Frostgrave – The hobbit and the bear - An AAR

My heroic witch and her gang.
From left to right: Two treasure hunters (Ms Stela and Ms Láni), ranger (Ms Fylgja), witch (Ms Norn), crossbowwoman (Ms Brjóst), bear animal companion (Ms Bera), apprentice (Ms Læra), marksman (Ms Lítill), ranger (Ms Bogi), zombie (Ms Dauða) and templar (Ms Harður). 
Our tracker (Ms Rekja) is at the base recuperating from the serious wounds she got last game.
(I took the freedom to give them proper names instead of the nicknames some of them had before.)

We had a great big Frostgrave battle last week and I had an opportunity to both use new terrain-pieces and new miniatures. The last part was particularly satisfying, using my newly painted bear.

Icky necromancer and his baddies.

This time it was a standard game with the optional possible monster activation when treasures were found.

Summoner with friends and a demon. It goes withour saying that these are not mommys boys and girls...

I had my usual Witch warband, Thomas used his Summoner, my son David had an evil (sort of goes without saying) Necromancer and Koen had his first game of Frostgrave using a… well, I don’t actually remember what kind of wizard he used (but obviously a rather cowardly one…).

Koen's warband. They do look rather tasty, don't they...

When I started taking pics of the respective warbands my camera started complaining about low battery levels and as a result there will unfortunately be a limited number of photos and they will be concentrated on the fighting around my warband. Sorry 'bout that.

Witch set up around the green circle, Koen's yellow (fitting), Summoner orange and Necromancer pink.

Koen's gang advances around the church/temple and moves towards the pyramid and the ruined keep and the treasures there.

My witch advances on the right flank with Ms Stela the treasure hunter and a couple of shooters, while the apprentice moves towards the same ruin as Koen's gang.

The necromancer enters the ruined temple while his apprentice moves towards my warband.

The summoner takes it easy in his corner, content with being left alone.

Necromancer and friends in the ruined temple and close to two treasures, which they will secure.

A halfling thief climbed into the ruined keep and moved up to the treasure. His plans to grab it is ruined by my apprentice casting a leap on the bear. So it begins...

That's a mighty big bear... and angry too.

Meanwhile Koen's warband spreads out, trying to get as many treasures as possible.

As does my warband

Even the summoner feels a need to get his thumbs out and he kicks his troops forward.

My missile troopers sends a mass of arrows and bolts towards the necromancer's gang...

...and scores first blood as a crossbowman falls.

My witch cast the second (and last) successful spell made by my warband, and moves a treasure towards her with telekinesis. Ms Stela runs up the steps of the cliff.

Koen doesn't want to see a massacred hobbit and casts the most elegant spell of the game, a wall in between my bear and his troops. Well played, indeed! Laughter an applause greeted that spell (even from the bear)

Treasures are now taken left and right and one of them gets a couple of monsters to appear. We use a scatter diece to se where they enter. Two ghouls enters the playing field on the necromancer flank, seriously upsetting his plans.

Another sneaky hobbit thief expects to run home with treasure and glory. An angry bear jumping after him upsets that plan. The hobbit in the ruins sighs in relief and sneaks away.

A found treasure activates another monster, a demon, and this time it arrives in my back and it engages Ms Norn. Talk about upsetting plans!

The gouls clashes with a necromancer zombie and thief, effectively occupying them for the rest of the game as neither side does any serious damage on the other.

Koen smiles smugly while his soldiers surround the bear. The wizard looks on, just waiting to get it all over with.

My witch fortunately wins her fight with the demon and she runs away as fast as she can. The demon will be shot to pieces by the missile troops but it means that they won't be able to shoot at the Necromancer's gang.
Out of picture is the treasure hunter Ms Stela that has climbed to the top of the cliff and she survives missiles and an enemy soldier leaping up there. She will jump down the cliff and run for safety with a treasure.

 There is a fierce fight going on at the top of the pyramid at this point, and lots of blod is shed over a treasure. Forgot to take any pics there, though.

The necromancer bone darts my ranger, who falls.

To be joined by my apprentice who gets a crossbow bolt in her guts.

Koen looks rather smug now.  Can you even count all the bonuses I get with 3 men surrounding your puny bear, he asks. I roll a 19, he does not and one man is bear-fodder.

Well, I still have lots of bonuses, he says. I roll a 17, he does not and the hobbit is toast and the treasure is dropped.

I still have a mighty hero against your #%¤&! bear, he says. I roll a 18, he does not, and the onlooking wizard gulps and makes a tactical retreat.

With that Koen had to run home, crying (well, he said he had to catch a train… sure) and we called it a day. Ms Norn and her heroic warband got home with four treasures and where without a doubt the winners of the day.

The heroic bear more than makes up for the embarrasing amount of failed spells and botched missile fire the rest of the gang accomplished.
The bear got an extra serving of hobbit-kebab in the evening and is certainly making an appearance in the next game.

A warm welcome to follower Reed with his brand new blog Reed Arcaneum. First post yesterday and a good start it is. Check it out and remember the first time you posted. It was an awful long time ago now…