Thursday 9 November 2017

The Harrowmark Run - part 7

Triumph and Treachery: Tower of Screaming Death! The campaign finale!

With the Helm of Authority in their possession, the Ogresuns rushed to the Freebooter's Tower where they planned to use the tower's fell power, combined with the helm's power, to wipe out the enemy warbands. Of course, the others would do all they could to stop this from happening!

The Ogresuns
Kaptain Salty Ogbad - Orruk Warboss, Gem of Seeing, Helm of Authority
Dredger Zug - Orruk Boss
Dubloon Dreg - Orruk
Fetch - Orruk
Blackspot - Orruk
Nastyface - Orruk
Bad Hook - Orruk
Fishgutz - Orruk
Capsize Naz - Orruk
Scupper Lug - Orruk
Poxy Uzbad - Orruk
Floggin Morr - Orruk
Walker Plank - Grot
Stormy Trug - Grot
Dirty Morrgun - Grot
Dread Pirate RogUrtz - Grot
Mr Whalebelly - Ogor

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An angry red sun was just visible through the heavy blanket of cloud. The Harrowmark was bathed in a strange dirt-brown light. The powerful gusty wind forced the orruks to hold on to their hats and swirled dust and leaves in their eyes. Squally showers periodically soaked them with freezing rain.

Kaptain Ogbad and the Ogresuns made their way back to the Freebooter's Tower, where this whole expedition had been conceived and planned. The crew were in high spirits for once, even though the forests of the Harrowmark were even more ominous looking than normal in the ruddy light and inclement weather. The crew sang crude shanties and shouted at each other, exchanging tales of their recent adventures.

As they cleared the tangled woods and entered the clearing around the tower they fell silent - their old adversaries were also here in force waiting for them: The Freeguild mercenaries of the Gilded Hand and the Nighthaunts of the Ordeshal Host.

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The Ogresuns swarmed the tower under a heavy rain of crossbow fire from the Gilded Hand - Dirty Morrgun the grot,  and orruks Capsize Naz, Dubloon Dreg and Bad Hook all went down with crossbow bolts embedded in them.



The Grots were told to try to delay the crossbowmen and they took that to mean hurling insults and taunts at the mercenaries.




The crossbowmen took the bait and charged the grots.


A Freeguild Pistoleer charged up the hill at Kaptain Ogbad.


Stormy Trug killed the crossbow's standard bearer.
Walker Plank fled in panic.




Ogbad killed the Pistoleer [his armour appeared to be made of paper! Look at those Save rolls!!].



The Ghost Ryders charged and killed Mr Whalebelly the Ogor.


Ogbad killed the swordsman champion.
Spirit horse killed Poxy Uzbad.


The Whyte Lady charged Kalyustar of the Gilded Hand and she killed him.



The Witch Hunter and the Vampire fight! She wounded him.


Karol attacked Ogbad but no wounds scored.


Ogbad "evil eyed" Karol and killed him.
Nastyface and Dredger Zug were killed by Lyrd Radclyffe's Riders.
Stormy Trug ran away.


Fetch killed the swordsmen's piper.


Crossbowmen's standard barer garrisoned the tower.








The Whyte Lady's vorpal blade ripped through the Witch Hunter!



Spirit Hosts attack the tower garrison, killed the Standard Bearer and replaced him as the garrison.


Floggin Morr killed a crossbowman.



By a heroic effort from the Freeguilder foot troops the Vampiress was slain!


The Crossbowmen fell back after a hurried truce was called with the Ogresuns. They fired at the Spirit Hosts in the tower instead.

A Spirit Host outside the tower killed one of the swordsman.



The last orruk died as the Ghost Riders ran down the pirate crew. A Spirit Host was dispelled by crossbow fire.


The riders closed in on the Kaptain.


Kaptain Ogbad fell to the Hex Wraith's scythes!
Just three Freeguild remained to face a Spirit Host (that still garrisoned the tower) and three Riders.



The crossbow and bowman died and the lone survivor fled, which meant...


The Ordeshal Host won the battle, the tower and the campaign!

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The Ogresuns ran through the tangles forests, thorny branches grasped and tore their clothes. Most of them were wounded and all of them were shaken. They didn't know which way they were heading or where their boat was they just did their best to stay together as a group.

In the growing darkness the unnatural noises of the forest grew louder...

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This was one of my favourite campaigns so far! I really enjoyed the story and the atmosphere of the Harrowmark setting.

I think the setup worked very well - the main story of the campaign was roughly scripted as four Triumph & Treachery battle plans to be played out in a pre-set order (the "A-plot"): Whenever all three of us could get together we played the next in the list. If only two of us could play we picked one of "B-plot" ideas to flesh out what our warbands were doing the rest of the time. These were in no set order and we chose which one to play based on what had happened so far.

We will be using this format again for our next campaigns!

5 comments:

  1. Great looking battle with loads of character in the warbands. Top stuff all round!

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    1. Thanks Riot!
      We had to play the game over two lunchtime sessions as all our warbands had grown pretty large over the campaign - even using halved Renown rewards! If felt like a suitably epic send-off for the campaign though :D

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  2. Overall then would you recommend the skirmish rules set as a way to run this kind of narrative campaign?

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    Replies
    1. Definitely!
      You can use the campaign in the Skirmish book as an example (and pick ANY Battleplan from the whole range of AoS publications) of how to preselect a series of scenarios to fit a story. Be ready to swap Battleplans to reflect the changes to the story that may happen due to on-table events!

      https://warbosskurgan.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/the-harrowmark-run-part-0.html

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