Guardians of the Frozen City - Preview III

Got another game in a few nights ago, fun but more issues with the rules, more on that later. 

 The Guardians spread out to investigate magical resonance in the ruins.

A small band of locals has entered the same area, these primitives seem aggressive.

"Ok guys, spread out, but be careful." 

 "Hey, Quill, I got something!" 

 "Strangers from another realm! We must not let them take the wondrous items!" 

 "What the flark is that thing?"

 "Yes! Drive the worm towards them!"

"New plan Guardians, fan out and shoot everything!" 

"Don't pet it Groot, y'dast idiot!" 

 "I am Groot."

"I am Groot!" 

"I AM GROOT!" 

"Things have not gone according to plan..." 

First off, thanks to Neil (of the Little Lead Men of Valour blog) for the game, terrific terrain and funky worms to play with. Neil is always great to play with, he never gets antsy over bad luck and tends to roll poorly at opportune moments. In fairness, I'd had a bad day before this game, so I was a bit ranty throughout. It was a fun game, Frostgrave can be very fun with friends and provides plenty of opportunity for fun miniatures. 

Now down to brass tacks. There is no reason to ever cast any offensive spell other than Bone Dart. Sure, Mind Control is great, but it's a dice-off, which your opponent gets a bonus to, but Bone Dart is +5 straight away, why cast anything else?

The Shoot and Will stats are largely redundant, only one soldier in the core book has a different Fight and Shoot score, so Shoot could pretty much be dropped without affecting the game. Bone Dart and Arcane Bolt would need a quick re-word ("replace your Fight with +5 for this attack), and the Marksman gets a negative in close combat and we're done. Will seems like it should have had a bigger role, there are more than a few ways to boost it, but I'm yet to use it in a game. 

I'd really like a bottle roll for the warbands, it would make the game play quicker, even if just the soldiers have to make it. I get that it's up to the player to decide risk versus reward, but a game of Frostgrave shouldn't take all night. Other campaign skirmish games, like Empire of the Dead, Judge Dredd and Necromunda, work best because they're quick and a few rounds can be played in a night, seeing the teams develop quickly. 

Speaking of soldiers, there is no reason to take a Thief over a Thug; +1 Fight is always going to be more useful across the game than +1 Move, even if you just want someone to run around collecting treasure. Also, I'd like a "Big Guy" to hire, like an Ogre, Troll, Gnoll or whatever. Large Constructs and Demons are all well and good, but if we're going for a D&D feel, where's the Ogre Barbarian that we wrote for someone's little brother so that he could play without ruining our game? 

I'm going to keep playing Frostgrave, at least try the campaign once, see what all the fuss is about. However, I'll point out that I don't currently own any of the books and I'm not inclined to purchase them at the moment. 

 

Superhero Media: Superheroes - A Never-Ending Battle

Another fun discovery on a streaming service, this time, my 30-day free trial of Stan, Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle was a fun little diversion for a few episodes, even if I was hearing stuff I already knew for the most part. Hosted by Liev Schreiber, best associated with superheroes through his lackluster performance in the lackluster X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the programme goes through the major salient points of comics history, only missing out several major players like Dark Horse and Image Comics, the Speculator Boom and Golden Age icons Fletcher Hanks and Lee Falk. Now that I think about it, no Scarlet Pimpernel or Nyctalope, either, what a waste of an opportunity. What we do get is still pretty good though, interviews with Stan Lee, Lynda Carter and Jim Steranko, the Golden, Silver and Iron Ages in broad strokes, and recognition that Richard Donner's Superman is a masterpiece. However, by far the greatest moment of the series is when Adam West reads the "every punk has a mother" speech from The Dark Knight Returns; check this shit out: 

This is what my dreams sound like. 

If terms such as "Golden Age" and "Lee/Kirby" go over your head, Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle is worth a watch, it's clearly designed for those without a categorical knowledge, so that they may catch up a little, rather than be drowned by the missed references in the next round of summer superhero blockbusters. That kind of explains Schreiber, actually, he's reconisable, but not such a big name that this PBS doco couldn't afford him. Makes sense that Stan Lee was up for it, his dedication to the industry is almost pathological, though it's good to see Jim Steranko, an iconic visionary of the medium, get some of the props he's owed. Seriously, read the 1960s Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and prepare to be blown away by the high-concept spy-fy and pop art sensibilities. 

