The Lost Prince
A week later, the mists clear. Your warband no longer has the cover of the fog to hide its movements. Things are becoming desperate – your band seeks entry into the city again and again, but you run into howling demons or bands of fanatical followers of the von Gottleibs. Your city is being torn from your hands, just as you were beginning to establish your turf! Demons are even rumored to be spotted outside the city walls, and stories of strange blood-red hounds devouring whole packs of wolves spread through the mercenary camps.
But then, your trusted fence brings you a lead too good to refuse- the young sons of the Count Falkenheim have been spotted entering the city. Drawn to the charismatic appeal of the courts of Wilhelm and Johann’s chaotic followers, the young boys have fled their father’s haughty rule in an act of foolish rebellion. The Count is desperate for news of his sons. If you find them first, the rewards will be immense…
Once more, you head into the city of the damned, knowing you could not be the only one on the trail of these young lads.
Another session of our Blades of the Damned campaign complete! The warbands ventured back out into the city in search of the 3 lost sons of Count Falkenheim- Rolf, Felix, and Sigurd. Conveniently, the Count had lost track of exactly as many sons as we had boards to play on this week! Unfortunate for him, but a great boon for us!
This week, we played a classic multiplayer scenario, the Lost Prince! But there was a secret random event, where the Cultists of Johann (Khorne) or Lothar (Slaneesh) would burst onto the scene also hoping to grab the princelings. They would make fine recruits into the growing cults. In addition, warbands, if they controlled the prince at the end of the game, had the option to return the prince to the count for a reward, or seek out the cultists to sell it for even more rewards!
The gang assembled three awesome tables (led by the amazing Afatblackcat and Dungeonbuddy), and we got 7 players:
- Afatblackcat
- Dungeonbuddy
- Skylar
- Rockfist
- Bonespoon
- Machkurry
- Cheeg
Players got a new secret objective, which was rolled on a custom D6 table based on their chosen warband archetype.
Game 1: Skylar (Pestilens Skaven) vs Rockfist (Dwarf Treasure Hunters)
The skaven and dwarves needed to get into the dungeon to retrieve the prince near the middle bridge, who had foolishly walked into the undercity. The Dwarves and Skaven would be having a very fitting battle in the dark! The skaven deployed near 2 of the doors from the main level to the dungeon, the dwarves near the third. Both sides poured into the basement, aiming to get down to the prince. But then they rolled their random event, and chaos warriors led by Karnak the slaughterer poured onto the board! These cultists popped up in the middle, headed to both doors. A scrum erupted with the Skaven, who battled the fearsome Karnak himself! Particularly spectacular was the Skaven who fell 6” from a building, survived, was not knocked down, and finished his charge (following our house rules)! A determined fighter indeed. Eventually skaven surrounded and took down Karnak, but at what cost? The dwarves had punched into the dungeon, and 8 skaven were out of action. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the skaven routed, leaving the prince to the dwarves! After the battle, the skaven leader died for good! A huge blow for the warband. On the bright side, a henchmen was promoted, and one of the heroes took over the warband. The dwarf leader was also sold to the pits to battle a pit fighter- and survived! Bully for him. The skaven were brutalized, but racking up experience, both warbands ending on the cusp of tier 2! Having seen off the cultists and the skaven, the dwarves sold (sorry, returned) Prince Felix to the count for the reward, like a good goody two-shoes warband!
