Archive for August, 2012

Dungeon Crawl Classics Mystery Map Contest

Monday, August 27th, 2012


Goodman Games is running a contest that I suspect many Battleground regulars will be interested in. They’ve provided a “Mystery Map” and are asking that contestants finish it and provide an outline of the adventure, based on your completed map. Also, the adventure should make use of the really strange looking monster they’ve drawn on the bottom right corner of the unfinished map.

 

I’m seriously considering sending in a submission of my own for this if I can carve out the time to work on it. The deadline for all submissions is October 31, 2012.

 

For those who don’t know what Dungeon Crawl Classics is all about, I suggest taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with these very cool Goodman Games products. In short, it’s a game system steeped in the feel and lore of “old-school” dungeon gaming. It looks and feels a lot like an altered version of 1st edition D&D with an intense focus on classic sword and sorcery play-style. In short, you’re not a hero; you’re an adventurer. You can pick up any Goodman Games products at either Battleground location.

 

Here is the link to the contest details.

 

 

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Warhammer 40K Megabattle V 2012 Results

Tuesday, August 21st, 2012

The results for the Battleground Games & Hobbies Annual Warhammer 40K Megabattle are in. The event was a successful one and it seems everyone had a very enjoyable time. This year saw 30 players (16 for Order and 14 for Disorder), and the results were very close. Here are the standings at the end of the day, along with a list of winners for some unusual awards.

 

MOON SATELLITE TABLE:

Order: 4 .. Disorder: 1

CITY MAIN TABLE:

Order: 4 .. Disorder: 5

 

 

Total Score:

Order: 8 .. Disorder: 6

 

 

Award Certificates

FIRST BLOOD

Steve Riley

has been awarded this certificate in memory of the first casualty of the Megabattle. There were many thousands of deaths to follow, but this one was the first. Let us honor him.

 

BOOM! HEADSHOT

Steve Riley

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of having killed the greatest number of independant characters. This player is very skilled at identifying battlefield threats and cleansing the universe of their existence.

 

MASTER OF OBJECTIVES

Rich Bourque

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of this player’s ability to take and hold objectives better than any other player in the battle. The strategic, tactical mind of this scheming general should be marked and remembered by all opponents.

 

EPIC LAST STAND

Sean MacDonald

has been awarded this certificate in honor of the most memorable last stand witnessed at this year’s Megabattle. The unflinching nature of this player, even when facing down certain destruction is to be commended! In this particular case, the award was given for a lone Space Marine apothecary holding off 10 Ymgarl Genestealers for almost three full turns.

 

BRING IT DOWN!

Rob DeVarennes

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of the most exciting close-combat takedown of a super-heavy / gargantuan creature. At great risk and noble sacrifice, this player got it done – up close and personal. In short, he punched a Titan and it exploded in apocalyptic fashion.

 

THE BIRD

Mike Do

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of commandeering the the most steadfast and disciplined army on the battlefield. This player made more successful Leadership tests throughout the day than any other player.

 

MOST VALUABLE ASSET (ORDER)

Alex Moon and Doug Wilkins

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of their perfect implementation of a strategic asset. It is agreed that this player’s asset impacted the outcome of the battle in favor of their team more than any other. The asset used was Ambush and it was applied by both Alex Moon and Doug Wilkins.

 

MOST VALUABLE ASSET (DISORDER)

Ron McKim

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of their perfect implementation of a strategic asset. It is agreed that this player’s asset impacted the outcome of the battle in favor of their team more than any other. The asset used was Vital Objective.

 

WHY WON’T YOU DIE?

Josh Tufts

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of commandeering one of the battle’s most endurable models/armies. This heroic warrior made the highest number of Invulnurable, Feel No Pain, We’ll Be Back or similar types of saves.

 

ACES HIGH

Steve Riley

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of having acquired the most air-to-air kills. Other flyers tremble at the sight of this general’s wing insignia as it usually heralds the coming of doom in the form of a long and fiery decent from the sky.

 

SURVIVOR OF THE APOCALYPSE

Chris Brett

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of having the greatest amount of points remaining on the table at the conclusion of the battle. Through skill, cunning or unmatched resliance this army has lived to fight another day.

 

UNMITIGATED LOSING STREAK

Paul Gaughran

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of having been on the losing side of the Megabattle for the fifth straight year in a row. Clearly, this player has an uncanny knack for choosing the side that is least likely achieve victory.

 

TALK TO ME GOOSE

Steve Daigneault

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of having lost the greatest number of victory points in flying units. We will promise to keep their dog-tags in memory of their great sacrifice. At least, until we win over Kelly McGillis.