As with most superhero "history" lessons, Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle is almost entirely American-centric, missing out Marvelman, Judge Dredd and the countless French avant-garde supers that never hit the mainstream. Missing Falk and Hanks feels like something of an insult, though The Phantom is only still popular in a handful of markets and explaining Stardust and Fantomah to a contemporary audience will always be difficult. There are some gems to be found in the programme and a quick look indicates that the entirety can be found on YouTube, so check it out, at least for the Steranko and West interviews and the most concise explanation of why no actor will ever surpass Christopher Reeve as Superman. 

 

Guardians of the Frozen City - Preview II

Test game of Frostgrave with the Guardians, played on a friend's brilliant new dungeon tiles, still testing the system out, see my thoughts after the pretty pictures.

 The devilish Dungeons of Day, filled with treasure and danger! 

The Guardians spread out; Cosmo, Gamora, Adam Warlock, Starlord, Rocket Racoon, Moondragon and Drax. 

 

 A mysterious group of magical, undead creations. 

 Both warbands spread out through the maze, hunting for ancient treasures. 

 Warlock uses the power of the Soul Gem to conquer the will of one of his enemies. 

Gamora spots a worthy foe. 

Spellfire blasts the Guardians, but they remain unharmed. 

"Now you face the most deadly woman in the Galaxy!" 

The Guardians blast away, taking down the enemy Apprentice. 

Gamora turns out to be no match for the undead... Godslayer must have not bitten on bone. 

Treasure recovery becomes the order of the day as numbers dwindle on both teams. 

The Guardians regroup for a final push on the enemy. 

 

Spell and missile fire flies between passages. 

 

Drax comes off second-best in a fight with the enemy wizard. 

 

 

Both sides decide that discretion is the better part of valour and vacate the premises. 

A few games in now, and I'm still having issues with the Frostgrave rules. This game highlighted issues with spells, there always seems to be some in my list that are never worth casting, and some that get spammed just about every turn. If you can pick up Teleport, Bone Dart, Mind Control and Heal, you're laughing, don't bother with summoning of any kind as you'll lose an existing soldier if you succeed, or start the game with a health hit. There are more games to come and I hear the campaign is where Frostgrave shines, so we'll see as things develop. 

 

Superhero Media: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Yes! I've been waiting for a good one! Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is not only a classic film, but may well be a masterpiece and is perhaps the only watchable example of "Superheroes in flouncy shirts" produced to date. Thanks to my Father's eccentricities, I was raised on a steady diet of British comedy, Wuxia, cult film and Terry Gilliam, so I can sing the praises of the ex-python's directorial work all day; rather than do that, I'd like to focus on how this fantastic, Odyssean, adventure can be drawn into broader superhero narrative and tropes. The titular protagonist, Baron Munchausen, based loosely on the (mostly fictional) exploits of Hieronymus Karl Friedrich, Freiherr von Münchhausen, a Russo-Turkish war veteran whose tall tales were infamous among the German Aristocracy, is representative of the power of the human imagination, most perfectly expressed by children, but also possessed by those of the correct temperament. Though the power of unfettered imaginings, the Baron can achieve superhuman feats, including riding cannonballs, fighting armies single-handed and traveling to the moon via improvised hot-air balloon. 

In terms of origins, the Baron gains his abilities to perform extraordinary tasks from the power of belief and the imaginations of those around him, somewhat like Captain Britain, or indeed, a form of fae, with the banality of reason and modernity reverting him to being aged and ineffectual. A world without unbridled creativity, ruled by the philosophies of new science, is a world that does not need Baron Munchausen, and may be a world that cannot be saved. The Baron is supported by Berthold, the world's fastest runner, Adolphus, a rifleman with superhuman eyesight, Gustavus, who possesses extraordinary hearing (and sufficient lung power to knock down an army by exhaling), and the fantastically strong Albrecht. Reads like the Baron has a speedster, a sharpshooter, a terrestrial-styled Martian Manhunter and a powerhouse on his super-team. The climatic battle of the film add to this impression, with the team of five, led by the Baron, fights off the entire Turkish army, using each of their powers in unique ways to overcome the superior number of their foes.

Baron Munchausen is a hero for the ages, deserving of a grander place in popular culture in general, but also in comics and other superhero media. Despite a cameo of a bust in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the Baron is notably lacking from comics (film tie-ins aside), even though he truly belongs beside figures such as Stardust the Superwizard, The Scarlet Pimpernel and Nyctalope. Eureka Miniature's brilliant Baron is on my painting desk as I write, ready to take part my French Revolution campaign, hopefully set to begin next year, where he will team up with the Pimpernel and other, less savory, characters to save France and the world. So powder your wigs, prime the imaginary engines and get ready to adventure in the unmistakable and inimitable style of Baron Munchausen! 

