After some conversations about the Descent: Journeys In the Dark board game, I found that several people had not heard about the HeroQuest game from Milton Bradley that came out several years back. Here is one of the best “fan” pages of the old game, for those interested.
HorrorClix
WizKids has recently released a new variation on their popular HeroClix game. It is filled with horror icons of all types. I’ll have to pick some packs up some time. See the official website.
Descent: Journeys In the Dark
Fantasy Flight Games has released a new “board” game that looks really intriguing. It is very similar in concept to the old Heroquest game. Take a look at Descent and its expansion sets. It is astounding in its expense, but it comes with a large number of models, so I’m sure production costs were staggering as well.
Buffy and Angel RPGs Cancelled
Eden Studios recently announced that they and FOX have mutually agreed to not renew the license for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel role-playing games. Both use the Unisystem game system (same as All Flesh Must Be Eaten). Eden will continue to support their existing products, but new releases are not forthcoming.
Argh! Thar Be Zombies
Next month sees the release of Eden Studios’ latest All Flesh Must Be Eaten product, Argh! Thar Be Zombies. Fairly obviously, it combines two genres, pirates and the living dead. It should be interesting. I plan on getting it myself, but I’m curious if anyone thinks it sounds like something fun to play?
First All Flesh Game in the Books
Casey and Colby got to experience our first All Flesh Must Be Eaten game, using Eden Studio’s Unisystem rules. In a four-hour time period, they successfully completed the adventure, Thirteen Ways to Die… Choose One.
The evening began as the Coppertons (Carl and son, Daniel, and girlfriend, Linda) along with their bodyguard, Stefano, and hired driver, Norton, picked up injured teenage hitchhiker, Eli Landau, while trying to find their way to San Francisco in a raging thunderstorm. Eli gave them directions to the little town of Thirteen Pines, where the group hoped to find a fast way to an interstate or expressway.
The group’s minivan crested a ridge and drove toward the dim lights of town. About halfway down the incline, the car’s power cut out, sending them spiralling out of control as the power steering failed. After a few tense moments, the group crashed into a stone flower pot in the center of a roundabout.
Crawling out into the rain, they ran into Fly’s Hardware and General Store only to find the proprietors eating a man in the back. The group snatched up axes, chainsaws, and flammable liquids and torched the hardware store, but the proprietors pursed them into the rain. The group fled to the J.P. Landau municipal building, only to find it partially burned. They rushed within and locked the doors.
After a bit of rubble clearing, the group proceeded into the basement and found some large firearms storage safes. Three were standing open and empty, but a third was sealed. Using a key from upstairs, they opened the safe to find the animated corpse of Constable Reeves within. Norton surprised everyone by pulling a large revolver from his coat and blowing the head off the zombie. The group then found eight semi-automatic rifles, with no bullets.
They then proceeded into the information center and the town library, and killed a half-torn-in-two zombie who spewed acidic slime all over Stefano. They also watched a “survivor” of the town die in the upstairs room as she succumbed to her injuries. A bit of research revealed things were not right with the Landau family, and the group began suspecting J.P. Landau to be behind the events.
They went out and searched the forestry station and found two bullets for the Ruger Mini-14s they had collected. Like the other buildings they had visited, they burned this one down too. They then went to the church and graveyard and found some strange things in the Landau mausoleum. As they moved back toward the center of town, the world seemed to spin, and suddenly buildings they had burned down were still standing. To make things worse, they found zombies of themselves moving down Romero Street and up Barrow Hill!
The gang killed some of their zombie “clones” and went up the hill to the Landau estate. There, they found Landau sitting on a black stone throne surrounded by thirteen zombies. Daniel shot and killed him, and the zombies attacked as hundreds more came shuffling onto the scene. Norton went berserk and shot Daniel, and Carl and Stefano hacked Norton apart with an axe and chainsaw. Then, the zombies began turning into Landau everytime the man was “killed”. Desperately, they fought against the man and the zombies. They discovered a living “clone” of Daniel, and the real (injured) Daniel went to untie him, but had his throat ripped out by a zombie as the last bonds fell free. Carl went berserk, and Stefano whipped out his spring baton, and the remaining of the thirteen zombies went down hard. Finally, Landau was defeated, and the storm dissipated in an instant. As the clouds disappeared in a puff, the remaining zombies fell lifeless to the ground. The horrors had ended for now, but many questions remain unanswered, including the origins and humanity of the “clone” Daniel.
