Last Sunday we gathered a few friends and gave a test run to the rules we wrote for the Sunhold event.
If you want to try out the rules as they currently stand, you can download them on this link: FABULA. If enough people show interest, I'm considering opening a FB group for the Fabula rules system so folks can share their experiences, opinions, house rules and stats.
Now about our first playtest. Ivan and I were GMs, and we had three players: Luka, Goran and Patrik (who also took photos of the game). Luka was the only one with experience in tabletop miniature gaming. We set up the board using our ruins and graveyard scenery, populated it with traps, loot and visible and secret monsters (Deadwalkers, Skeletons, Harpies, Crypt Ghouls, Deranged Cultists), and let the players pick their warbands. Luka played the Iron Legs, Goran the Templars of the Twin-Tailed Comet, and Patrik had Avananta Stormsight with a single Templar henchman. Their main goal was to raid a particular crypt that contained a valuable artefact, but in order to get there they had to get through perilous ruins.
If you want to try out the rules as they currently stand, you can download them on this link: FABULA. If enough people show interest, I'm considering opening a FB group for the Fabula rules system so folks can share their experiences, opinions, house rules and stats.
I also put two other documents up for download: the Sunhold mood board (LINK) and the brief intro to the setting (LINK), since I got a few queries about those.
This week we've seen more WIPs from other Sunhold participants: @ingrimmson (LINK) @shavigrad (LINK), @frigidus_sanguis (LINK) and @totally_not_panicking (LINK).
Follow #aos28sunhold for future updates on the project.
The players decided at some point to start viciously killing each other. That
ended in all PCs being wiped out before they even passed into the second
half of the map, where a boss was waiting for them, guarding their main
objective. The guys didn't take the game seriously in the slightest, but
since this was a playtest it didn't matter as much. We definitely confirmed that collaboration between warbands is highly beneficial for success in
this game.
We did get a bunch of feedback from our playtesters, some of which we immediately implemented in the first tweak of the rulebook. We intend to do several more playtest games to get a better idea what works and what doesn't.
Even if your players didn't take the game terribly seriously, if nothing else it generated some very nice shots. And I guess varying player attitudes is a good thing when playtesting ^^
ReplyDeleteHaha, yeah. :)
DeleteHi, what a great job! I love the idea of a facebook group, especially for expanding the game.
ReplyDeleteNow, having read the rulebook, I can only say that I think it's great. I take the opportunity to give you some feedback. There are some things that I think could be changed or added for the better.
- Alternate activation option (Isn't it more dynamic and fun for players to activate a miniature one player and then another as in Malifaux?)
- Add the reaction / defensive fire action (so that one player is not left without doing anything while the other activates his miniatures).
- Add a Table with example difficulties.
- How would two miniatures count about the same base? (I am planning the creation of a pair of miniatures, a vargheist and a vampire in the same base, she is tied to the vargheist by a chain).Count as a unique miniature or the miniatures could not be created that way
- Is it possible to increase the number of miniatures beyond 4, without affecting the gameplay?
- Would it be possible to represent a human within a mechanized armor like in warmachine or a Sentinel or Penitent? More armor? More life? More damage ... etc?
And that's it. I would like to see the characters of the project and that the document begins to expand.
Thank you very much for sharing your work and your imagination to inspire others.
Thank you for the feedback, Fian!
DeleteAlternate activation was one of the things players wanted after the playtest. I think it makes sense with a small number of players and we will give it a shot in a future test. However I fear that for a game with 8 or so players it will slow things down considerably, which is the opposite of what we want for the Sunhold event.
Two minis on the same base count as a single model for rules purposes. Same like with swarms.
It's possible to have bigger warbands than four. Four is the limit for the Sunhold event game, not for the Fabula system.
Yes, someone in a mechanized armour can be represented. I don't see why not. I'm sure it can be approached in more than one way, so feel free to share your profile for it.
Hi,
DeleteThank you very much for answering.
I understand the reason for the actual miniature's activation. Likewise, as an optional rule, you could add the alternative activation for games of two to four players.
I am part of the Spanish Inq28 project and we have been talking about using Fabula for our games. I am currently creating the character sheets of my miniatures. When will you open a Fabula facebook group? I would like to share the statistics and compare opinions.
Greetings.
Fian, I have now started the facebook group: facebook.com/groups/fabula.skirmish
DeleteYou and the rest of the Spanish Inq28 are very welcome to join and share your stats and opinions! :)
Hello there !
ReplyDeleteIn your mood board, origin - or source - of a helmet is missing. This type of helmet is called Savoyard Helmet from the XVIIth century. You can also find some with "todenkopf helmet" (with a D not a T as totenkopf). You may be interested aswell by "siege helmet" in the MET Museum online catalogue for exemple.
The one you have put in your mood board is now in the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Genève.
I hope this helped.
Remi
Thank you very much, Remi! I will update it in the PDF.
Delete