 

OVERKILL

Steve Riley

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of the need to remind them that sometimes too much IS too much. The sea of relentless destruction caused by this player was so severe that we probably need to rethink how we handle all future Megabattles.

 

SUPER-HEAVIES? WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ SUPER-HEAVIES!

Nathan Beit-Aharon

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of brazen defiance against the oversized forces of his enemy. By remaining relevant on the battlefield even though the odds were stacked against him, this player earns a place among the mighty.

 

MUTINY

Seth Partain

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of their ability to intentionally or unintentionally cause damage to members of their own team. This player’s single-minded focus on the destruction of the enemy has ultimately resulted in a serious liability.

 

ULTIMATE RULES LAWYER

Mike Do

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of their uncanny knowlege of the Warhammer rules. So potent is this player’s game wisdom that they are often able to bend reality as we know it to justify their supreme will.

 

BEST GENERAL OF ORDER

Alan Phillips

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of having been voted the best general of the Forces of Order. This leader put forth great effort to assist and lead his fellow comrades against the fearsome hordes of Disorder.

 

BEST GENERAL OF DISORDER

Steve Riley

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of having been voted the best general of the Forces of Chaos. This leader put forth great effort to assist and lead his fellow comrades against the relentless armies of Order.

 

MOST AWESOME ACT OF AWESOME

Rob DeVarennes

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of what is widely regarded as the single most awesome moment of the Megabattle. In future years they will think back on this event and talk about this most awesome act of awesome. Specifically, this award is given for a punch to a titan that resulted in an apocalyptic explosion that killed a slew of allied troops and caused three buildings to be obliterated and removed from the table.

 

STEVE D. AWARD

Chase Laquidara

has been awarded this certificate in recognition of their absolute Steve D-ishness. The pure, unique, intense awesomeness that is Steve D was embodied fully by this player for the duration of the Megabattle. The criteria for this mysterious award is a closely guarded secret of Battleground Games & Hobbies. We assure you that a perfectly calculated, quantifiable mathematical formula is used to determine the winner of this special commendation.

 

Thank you everyone for your participation! Also, a special thanks to Paul Wyatt for his efforts in establishing the scoring rules for the event and for creating some interesting interactivity between the moon table and the city table.

 

See you all next year!

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D&D Next: Round 2 Playtest Available

Tuesday, August 14th, 2012

If you are interested in signing up for the second round of the D&D Next public playtest, you can now do so. It includes character creation for levels 1 – 5, rules of play, DM guidelines, pre-generated characters, and an updated bestiary.

 

I took a quick look at everything and noticed some interesting changes. Specifically, it looks like attention has been given to healing, the cleric, the wizard, the rogue, and the fighter. Apparently, the most hotly debated topic from the feedback Wizards of the Coast has been getting revolves around the fighter and how he functions in combat. The masses seem very eager for the fighter to “have something interesting to do” in combat, other than rolling a 20-sided die and doing lots of damage. I’d be curious to hear anyone’s opinions in the comments as to what they think of the fighter as he looks right now, in this new public playtest download.

 

Here is a link to Mike Mearls’ summary of the changes in this round.

 

And here is a link to the actual page where you can download the new playtest.

 

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D&D Next: Playtest Update

Thursday, August 9th, 2012

Mike Mearls, senior manager of the D&D research and design team, has recently added an update on where things are at in the development of the upcoming edition of Dungeons & Dragons. He discusses feedback they’ve received regarding options for the fighter, the surprise round, critical hits, skills, resting, and healing. The article talks about what they’ve been focusing on and what we can expect to see in the next public playtest packet that will be releasing soon.

 

Here’s the link to the article.

 

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Magic 2013 Event Decks Release

Friday, August 3rd, 2012

The Magic 2013 Core Set Event Decks release today at Battleground! These decks are designed to be playable at Friday Night Magic and are a great way for new players to more quickly integrate into competitive play. There are two decks to choose from, “Repeat Performance” and “Sweet Revenge,” each focusing on a different play style.

 

Event decks are popular with experienced players as well, as they often contain several top playable or high value cards.

 

Wizards of the Coast has a great article outlining the details of each deck, including a detailed list of what cards you’ll find in them. The article also discusses the focus of the deck, tips on how you should play it, and what you can expect if things go your way. Here’s the link to that article.

 

In short, the one on the left is Repeat Performance: Your creatures arrive ready to battle, bringing friends and beneficial effects, then they return to your hand with the help of Roaring Primadox. And when you summon them again… more friends and benefits!

 

The one on the right is Sweet Revenge: Stoke the flames of the past with the “Sweet Revenge” deck. Just a few key creatures will distract your foes from your constant spellcasting escapades, while Burning Vengeance punishes them again with every flashback spell you cast.

 

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