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Post by padre on Aug 29, 2023 19:03:30 GMT
I am thinking I will use them in a story involving the dwarfs soon. Except ... I have already done a story about three human handgunners and I am worried it might be a bit, erm, 'samey'!
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Post by Luigino on Aug 29, 2023 21:10:37 GMT
BTD!
I have every single dwarf they ever produced. except, of course, the handgunners. -.-
Perhaps if I place an order now I might get them in time for 2035
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Post by padre on Sept 5, 2023 18:44:00 GMT
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Post by Luigino on Sept 5, 2023 19:31:43 GMT
I wish my job didn't block your blog. I'll have to wait till I get home and I'm feeling rather impatient
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Post by Luigino on Sept 7, 2023 13:51:32 GMT
Great little episode! How are these smaller chapters and events tied to the main narrative game, as in are they determined by players' actions and battle results? Are the players themselve able to control some of them (in the case of PC factions) or is this something that you as the GM have already in mind and is used to steer the story one way or the other?
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Post by padre on Sept 7, 2023 15:21:00 GMT
The best way to explain this story's creation (and most of them) is to look at the GM notes of the events 'driving' it.
First thing to note is that the Arrabbiati are an NPC faction, long ago given the background of being a company of outlaws, with ideals something akin to Robin Hood's mythical/legendary band. They had only ever been listed as one regiment and a wizard, way back, though I had painted more figures for them (better fitting ones) for later stories. I now realised I had to create a list, and so I got out the figures I had used previously, plus the new ones, and I also found some old riders with wolfshead's on their shields - perfect! The Brotherhood had started small, but grew in number as refugees came from the realms of Ravola and Campogrotta when the ogres took over, and more had come when the Skaven took over. I gave them some characters and they now looked like a respectable lttle, fully mounted force. (I still have to do some tidying up paintwork on the oldest figures - for example I used to give horses human eyes!!)
The Skaven are the servants of a PC (Seer Lord Urlak), but in this case, simply the weak garrison he left behind to squeeze as much as he can out of the conquered city. I don't think he cared too much if they were defeated, but just in case no-one attacked them, he thought he might gain more profit from the city in the meantime.
It is turn 1 of the 4 turn winter season. In turn 4 of the Autumn season (the previous turn) I had already rolled a D6 to see how keen the Arrabbiati were on 'saving' the poor populace of Campogrotta, now that the main skaven army had (apparently) left. I got a 5. I decided this meant that were indeed wanting to do so, but that they would delay a little while, for whatever reasons (either to ensure that it's not a trap, or to gather sufficient of their own forces, or to spy on the city and learn what they could first. It didn't matter at that stage, only that they weren't attacking right now.)
Other powers (elves and dwarfs) are maneouvring in the vicinity, possibly (likely?) with eyes on Campogrotta. I cannot say more as these are player factions, and the situation is ongoing. Gameplay and cunning plans might be ruined by a GM who talks too much! This, I decided, would put pressure on the Arrabbiati to act before the elves or dwarfs took the city for themselves, as that would mean foreign powers taking control of the poor populace - one ruling, alien power replaced by another! Surely a bunch of supposedly charitable freedom fighters would not want such a turn of events? And if the dwarfs or elves took over in force, they might find they are not strong enough to rescue the people any more. All of this made me think that they were likely to make their attempt the next turn, and dealy no more.
Note 1: If that 'keenness' roll had been 1,2 or 3, a very different sequence would have begun unfolding. As GM, it is not for me to make decisions for the NPCs, otherwise I could be perceived to be acting like a player, and maybe accused of bias. The only things I allow to modifify die roll chances are already exstablished motives and backgrounds, and the specifics of events. Also stuff like previous rolls having established an NPC is highly 'cunning' or quite rash or nervously cautious, etc. I am thus influenced by precedent. That means when it comes to the stories, I feel more like a historian recording events than a writer of fiction. Note 2: Take all this with a pinch of salt, btw, this is a low fantasy campaign, and so first impressions might not be the full truth!
So, it was now turn 1. (Looks at notes) I had the Arrabbiati attack using the 'paper battle' rules, very simple. They had been too weak to attempt to capture the city early on, then still too weak to do so when the Skaven had a full army camped there. Besides, other stuff was going on. This was their first real chance. I won't go into points values (gameplay reasons) but they Arrabiatti had more points worth of troops than the one regiment garrison. According to the rules, the skaven had 2D6 to roll (+1D6 because of the city walls) and the Arrabbiatti had 4D6 (2D6 for strength, +1D6 for out-valuing the enemy buy greater than 2:1, +1D6 I gave them a 3+ chance of having 'cos they had wizards and the enemy did not). 17 vs 6, difference of 11 = stonking victory. According to the casualty rules, no skaven escaped!