Game 2: Bonespoon (Witch Hunters) vs Machkurry (Black Orcs) vs Cheeg (Black Orcs)
Here we had a 1 v 1 v 1 multiplayer brawl fighting over the ampitheater, hoping to get cheap pit fighters! The prince was in the high building in the middle of the board. We would all have to scramble up to get him. The warbands each piled in on a table edge, the black orcs making for the middle, as the witch hunters fanned out to confront both warbands on either side of the main building. Against Cheeg’s Black Orcs, flagellents, dogs and a witch hunter faced off against the trolls and two black orcs. On the other flank against Machkurry’s Black Orcs, nuttas and black orcs engaged the pit fighter and witch hunters. Focusing on the main prize, both black orc warbands began climbing up into the center building, while battles erupted with the witch hunters. An epic scrum ensued, with witch hunter shooting finding its mark on Machkurry’s black orcs, before a zealot, dog and witch hunters were taken out on one flank. On the other flank, Cheeg’s troll stood against three flagellents, as a wave of dogs engulfed the black orcs. In the middle, Cheeg’s warriors reached the prince despite some poor animosity rolls, and began to try to slowly extract him to their board edge. Suddenly, Khornate cultists arrived, rushing for the prince! These cultists engaged Cheeg’s bowmen, who moved to block them, as Machkurry’s black orcs pressed Cheegs black orcs ‘escorting’ the prince in the center building. Warriors had been dropping like flies so everyone was taking rout checks as this point, as it had become quite the bloodbath. The witchhunters finally took out the troll, allowing them to advance to block the retreat of Cheeg’s warriors. Finding himself trapped between Machkurry’s black orcs, the cultists, and witch hunters, Cheeg made a desperate move and turned on the prince! If they couldn’t take him, no one would! The black orc took out the prince, and with that Machkurry’s orcs decided to withdraw, the Khornate cultists fell back into the city, and Cheeg and Bonespoon were left on the table. This was a bloodbath! Cheeg lost 7 of 8 orcs, and bonespoon over 50% casualties. Cheeg and Machkurry hit tier 1, with Bonespoon reaching tier 2! Machkurry got a cool upgrade- clubs and cudgels, allowing the warband to get a free club instead of a free dagger. Since the Orcs had murderfied the prince, the Count never saw his son Rolf again!
Game 3: Dungeonbuddy (Orc Mob) vs Afatblackcat (Pit Fighters)
Over on the third table, fighting erupted near city hall as the orc mob and pit fighters squared off. Using his sprint skill, the pit fighter pit king was able to get quickly to the prince and start an early withdrawal, with a troll bearing down on him! The pit fighters deployed their pursuers moved to cover his trail as he fell back. A brawl erupted, with the orcs failing many charges trying to close with the pit fighters, and blows being rained down. Just then, a warband of slaneeshi cultists burst onto the scene led by Olivia Lickspittle, chosen of Lothar. But she entered on the far table edge, too far from the action to really get stuck in, even with their faster movement. By then, the prince was off the board, and many goblins had been stuck. The pit fighters gained the upper hand and the orcs were routed! With that, the pit fighters hit tier 2 handily! The Pit fighters picked up ‘charge’- a bonus d3” on heroes charge ranges. Then the Pit fighters agonized a little over the decision, but selling the Prince to the cultists seemed too close to dooming him to slavery (which is against their ethos), so they returned noble Sigurd to the Count! But, an orc hero had been banished to the fighting pit on an injury roll, so the pit fighters were able to send in their pit king (who was defeated) and ogre (who was not) to confront the poor bastard. Fun in the pits was had by all!
Tally after game 4- things are heating up in the city of the damned! Our warbands will soon face a choice – will they try to reclaim the city from chaos, or flee in terror?
- DungeonBuddy’s Orc Mob- Brutes, 1 win, 3 losses, Tier 0, with 2 turf locations
- AFatBlackCats Pit Fighters- Brutes, 3 wins, 1 loss Tier 2, with 3 turf locations
- Rockfists Dwarf Treasure Hunters- Smugglers, 3 wins, 1 loss, Tier 1, with 3 turf location
- Skylar’s Clan Pestilens- Cult, 1 win, 3 losses, Tier 1, with 1 turf locations
- (By week) Chegg’s Black Orcs- Smugglers, 1 win, 2 losses, Tier 1, with 2 turf location
- Bonespoon’s Witch Hunters- Cult, 3 wins, 1 loss, Tier 2, with 3 turf locations
- MachCurry’s Black Orcs- Brutes, 1 win, 3 losses, Tier 1, with 1 turf location
-BS