The Animosity Weekender 2024 - UK Meet-Up

I ran my first narrative Warcry event at Warhammer World for the UK Animosity Discord meet-Up event on Sunday (21st January 2024). And it was really enjoyable! I want to do it again.

It was for the Animosity Weekender 2024: Rolling Thunder which (by design) coincided with the Las Vegas Open - a huge convention, where Naro, who is also one of the Animosity GMs, ran the AoS narrative event.

The Animosity Weekender there consisted of a one-evening Warcry event, followed by a three-day AoS event. An entirely grander affair than mine! It was at a ticketed convention, with the AoS narrative run for 24 players, over 3 days, and included doubles games, one-against-one games, and a huge multi-player siege game finale.

My little event was just a one-day, 10-player, 3-game narrative. But still a much more structured thing than the previous Discord Meet-ups, or any other events I've hosted: They have always just been "lets get together and play a few games".

For the first time ever, I asked players to pre-submit rosters, I scheduled rounds, I recorded match-ups and results, and wrote an evolving subplot that was to be decided by the results of the games each round.

The Ironfang Pirate Fleet - The Plunderblades and the Portwreckas, part 7

Hurdygurgy

The Ironfang Fleet are a ragtag band of orruk sky-pirates that cruise the airways of the Mortal Realms, in a ramshackle flotilla of wooden vessels that barely look able to fly, let alone fight. They are not usually a single coordinated force, but a collective of individual ships that prey on whatever merchant sky-shipping that they find sailing over the less-travelled areas of the realms, or on the shipping routes between Free Cities.

They have gathered at the Ashfall Delta in greater numbers than have been seen for a generation. Kaptain Mogrum and the Cleavermaws made a handsome profit last time they were in the Prime Dominion and they have passed word to the other ships in the fleet. The prospect of the gathering storm that is about to beset the hidden archipelago in Haixiah (via the Realmgate in the delta) offers unequalled opportunities.

The Ironfang Fleet have been incentivised to join the fighting with the Longblades in the Ashfall Delta. They have employed a squadron of piratical sky-ships to rain-down fire on their enemies, and stand watch over their advance from above. It might be somewhat inaccurate cannon-fire, but it's spectacular and there is enough of it that the quantity has a quality of its own.

Hurdygurgy was a Warchanter on the Plunderblade. He joined the crew somewhere along the journey between Andtor and the Gnarlwood.

He probably had another name at some point before then but everyone just referred to him by the strange crank-driven musical instrument he always carried and that name just stuck.

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The Ironfang Pirate Fleet - The Plunderblades and the Portwreckas, part 6

Animosity Tarot

I've been making two (partial) decks of Animosity Tarot cards for an event I'm running as part of the global Animosity Campaigns Weekender, in January next year. I need 2 sets of numbered coalition cards (Team Mogrek and Team Atressa) to give out for random game parings.

I could have gone the really quick and simple method of using regular playing cards. Or even just hand-written numbers on stained card.

But did I?

Did I buffalo.

So I'm making 20 illustrated tarot cards because of course I am. They're made from watercolour paper, stained with black tea (dabbed on with a used tea bag and hair-drier'd) and watered-down black ink (sponged on and dried).

The Andtor Odyssey, part 3: The Frigid Zephyr

A chilling wind blew across the realms; a mysterious force known as the Ferocious Squall descended, shrouding the land in an impenetrable fog. The frigid zephyr presented a unique challenge that would test the mettle of even the most seasoned explorers - they must contend with the blinding squalls belched straight from Andtor’s icey lungs. The continent was hostile, and those who failed to adapt would perish.

Only the most cunning and resilient leaders would emerge triumphant. Armies clashed and their fate hung in the balance.

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After taking repeated thaumaturgic compass readings and comparing them to some captured maps, Kaptain Mogrum and Krashhart agreed on their next course. They made a bearing north-east and two ships of the Ironfang Fleet set out on the cruise from their port-stronghold, Da Toof. They intended to capture a convergence of ley lines that ran through the ruins of an ancient temple, on a nearby island.

They expected to meet resistance there, so they discussed what each crew should do at the first sign of enemy action, and decided to bring along Overboard, the shipwreck Rogue Idol.

Assisted by Old Mudgob, Krashhart led the Swordfyshes, in three divisions: port watch (with red bandanas, or red feathers in their broad-brimmed hats), starboard watch (with blue) and the harpooners.

The Andtor Odyssey, part 2: Path to Glory

Kaptain Mogrum and the navigator-wardokk Lost Uzzog stooped in the cramped cabin of the Cleavermaw. They had been pouring over charts and maps for hours and the candles on the desk were almost burned down to stubs. They were collating all the information they could gather about the ley lines that arced across the Krakensea. 

After their first successful action in Andtor, four ships from the Ironfang Fleet had anchored in Dead Kraken Cove, an abandoned harbour on an island in the Krakensea, north of the Greedmouth Realmgate. There, in the ruins of the ancient port, they set up a stronghold they called Da Toof.

The Ironfang Pirate Fleet - The Plunderblades and the Portwreckas, part 5

Docker Goff and The Plunderblades

Under the command of Kaptain Borgoth, Megaboss, the Plunderblades are a rowdy bunch of inexperienced sailors. But they are handy in a fight, so the Kaptain has tasked Docker Goff with getting them at least "capable" when it comes to the skills needed aboard a sky-ship.

For now they always seem to get in each-other's way, pull on the wrong ropes, or misunderstand their orders in new and unexpected ways.

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You might remember Docker Goff and Mr Flea as they have both been covered here before.