Border Prince - Turn 9 Map

Vampire Counts had a very very narrow victory over the Skaven. But even more shocking was that Skaven suddenly drop out of the campaign at the start of the Turn 9 meeting. I was right that last turn was a turning point in the war but I never imagine it would be like this. The partnership between Vampire Counts, Beast and High Elves immediately crumbled. High Elves and Warriors of Chaos have agreed to a turn by turn non-aggression pact. This left High Elves free to go on the attack against Beastmen and Warriors started their march towards Vampire Counts, though the East Blood River have greatly slowed their progress. At the end of the meeting the Map looks like this:

1. Bloody Hooves
2. Bloody Sky
3. Herd of Rusty Fang
4. Graby Taz
5. Amendial
6. Elendir
7. Elendrial
8. Aeylan
9. Tarwen
10. Unholy Undead
11. The Night Riders
12. Ethereal Enemy
13. Ghastly Fingers
14. Creeping Death
15. Death Dealers
16. Pandemonium
17. Vanacyr's Blade
18. Sun of Corruption
19. Nature's Curse
20. Chaos Black
21. Blood Rage

Now normally I would mention the up coming battle between Beastmen Banner #4 and Amendial. However since this update is a little late I already know the results so I will just mention that here. Instead of fighting the High Elves and Beastmen have agree to an alliance and both side have retreated. In turn this means the alliance between Beastmen and Vampire Counts that has been around since turn 1 will be broken.

Border Prince - Turn 8 Map

The terrain to proved to greatly favor the Vampire Counts. Chaos was unable to help because their unit was stuck behind Skaven's hoard of rat ogres. By the time Chaos got free movement of the battlefield, the fight was already over. The rat ogres were unstoppable but they were stuck on the wrong side of the board. The rest of the Skaven army was destroyed and the undead was more than happy to run away for the rest of the game. Victory to Vampire Counts. Vampire Counts has also made an alliance with the High Elves. In turn the High Elves and Beastmen have agreed to a non-aggression pact.

1. Bloody Hooves
2. Bloody Sky
3. Herd of Rusty Fang
4. Amendial
5. Elendir
6. Elendrial
7. Aeglan
8. Skaven Banner 1
9. Skaven Banner 2
10. Skaven Banner 3
11. Skaven Banner 4
12. Unholy Undead
13. The Night Riders
14. Ethereal Enemy
15. Ghastly Fingers
16. Creeping Death
17. Pandemonium
18. Vanacyr's Blade
19. Sun of Corruption
20. Nature's Curse
21. Chaos Black

Vampire Counts and Skaven are immediately having a round 2 on the right side of the map. And now High Elves does not have to worry (for now) about their northern front, they can concentrate their forces into the Warriors of Chaos growing empire. WoC were not expecting this level of aggression from the High Elves, leaving their Western boarder lightly defended. This could be a major turning point for the war.

Border Prince Lore: Warriors of Chaos 5

Assistance

When Xizamiron's scouts told him that Dieter Geheimnisnacht himself was marching towards one of the Skaven's forces, he sent a unit of warriors to help. It was entirely made up of elven warriors that have been following Vanacyr before she left elven society centuries ago. Xizamiron figure they would be a good fighting force and it was a chance to get rid of them. Either way the warriors were more than happy to go. They march non stop to get to the Skaven's camp whom were also happy to see the help. The warriors were paid with a bag full Warpstones with the promise of another bag after the battle. To make sure the payment made it back to their camp, the warriors drew straws. Those whom got the short straws had to stay away from the battle.

The warriors keep to themselves and sat around playing music until the battle got started. Because of terrain the unit got stuck behind a horde of rat ogres. Their view of the battle block by the ogres the warriors move forward looking anything (non rat this time) to kill. An ear piercing shriek rock the battlefield as a dragon like beast took to the skies. This Terrorgheist creature circle in the air, like some undead vulture trying decide what its going to dine own. It was obvious the creature was eying rat monks pushing a strange contraption. Landing behind them would not only be devastating for the monks but also crippling for the entire Skaven army. If the creature could smile, it did as it flew towards that perfect location. Just behind the rat monks the Terrorgheist notice the elven chaos warriors with their wicked large weapons. The beast made eye contact with their leader, their champion. The emotionless leader shock his head. Whether this somehow put fear into the huge undead creature or the beast decided it wasn't worth it, it is without a doubt the Terrorgheist change direction mid-flight and landed on the monks flank, far away from the warriors.

Now the warriors have a target. Ignoring all else, the chaos warriors march toward the Terrorgheist with sadistic glee. The beast gave another earth shattering shriek that caused the death of many monks. This only increase the speed the warrior move toward their challenge. At their coming the beast took to the skies again and flew to the other side of the battlefield leaving the warriors sorely disappointed. Looking around they assess the situation. The horde of rat ogres were out of position and the rest of the army were now being massacred. The undead movement showed signs of planning to stay away from any further combat.

“What a cowardly way to fight!”

“It works, the undead have complete control of this area. No need for them to risk anything else,” said the champion.

“So we are done here?”

“Apparently so, lets be off to collect our payment.”

“What are we going to do with warpstones anyway?”

“That is for Xizamiron and Lady Vanacyr to decide.”

Border Prince - Turn 7 Map

The Beastmen and High Elves did manage to get their battle in and the High Elves clime victory. This left Amendial in control of territory 4, Upper South Road. Here is the new map after Turn 7 movements.

1. Bloody Hooves
2. Bloody Sky
3. Amendial
4. Elendir
5. Elendrial
6. Skaven Banner 1
7. Skaven Banner 2
8. Skaven Banner 3
9. Skaven Banner 4
10. Unholy Undead
11. The Night Riders
12. Ethereal Enemy
13. Ghastly Fingers
14. Pandemonium
15. Vanacyr's Blade
16. Sun of Corruption
17. Nature's Curse

The campaign has move into new ground now that Vampire Counts and Skaven finally have a battle. Skaven Banner 3 is going up against Unholy Undead. Skaven is getting support from Skaven Banner 1 and Pandemonium which makes the battle 2700 points of Skaven + 200 points of Chaos vs 3000 points of Vampire Counts.

Border Prince - Turn 6 Map

Beastmen were unable to arrange time for the battle and surrender territory 38 to the High Elves. This push Bloody Sky into territory 20. After turn 6 movements the map look like this...

1. Bloody Hooves
2. Bloody Sky
3. Amendial
4. Elendir
5. Elendrial
6. Skaven Banner 1
7. Skaven Banner 2
8. Skaven Banner 3
9. Unholy Undead
10. The Night Riders
11. Ethereal Enemy
12. Pandemonium
13. Vanacyr's Blade
14. Sun of Corruption

Beastmen and High Elves are going at it again. This time it is Bloody Hooves vs Amendial. No one has support but High Elves get 100 point bonus for turning in a story. Both are generals so its going to be a 3000 vs 3100 point game.

Border Prince Lore: Warriors of Chaos 4

Letters

The Pandemonium Army was feeling restless. For the past few weeks they had free reign to expand however they like. Still it was months since their last combat and the bloodthirsty warriors wanted more. Realizing this itch needed to be scratch Xizamiron allowed the army to camp for a few days while the soldiers broke into brutal gladiatorial combat. Each bout was surrounded by their fellow warrior, cheering on who ever was winning. The medics always had a front row seat to the action. Their sadistic grins put fear into the most harden warrior, for everyone knew the price for the losers if they survive.

On the second day of gladiatorial combat Dizadeim watch from a distance. While he was content and happy just watching, something nag at him. He couldn't put his finger on it but he sense something was amiss. Nevertheless after watching for most of the morning he decide to go back to his tent and study. He had a small collections of Vanacyr's magical tomes and scrolls she loan to him so he could improve his craft. Dizadeim was always amazed at the vast knowledge his mistress has in the arcane. The small collection has either basic or advance knowledge in multiple schools, lores and styles of magic. He spend the next couple of hours studying these tomes when he heard a high pitch screech. It was so faint that most people won't have been able to hear anything at all. Dizadeim calmly close the tome he was reading and step out of his tent.

