Rangers of Shadow Deep - Mission 2 part 3... the top of the tower!

 

 

Rangers of Shadow Deep - Mission 2: Scenario 3 "Tor Varden - The Upper Level"

 

This was the last part of the second mission from the main Rangers of Shadow Deep Rulebook.. Our Rangers and companions emerge at the top of the tower of Tor Varden... There was a huge woodpile at the centre of the tower. Chained to the top of this was a prisoner waiting to be sacrificed. Guarding the tower platform were 3 Gnoll Archers, a Gnoll fighter... and a sinister Shadow Knight!

 

In the first turn only 3 of our characters could get out onto the platform. Alfie suggested that they should all be figures who could shoot - so it was both Rangers and an archer who came out firing their bows... Both my guys missed their targets, but Alfie's ranger hit one of the Gnoll archers with his first shot, seriously wounding him...

The rest of our crew rushed out of the stairwell at the start of the second turn... My archers failed to hit their targets again.. Alfie's conjuror fumbled his magic bolt spell, and then the baddies moved into positions where they could all finally see what was going on. At the end of the second turn we saw green fire in the distance, and realising that the tower of Tor Dargos had fallen to the forces of the Shadow Deep! All our characters had to take a Will roll...unfortunately all three of Alfie's companions were traumatised by the sight of the green fire and were now reduced to only one action per turn...

 

Turn 3 was more running and shooting... Alfie's conjuror used his one action to use his last magic bolt to wipe out one of the Gnoll archers..... my Man-at-arms ran at another Gnoll, but was knocked out immediately... The Shadow Knight and Gnoll Fighter moved around the wood pile to intercept my Ranger and Archer...

 

The Shadow Knight is really tough to beat. He has +4 fight, and any damage that is done to him by non-magic weapons is halved. Luckily for us, Alfie's Ranger had used the magic powder he found on the dead Gnoll sergeant in the last scenario to make his sword magic. Combining this with his one use ability of Frenzied attack, and a cracking dice roll, he severely damaged the Shadow knight with his first hit. My guys tried to join in... didn't do any damage, but my Warhound did manage to push back the Shadow Knight right at the end of turn 4.... this was when we saw more green fire lighting up the sky in the opposite direction to before.. the tower of Tor Hammel had also fallen to the tide of evil!! Will rolls were made again.. and some of the companions were now so terrified that they had -2 Fight for the rest of the scenario...

 

If the Shadow Knight is unengaged at the end of turn 5 he will sacrifice the soldier on the woodpile and then set it alight! - It was a good job then that Alfie's Ranger used his first action to blast the Shadow knight into nothingness with his one use magic bolt spell!!... we finished off the remaining Gnolls with out too much trouble... and that was it. We had retaken Tor Varden from the forces of darkness.

 

The top of the tower (paper printout mat using "2 minute tabletop" resources...and a coffee stirrer wood pile!)

The start of turn 1... the Rangers come out shooting!

The start of turn 2...

...turn 3... some companions are reduced to one action..

...the end of turn 4... my Warhound has just pushed back the Shadow Knight....

 

 

We earned enough experience for our Rangers to go up to level 3. This means we have slightly more recruitment points now, so we may decide to change our companions a bit before the next mission... A few of our current companions have survived 5 scenarios without being reduced to 0 health... so that means they get an extra permanent Health point, which is pretty cool!

 

There is one other 3 part mission in the rule book. But I also have the "Blood Moon" Mission which is suitable for level 0-5 Rangers... so maybe we will do that next...??