Victorian Gentlemen with Sellswords and Spellslingers

I’ve really enjoyed playing Sellswords and Spellslingers, both in a sort of D&D style fantasy setting (as per the rules) and in a less magic-dominated Middle Earth setting. I’ve also been looking at my collection of terrain thinking that bit would be great to play games in other settings, tropical jungles, blistering deserts or frozen arctic wastes. But somehow it doesn’t seem right to have the fantasy party, essentially existing at a medieval level of technology, flitting around the world (yes, I know it’s fantasy, but I still need it to make sense for me).

Looking at my collection of figures for these various geographic settings, they are mostly dating to the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries. Setting games in the later Victorian era would have the transport infrastructure to whisk the adventurers around the globe, and if I add in a little science fiction, around the solar system as well! That would also allow for a bit of “magic” in the form of some advanced scientific “devices”. I’m going more Victorian Science Fiction (in the style of Verne and Wells) rather than Steampunk for this. Gentlemen (and gentlewomen) adventurers striving on behalf of Queen and Empire in Darkest Africa or the sands of Egypt , or even on the plains of Mars, against ferocious animals, fearsome natives and dastardly foreigners (usually of vaguely Germanic/Central European persuasion).

One of the prime objectives of S&S is the acquisition of cash, often gained by looting the bodies of fallen foes. As with my Middle Earth games, this does not feel as if it really fits with the VSF idea. After all, a gentleman who can afford passage around the world by steam liner, airship or whatever, is not likely to be interested in riffling the pockets of the Balkan bandit or African tribesman he has just overcome. I am going to have to give some thought to the scenarios, making the objectives the discovery of “clues”, “artifacts” or some such (sometimes portable, sometimes not).

I am also going to review the traits, simplify the choice and add a couple of new ones, like SCIENTIST and MISSIONARY.

I’m going to start off with various archetypal characters, Hunter, Soldier of Fortune etc, who will have some predetermined traits (about 10 to 12XP worth), which can be added to in order to individualise the player characters.

Sample PC Card

Here are a few pictures from a recent test game.

 The PCs enter the table, a Hunter, Gentleman Adventurer, Soldier of Fortune and a Missionary.

 A ferocious pygmy challenges the party.

 More pygmies lurk in the jungle.

 Three more rush forward.

 AMBUSH! A pygmy jumps out from the undergrowth and attacks the Missionary.

 The Gentleman Adventurer takes aim at a charging warrior.

 Whilst more pygmies close in on the party.

 Another AMBUSH! This time the Soldier of Fortune who swiftly deals with his attacker.

 WANDERING MONSTERS - a band of great apes arrive.

 Inspired preaching, the Missionary avoids attack by her persuasive powers (failing that she will clobber them with her heavy bible!).

 But her words can't sooth the angry beast and she legs it as the apes give chase.

First draft of Devious Devices for the Scientist to use.

Ambush at Amon Hen: 54mm LOTR

Years ago, when I was running a games shop I used to take participation game to wargames shows based around the Ambush at Amon Hen, where the Fellowship of the Ring finally disintegrated and Boromir was slain. The game used 54mm figures that had been produced by Britains for the release of Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films. Whilst tidying up by loft storage the other day I can across the figures again and thought it would be fun to do something with them and Sellswords and Spellcasters would be the idea rules for a small scale skirmish.

I wanted to have a go at something more akin to Tolkien’s original version of events at Amon Hen from the novel, rather that that of Peter Jackson's film. The book essentially splits the action into three sequences of events. Firstly you have Frodo using the One Ring to escape the rest of the Fellowship to continue the quest to Mordor alone, a plan upset when Sam follows him and very nearly drowns himself. Not much gaming potential there.

Secondly there is Boromir’s redeemingly heroic, and ultimately fatal, defence of Merry and Pippin against the hordes of orcs. There is more of a game in this, but the presence of numerous orc archers are ultimately going to make this pretty one-sided, unless I go along with a film version of the hobbits and make them dead-eye, lethal snipers with a just handful of pebbles.

Thirdly you have Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas hunting orcs through the surrounding woods. I thought this would be an easier slice of the action to start off with. I decided to play around with the orc’s stats for this, the standard orc in S&S seemed a bit weak for the uruk-hai, but the orc brute was way too strong. Combining the two seemed to work, treating uruk-hai as DL10, HP 1 and DAM 1.

For the first game I created my three heroes using the standard party creation from S&S. I allowed the PCs to use the Buckler trait, more to represent a skill in parrying the opponent’s melee attacks rather than representing a physical shield.

ARAGORN

FIGHTER SWORD +2, HORDE FIGHTER +1, BUCKLER (PARRY) +1

Equipment: Sword, Knife

LEGOLAS

ARCHERY +2, FIGHTER SWORD +1, FIRE INTO MELEE, BUCKLER (PARRY) +1

Equipment: Longbow, Short Sword (Long Knife)

GIMLI

FIGHTER AXE +2, ARMOUR +1

Equipment: Axe, Mail Armour

I started with a simple scenario. 12 uruk-hai started randomly placed on the table, 3 hordes of 3 and 6 individuals. The game continues until the three heroes had crossed the table or killed 30 uruk-hai (or been killed themselves).

 The cast, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and the uruk-hai. 

 The battlefield at the start of the game.

 Viewed from the trio's starting edge.

 Aragorn and Gimli advance onto the table.

 Legolas moves forward and takes down his first uruk-hai.

 Gimli takes on a uruk-hai.

 One down, then two more rush forwards (Monster Frenzy card). Gimli takes a hit, which pierces his armour, but then cuts down the first uruk-hai.

 Legolas shoots two but misses the third. He fails 2 activations in his next turn and the uruk-hai charges into contact. Legolas is hit, but parries the blow and takes the orc down with his one activation.

 Aragorn starts forward towards an oncoming horde, but fails an activation and springs an ambush. He takes a wound but then kills the uruk-hai.

 Reinforcements arrive!

 Aragorn charges into the horde. He kills one, takes a hit but parries it, then kills a second uruk-hai.

 Gimli does a good job of slicing and dicing his way through a horde of uruk-hai.

 Having taken out a bunch of uruks, Aragorn and Gimli join forces as another mass of orcs descend upon them.

 In the meantime Legolas draws a bead on his 7th uruk-hai.

 As another uruk approaches, the elf pauses to adjust his hair, before sticking an arrow in the orc's head.

An overview of the action towards the end of the game. Gimli goes on to take another wound taking out the horde of 4 uruks around him which takes his total to 12! At the same turn Aragorn cuts down his 10th uruk, which takes to total kills to 30, winning the game for the heroes. But they are in a bad way, Aragorn and Gimli each have two wounds and Legolas has one.