He whistled three times in quick succession. He did not bother trying to see his target. He knew it was too small and fast for even his keen eyes to track. Instead he concentrated on his hearing. Waiting patiently until it happened, the sound of something cutting through the air towards him at high speeds. With a swift motion Dizadeim snatch a metal tube from the air. He glance up to see a discolored bird-like creature flying over head, slowly changing shape and colors to that of a normal looking hawk. Inside the tube was a scroll from Vanacyr. Dizadeim read the scroll's contents and left to relay its message to Xizamiron.

However scanning the camp he realize he had no idea where Xizamiron was. He guess what was bothering him before was that he had not seen Xizamiron for more than a day. Dizadeim asked all around the camp, wondering if anyone had seen Xizamiron recently. No one did, or at least remembered. Dizadeim figure Xizamiron must be in a humanoid form which made finding him immensely more difficult. Dizadeim then remembered a technique Vanacyr had taught him. By channeling arcane energy into his senses in a certain way, he could enter into a trance that would allow him to be subconsciously pulled towards strong levels of magic provided that it wasn't intentionally being hidden. While in the trance his mind would be in a dream like daze so Dizadeim had to end the technique and re-enter it often so he could keep a mental note where he was. He soon found himself being pulled deep into a forest that was nearby the camp. Figuring he was going too far away from camp and wasn't sure the technique worked, Dizadeim decide to head back.

“What are you doing here?” The deep rumbling voice briefly startled Dizadeim. But that quickly gave way to fear as he recognize the owner of the voice and his anger.

“I was looking for you my lord!” Dizadeim said quickly but without the panic that he felt. “I wanted to inform you about a message from Mistress Vanacyr.” Dizadeim now gaze at the mighty daemon prince, whom current form resemble a mix between a treeman spirit and a demon.

“Go on then,” Xizamiron said, a lot more calmly.

“Razeek Twotail has requested we send assistance north to help them fight the undead.”

“Vanacyr wanted the alliance with the Skaven, she can go follow their orders like some loyal dog!” The intense anger Dizadeim felt wasn't visible on his face.

“I shall let her know,” he said plainly. Bowing, Dizadeim turned to walk away.

“NO WAIT!” Xizamiron shouted. Once again startled, Dizadeim faced the daemon. After long moment of silent thinking, Xizamiron spoke again, “Scratch that, we will go instead. Be ready to march in two hours time, I will get the army ready myself.”

“As you wish my lord,” Dizadeim said bowing deeply. Xizamiron walked passed him heading toward the camp while Dizadeim remain motionless. When the daemon prince was out of sight Dizadeim started to walked toward his tent when he stop again.

' Where was he coming from and what was he doing these last 2 days,' were his thoughts.

Curiosity got the best of him and he started walked down the path he saw Xizamiron came from. Magic was in the air and it was thick. He did not need the technique to follow this trail. After traveling a quarter mile, Dizadeim came to the source of that magic. His eyes told him nothing about the area but his supernatural senses told him everything around him was soaked with arcane energy. He study the area intently but eventually came to the conclusion that even if he study for hours, he probably still would not be able to the understand the purpose of this magic. 'Mistress Vanacyr would be able to tell,' he thought. 'But she is not here...' He knew he had to head back soon. Dizadeim figure the only thing he could do was remember as much detail as possible and write as much of it that he could in a letter to Vanacyr. He was confident that if she had enough information she would be able to discern the magic's purpose...

Border Prince - Turn 5 Map

Because of scheduling conflict the Bloody Sky Vs Amendial battle didn't get played. For this turn those two banners were place on hold while all others were free to move as normal.

1. Bloody Hooves
2. Bloody Sky
3. Amendial
4. Elendir
5. Skaven Banner 1
6. Skaven Banner 2
7. Skaven Banner 3
8. Unholy Undead
9. The Night Riders
10. Pandemonium
11. Vanacyr's Blade

Bloody Sky vs Amendial are still lock in combat. Will the battle be resolve by next meeting?




(PS. No.)

Border Prince - Turn 4 Map

The battle of Lizardmen vs Warriors of Chaos was both weird and bloody. Turn 1 saw both sides lose their general. The Slann nearly killed the Daemon Prince with a single casting of Searing Doom, dropping him to his knees. The power of Searing Doom however created such a backlash that it rain destruction on his own men and claimed the Slann's life. The Slann's lieutenant finished the job with a Chain Lightning spell that turned the Daemon Prince to ash. And that was just the beginning. For the next 4 turns Lizardmen found victory on one side of the board while Chaos had it on the other side. And the lieutenant following in his general footsteps, miscast every turn for the rest of the game. By the end Chaos only had a few units left but they proved to be the monsters they truly are and force the Lizardmen to retreat. Victory for Chaos!

1. Bloody Hooves
2. Bloody Sky
3. Amendial
4. Elendir
7. Skaven Banner 1
8. Skaven Banner 2
9. Unholy Undead
10. The Night Riders
11. Pandemonium
12. Vanacyr's Blade

Sadly Turn 4 saw the Lizardmen drop out of the campaign. Our game was fun and I hope to play him again in the next campaign. Meanwhile the campaign has another battle to resolve. Bloody Sky vs Amendial will be going at it. Bloody Sky has support so it will be at 2700. Amendial is a main banner and will get the story bonus putting it at 3100.



Note: The meeting for turn 6 is this week. I am really behind and I hope to catch up next week.

Solaris League Lore: Interview with Chaos

Interview with Chaos

The owner of the Chaos Flare organization was sitting in his office reviewing the latest news in the League. The first week of action was rough for his organization. Three fights, three defeats. He had a lot on his plate. He had to make sure he was up to date on the latest rules and regulations of the League, he need to do research on the newest organizations joining the League & their pilots and he had to oversee the repairs and refits of his damage mechs, which was all of them. He was so busy that he he did not get around to preparing for an interview he had to give that day. The only thing he knew about the applicant was that they wanted to be a pilot for Chaos Flare. A buzzing sound grab his attention. With a press of a button the buzzing stop.

"Your appointment is here," said a female voice from a speaker on his desk.

"Send them in," he replied. Several quick button pressing turned off the various screens he was looking at. He wanted his full attention on this interview. Moments later a young man enter his office.

"Hello Mr. Chaos," the man said, obviously quite nervous. Mr. Chaos stood up slightly to shake the young man's hand. The young man then handed Chaos a data pad.

"Have a seat and tell me why you are here," Chaos said.

"Sir, I have been a fan of Chaos Flare back when you were a mercenary company. As a boy I followed news of your adventures like the other kids followed comic books. You guys are what made me want to be a mech pilot. So when I saw the trouble you had last week I thought this may be a chance to live the dream and be one of you," the young man said. Chaos could tell the man had to work to slow down and not sound like a crazy fan. Still need work but Chaos appreciated the effort.

"Have you ever actually pilot a mech before?" Mr. Chaos asked. The man looked down at his feet.

"No sir."

"How many hours of simulator experience do you have?" The man was quiet for a long moment before speaking.

"2-2-25 ...." the young man stuttered. Mr. Chaos shook his head. Normally he would just dismissed the guy but something about him gave Chaos paused.

"How old are you son?"

"19." Younger than what Chaos would have like to be in this dangerous game. Of course many of his associates were younger than that when they got their start. But that was war and this is a silly game Chaos thought to himself. Against his better judgment Chaos turned on the kid's data pad and review what the young man wanted him to see. Scanning the information quickly Chaos read about lots and lots of mech simulator results. They were not bad for a beginner he thought, but nothing worth being hired over ... He looked over more results and the scores kept getting better and better.

"How many simulator hours did you said you had," Mr. Chaos asked, looking pass more scores.

"2..2-2...25...," the man stuttered again. This time Chaos notice it was not a finish statement and the kid was so nervous that he was having troubles completing his answer. Mr. Chaos has immense experiences with simulator reports and did some quick estimates on the time require to do the simulators he already read about.

