GM: Chaosius Stevas Toddius
Denacus Lucius Flaccus (Mike Byrd)
Galafanakis Leviticus (Evil Mike)
Varicus Benus (Ben)
Tantus Oxium Dracuss (Owen)
Barbatus (Alex)
Over the holidays I started a Weird Wars Rome campaign with the group. I’m not really big on running campaigns but I said I’d do it for the group and because someone (Evil Mike) wanted to play in it. Actually we sort of played our first game at Jimcon back in late fall. I’ll try to recap as much as I can remember. (This should be short.) Oh, and although I pulled some bits of history into the game, don’t look to learn any history lessons here. I make most of it up as I go along.
The group starts out as new recruits into the Roman legion stationed in Hispania. The legion’s primary mission is to hunt down and destroy the army of Hasdrubal (brother of Hannibal) who has been causing trouble there in Hispania. But our heroes’ first mission has nothing to do with that…
Beastmen
Something has stirred up the barbarians in northern Hispania. They’ve been attacking and pillaging villages in the area. A Rome of high standing has a villa right in the barbarian’s path. Our heroes’ orders are to escort the Roman’s family back to the safety of the legion. Along the way to the villa the come across a witch burning. Normally this would be of no concern, but the so-called witch looks like Selma Hayek. The heroes rescue the fair maiden. She immediately takes a liking to Galafanakis.
The heroes are later ambushed in the night by barbarians, but soon realize they are some kind of beastmen. They repel them after a tense battle in the fog shrouded woods. Once the battle is over they spot a strange man and a massive beast on a hilltop overlooking the ambush spot. The two disappear. The heroes also notice that the bodies of the beastmen they slew are also missing.
They make it to the villa and arrangements are already underway to leave, but will not be completed until morning. That night the villa is attacked by wolves lead by a massive beast that walks upright. Galafanakis is severely wounded during the battle. The beast is not vanquished, but retreats back into the night. It is then that the so-called which tells them of a legend where the beast can only be killed by silver weapons. The Roman’s silver is metaled down and weapons are coated in silver. The Roman threatens to have them all severely punished when they reach the legion.
In the morning the heroes are introduced to a slave girl—the Roman’s personal property. She looks strangely barbarian. The trip back the next morning turns into a life and death race as the beast leads a large number of beastmen in chase. The heroes’ manage to escape only to find themselves ready to be besieged on one side by hundreds of barbarians. In the nick of time the Roman legion shows up and it appears they will easily defeat the barbarians. But an eerie fog appears and through it the heroes can hear their Roman compatriots dying.
They spot the strange man they had seen on the hill the night of the ambush in the woods. He’s atop some old ruins and they instantly realize he’s a shaman of some kind. There is a battle with his guards, but this ends when the heroes realize that the cause of this may be the slave girl. On a hunch the offer the salve girl to the shaman. He agrees. The fog is lifted and the barbarians retreat. The day is saved. As for the great beast? Who would believe them?
The Twin Towers
After the success of their first mission, they are given a mission of grave importance. Hasdrubal’s army is camped in the valley of Pedraza. It can only be approached from the west, north, or south due to the desert on its south side. The Roman general plans to march across the desert and take Hasdrubal by surprise. But this means the towers built facing the desert must be taken quickly and without alerting the army in the valley. That is the task given to our heroes.
There’s a little trouble in the ranks. The heroes spent most of the morning digging latrines. Varicus was called away early. They later find him sleeping in the group’s tent. Varicus wakes up suddenly to some bruised ribs. (Note: the “Beastman†adventure began with Varicus being beaten for disobeying orders.)
The heroes suffer through a grueling ride through the desert to arrive at the towers at dawn. They find the Carthaginian soldiers there already dead and piled in a heap. The place is bathed in blood. In one of the towers they find a dying Roman centurion named Polis. They revive polis only long enough for him to tell them of a Dacian lord he was chasing before being foolishly captured by the Carthaginians. Polis hints that the man will not be easily killed and to hunt him by day. He even loans Galafanakis his sword which has been blessed by the gods.
The heroes find the Dacian Lord’s camp and attack. They easily slay his warriors, but the Dacian lord turns out to be a deadly opponent. Before it’s all over, Barbatus lies dead and Varicus is heavily wounded. They burn all of the bodies.
Scout Duty
The next morning the first of the Roman troops arrive. They report, leaving out the part about the Dacian lord. Polis is carried off to be cared for. Galafanakis keeps his sword.
The well-rested heroes are order to scout the area between the towers and the valley to be sure the arrival of the Romans goes unnoticed. They are to kill any Carthaginian’s they find. At mid-day they spot a supply train heading towards the towers. They set an ambush and attack.
The severely wounded Varicus makes a spectacular bow shot to kill a retreating Carthaginian driving a wagon. Unfortunately this is not enough to save the day. The heroes are overwhelmed by the sheer size of the force and by their leader who refuses to be wounded. The party surrenders and are taken prisoner.
The Battle for the Pedraza Valley
Hasdrubal has more troops, but the Romans have a slight terrain advantage. The Romans would have also had the element of surprise except for the capture of our heroes which ruined that. Also, our heroes are being held in the camp of Hasdrubal.
The battle begins. The Roman general uses his “Cry Havoc†edge right off and scores heavy losses to Hasdrubal’s army. Hasdrubal is less than effective. (This could be because I was rolling the dice for him. Alex was rolling for the Roman general and his dice were HOT.)
In the end the Romans win the battle. Hasdrubal’s army make an orderly retreat but has sustained heavy losses.
But what of our heroes? Well, we’ll find out about them next time.