Frostgrave: Snowflakes in Hell

Rhymeless? Not Quite!

It's All-Skype Fight Night!

More Frostgrave tonight, with a clash of Chronomancy and Enchanting. Kas and Kraken at the appropriate helms, hampered only slightly by a duff internet connection.

Hell Freezeth Over

Pulling more battlemaps from my DnD collection, I came out with an entirely non-Frost-themed lava map. It had a big band of smoke across the mid-line of one side, and a whacking great ruined fort on the other - perfect for the obscured lines of sight I was looking for in a Frostgrave match.

After strewing a bit of extra scenery about, we would be playing over this! It's not quite as it was, actually, I chucked in a bridge into the West edge of the ruins, as we might need one for the scenario.

The blob of models in the middle is the cart, the treasure tokens and the cultists guarding it.

Chapter three of the Liche Lord campaign finds our heroes (and the Chronomancer) stumbling over a cart full of cash, camped on by a quartet of culty chumps. Bonus points for whacking them and their pack of ghoul allies that would turn up later; very few normal treasure tokens, so almost certainly this would devolve into a pile-up in the middle of the board.

My plan was to hold back and let the Chronomancer take out the cultists, then rush in and hopefully take advantage of any injuries. To this end, the Apprentice took the crapper minions, covered by two Trackers, into the centre. My Enchanter would sneak through the ruins and try and flank, boosting everyone with Strength spells on the way in.

Deployment ended up like this, so Kas had more or less the same broad plan, except that his boss was leading the charge into the middle and his apprentice would try and counter-flank me. You can't see the two lone treasure tokens we placed - true to form, both as near to our own sides as possible. One is just behind the 3D ruined wall in the upper right, the other is just inside the ruined keep, first room in to the right from the south entrance.

Turn 1

 Everyone sticks to their plans. Kas and his team stride forward into the centre, my apprentice and thieves move forward sticking to cover. As my enchanter enters the ruins, cowering behind his massive construct, he boosts it with Strength. The Chrono-apprentice and his team move towards the (invisible on this map) west entrance.

In the centre, we both snipe at the Cultists a bit, but to no effect. The Chronomancer corrodes a hole in a nearby stone wall to let his Marksman attack, but that's as eventful as it gets. Other than a wandering Rangifer (not mapped) who wanders slowly up the field through the smoke cloud before being sniped to death by a Marksman in a later round.

Turn 2

My plan is still to let the Chronomancer bash up the cultists. So why do I send all my boys in the middle straight forward here? Well, Kas has scuffed up the cultists with crossbows and spells, and I smell blood. Impatient, me, even though I'm sending two Thieves and a Javelineer against far superiors troops in terms of numbers and quality.

In the ruins, the Chronomancer's Apprentice and Archer start trying to chip away the boosted construct as my wizard boosts the Barbarian. One of my trackers sweeps into the ruins to grab my treasure token; Kas is already moving his back care of some thief.

The first cultist falls, wounded by Kas before I finish him off with a javelin.

Turn 3

 Poor placing on my part lets Kas sweep a warhound in past the construct. In the middle, I commit to a ludicrous charge on the Chronomancer's Barbarian, who has killed a cultist but taken a scratch in the process.

It goes quite well! I don't lose either thief, and I take the Barbarian down to a single hit point. Alas, his chums are all quite well-placed to deal with me after this.

My wizard sends his Infantryman to deal with that pesky Warhound, but the dog wounds him for his trouble.

The expected ghoul pack arrives, but can't see anyone to attack, so scatters and wanders about the right-hand-side of the board. In later turns, they scuff a few of the Chronomancer's men, but nothing serious, and they all get picked off by missile fire. So I didn't bother mapping them. So sue me.

Turn 4

Concentrated sniping from the Chronomancer and his various crossbow-toting pals takes out my apprentice. This leaves all my boys in the middle in a bad place, and sure enough, an Infantryman charge does for one before the Chronomancer himself zaps the other with a Bone Dart. The Javelineer doesn't last much longer.

Still, I've got some tough troops in a decent flanking position! If my construct (now a little worse the wear from missile fire) can hold up my own flank for a turn or two, I could do some damage here.

Obviously, this doesn't happen. Heavy missile fire sees it badly damaged, it managed a charge on a Treasure Hunter that it muffs, then that damn dog bites it in the bum and takes it down. My Infantryman charges in on the dog, and the two roll a draw that kills them both. Woo, dice rolls.

Turn 5

As my souped-up Barbarian screams into combat, ready to avenge his fallen Construct and Infantry pals, my wizard pulls his flanking manouver. It's a grenade! And it seriously wounds a Marksman but fails to connect with the damn Chronomancer.

He responds by nipping into cover and shooting back with Bone Darts, but they miss too. Elsewhere, the Chronomancer's men consolidate their position, with the heavily wounded guys pulling back.

My Barbarian tackles the Chronomancer's Apprentice, bashing his way past the Treasure Hunter to do so, but not landing a blow yet.

Turn 6

Down goes the Chronomancer's Apprentice. This looks hopeful!

I also spot that my Enchanter could charge the Chronomancer himself! I've invested a few levels in combat skills, and fancy my chances. A Strength spell would really help too, but there's no time (and I'm far too headstrong), so in I go.

There's not much else left on my team - I get a treasure counter off, and the remaining Tracker misses some long-range shots at the Chronomancer's men. Really, my chances entirely hang on taking out the Chronomancer and then legging it before his chums skewer me with missile fire.

Nope - it's close, but the Chronomancer has also upgraded himself for combat. Especially in the damage-dealing side of it, he's got some crazy magic staff that stops my dreams of glory in combat stone dead, and down goes my wizard. As usual.

The Barbarian might have done for his man, but this leaves him in the open rather. That badly-wounded Marksman takes aim and shoots him down, so my remaining Tracker buggers off. Game to the Chronomancer! As usual.

Aftermath

Hmm. As it turns out, this grudge match has been my Enchanter's last. That's a second warband wiped - I haven't made level 10, so I'll be starting again from scratch for the next outing!

In stark contrast, the Chronomancer is in the mid-twenties for level, can afford shiny new grimoires, and isn't that far off being able to complete the Transcendence campaign goal. His warband is stuffed with well-heeled veterans, he's taken spells that allow him a constant supply of scrolls and potions and I'm not looking forward to sending a newbie up against him.

Except that I am, because a) it's fun and b) my luck is bound to change eventually!

Spoiler: no it's not.