"2500?" Mr. Chaos asked. The man sheepish nodded, embarrassed that he couldn't say it himself. Chaos did not hold it against him. In his time he knew great pilots with strange quirks. A knock on the door surprised both men. "Come in," Chaos called, figuring it must be something fairly important. In walked a female clan warrior. She wore a sleeveless vest which showed off her huge biceps which made the men in the room seemed like children. Her fiery red hair was tied back in a long ponytail. She was carrying a data pad with the League's logo on the front. The young man was acting like he was suffering a heartache.

"You're ... you're ..." was all the words he could get out. She gave him the briefest of glances before focusing on Chaos.

"Why hello," Mr. Chaos said. "Did you enjoy your vocation Sherikka?"

"No." she said quickly. "Here is the paperwork so I can legally fight for you in the League." Sherikka handed Chaos the data pad.

"Excellent. I'm glad to have you back!" Mr. Chaos said. He toss the young man's data pad back to him without looking. As Chaos worked on the League's data pad, the young man was tumbling his own pad between his fingers. The scene did not escape Sherikka's notice.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your meeting ..." she started.

"That's okay. We were done anyway," Mr. Chaos said without looking up. Sherikka could tell the words affect the young man in a physical way. He slowly stood up and headed to the door. Still without looking up or pausing Chaos said,"Don't leave yet boy." Hope returned to the young man's face so he waited standing by the door. After another few minutes Mr. Chaos finished his work and handed it back to Sherikka. "There you go. Take that to Eric and he will make sure its process. While you at it ..." Chaos said before pausing.

"Boy, I don't think I've heard your name," Chaos said to the young man.

"It's Kyle sir, Kyle Webb," the young man replied.

"Right. Take Mr. Webb down to the yard and ride shotgun with him in the Hitman. If he impresses you, you have my authority to hire him on the team," Chaos said.

An emotionless "Okay," was her only reaction. The young man's reaction was a little more animated.

"Really Sir! Oh Thank you! I won't let you down!" Kyle exclaimed to Chaos.

"Don't thank me yet. Sherikka is really hard to impress so you better pull out your best effort. Now both of you get out of here! I got work to do!"

Border Prince Lore: Warriors of Chaos 2

Arrival

Vanacyr was perusing maps spread out on a table trying to figure out where Xizamiron was taking her army. He made no mention to her about where they were going nor what they would do once they got there. He just pointed at a direction and told her people to start marching. Judging by the local features Vanacyr guess they were nearing the Border Prince region.

It was mid day and the army had stop to rest. It had grown much larger recently and many of the new recruits require rest from time to time. The cabal had arrange for additional supplies to be picked up on the way. The army ran across a number of small warbands which join the army. Vanacyr had a feeling the cabal was behind this as well. On the mountain where she meet up with Xizamiron lived numerous monsters. Through his presence alone, Xizamiron had subjugated nearly every monster in that area and force them into service.

Looking up from her maps, Vanacyr's eyes meet a man standing nearby, a person she has never seen before. Wearing a brown robe, he had short red hair and a full beard. The man stared up at her with an inquisitive look. He was of average height for a male human. Vanacyr was slightly shorter than your average Chaos sorcerer, which meant she towered over this man, and the other elves in the army. Normally she would react to the sudden appearance of a man with violence. Or demand he identify himself, and then violence. However she has grown accustomed and extremely annoyed at people suddenly appearing. So instead she just stared at the man until he spoke.

“Are you going to say anything?” he said in a voice that was deep and unearthly.

“Is there anything you want me to say … My Lord?” Vanacyr answered, almost spitting the last part. After meeting with Xizamiron on the mountain Vanacyr and her people quickly learned that he had the ability to change his appearance seemly at will. He also seem to enjoy the havoc caused by mysterious persons appearing around the army.

“Not really,” Xizamiron said seemly disappointed.

“Could you please change into your true form? Constantly changing your appearance is harmful to army morale,” Vanacyr asked him.

“What makes you think you are worthy of witnessing my true form?”

“We saw it on the mountain?”

“Oh you mean that. That's fine then. … What did I look like?” Vanacyr was aghast. From her perspective Xizamiron seemed to be doing everything he could to irritate her. Yet she could help but think his question had an honesty quality about it.

“You looked like a mighty Demon Prince,” she said hesitatingly. She couldn't believe she had to explain what he looked like to him.

“That's it? I suppose I can limited my appears to those forms,” he said. Vanacyr had the mental image of everyday witness a different Demon Prince. 'It would be an improvement over what's he doing now' she thought to herself.

“My liege?” The voice of a nearby barbarian grabbed both Vanacyr and Xizamiron's attention. He was standing in front of a small group of his peers.

“What do you want?” Xizamiron asked, obviously annoyed.

“You summoned us,” barbarian sheepishly said.

“I did?”

“Yes, you asked for my fastest scout,” Vanacyr said.

“I see. Do you have a map of the Border Prince region on that table?” Xizamiron asked her. She quickly retrieve one and handed it to him. One by one, Xizamiron told each of the barbarians where he wanted them to travel to on the map. “Ride hard, but keep your eyes open. Meet up with me here,” he concluded by pointing to an area on the southern part of the map. Vanacyr notice that spot was a few miles from where they currently were.

“Why there?” she asked.

“Because that's where we will set up our capital,” Xizamiron answered. “We will need a base of operations to begin our conquest of the land,” he added. All those who were in ear shot of the comment quickly turn their head in disbelief. The thought of them going to a sustain war was a complete shock. Noticing everyone around him seem to be in a daze he asked Vanacyr, "Is there a problem with that?"

Soon, as the crowd began to process the words and their meaning, the shock was replace with sadistic glee. "No. No problem at all," Vanacyr answered with a smile.

*****

A little more than a week later the scouts return to the site of Xizamiron's new capital. After hearing their report he hand pick the soldiers that would be marching with him. There seem to be little rhyme or reason for his choices and those picked had little time to ponder for they had to be ready to march in mere hours. The scout's report did concern Vanacyr a little. The report mentions 5 enemies in the region; Skaven, Undead, Beastmen Lizardmen and High Elves, with the Lizardmen relatively nearby. The Undead & Beastmen as well as the Lizardmen & High Elves seemed to have had formed a pact with each other. That tips things against them and Vanacyr didn't like that. As much as she hated it, Vanacyr needed to seek out Xizamiron before he left and asked for his approval to ally with the Skaven. It was not hard for her to find him. His current form was that of a metallic Demon Prince. His wings more closely resemble blades than anything for flight.

"My Lord, may I have a word with you," Vanacyr said to him. Stopping his movement Xizamiron slowly turned toward her.

"Speak."

"I suggest we make a pact of convenience with the Skaven. Since the others have already done so, it would put us and the Skaven in a disadvantage if we do not do the same," she said. Vanacyr could tell there was anger in his eyes. She still held her ground, believing in the merit of her proposal.

"Do as you like," was all he said as he turned away from her.

"Thank you my lord. I will send a courier immediately," she said.

"NO!" Xizamiron shouted. His booming voice echoing through out the camp. Vanacyr jumped at the sudden outburst. With his back to her Xizamiron continue albeit with a much softer voice, "You want an alliance? You go to the Skaven yourself." Without looking back Xizamiron stomped off leaving Vanacyr simmering with anger. In her mind Vanacyr heard additional words. Words that were insulting and demeaning towards her. Most of the surrounding soldiers didn't 'hear' these words, but some did. Some just shrug and moved on with their duty. Others, those who have been apart of Vanacyr's army for years, were almost as upset as she was. Despite knowing how powerful Xizamiron was and knowing that starting a civil war while surrounded by enemies was suicide, if Vanacyr gave the order to attack Xizamiron they would do so in an instant. So they waited on the decision of their queen.