Game Results for November 18, 2006
It was game 2 of our Underworld variation of Vampire: The Masquerade, played at our first Thanksgaming Day event.
The Death Dealers set out to execute two enemy mafia leaders, Mariano and Paul Massoli. They raided the house and engaged in fierce battle throughout the first floor. Unfortunately, two Lycans were aiding the Massolis, and Johnny Dean was decapitated.
After clearing the first floor, Hagitha, Ryu and Darren moved up to the second floor, which was filled with mafia muscle. Hagitha and Darren were soon neutralized, but Ryu was able to outgun the opposition. Darren had succeeded in executing Mariano Massoli before he was incapacitated, leaving only Paul Massoli as a remaining target. Ryu stalked down to his holdout and put two .45ACP rounds through his body.
Unfortunately, Ryu showed a bit of mercy and left call girl, Sally Willis, alive as a witness. They group’s plan of framing the Jamaicans failed, because she told everyone an Asian was the trigger man. Confusion about who executed the hit still exists, but there have been no retaliations against the Jamaicans as the Death Dealers’ bosses wanted.
Game Results for November 16, 2006
Game session 18 of the Age of Worms campaign ended with a bang! The party began the evening attempting to traverse a steep passage up into the darkness. Several of the party members found their armor particularly limiting and the going was slow. At the top of the passage, the group found a wide chamber protected by a pair of spear-toting grimlocks. Naturally, they yelled for reinforcements as they attacked the heroes.
After some interesting combat, a flood of grimlocks poured into the room and setup charges and flanks all through the party. The fighting was fierce but eventually the heroes vanquished the enemy. Unfortunately, they were yet to encounter the grimlock chieftain.
This massive, raging grimlock came charging from his cave yelling praises to Bhaal and swinging a nasty greataxe. A single, horrendous blow sent Brutus to the ground searching for Oblivion. Only the quick thinking of Valgen saved his life; the whip-warrior uncorked a potion vial and force-fed his critically injured ally. The blonde elven bombshell, Cam, went toe-to-toe with the chieftain and suffered terrible injuries for his efforts. The spellcasting prodigies, Jimmy and Lyrin, pelted the chieftain with spells while Thoril dropped back to rain arrows from afar.
Finally, spells brought down the axe-swinging behemoth. Little Jimmy Firespark then ran over and bashed its skull with his fearsome quarterstaff.
Licking its wounds, the party has holed up in the chieftain’s quarters in an effort to camp and recover their strength. A single, dark passageway winds down into the darkness outside his chambers. Where will it lead, and what evils await below?
Choker Warlock
In our latest Age of Worms game session, the party encountered a pair of chokers for the first time. Ironically, this week at the Wizards of the Coast website, the Fight Club presents a choker progressing through rogue and warlock class levels.
Game Results for November 9, 2006
It was game session 17 of the Age of Worms campaign this week. A re-grouped party, joined by two new members, pressed further into the caves of Bhaal. The grimlock archers hounding the party at the ledge were eventually neutralized with a barrage of arrows, bolts and spells.
After traversing the cliff face to the cavern floor, the group fought off a pair of chokers intent on turning the band into dinner. After dispatching the chokers, the party turned their attentions to the rope lattice above the choker lair and found it guarded by a grimlock barbarian and three grimlock warriors.
Spells flew, arrows zinged, and potions were quaffed. By the end of the carnage, the entire party remained standing, and all of the grimlocks lay dead. Of course, the party conducted an obligatory search of the bodies and moved on.
Now, the group stands at the top of the rope lattice gazing upward into darkness at a narrow passage winding sharply into the unknown.
Charles Plemons' Blog@posts@charles-plemons.blog.wku.eduJust another weblog
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