Blood on the Blade- Scouting Mission- Episode One

Blood on the Blade rules.
I recently tried out the fantasy game Blood on the Blade by Studium MCLXV.  The rules are designed for 1-2 players running a band of heroes against A.I. controlled enemy.  The system has simple, but decent mechanics, interesting scenarios and campaign flow chart, and many options for character advancement and party building.  The A.I. systems works fairly well, with rolls to determine which enemy will activate and what they will do.  The system gets a little redundant once figures are engaged in melee, but it still helps drive the tension of combat.  One of the neater features of the game is when event tokens are activated and call for enemy troops to be revealed.  The specific enemy faced is generated randomly from a chart on the enemy force list, so when fighting the undead, you may be fighting ghouls, zombies or skeletons.  The randomness becomes a surprise that helps provide a game mastered feel for the game.  After trying out a few games solo, I decided I like the game enough to pick up their Sci-fi version called Blood in Space.  I am still eager to try playing cooperative with another player to see if it holds up.

Scouting Mission-  Episode One
The plague that struck Aghamon was brutal and quick, it left civilization on the brink of destruction.  The land has become hollowed out as everywhere you look you find the dead or dying.  You walk though the remnants of their lives, abandoned hopes and rotting buildings.  Those who survived pulled together to form pockets of community, harsh enclaves that scrape to get by.  Any who are able bodied volunteer, are conscripted, or are hired to fight back, because the dead from the plague continue to walk.  Small bands of would be soldiers are sent out into the land, everyday going further afield to seek out much needed supplies, as well as other survivors they may come across.  They fight back the tide of undead and other unsavory enemies that threaten the very existence of civilization.  This is the story of one such band.

Richard is a younger son of a once prominent noble family.  His father wished for him to enter the church, but Richard picked up the sword to forge his own path.  As a soldier he was better prepared than most to respond to the dangers that the plague has brought.  Thus, he has been tasked by the town's military officials to lead a small band on a scouting mission into the wild lands.

Letta is quiet and stoic.  She does not talk about her life before the plague, yet the depth of sadness in her eyes attest to the losses she must have suffered.  Her despair also evidences itself in the utter ferocity with which she swings her hefty two-handed mace.

Thorstein is a visitor from the North who found himself trapped in town, marooned and surrounded by a see of death.  Though not a warrior, he readily picked up a spear and volunteered to join the town's defenders.

Baird is a sailor by trade, and his experience escaping a plague ship has unsettled his wits.  When the illness spread through the cramped quarters of the ship and the able bodied were too few to dump the dead into the sea, the dead began to rise and seek out the living.  Some sailors attempted to climb the masts, only to be treed by the horde of undead.  Instead Baird went over the side where he cast himself adrift, tied to cask of wine until he washed ashore near the town.  The soldiers that found him gave him a crossbow and assigned him to Richard's band.

Osrina and Richard were childhood friends, but their ways parted when she went off to pursue her arcane studies.  As an apprentice she has trained and practiced diligently for the past several years, and has made some progress in magic with a smattering of combat training.  After the outbreak began and quickly spread, her master grew more and more remote.  One day, he sent her on an errand, as would often be part of her duties, however, he was no where to be found upon her return. The note she eventually found stated that her master had entered the quarantined city with the hopes his magic could aid those in need.  Orina, the note directed, should return to her home town to lend what aid she may.  Once reunited with Richard, she quickly volunteered for his mission.

Richard's band has been tasked with scouting out a rural area to rid the land of undead, and to seek out supplies or survivors at the nearby homesteads.  As they approach Richard insists they investigate the small patches of woods they find.  A rustling can be heard in the brush up ahead.
 
(The scenario calls for 6 Event tokens to be placed upon the board.  These activate when a character get's close enough and may reveal enemies, treasure, other objectives, or nothing at all)

Richard leads the way and discovers two zombies emerging from the woods.  He quickly draws his blade and charges the closer one.  As he fights he hears the twang of Baird's crossbow, and the cursing of the sailor when he missed.  Richard's blade cuts into the zombie, and the lack of any pain response from the creature sends a chill down his spine.  He senses, more that sees Letta next to him, and hears the meaty sound as her heavy mace slams into the other zombie.  Letta gasps in pain when the zombie strikes back.  Thorstein yells a war cry as he prepares to charge, but before he can do so the battle is over.  Both zombies have been dispatched.  Richard catches his breath as Osrina casts a spell of healing to tend to Letta's wound.  Baird reloads his crossbow, while Thorstein eyes the next copse of woods.

(Combat has simple but interesting mechanics.  A character rolls a number of dice based upon the weapon they use and any bonuses purchased through experience points.  To hit they must beat the Target Number (TN) of the opponent.  If they hit, damage is assigned per weapon, and it consists of adding combinations of the highest or lowest dice from the to hit roll.  Damage will be reduced by a damage reduction stat determined by the armor worn)

Richard continues to take the lead.  They search the rest of the woods on this side of the homestead, then cautiously approach the barn.  The insides were a shambles, with equipment scattered about and the remains of both human and animal festering in the heat.  The band quickly moved on to the house, hoping to get away from the stench, but as they draw near, they realize that the smell is just as bad at the house.  As Richard approaches the door, it bursts open and three zombies shamble towards the party.  Again, Richard charges into the midst of them as the rest of his band lends support.  Baird finally hits a zombie with his crossbow, then dances a short jig as he reloads.  Thorstein and Letta are soon at Richard's side, and the three of them make quick work of the zombies.  A quick search of the house produces nothing of use.

(Event tokens in the scenario are either Enemies guarding a loot token, an Enemy group on it's own, or nothing of interest.  Other scenarios tailor the event tokens to fit the story)

Thorstein has a quicker stride and leads the party to investigate the last copse of trees.  As he approaches he hears clacking and clicking noises from just beyond the trees.  Soon a group of skeletons are seen moving through the trees.  Thorstein charges the nearer one, while Richard eyes a skeleton with the garb of a military officer.  Baird yells, "sticks and stones!" as he fires his crossbow, and the rest charge into battle.

(Once an encounter is determined, you roll what type of creature is encountered.  Since I was using the Undead enemy charts, the choices were Zombies, Ghouls or Skeletons.  In this case the encounter was three skeletons and a skeleton champion)

The battle is intense.  Richard dispatches a skeleton with a single blow, but soon finds himself out numbered and struggles to stay on top of his opponents.  Letta and Thorstein both attack the same skeleton, and laugh when it goes down too.  They turn to aid Richard only to see him fall with a nasty gash on his leg.  As they step in to protect their fallen leader, Osrina rushes in to bash one of the skeletons with her staff.  Even Baird draws his dagger and charges in.  Soon the skeletons are defeated and the band lets out a sigh of relief.  Osrina stoops to examine Richard and indicates that he is still alive.  "His leg is in bad way, I can heal some of it with magic, but he needs rest and medical attention," she says.  "I know of a healer that used to live not far from here, we need to take him there." 

"The bleeding might draw more zombies from the woods," says Thorstein. 

"Then we shall have to stay vigilant and be on guard while Richard rests," says Osrina.

(Richard lost all his hit points and went down.  After the battle he rolled on the Eliminated Characters chart and got a permanent leg wound that reduces his Target Number by one making him easier to be hit because of being off balance.  Characters that survived all gained a victory point that can be converted in to experience points to buy advancements for the characters.  The next battle, Defense, was determined by rolling on the Campaign flow-chart.  Prior to that battle there is a chance to recruit new members, spend experience and regain some or all of each character's hit points)