For a full ten minutes Vanacyr did not move from that spot. Her fist were clenched so tightly that blood was beginning to seeped between her knuckles. But she did not say a word. A 'cat' slowly walked up to Vanacyr and purred softly. Nudging her leg, Vanacyr's attention turned to the 'cat'. Vanacyr scratch the kitty behind her ears. This 'cat' resemble a massive lion, tiger and a jaguar roll into one. With supernatural grace and speed Vanacyr mounted the creature's back. The creature rose, extending her colorful wings, for the creature was a close cousin of manticores. The creature was one of the monsters subjugated on the mountain but during the journey had taken a liking to Vanacyr.

"Kehanoil, you are in charge while I am gone. Make sure you have a force ready to march when I return," Vanacyr said to one of her most loyal followers.

"Yes my lady," he replied. With that the mighty creature took to the air. Vanacyr guided the creature northeast. Her anger now gone Vanacyr focused on her mission. She now needed to decide what she going to say to the Skaven.

Border Prince Lore: Vampire Counts

By Alexander Bade

The Dark Pilgrim:

An excerpt on the life of Dieter Geheimnisnacht

Dieter Geheimnisnacht is a powerful Master Necromancer of virtually unknown origin or history until this past century. It is known that he battled alongside Heinrich Kemmler and Mannfred von Carstein in the Border Princes region in the year 2522 and even before that he was seen beside Kemmler as he besieged Bretonnia from the Grey Mountains. Geheimnisnacht’s earliest accounts are known from the discovery of a series of journals found at his lair at Kleiberstorf where Geheimnisnacht escaped but in such a rush he was forced to leave behind this trove of information he set down from when he first began studying the black art of Necromancy.

Geheimnisnacht was not always known by this name. His birthplace is unknown but believed to be somewhere in Averland although this is purely conjecture since no real evidence supports this except for the style of hand writing in his early journals is reminencent of a merchant upbringing in the Averland region and the fact that when Geheimnisnacht went into hiding in was in the Averland.

Geheimnisnacht was born as Dieter Fredrickson to a river merchant frequenting the Aver River. Nothing is known of his childhood or early adult life but based upon some of his first entries in his first journal we can assume he was very disillusioned of his lifestyle of constantly moving up and down the river Aver. Geheimnisnacht often expressed in hateful tones that he could not abide by his family’s living arrangements, a floating barge which housed Geheimnisnacht, his parents, and three other siblings (two brothers and a sister). Geheimnisnacht expressed affection for his family but was often at strife with his father who attempted to train Geheimnisnacht as a merchant to take over the business. Geheimnisnacht ran away around the age of seventeen and quickly fell out of known existence for several decades when presumably he sank into the clutches of some Necromancer or another where he was introduced into that black lifestyle.

Accounts show that when Geheimnisnacht was fighting in Bretonnia he was little more than a pawn to Kemmler, a low level Necromancer, but he showed an enormous talent for raising the ancient dead from the grave and so Kemmler kept Geheimnisnacht on as a supplementary aid and took great pains to teach Geheimnisnacht of the tradecraft so that by the time Kemmler was forced to retreat at the battle of Maisontaal abbey Geheimnisnacht had become one of Kemmler’s chief lieutenants, though still somewhat of a lesser caster by most standards.

For the next thirty-one years Geheimnisnacht falls from the face of records except for small skirmishes mostly involving Witch Hunter cadres and Geheimnisnacht’s forces, all of which ended in the escape of Geheimnisnacht and usually the death of the Witch Hunter in question. It seems that Geheimnisnacht is back now, in the Border Princes region where perhaps he is looking to carve his own empire and begin his own small army to join forces with Kemmler or Von Carstein yet again to wage war upon the Empire or Bretonnia once more.

Border Prince Lore: Lizardmen

Lizardmen Backstory
By Tristen Fellowz

Delicate hands held a small trinket close. The finely crafted object resting, mere inches, from the rhythmic rise and fall of an ample bosom. Exquisite, almond shaped eyes danced innerly with the radiant glow emanating below. It was a ring. Studded with three stones of rare worth. The room was dark and still. Light, like emerald fire, shone from three pear shaped gems. She beheld the jewerly with baited breath, as one who receives their deepest desire with but a moments notice.

Soft features, atop an elegant framework of finely sculpted bone, gifted her with a visage fit for a nymph. Her every curve was enticing. Long burnette strands, silky and smooth, danced whimsically around her mantle. Had they rested about her as to be expected, the mane would have reached down to the crest of her derriere. Instead her hair extended her personal space in all directions. The effect was to create a mesmerizing aura about her. An effect that could be stared upon and not grow dull.

Bone hewn heels, leather stitched to high backed boots, tied curvaceously around lengthy calves, fidgeted softly in the dimly lit ambience. Her delicate diaphram flexed slightly in pace with her rapid breathing under the tightness of her corset. She was teasing herself. Eagerly awaiting the moment that she would slip the ring on her slender finger. She did so not entirely without reason. As was obvious with the eerie glow bathing the room, the ring was more than a precious sculpt of metal and gem stones.

Gazing down, eyes set amidst her ever shifting curls and strands, thin slit pupils caught the light reflected from the precious stones. Each pupil formed a pin point of light, like a candle from a great distance. Completing the incantation inside her head, the mystical auras of the ring seeped slowly into her vision.

Each gemstone had the image of a rune a short distance above it. Runes shaped from fire. The runes wrapped around the ring like a cresent moon. Drawing her breath quickly and holding it in, she slipped the ring on her finger.

The effect was immediate. Her blood began to course wildly through her veins. Heart pounding within her chest as though it might burst. Lean muscles flexed with exquisite tension and her chest heaved greatly. Raw energy washed over her in a blissful current. The feeling slowly began to subside and she opened eyes she had closed on impulse. The world looked anew and she had a glow about her. Peace.

She cherished the rush of magic, attuning itself to a new master. It was intoxicating. A prized sensation that many never felt. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes again.

*****

While the heart fluttered of the enchanted female something stirred, far away, restless. Deep in the dank jungle depths of myth and swarming viper bulging eyes, yellowed with the passing of strange eons, flickered. A short raspy voice whispered breathlessly in a language lost to most of the world.

Quickly, shadowed diminutive figures raced about, springing into life with their master's awakening. Three of the creatures met together finally in the center of the cyclopean chamber. A rune borne in each clawed hand. The runes came together and the humanoids pieced together the meaning of their master's words. "Thieves gather with golden treasure, of fate and fortune import. We march."

Border Prince Lore: High Elves

Amendial, The Butcher of Avelorn
By Jonathon Schweer

Amendial is a very fearsome and formidable Elven general. He is the half-brother of the Everqueen, Alarielle the Radiant. He was born years after his older half-sister, who was birthed to satisfy the Elven demands that the Everqueen marry the Phoenix King and conceive a daughter who will one day rule. Amendial was raised at the Elven fortress city of Elyran Tarn. As a young child Amendial showed exceptional promise in the martial arts and with the bow. He often hunted and trained with the fearsome Sisters of Avelorn, and is rarely ever seen in battle without the sisters at his side. Follow the death of his mother and the ascension of his sister, Amendial found himself being promoted up the ranks of the Elven army until he was soon the youngest general in Elven history, less than a century old at the time of his being named a general.

All was not great in the Elven lands however. Soon a nomadic army of Orcs and Goblins invaded the Elven homelands, and made fall in the lands of Avelorn. The Orcs every vicious and unmerciful, destroying the Elven cavalry with their dastardly Doom Diver catapults, and breaking unit after unit with their barbaric Black Orc and Savage Orc war hosts. Amendial was the only general to find success against this Orc horde. It was not long until he discovered that a Goblin with a large spider pet and a Black Orc War Boss on a Wyvern were behind this invasion after escaped from a land called the Badlands. Sensing that something more sinister had to be driving this Orc and Goblin band forward, Amendial eventually captured a Savage Orc Shaman Lieutenant for the self-proclaimed Goblin Demigod, Morlan. Amendial was able to torture vital information out of this weak lieutenant and discover a weakness in the Orc and Goblin War band.

