A funny story about a dwarf

   "It was a long time ago.  My companions and I started a series of quests for some wizard named the Mentor and some of the weirdest stuff happened.  For a company used to escorting caravans and guarding lords, those dungeon-crawls were kinda crap!  But we certainly have some stories to tell.  

  Like, early on, we were tasked with hunting down this Gargoyle- massive, stone-tough, and surrounded by all the monsters you would find in a dungeon!  I, of course, kicked every door down and charged whatever looked like it needed my blade.  The elf followed and kept getting injured- elves aren't very tough, ya know?  But he did some things with that magic he uses.  Speaking of magic- the wizard snuck around more than a thief!  Every room- he comes in later and just sorts himself into a corner and watches as we do all the fighting, and then just wanders away.  He had some good magic, but he was all about hiding in the shadows.  

  But the dwarf- well, they have short legs so you shouldn't expect much.  He lagged behind the rest of the group all the time.  In fact, I'm confident he even wandered off down different hallways because he didn't know where were!  By the time we got to the final room, with a fireplace, the Gargoyle, and a bunch of other baddies, the dwarf was all the way around the other side!  As we fought- the elf died and then I died!  The dwarf yelled through the wall after us as he heard the commotion and then the wizard used that magic and made the dwarf walk right through that wall!  With a bellowing roar, he charged into the Gargoyle's back and finished him off easily.  Like, one-shot easily.  That dwarf hadn't fought but once through the whole quest and then he gets to show up and win the battle?

  Our arguments later really came from who the MVP was.  Obviously, everyone wanted to pick the dwarf because he landed the killing blow.  But I think that sneaky little wizard, with his 'pass through walls' thing, was the real winner.  It didn't matter, the elf died too and that makes it all okay.  Then there was a wagon getting crashed on the way home, but that's a different story.  Ah, the stories!  Now let me tell you about rescuing Sir Ragnar..."

The ladies fighting for the galaxy!

  The whole family is together recently and we had to take the chance to throw down on some games.  My wife and daughter pulled out the Relic Knights box and I was summoned to do the "Intro stuff".  I was reminded of how easy this game is to learn...  Of course, they played Radiant vs. Void and it led to a couple of unique happenings that make for great story-telling- the whole point of all games!

  One of the best concepts of the game is the complete lack of deployment zones are specific terrain setup.  The players take turns to place their objective markers anywhere on the table more than 9" away from other objectives, then take turns deploying their units ANYWHERE ON THE TABLE more than 9" away from enemy units and enemy objectives.  This means players are not limited to 'symmetry' or some arbitrary required setup when making a themed, organic battlefield.  The unlimited deployment means that players are in the action almost immediately- no clunky rounds of just moving around and 'positioning' like other wargames.  My wife and daughter set up a nice, woodland table that wouldn't be out-of-place for a LotR SBG game...

  As the game ramped up, we saw Cupid compelling the Sundown Enforcers backwards after getting peppered with sheets of firepower, and Mikel chasing Mr. Milky into the trees for far too long- the Cyphers were definitely a focus!

  But the story of Tahariel and Bang Bang seems to be fated to remaining the same- Ms. Kaylee slowed Mikel's obsessive advance and eventually charged to finish the weakened cleric.  The Sundown Enforcers, long frustrated with Cupid's shenanigans, opened fire on Tahariel from across the battlefield and added to Bang Bang's deadeye shots, giving Kaylee her chance to sneak up on an unsuspecting target and use her claws.  Tahariel screamed in agony and fled the area, defeated this time...  

  It was a great game and both of the ladies playing had an absolute blast!  It was also great to see a complete 'noob' be able to pick up the rules and game-flow so easily, meaning that this should be a very easy game to teach.  This game just used the models from the 2-player starter set and the games are even more fun at the 'full-size'- that's more units to field!  I'm working on those right now.  Be sure to check out the set and more here.  

Happy Gaming!