The Revenants: Three Player Game of The Silver Bayonet

 Finally got to play a competitive game of The Silver Bayonet.  Did a three player version of the Revenant scenario from the rule book.  Rather than a ruined barn, we set it in a ruined village to give a bit more interesting terrain.  We had three teams, French, Prussian and Russian.  Each was a few points over the 100 basic unit cost because we wanted to try a few of the different character types.

There were five clue markers scattered around the center of the ruined village, one of which was an important artifact that had to be found and taken off the board.  Each clue marker was guarded by a revenant.  Again, hoping to try a few different monsters, we said that any double on an initiative roll would produce a monster.

The Prussian team, run by my friend Dave, consisted of a Swordsman, Officer, Occultist, Light Cavalryman, Doctor, Rifleman and 2 Infantrymen.

I ran the French team which consisted of an Officer, Supernatural Investigator, Occultist, Heavy Cavalryman, Vivandiere, Grenadier, and 2 Infantrymen.

The Russian team, run by Dave’s son James, was composed of an Officer (who had the Combat Rider attribute), Champion of Faith, Werebear, Light Cavalryman, Rifleman, and 2 Infantrymen.

I got the first turn initiative and had the French enter from the bottom of the table.  I intended to push place my infantrymen in the walled orchard on the hill over looking the village while the rest of the unit pushed into the center of the village and investigate as many clue markers as possible.

The Prussians entered from the left side of the table and advanced under the cover of the ruins there.

The Russians clustered at one end of the right side of the board in order to push down one of the roads to the village.

The Prussians got first blood when their Light Cavalryman charged up to a revenant.  It took a couple of rounds to finally kill the monster but allowed one of his infantryman to garner the first clue which proved to be another revenant that entered from a random board edge, the Russian side as it turned out.  I should note that we each had mounted figures in this battle and their advantage against foot figures proved very useful.  None of our mounted figures ever dismounted during this battle.

The Russians pushed down the road, attracting a revenant that attracted quite a few shots from the Russians.

It finally took melee attacks, particularly from the mounted Cossack (Light Cavalryman) to put the creature down.  The Werebear sadly failed repeatedly to change into his bear form.

My initials moves into the village went well, being slowed only by the rocky terrain.

 

My Heavy Cavalryman charged in and crushed a revenant with one blow.

The Prussians and French began exchanging fire from cover.  Unfortunately, I had the worse of this and one of my French infantrymen was killed.

The Russian fire down the road kept the Prussians stymied on that flank.

 

This fire also killed the gallant Prussian cavalryman.

The dynamics of the game changed completely when a Russian infantryman reached the nearest clue marker and, as luck would have it, discovered the artifact.  They had a clear line of retreat off the board.

I rushed my French to stop them.  Dave and I also declared a cease-fire against each other until after we had wrested the artifact away from James’ Russians, an unlikely possibility at this stage.

My Heavy Cavalryman engaged the artifact-bearing infantryman, wounding him but not enough to kill him.  The infantryman managed to wound my cuirassier.

The Russian officer charged to the rescue and bested my Heavy Cavalryman.

It was at this point that the first random monster of the game showed up, a fearsome Black Dog. As it showed up directly behind my French troops, it proved quite a distraction.

In the meantime, the Russian officer sacrificed himself drawing the fire from my Investigator and Vivandiere but successfully screening his retreating infantryman who, within a couple of moves exited the board and gave the win to the Russians.

Despite having lost at this point, Dave and I agreed to play another turn to see if we could defeat the Black Dog which, through the judicious use of our Occultists enchange spell we were able to do.  The Prussian Swordsman having the final honors for killing the beast.

 We all agreed that we really liked the system.  We discovered that the cavalrymen were very useful, given the terrain.  We also thought the Fate dice was a great dynamic and we all pretty much exhausted our pools in what proved to be a relatively short game. The one thing we thought that could use improvement was special weapon selection; since most of these were limited in effect to specific monsters, a greater variety of effects would be helpful to make them more worthwhile.  This is especially so for the Supernatural Veteran attribute which only provides an extra special weapon and so seems of limited use for the cost.  But overall we thought it provide a great game with a lot of interesting tactical options.