Amendial was the one responsible for luring these two large war bands into the Burned Glades, where he was successful in launching a counter assault on the Orcs. His hordes of Swordsmen from the tower of Hoeth sliced the Black Orc marauders and Savage Orc Barbarians with swift efficiency, while his personal retinue of Sisters of Avelorn and the personal retinue of Alarielle rained volleys of magical arrows on the Goblin catapults of Doom. With the way clear the Dragon Princes of Caledor and Silver Helms of Avelorn were free to charge in and clean up the unbreakable Goblin hordes that lined the battle field.

The final blow to the horde was dealt by Amendial himself, as he swooped in on his Flame Sphere Phoenix named Sage. Amendial first met the Black Orc General, Drauken, in a battle of strength, which he easily won by nullifying the effects of the Armour of Gork. Following this great victory Amendial trapped the Goblin demi-god and defeated him in a challenge as warriors from both sides looked on. Following the victorious challenge, Amendial ordered every Orc and Goblin on Ulthuan to be killed with no mercy, and to be sure it was successful Amendial rode at the front of every war band as it rushed into battle. Within days the Avelorn was free from invaders.

Following the great victory of the Burned Glades, Amendial was informed of a new territory that was ripe for the picking. His sister Alarielle, revealed that the Orcs were tricked into coming to Ulthuan to keep the Elves busy at home while they battled over a new territory in the Border Princes region. The Elves have long desired to expand their empire, and capturing the Border Princes region would greatly assist in this mission. Late at night, Amendial climbed aboard a great Elven warship along with his elite force of Sisters, expert Swordsmen from Hoeth, an elite squadron of Dragon Princes and the Silver Helms of Avelorn, and his faithful Flame Sphere Phoenix Sage. The warship set sail for this new and mysterious territory, but while the land is uncertain, one thing is definite, Amendial will capture the Border Princes region, the only question is how many bodies will he have to climb over to do so?

Border Prince Lore: Beastmen

Krookentou
Jeff Morck

As the Beastlord Krookentou, the Cutthroat Spike, ascended a hill overlooking the area called the Border Princes, he could feel it in his blood that this was his time. Krookentou knew this was the place where he would start the return of the Children of Chaos to rightful place as masters of the land, and all the lesser races would hide in fear.

Since the night he fought his way out of the womb of the female that had borne him, he knew he was meant for greatness. Krookentou knows he has been blessed by the Dark Gods, because his first memory of that night was looking up and seeing Morrslieb when Morrslieb was most full and at his zenith. Krookentou recalled the stories he had heard as Young Beastagor from the older ones around the fire. Krookentou would gnaw on a piece of flesh he had taken from a Gor or a weaker Beastagor and listen to the stories about the old times where the Beast ruled world and other were just prey. His Blood would boil during the story of the Battle of Golden Hammer, where man rose to an undeserved level and stole the Children of Chaos power. Krookentou knows, he must learn from the past so the cloven-ones to rule the future

Krookentou had been there when Khazrak the One-Eye, had defeated Graktar in a challenge to become the Chieftain of the Warherd. Krookentou thought it was a sign of weakness when Khazrak had banished Graktar instead of killing him. Now that Graktar has returned and started to gather his own warherd, and caused the Breatsmen to become divided. Krookentou learned that the only good enemy is a dead enemy.

Khazrak the One Eye also taught Krookentou that a Beastlord must control a Warherd by sheer will and power. Krookentou knows that the Warherd would never as organized as a human army. Krookentou still demands discipline and total obedience. The Gor or Ungor that springs an ambush or a Wargor, who fails to lead his troop victory, may find themselves on the herds menu.

Now as his Warherd moves through the Black Pass into the Lands of the Border Princes, Krookentou knows he has learned his lessons, and he is ready. More importantly than Krookentou being ready he knows his Warherd is ready. As the warherd of Beastigors, Gors, and Ungors moved into the Border Princes, Krookentou could hear the roars and feel the rumbling of the ground as his monsters made their way to the Border Princes area. Krookentou felt Breatman’s pride in his Warherd, a Warherd where even the Ungors were impressive. This was the Warherd that put Children of Chaos back in charge of this world. As Krookentou walked back down the hill and to his rightful place at the front of this Warherd, he was told by waves of returning Harpies scouts that other groups were moving into the Border Princes. The Harpies report that groups of Elves, Lizards, Undead, and Rats. It did not matter to Krookentou, he knew that his Warherd would consume all the order and shat out chaos.

Border Prince Lore: Skaven

Razeek Twotail
Skaven Grey Seer
By Phil Sidebottom

When Razeek was young one of his spells miscasted sending him into unconsciousness, during which he was visited by the Great Horned Rat, may his schemes never fail. The Great Horned Rat, Great be thy name, told Razeek that he will find a great treasure that will lead the Skaven to greatness. When he awoke from his vision, he did what any self respecting skaven would do, he kept the vision to himself and study the details in secret. After several long years of pouring over books and scrolls, Razeek had discovered the area where he must do further research, but the place was infested with non Skaven nuisances. So the first step is to get a clan to clear the infestation out but without divulging his true goal . . . an easy task.

Razeek found Clan Wolf Talon as the perfect clan to use for this task. The clan was in disarray as the right to rule the clan was being claimed by three Warlords. He entered the grand hall of the Wolf Talon during one of their great “debates”(aka Insult war) and declared “ The Great Horned One has spoken to me and only one of the skaven in this room will be able to lead this Clan to greatness.” With this knowledge the three Warlords began to scheme and plan with their closest advisers. It did not take to much time for Razeek to gain the trust of each warlord in private, while a skaven's tongue can be sharpe and made of the smoothest sliver, no skaven can compare to a Grey Seer's sneaky tongue. For many months, the war of sly and cunning that only skaven can fight waged with very little progress except for Razeek, for he had successfully turned all of their advisers to his side, and on the last day of the month, Razeek had invited the three Warlords to the grand hall of the Wolf Talon. Along with them, came their advisers, whom up to this point was on the edge of deciding between their warlord of Razeek. Razeek addressed each warlord in turn and congratulated them and their advisers on their skill of cunning for the last few months then with a quick flash of his tongue he cut the ties between the warlords and their advisers showing that all the work was done by the advisers and not the warlords. The advisers all made their decision and furnished their blades and stabbed and cut the warlords in front of them, all of which were still oblivious of the treason that was to befell them. As the final grasp of air the last warlord exclaimed “You said on of us would be Clan Leader, you lied!” “I did say one of us would Clan Leader, that one was me.” Razeek replied with a skitter that would make the Great Horned Rat jealous, though no one could ever come close to his laughter nor try but this Skitter was a good one in The Great Horned One's eye.

With the Wolf Talon clan under his control without even dirtying his own hands, as to be expected from the victor of a skaven secret war, the first task was done. Now all that is left is to exterminate the vermin leaving on the land he needs to search.

Border Prince Lore: Warriors of Chaos

Xizamiron

The Arkyrian Cabal is a secret society of wizards. They want to control the world from the shadows. While most members are in positions where they have to pretend they serve another, Vanacyr is rare in that she is in command of her own, albeit very small, army. Even rare is that some of her followers knows about the Arkyrian existence. The core of her Chaos army is made up mostly of elves, with dark elves being the most common. While much shorter and leaner, these elves are just as tough and skilled as their Chaos cousins. Vanacyr has used her army as the arm of the Arkyrian Cabal many times.

On this particular day her motives are more personal. As evening breaks into dusk, Vanacyr orders her forces to set up camp. Through the power of Chaos most of Vanacyr followers do not need sleep or food. They do consume food and wine quite often and sometime sleep because they enjoy it. This night, much like many others, they choose to eat and drink all night long. At least they plan to. However at midnight the partying quieted down. Each warrior suddenly felt extremely weary and had a great desire to sleep. Even Vanacyr felt the exhaustion and did not think anything was strange about it. That is until she sat down and started resting her eyes. An act she does so rarely that it alerted her mind. “Why am I doing this?” she asked herself. Not able to provide an answer told her something was very wrong. Vanacyr snapped awake with a blade in hand. Scanning her surroundings reveal to her that every follower dedicate to her was fast asleep. Vanacyr knew now she was dealing with dark sorcery, someone who skills surpass her centuries of knowledge.