 

Guardians of the Frozen City - Preview I

"Rocket... why's that light blinking?" Peter Quill leaned over the console his Racoon friend was resolutely ignoring. 
"Don't worry about it, dast thing's been blinkin' for years and no one's died yet." 
"You sure, isn't that Badoon for 'Magic Danger' written in marker next to it?" Quill scratched at the antediluvian graffiti that marred the ancient computers of Knowhere. 
 "If it's magic, get Warlock," Rocket waved away the question and continued to tinker with a gun three times his own size, "goldenrod will tell ya if it's worth worrying about." 
"Fine," Quill rolled his eyes, "I'll go do that..." 

Minutes later the Guardians were gathered on a teleport platform, destined for a strange new world. 
"According to my divination," Adam Warlock spoke in a dramatic vibrato, "the mystically-frozen city on the destination planet is scattered with magical artifacts and creatures possessing dangerous levels of power. For the safety of the the primitive life-forms on the planet, we must collect and destroy everything we can." 
"Perpare to activate passport bracelets," Quill ordered. 
"I hate you, Quill," Rocket muttered. 

As I've mentioned before, I'll be using my Guardians of the Galaxy for my club's upcoming Frostgrave campaign. The warband isn't completely finished yet, but I've gotten a couple of playtest games in, so I'll be running a couple of previews until we get going in earnest next month. Expect AARs, short fiction (like above) and a few more painted guardians. A couple of teaser pics below with an AAR later in the week (maybe next week). 

Hope that whets the appetite! More next time when I'm on holiday!

Superhero Media: Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow

It looks like Netflix has added pretty much the entire Marvel direct-to-video films to their catalog in the past month or so. Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow is pitched at a very young audience, under the misguided assumption that kids only want to watch kids be heroes. In a world years since conquered by Ultron, the children of the Avengers are kept safe by the Vision and an ageing and guilt-ridden Iron Man. Most of the Avengers, bar Tony, Vis, Thor and Hulk, have been killed by Ultron and the kids, all under 13, think that they can turn the tide. Hey, it's a kids film, so why not, right? Normally, I'd look up the names of the characters, but I think it's more important here to look at their parentage. Hank and Janet have a son, check; makes sense. Thor and Sif had a daughter, again, makes sense (though more on Thor later). Black Panther and Storm had a boy, though he seems to have inherited both sets of powers, which, Summers family aside, is pretty damned rare with Mutants. Somehow, Black Widow and Cap got jiggy, which doesn't sit right. Finally, Hawkeye Jr is rocking around, a fan-site I found said that his mother is Mockingbird, but I swear the film hinted that it was Betty Ross when she was on rebound from Bruce. 

Why did I spend more time on theoretical boning in the first paragraph than the plot? Frankly, the plot isn't much. The kids run around for a bit after their hiding place is blown up, find Clint Jr and end up nagging the Hulk into helping. It's another one of those "watch this if you want something to paint to" cases for Superhero Media. So if you're not keen on reading my harping on minutiae of a stand-alone, throwaway kid's DVD film, maybe skip the rest. First off; Thor. It gets mentioned that he's off in Asgard, possibly being King after the death of Odin, but how the Hela does that keep him so busy that he's fine with letting Ultron murder all of his friends? Seriously, Thor could sort out the whole Ultron problem in a matter of minutes and if he's too busy, Sif and the Warriors Three wouldn't be too much slower. And am I seriously meant to believe that Ultron took down Magneto, Namor, Wonder Man, Sentry and the Inhumans? Bitch, please!

The big battle at the end of the film is actually ok, possibly only because the Hulk gets back into action. A quick look online indicates that there are a couple of tie-in comics and quite a big fan-following, though I really struggle to understand why; sure it's not terrible, but Young Justice and Power Pack are far better. Hell, The Superhero Squad Show is a much better way to introduce younger children to the Marvel Universe, so get on that if you're hoping that your spawn will play some SuperSystem one day. 

 

Miniatures Finished: Wakandans

Every September, NWA does a month of Pirate wargaming to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day. For the past few years, I've had the honour of running the Native Island during our annual "Mega-Game", and last year I decided that it would be a bit of fun to have Black Panther running around, causing trouble. That proved popular enough that I've been asked back this year, so I decided to get to work: 

 

The Wakandans are Eureka Miniatures Maroi, excepting the champion and Black Panther, who are, of course, clix. In order to make them stand out from normal islanders, I did a leopard print on some of the cloaks and washed the weapons purple reminiscent of the Vibrianium in the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes animated series. 

Hopefully these proud Wakandans will be able to defend their island in a couple of weeks. Bugger, I just noticed that Black Panther needs some touching up.