Silver Bayonet Solo Campaign 4: The Last Mile

 

I finally got around to finishing the fourth scenario of the solo campaign in the main Silver Bayonet rulebook, using my unit of Polish “deserters” in Haiti.  The unit is led by Captain Andrzej Milna, aided by Sergeant Staszek Soroka, a Veteran Hunter, native Occultist Sulavi Coidavid, Native Scout Bien Aimee, and three infantrymen, Privates Dobusz, Szymanski, and Kowalczyk.

The unit had obtained several artifacts from a ruined chapel and is now seeking to return to the safety of the rebel camp in the mountains.  They need to cross one last stream to make good their escape.  However, the crossing is guarded by a detail from the French army.  (In the rule book, the opponents are listed as bandits but I thought it more thematic to have them as French troops.  I did keep the lesser bandit stats, justifying it as due to disease and fatigue among the Europeans.)

There were two crossing points, a bridge and a nearby ford.  

Both were guarded

Milna’s unit decided to approach through the jungle cover, hoping to eliminate the guard at the ford before they could be reinforced by the bridge guards. 

The unit opens fire on the French piquets.

Sergeant Soroka and Kowalczyk get lucky shots on two the French soldiers, killing them with their first shots.

However, the French sergeant returns fire, seriously wounded Kowalczyk

The French sentries on the bridge rush to the sound of the guns.

Milna and the rest of the unit rush towards the road, hoping to encircle the French gathering at the ford.

The gunfire has attracted French sentry from further down river.  (The scenario calls for a roll each turn to determine if a reinforcement arrives.  My rolls resulted in an extra French soldier appearing each turn!)

 Bien Ami discovers a magic ring lying in the brush.  All of his melee attacks will now count as being enchanted.

Milna rushes the French sergeant and cuts him down.

Sulavi discovers a tarnished military medal, giving them an extra Power or Skill die to their pool.

The bridge guards fire at Milna and one shot wounds the courageous leader.

 

Dobusz and Szymanski take cover behind some rocks near the road.  Soroka moves to support them.

The noise has called forth a ferocious Black Dog, the mystical creature manifesting under the bridge.  It rush out snarling.

Another French piquet approaches from down river.

Dobusz and Szymanski drop the French sentry who had been overlooking the bridge.

Sulavi finds a tattered prayer book.  Her melee attacks will count as being Blessed.

Firing from cover, the two wounded Poles, Kowalczyk and Milna fire at the two French guards on their side of the river, killing them both.  All six of the original guards at the bridge are now dead.

Another French soldier arrives.  The reinforcements rush to hold the bridge.

However, the Black Dog rushes toward Szymanski but is unable to reach him this turn. 

Sulavi rushes forward and places a curse on the creature.  It will be at a -1 on its attack rolls.

Milna charges and hacks at the creature with his holy sword, wounding it.  The creature snaps back at Milna but does not catch the wounded Captain.

Kowalczyk fires at the French trying to cross the bridge.

Hoping to distract the creature from his wounded Captain, Szymanski charges the creature and is wounded for his efforts.

Another French soldier appears from up river.

Bien Ami finally dispatches the foul beast.  It was fortunate that he had found the magic ring at the outset.

Kowalczyk is effective in keeping the French from crossing the bridge.

Milna approaches the bridge and discovers an old rune-covered dagger.

And yet another French soldier runs to the sound of the fight.

Sulavi follows after Milna, discovering a bag of moldy bread, no wonder the French are ill.

The unit has shot down the French soldiers closest to the bridge and now rush to cross.

Another French soldier appears.  The Poles must have been expected to cross near this spot.

Before crossing the unit engages in some long range fire.  The Poles have the better of it.

They finally make it across.  The remaining French do not close but snipe at the Poles.

The French fire at Sulavi but the shot misses the mambo.

Another French soldiers arrives from down river.  He is the only one close enough to block the road to the mountains. The Frenchman proves no match for the frustrated Bien Ami who gets a critical hit on him. 

The scattered French soldiers take some last pot shots at the retreating Poles.

Tragedy strikes at the last minute.  A lucky shot downs Private Dobusz.

Dragging the unconscious body of their comrade, the rest of the unit reaches the cover of the hills.  The battered French do not pursue.

Dobusz soon revives.  He has suffered only a flesh wound!  The unit proceed safely to their refuge in the mountains for a well deserved rest.