Now I would worry about the politics of citizens and outlaws later, this turn was all about the capture of the city. But I knew the Arrabboiati would suggest something like a Republic Commune, as they don't like the nobility making the lives of the poor miserable. I needed a story to reveal the fact they had captured the city, and I wanted some action shots. I also wanted some NPCs to discuss what they had been through, and the possible future. So, I painted three spade carriers, two skaven casualties, and 5 little out-house type things to make the streets look a bit more interesting. I set up and photographed two fighting scenes for the citizens to have witnessed, then two scenes with the burial party (walking down a street and standing around a corpse) and then the story just seemed to write itself!
I am now GMing turn 2, and have messages to go back and forth between me, the GM, and the dwarf player, the elf player and the skaven player, as well as pins to move on maps and more little impromptu dice-charts to create and roll on! There are other stories I am really wanting to write, but as the situations are ongoing conflicts, I will have to delay writing them until neither player would gain knowledge they shouldn't possess from the story. In other words, the events have to be just a tad more historical before I can reveal them!
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Post by padre on Sept 7, 2023 15:22:19 GMT
Oh, and I am also in the process of painting about 100 new figures, and putting together video 75! I am a loon!
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Post by Luigino on Sept 7, 2023 16:13:30 GMT
No sir, you're the hero many of us strive to become the way you explain it actually makes sense, and I like how it still give player total free reins, while maintaining a flowing and coherent narrative. Also "gli arrabbiati" is a great name for the type of band/units you did and congrats on getting the spelling right, I know it's one of the hardest words for non native speakers to keep getting right in writing.
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Post by padre on Sept 8, 2023 15:13:44 GMT
Thanks Luigino.
Back to the historical videos - Part 75 of Tilea's Troubles is a prequel to a battle report...
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Post by padre on Sept 16, 2023 20:52:43 GMT
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Post by padre on Sept 22, 2023 10:50:49 GMT
Part 76 of Tilea's Troubles is a battle report. Brute ogres are defending Campogrotta against an army of dwarves and mercenary (!) Bretonnians. There are loads of 1980s' Oldhammer models in amongst the attackers, as well as models all the way up to today!
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Post by tileag on Sept 22, 2023 19:57:34 GMT
What are you using for the backdrop on these photos? I see grey skies and cloudy skies...mjust wondering. Keep up the good work this is a great series
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Post by padre on Sept 22, 2023 20:08:05 GMT
Mostly a blue bed sheet stetched over a huge polystyrene packing board which my neighbour gave me when I saw he was about to break it up and throw it away. The older, original in-game pics, use carboard, or I just painted out the background using MSPaint. I now use MS Paint3D. I do have one actual sky background with clouds which I use sometimes. It is all very ad hoc, and 'do-it-yourself'. I try to come up with answers that don't involve paying (much) money!!!!!
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Post by tileag on Sept 25, 2023 6:47:57 GMT
One more question, how and when do you decide to add new NPC armies? Do you roll for it at the start of a season? Create them as you ewant?
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Post by padre on Sept 25, 2023 16:21:24 GMT
The NPC realms have been present from the start of the campaign - all mapped and assumed to be functioning realms. Most had backgrounds and information worked up, some with more detail than others, and as and when it was needed, I would list their forces, based on that background, their size, and my own figure collection. I have to ensure that two forces never require the same figures in a tabletop game. To add an element of chance, I usually roll a dice to determine whether a force is average strength for that size of realm, bigger or smaller. Unless the already written up background indicited a certain kind of force, in which case I just make the force as the notes suggest it should be. Many 'standard' Tilean realms were assumed to have a standing army of some foot, horse, artillery and officers. Maybe one regiment of each. This would then be expanded it the realm was threatened and felt like putting up a fight. Or was joining an alliance effort and thus was required to provide a marching force.
Once the force has been listed, I then keep those records in my files, and modify according to campaign events - reinforcements, recruitment drives due to threats, and casualstis, etc. And I keep trying to churn out more 'generic' militia style models to allow leeway with such matters.
Some NPC forces, like the Arabyan 'Sons of the Desert' and the Greenskin Corsairs, and Khurnag's Waagh, existed because I had the armies already so why not use them. Others, like the Brabanzon, grew out of a smaller existing force with me painting up more to make them what they were.
Many players use my armies in the campaign (eg. Sartosans, Pavonans, Dwarfs, Skaven) and others use my armies as their own in-game armies grow beyond their collection (like the Vampire Duchess and the Ogres). Sometimes I have to come up with whole armies due to the story - like the Disciplinati di Morr, which grew from a regiment of Morrite Flagellants to a whole army. Later their fate required me to add several more new regiments to another army!
Sometimes I even have to paint my own versions of player's characters and soldiers, so that I can do stories about them. And often I suddenly have to expand an existing army (player or NPC) with new models and regiments in the correct livery (like Remas).
It's all quite complicated.
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