Vanacyr felt a presence from beyond a copse nearby. Tighten her grip on her sword, she walked towards the presence. She might be outmatch in the arcane in general, but Vanacyr was confident in her abilities when combat is concern. After crossing the copse, Vanacyr felt an immense arcane presence. She immediately kneel, not because she was intimidate of the arcane energies, but because she recognize who the presence was. Vanacyr address the presence with a single word, “Master.” A few nearby twigs and leaves erupted with a purple flame. A deep and bellowing voice echo from those flames.

“Lady Vanacyr. You have serve me and the Cabal well. Both needs your services again.”

“Of course Master, anything you order I will see it done!” Vanacyr answered. Her gaze fix on the ground. If there was any detail in her surroundings, she would not have notice it.

“You are to travel west into the mountains. There you will feel a strange but strong arcane presence. Follow that presence until you get to the source. You are to give command of your army to this individual. He will lead you to the next phase.”

“But ...” Vanacyr started to say. She almost rose her head but then she just sigh in disappointment. “Yes master. If I may, how long do I have take orders from this individual and who is this person?”

“I will inform you when you may take back your command. As for the identity of this person …

He is the Essence of Pandemonium …
Xizamiron!”

Upcoming fiction

The next few posts here will all be short fiction. Hopefully to make it clearer each piece will have the Lore label and written in italics. Each army in the Border Prince Campaign has a background story. I will be posting my own background story as well as others whom give me permission to publish them. My army's in-between turn short story will also be publish during this time. Lastly, while the Solaris League was design to be "light" on story, I want to write a piece about my team. The stories will be posted one a day. After the last story and a short break the next entries will be dealing with either the Border Prince or Solaris League pages. Until then I hope you will enjoy the upcoming tales!

Border Prince - Turn 3 Map

I've crafted two maps to help visualize the progress of the Border Prince campaign thus far.  The first map shows where each army setup its capital.  A key to the colors is as follows:

Beastmen - Brown
High Elves - Blue
Lizardmen - Green
Skaven - Yellow
Vampire Counts - Dark Purple
Warriors of Chaos - Red

The next map shows the territory each empire controls and where their banners are located after turn 3.

1. Bloody Hooves
2. Bloody Sky
3. Amendial
4. Elendir
5. Creeping Sepia
6. Smoulder Stride
7. Skaven Banner 1
8. Skaven Banner 2

9. Unholy Undead - Largely shaped from what Dieter brought with him from Kleiberstorf, its now expanded by nearly a full fifth since entering the region.

10. The Night Riders - Dieter's Vampire cousin, Von Hayek loves close quarter combat and prefers the use of cavalry and chariots.

11. Pandemonium - Randomly picking from the main army and the monsters he subjugated on the mountain, Xizamiron marches into the Border Princes keeping his plans to himself.

12. Vanacyr's Blade - Surrounded by her most trusted and loyal followers, Vanacyr looks for enemies to unleash her frustration at losing command of her own army.

The campaign is on a brief pause so the battle between Creeping Sepia vs Pandemonium can be resolved.  Both sides have support so the battle will be a massive 3200 vs 3200.

Update in Chaos (8-25-14)

Sometimes life can throw you a curve ball and if you do not have strong convictions it can derail your plans.  I'm recovery from such a situation.  On the bright side (assuming the issue is done with) I am in a much better position to work on this blog.  Since my hiatus a lot has happen in my gaming world.  Here is a rundown of that news.

Warhammer - My group has decide to end the Blood in the Badlands campaign early.  Many players were unhappy with the rule set.  I suppose I am not surprised.  Blood in the Badlands has a lot of interesting ideas and concepts but the rules were too loose and confusing.  A good GM can run patch these problems as they come up to make an enjoyable campaign.  However our GM ran the campaign in a tournament style with a prize for the winner at the end.  With a campaign like these the GM doesn't have the flexibility need overcome these problems and the Badlands flaws quickly became quite obvious.  I also think the designers wrote Badlands to be more of a narrative style campaign anyways.

For our next campaign the group decided on a narrative Border Prince campaign from the General's Compendium.  The GM did some minor tweak to the rules and added that players get bonus points for battles by writing short stories about our general and/or army adventures in the campaign.  The campaign has already started and we are on turn 3.  With Border Prince battles are not automatic each turn.  Two enemy banners need to meet up before a battle will happen.  If at the end of the turn there are no battles to fight we will immediately proceed to the next turn.  This is why we are on turn 3 after the first meeting.  I will post a map later this week to show what everyone controls so far.  In the coming weeks I will make a page for the campaign.

My World of Chaos page and entries are still coming.  Work on them will start once my current games are up to date.  I've change the topics I was going to start with.  Because of the Border Prince campaign the first two entries will be on the Arkyrian Cabal and Arkyrian member Vanacyr.  Amirren's forces will probably be after them.

Battletech - My friend has started a Solaris Battletech League which I am a part of.  Each player that joins the League starts with 3 pilots and $30,000,000 C-Bills to buy at least 3 mechs.  Players can play as much or as little as they want or have the time.  In the coming weeks I will make a page for the League so others can follow some of the action.  Given how the League operates I am unsure at how to format the information.  It may take me much longer to get it out than the Border Prince page.  We will see.  I will be posting some short stories about my faction here.  Summaries and links will be on the League page.

Flames of War - There is still talks about starting a Flames of War campaign but nothing has been formalized yet to my knowledge.  I hear that the number of FoW players in the area is growing so once a campaign does get off the ground there should be more than enough interest to support it.  On the hobby side I've decide to change how I collect Flames of War.  Originally I was going to choose my purchases by picking units I like using.  After a while I would have a large enough force that I can using my own models without proxying.  This is how I built (still building actually) my Chaos army.  However when my friend Tracy mention he wants to go to a tournament sometime I realize I did too.  To make a legal list as fast as possible I've decide to write up a list I am happy with and only buy items in that list.  I will still play with other lists in pick-up games and/or the campaign if one starts.  I will make that list after Battlefront gives the point totals for official tournaments in the 2014-2015 season.  Until then I can pick up the things I know will be in the list and work on the story behind my fantasy German army.

This is a glimpse of my current projects.  I will be going into far more details on everything discuss so far and more in the coming weeks.  Until then.

Metal Forest

One Sunday afternoon some of my friends and myself were discussing the idea of a metal forest in a fantasy setting. They talked about things like different types of trees being compose of various metals; how people would learn to forage for "ore" or how dangerous the Fall season would be. Me. My first thoughts went to Ent like creatures from Lord of the Rings. Large wood/metal creatures of various metallic colors and armed with branches and blades filled my imagination. The great thing about this hobby is that a random idea can lead to the foundation of a new gaming project. Such a project can take shape in numerous ways. The Metal Forest idea could simply be a background detail in the fluff. Or I could make a Metal Forest terrain piece. If done right it could be a beautiful visual on the battlefield. I have no idea how to attempt to make a terrain piece but finding a way to make an image in my mind a reality on the gaming table is another part of this hobby I have grown to love. Another way to use the Metal Forest idea is to base an entire army (or just a few units) around it.

If I were to create a Metal Forest Army I would start with the fluff. Knowing the army's history and personality is key to figuring out the proper tone that the rules and models should follow. Initially I thought the rules should be next. However after thinking it over I realize the rules and models should be both work on together. You need the models to know what type of rules are needed and you need the rules to know the require number of models for a game. Looking at them separately there are several ways to pick/create the rules. By far the easiest method is to simply use an existing army's rules. My issue with this method is that I think the favor of a Metal Forest army is too different in style to use with a current army. Now aside from Warriors of Chaos, I have only a rudimentary idea of the capabilities of each Warhammer army so it is possible that you could do a Metal Forest Army justice with a current force. On the other hand using existing army rules would make finding a willing opponent to play against much easier. Still if I decide to go with custom rules, there are 3 different methods I could choose for that. Going from easiest to implement to the most difficult, the 3 methods are: a.) picking an existing army and making minor adjustments to it; b.) picking and choosing units from different existing armies to create a single army that has the proper tone; and c.) write brand new army rules from the ground up. Which method I would choose would be base on the initial vision I have for the Metal Forest army and how far away existing rules are from reaching that vision. Picking the models is much more of an art. I have to keep the vision of the army in my mind while browsing through different companies' miniature lines. The first things to look for are miniatures dealing with elves, nature and other things of that sort but that is just the beginning of the search. Eventually I will need to expand my search to include every model line I can find. Focusing on the army vision is important but I also need to be flexible in case I come across a miniature that is meant for a very different purpose but with a new paint scheme and some conversions will fit in with a Metal Forest. It is a long process but the journey is well worth it. If I take it.

