodies unfortunately we are not running out of spiders. Nasir and Robin have killed one spider and are working on the next.
we are making progress on the second spider. But another one is scuttling towards us.
Just when Marion was thinking her solo mission was over, the floor gave way and she fell into a basement, with a small spider in it. Marion charged over and smote the disgusting creature.
Isadora lays down a smokescreen while the rest of the party take care of some other critters.
Unfortunately the spider can see in the infrared and races right through the smoke and straight into combat with the apprentice Nasir was scouting ahead. Robin races back over to get rid of the creatures.
Unfortunately its a disaster. the apprentice is down, the captain is down and much is poisoned and wounded. End is swift. Somewhere in there Marion got taken down as well.
For the second game in a row, most of the party were casualties. This time only one model made it back to camp.
Going through the injury rolls, I am very lucky that the Matriarchs like their food fresh so you can reroll the dead results. This is fortunate because I roll three of them including one for the apprentice. But the rerolls for two of them are full recovery.
Unfortunately Alan a Dale's charmed run of luck comes to and end and he perishes from the spider venom. So we need to go and recruit a replacement, maybe he has a brother Elvy.
My treasure turned out to be a grimoire of Possess, this is a good spell but one I will struggle to cast. maybe its the thing to make scrolls out of.
So loads of fun to play a cooperative style mission.
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