Yeah, we’re at part 4 and the conclusion of an experiment in immersive storytelling. Scroll down or click as appropriate for the previous editions, or just catch up quickly in the recap page.

Part 1          Part 2           Part 3

The idea was this: construct a fantasy story based solely on what happens on a wargame table. Let the architecture of the tabletop terrain be the mystery arc; and the let the game mechanics (dice rolls, the rules of play, positioning of miniatures, strategies and tactics) drive the narrative. I went in cold, assembling the foundations of a ruined black temple on the tabletop and deploying the two armies on either side. I posed the mystery, not knowing its resolution:

“A mysterious black temple in the forest is said to hold powerful singing runes. It’s in ruins; but its two courtyards are separated by a door-less and featureless central wall. Why would a temple be split into two equal halves with no access between them?”

Two armies arrived at the same time, a force of electrical knights known as Cygnar, and an undead and sorcery-driven army called Cryx.

Read on to see what happened. Click on this link if you prefer a pdf.

Black Ruins Massacre pt 4.

The recap so far…

Cryx’s Bane Witch was in a bad place and outnumbered at the end of part 3. She did the only things she could do to try and turn the momentum in her favor…

So Agathia’s sorcery and ferocious boldness granted her more of Major Maddox’s blood; but none of it has been enough. Cygnar’s return blows will be terrible.

The Bane Witch is powerful, yes…even deadly in close combat. But she is overwhelmingly outnumbered and outflanked. Cygnar is closing in for what will apparently devolve into a war of attrition and running, relying on long range sorcery.

Unbelievably, Agathia bets it all on another suicide run! She races to the central wall, vanishes like a shadow, and appears in the very heart of Cygnar’s strongest forces. Yet, she’s in range of Major Maddox, who was already wounded by the Deathripper’s previous sneak attack and the gang attack by the Satyxis Raiders.

Sorcery wins the day! Unaided by her two remaining troops, the Bane Witch’s sneak attack and mad dash worked. But the temple wasn’t done with her…

And that’s a wrap!

I honestly had no idea going in why that temple was split. It’s just how the foam pieces fit together into a pattern on the table. Looked cool. Also didn’t know who would win the fight or what tactics would be necessary. Each turn, I just hit the other side as hard as I could with everything I had. Maybe there was no surprise element; but there was definitely ferocity.

This was intriguing. And it was a fun diversion through the holidays downtime. The game mechanics made the story line a bit frustrating at times, when I got hooked on an idea I wanted to see play out and couldn’t quite make that happen. But no cheating, man. No cheating. I just let it roll.

Actually, I was happy to see the Bane Witch win this one. That very much fleshed out the resolution nicely when I dreamed up the answer for the mysterious two halves of the temple. Not sure what the answer would have been had Major Maddox won.

I really appreciate the kind feedback and suggestions. Thanks for all the interest. We probably won’t do any more of these unless you guys really push since it was just an experiment. Glad you had fun, though.

Happy New Year!

You’ve found part 3 of an experiment in immersive storytelling where we’re letting the mechanics of a popular tabletop steampunk wargame drive the narrative within a given framework. Part 1 and part 2 are available; but you can catch up by just reading on as well.

If you prefer the pdf, just click here. Black Ruins Massacre part 3

But so far in the Black Ruins…

Last time when Cryx’s cackling and maniac Satyxis Raiders stormed like ghosts through the central wall in a diagonal blitz, surprising the Stormguard, it seemed enough to seize momentum and clear the western courtyard and pave the way for a rear attack against Cygnar’s Major Maddox. However…

Actually, the Raiders had split their forces last time, sending several of their number directly through the central wall to help the lone Slayer in the eastern courtyard. They couldn’t reach him in time though…

The Raiders in the eastern courtyard finally reached mighty Ironclad…

Meanwhile, Agathia makes a bold and sinister move drawing first blood against Major Maddox in a genius stroke of sorcery…

But it isn’t enough…

Despite Agathia’s bold strike, the momentum of the slaughter has turned to Cygnar…

And poor Reaper, who had gleefully perched on the central wall so eager to hook and snag a hapless victim found himself a prominent and helpless target with Gun Mages racing towards him…

And that’s where we are. I’ve allowed the battle to play out, just following the game mechanics and trying to stay as objective as possible each turn, playing out the most ruthless tactics and strategies available at the time. When I’m playing a side, there is no mercy or hedging. It’s ruthless, till I step the other side of the table and have to switch sides again.

Soon, I’ll have to return to the mystery of the black ruins and that weird central wall, the mysterious statues that appeared from the fog. (I actually needed the time to make the terrain piece that will drive that part of the story). It’s not interesting to me to have something relating to the story arc affect the battle though, so we’ll have to see how that fits back in as things progress.

I appreciate the feedback and interest from so many of you, thanks for that! Glad you’re enjoying it.

See you next time!

 

Click and read part 1, dude. You’ve come across an experiment in immersive storytelling, relying on the game mechanics of a popular tabletop wargame to frame a steampunk and fantasy story. Not fan fiction, just a different mechanism for deciding what happens as the general plot unfolds.

This is part 2, where the mystery of the black ruins deepens and first blood is drawn. Read the pdf for part 2 if you prefer that to the images below. Warmachine game 4 – pt 2

Before the fateful clash at the central wall, mysterious and terrifying statues suddenly appear…

Unfazed by the mystery and unable to investigate when slaughter awaits them, Cygnar entrenches for the Cryx assault, poised in a defensive cluster on the west and protected from Raider charges on the east.

Gun Mages advance and draw first blood!

Undead Bane Warriors pass like ghosts through the wall and attack. Satyxis Raiders, magically enabled to do the same ghostly maneuver, make a surprise move and split their forces, four of whom attack the Stormguard from behind.

Another clash brews on the east side of the temple, with six Raiders and a Slayer only steps away from Cygnar’s most dangerous weaponry, and a rushing Reaper with its harpoon raised high atop the wall.

Honestly, I didn’t see the diagonal maneuver by the Raiders coming until it came. At this point, I’m excited to see that Reaper blast somebody from the top of that wall and haul them up for a beating. And maybe those Raiders have a chance to gang up and do some damage on the warjacks. We’ll see about that.

And what’s going on with those statues, by the way? A ruined temple split into two parts suddenly overseen by statues of hideous entities that appears from thin air? Crazy.

See you next time.