And if is the key. I really like the idea but it is unlikely I will attempt something like this any time soon. I already have a lot on my gaming plate dealing with Warhammer Fantasy, not to mention my Flames of War and BattleTech projects. My purpose with this article is to explore a gaming idea that I may take up in the future or hopefully inspire someone else to take up the challenge. If the Metal Forest Army is something you want to work on yourself or you have already build an army that is similar, please let me know. I would love to hear about it. If my guidelines have inspire you to work on your own project, I would to hear about that too. And send pictures. Until next time.

The World of Chaos

One aspect of what I would like to achieve with this blog is to provide story elements to supplement my war game campaign experience. While my previous attempts have ended in unsuccessful ways, those games have pave the groundwork for a cast of characters and ideas I will continue to use in future campaigns, short stories and other projects. If those campaigns had worked out like I wanted, the overall framework would look something like the following: I would start with an introduction article that explains the campaign and the storyline behind it. The introduction would be followed by a series of character articles. Each of these articles would discuss the history and back stories of the campaign's major actors. Lastly, one or more articles/short fiction would be posted to explain the actors link to the campaign storyline. That was the plan. In practice I never got much further than posting the introduction. Some articles were written but never posted. Others were thought up but never written before the campaign's untimely end.

I've decide it is time to flush out these unwritten stories and begin posting them here regularly(and in the process create new ones). These character articles will be short fiction that explains who the character is, what powers they possess, who they associate with and a little bit of their history. I will be following each of these short fiction with an article series that I will be calling "World of Chaos." I will be discussing in these article the characters from a game play point of view. This means how I plan to convert a character's lore into table top game stats and all other issues this creates. I will also setup a "World of Chaos" page that will serve as a nexus for my fantasy setting. Among other things, the page will include brief versions of character lore and links to the full articles.

Now all this is just for my fantasy setting, represented by games like Warhammer Fantasy or Kings of War. It is unlikely any of my Flames of War campaigns will have story elements to them. I will have a science fiction setting to chronicled my adventures with BattleTech. However any character fiction article will be written to contribute to a particular BattleTech campaign or league. At that same token any BattleTech nexus pages will be for a particular campaign.

I will conclude on one final point. My fiction is independent of gaming systems. By that I mean my fiction is not set in the universe of the game I'm playing in. For example my Chaos fiction has many elements that goes against Warhammer Fantasy lore. Warhammer Fantasy did inspire me but I quickly morph those initial ideas and concept into my own world. As a side benefit this will allows me to change game systems if needed and I can still continue with the same story.

...

I hate it that this keeps happening but I've decided to end my coverage of the Blood in the Badlands Campaign. The problem this time was a difference in perception of what I thought the campaign was going to be and the style the GM decided to run with. In the coming weeks I will write a review of Badlands and briefly discuss the two styles. I'm currently in the process of writing new campaigns from the ground to replace Badlands but that will take some time.

In the meantime I talk with a friend about getting a Battletech League off the ground. He had already wrote a rough draft of the rules. Now he just need to iron them out and have the players/other Battletech fans look them over for possible errors or potential game play problems. Hopefully we can get the League started soon. When that happens I will provide some type of coverage here(what exactly are also things to be iron out).

Badlands Turn 1 part a

The legend of Fozzik's Flying Fastness is known throughout the world. Bandits and kings alike have dream about getting their hands on the treasure inside for the last millennium. Would-be thieves with the ability to reach the Fastness above the clouds learned the hard grisly way that their prize is not undefended. Nevertheless seers, diviners and others with the ability to foresee the future have learn of a secret, perhaps THE secret about the Flying Fastness. For one day only the Flying Fastness will land at its place of origin and its magical defense will be deactivated. At that point anyone could walk in and claim the Flying Fastness as their own. Of course there is a slight problem. While the exact date is known, the exact location is not. Not even the strongest future tellers could gleam at the location and history only says Fozzik created his masterpiece somewhere in the Badlands. That leaves a simple solution: conquer all of the Badlands ahead of time so when the Fastness land, it will be controlled territory. Arriving in the Badlands a year in advance revealed a flaw with this plan as well. Six others had the same idea.

Welcome. The Blood in the Badlands Campaign is now in full swing. This guide will give a general overview of the campaign and a summary of the first half of turn 1. Blood in the Badlands is split into 12 turns, with 3 turns representing a season. Each season has its own special rules and ends with a separate group mega battle with all the players (or as many that can attend) involved. Turns have the following phases: Fortress Movement, Random Events, Banner Movement, War Declaration, Mines, Fight Battles, Resolve Battle Results, Expeditions and End Turn. I will explain each phase when I discuss that part of the Turn 1 summary.

As with most campaigns, the first thing to do is to set up the map. Players take turns picking their capital and surrounding lands. Here is the map after all armies have moved.

1. Warriors of Chaos
2. Lizardmen
3. Dwarves - Tristan
4. Dwarves - Jeff
5. Orcs and Goblins
6. Empire
7. Dark Elves

Everybody starts with 7 lands, 3 banners lead by a general and two lieutenants, a capital city, a mine and a fort with the exception of the Dark Elves. They started next to a special territory that can not be claim until the Summer mega battle so Dark Elves only have 6 lands. With the Flying Fastness starting in a random location, the campaign could begin.

The first phase of the turn is the Fortress Movement. The Flying Fastness moves in a random location. Any battle fought either in the territory with the Flying Fastness or in a territory next to it uses Storm of Magic rules and earns both players extra relics. In our campaign the Fastness move deep into Dwarven territory at the bottom right of the map, completely away from any battle.

Next phase is Random Events. Each player rolls on a table to see what bane/boon affects them this turn. The important results were the following: Lizardmen destroyed a Dark Elf fort, Dwarves(Jeff) found a map which earn them a relic & a mine and Dwarves(Tristan) muster extra troops, allowing their force to be 25% larger than their opponents. The third phase is where the players move their three banners. This will affect who and where battles are fought and elements of the Expeditions phase. However for these summaries unless something unusual happens I will be leaving the Banner Movement phase out.

War Declaration. This is the phase where the players can challenge each other. Once everyone have been assign to at least one battle we decide where on the map each battle takes place and which two banners are involved. This may be obvious such as when two enemy banners are in the same location. For our campaign, Turn 1 war declaration were the following:

Dark Elves vs Empire
Dwarves(Tristan) vs Warriors of Chaos
Lizardmen vs Orcs and Goblins
Dwarves(Jeff) vs Orcs and Goblins

Phase 5 of the turn is where players learn how much their mine has earn them. Each mine can give their owner gold, relics, magic items or it can collapse in on itself. Gold allows players to field extra points in the up coming battle. Each players roll for each mine they have. The results are the following:

Orcs and Goblins - The mine collapsed
Warriors of Chaos - 100 gold
Dark Elves - 200 gold
Empire - 300 gold
Lizardmen - a relic and a 60 point magic item
Dwarves(Jeff) - 300 gold, a relic and a 20 point magic item
Dwarves(Tristan) - a relic and a 50 point magic item

The next phase is where the actual battle take place. It also marks the end of the first campaign meeting and this guide. Our group needs a two to three week period to arrange time for the games to take place. Next up will be Chaos back story and a narrative battle report of the Dwarves vs Warriors of Chaos battle.

NA LCS Charts - Week 5

I had an idea for a chart since super week but I need to wait until I had more data points to work with.  My idea was to have a chart show the ranking of each of the 8 teams after they have played an equal number of games.  I wonder what it would look like to rank the 8 LCS teams after each team played an equal number of games.  In actuality some teams end a week with more or less games played as others.  I do not think you can properly compare teams with uneven games played, hence my chart.  After 5 weeks of LCS action that chart looks like this:

While developing my rank chart I notice the teams win percentages from game to game.  I put that data into chart form and came up with this:

While the rank charts shows there are a top 4 and bottom 4 teams, this chart really shows how far ahead TSM and C9 is of the other six teams.  Six of the eight teams have a win rate of 50% or less.  Incredible.

So What's Next?

Greetings.  Things here are moving fast and I'm struggling to keep up.  There are a few subjects I want to discuss, starting with the LCS.

My initial plan was to write up random facts each week about the previous week in the NA LCS.  Then I notice the LCS displaying a lot of these same facts during their cast.  At first I thought that made my random facts a little pointless unless I can come up with unique facts.  But then I notice the LCS are not displaying some of these facts very long.  So I think I will write up another batch of random facts next week.  I also have an idea for a chart I want to put up as soon as I can.

The next subject I want to discuss are campaigns.  There are actually two that needs to be mention.  The first is that the Badlands are back though I am not running it this time, sadly.  GM campaign fell apart and in its place my group is redoing the Blood in the Badlands campaign.  The first meeting was last night and the stage was set.  The campaign will have 7 players and the first round of battle have been picked.  The GM has decide that every ones general and lieutenants will remain secret so I will not be posting character stats here like I did last time.  However everything else I post here or wanted to post here for the last Badlands campaign I plan on doing again here.  The extra campaign pages will be going up later this week.

The last thing I want to discuss is the other campaign I am involved in.  I have friends who really want to play in a Flames of War campaign but are not sure how to go about it.  Given my experience with war game campaigns I told them I would be will to run it.  It is probably a good thing I am not running the Badlands campaign after all.  Right now we are still in the planning stages.  We are looking at adopting a boardgame like Supremacy or Risk and replacing its combat mechanics with Flames of War battle.  I hope to get the campaign off the ground within the 4 or 5 weeks.

Random Facts about the first week of the NA LCS

The first week of the NA LCS is over.  The season started off with a super week and 16 action packed games.  I watch every game and took a few notes.  After crunching a few numbers I notice a few interesting facts.

40 different champions were pick over the weekend and there were 21 unique bans.  Hecarim was the only champion to be banned but not picked.

Teams that earned First Blooded or got the first Dragon won 11 out of 16 times while the team that got the first Baron won 15 out of 16 times.  Coast was the only team to lose after getting the first Baron against Curse.

Elise and Kassadin were the only champions that were 100% picked or banned.  Annie and Shyvana were the next most used champions at 15 and 14 out of 16 games respectively.  Kassadin was also the most banned champion with 15 bans.  The next closest were Kha'Zix with 8 bans and Riven with 7.

The champions with the best win record and were picked at least 3 times were  Olaf, LeBlanc, Thresh and Caitlyn.  LeBlanc and Olaf had perfect records while Thresh won 82% of the time.  Caitlyn was not far behind with a 71% win record.  On the opposite end of the spectrum the champions with the worst records were Trundle, Lucian and Gragas.  Trundle went winless going O and 3.  Lucian was not much better with a win record of only 11%.  It makes Gragas 20% win rate look decent.

Teams choice for first picks were interesting.  There were 3 common first picks and 4 that were only first picked once.  The common picks were Elise with a 50% first pick win rate, which was better than her overall win rate; Olaf with 100% first pick win rate because Olaf never lost; and Annie with a 66% win rate, double her overall win rate of 33%.

Next I looked at the unique champions between the teams.  By unique I mean a champion that was only played by a single team.  Now this does not factor in bans i.e. one of EG's unique champs was Kassadin who was also banned in every other game.  XDG Gaming had the fewest unique champs with zero.  Cloud 9, Team Coast and Dignitas had 1 each.  C9 had Teemo, Coast had Varus and Dig had Katarina.  Team SoloMid had two unique with Nunu and Sivir.  Team Curse also had two unique; Akali and Pantheon, both of whom which were devastating against XDG.  Counter Logic Gaming had the most unique champions with four; Cassiopeia, Ezreal, Vayne and Zac.

The last bit of random information I gather from the LCS were the different champions used in each role.  Top and Jungler had each 10, Mid had the most at 15, Adc had 7 and support had the fewest at 4.  Annie, Leona, Lulu and Thresh were the only champions used as support.  While Adc had more, 4 Adc champions were unique to a single team; Varus for Coast, Sivir for TSM, Ezreal and Vayne for CLG.  That means there were only 3 Adcs used by all the teams; Caitlyn, Jinx and Lucian.  Taking the unique champions out of the other roles you get Top and Mid tied with the most at 9 and the Jungler with 8.

Outside the above, what surprised me the most going over the numbers was that Rengar and Orianna was neither picked or banned.  Now Rengar might still have been globally banned because of bugs.  I do not remember any of the casters mention it but I possibly could have just missed it.  Orianna on the other hand I do not understand why she was never picked.  Maybe because I have been watching a lot of Korean games lately with Orianna being a hotly contested pick over there but I could have sworn she was also pretty big over here at NA.  Maybe teams are waiting later in the split to bring her out.  If this week has anything to go on, with the exception of Scarra, maybe players should look towards playing her instead of Gragas!

New Year's Return

I never meant to be gone this long.  One thing lead to another and now I find myself months later without having done an update here.  So much has change for me in terms of interest and focus.  My initial instincts was to explain in detail all the reasons for the delay but after thinking it over I decide it would be better to just use the New Year as an opportunity to reset.

Flames of War - I have not touch the game since I wrote the second battle report.  My friend has also been working on other projects and played his first game of Flames of War since our game about two months ago.  So that video report I wanted to do will probably not happen any time soon if at all.

Showcase - The showcase will be on hiatus for a little longer.  I have more than a few models I want to put on the showcase but first I still need to pick up that carrying case.  Also I want to wait until it warms up first. 

GM Campaign - I have decide to scrap my plans to cover the campaign here.  The campaign is still going along with a few bumps and hiccups.  There are a few reasons I have come to this decision but I will only discuss one here.  The core issue was that the nature of the campaign and what I wanted to do here were at odds with each other.  The only public information in the GM campaign is the location of banners, special events and alliances.  The composition of those banners are secret, known only to the GM.  Writing up battle reports here would put my opponent and me at a disadvantage in that the other players will be privy to information they should not have.  Even the short stories I wanted to write would hint at elements in my army.  I tried to think of ways to get around this issue but I could not come up with an answer I was satisfy with.  I do not know what my gaming group has plan after the GM Campaign concludes, if anything.  However since we are still literally in the middle of the GM Campaign, the next adventure will not be happening anytime soon.

Battletech - What is most surprising to me is that Battletech is the area where I have the most news on.  I've played more games of Battletech than I have of Warhammer or any war game for that matter in the last six months.  I have also expanded my collection.  In addition to my Valiant, I now own a Goshawk, a Helepolis and a Neptune submarine (well two submarines as that is what came in the pack). While playing games at the shop, we had attracted a lot of attention from other gamers.  It seems there is enough players and interest in the area to start up a Battletech league or some other long term campaign.  Lastly I have plans to work with a friend to develop a show about Battletech.  Progress on the league and the show have stalled in the last few weeks but I am confident the show should be up and running in the next couple of months or less.  The same with the league though I have a little less confidence in it.  We shall see in the coming weeks and months.

League of Legends - It feels weird taking about League of Legends here but the game has been a major part of my life for almost two years now.  With the League  of Legends Championship Series just starting up I want a place to voice my thoughts on the pro scene.  I did have long term plans to kitbashing models to look like LoL champions.  Will probably be doing the LoL kitbashing sooner than I initial thought as it would go with my writing LoL articles here.

That is it for now.  Hopefully my next update won't take as long.