Guild Ball is the game of medieval fantasy football from Steamforged Games. The Century War has wracked the land, and all that forges the fractious nations of the new Empire together is the blood-sport of Guild Ball, brought together by the scheming Guilds. Will you play the slippery Fishermen, the arcane Alchemists, or the suspicious Union? Read some articles, listen to some podcasts, watch some videos, and maybe you’ll find out which is best for you!
How to Train Your Warjack: Once, With Feeling
Different media provide an artist with different opportunities and challenges in expresses their message. Books allow for a consistent internal voice that runs throughout, for the pattern and cadence of the words themselves to be a character in the story. Film allows for storytelling without description or exposition (though Hollywood has a lot to learn about “show, not tell”). Roleplaying games are a unique beast in terms of narrative media, one that continues to fascinate me. Trying to get the best out of them as a storytelling style draws me back to them again and again, even when I think I’ve burned out. I think of RPGs as a storytelling medium, but there are two manifestations that change the way you approach the story – once shot games (usually at conventions) and campaigns. Today, I’m going to talk about writing for conventions. I’ve written for Irish gaming conventions for nearly a decade, and have at some point written for every convention in the Republic (sorry, Q-Con. I always seem to have something on that weekend). I’ve written about 50% pen-and-paper games and 50% LARPS (not the rubber swords kind, more on that later), many of which were co-authored by Harry (who has just joined the Overload crew with Musings of a Mercenary). Convention once-offs are a unique beast. Generally, there’s a three hour slot in which the game runs, so you’re running to a strict clock. This is the the first, and most difficult challenge. As such, you need a clear idea about what you want to do. A clear theme, a clear tone, and a very simple story. I’ve been ambitious with complex ideas before, but it’s never worked out quite as well as I’d hoped. The best once-offs have a straightforward story. The three act structure is a classic for a reason, but I’d personally reccomend looking at Shakespeare’s five-act structure. The three act structure totally lives and dies on its second act, and is too simple and predictable. The five act structure (modded for RPGS) goes like so: 1) Exposition/Introduction : Introduces the world, thematic elements, and the characters. For convention games, I find that focusing on tone more than theme is best. Is the game going to be high-action, swackbuckling, and exciting? Horrifying? Uplifting? If it’s a possibility, a soundtrack can be golden. This is completely dependent on the physical layout of the space – if more games than yours are happening in the room, a soundtrack is rarely an option. But if you can, nothing sets the tone better. If you can’t do that, then you need to leap straight into a scene that sets the mood. In a swaskbuckling game, you want to present your players with the opportunity to leap onto a moving carriage in the first five minutes. If it’s horror, then you need to either be building tension (speak in a flat, emotionless voice about mundane things, and linger on little details of normality that are disquieting) or hit a visceral note right out of the gate. That said, don’t neglect theme entirely. It puts a shape to the story, and gives the characters something to hook their roleplaying into. There’s a reason “theme” and “tone” are the things that are belaboured in secondary school/ high school English classes – they’re...
read moreMoM’s Podcast #94
MoM’s Podcast #94 — A Warmachine and Hordes Podcast Topics: Timestamp: 0:05:15 = Dear MoM (List Doctor) The patient’s lists Durgen +6 (Highborn Covenant) (List A) -Driller – 6 Dougal & Reinholdt – 3 TAC – 4 ATGM & UA – 8 – Buccaneer – 3 Nyss Hunters (Full) – 10 Pressgangers (Full) x2 – 12 Doc Killingsworth – 2 Bosun Grogspar – 2 First Mate Hawk – 2 Rhupert Carvolo – 2 Taryn di la Rovissi – 2 Specialists – Precursor Knights (Full) & UA – 10 Gorten +7 (Four-Star) (List B) -Basher – 7 -Driller – 6 -Sylyss – 2 Wrong-Eye & Snapjaw – 9 -Bull Snapper – 3 Eliminators x2 – 6 Eyriss2 – 3 Orin Midwinter – 2 Saxon Orrik – 2 Gorman – 2 Thor Steinhammer – 2 Aiyana’n Holt – 4 Boomhowler’n Co. (Full) – 9 Specialists Croe’s Cutthroats Follow us on Twitter @museonminis and like us on Facebook! Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:02 — 27.5MB)Subscribe: Android |...
read moreSteam Powered Combat s5e5 – Full Faction Challenge Part Two
The Full Faction Challenge continues as we play at the 25pt level with Jeremiah Kraye vs. Servath Reznik. Tom also uses the Scourge of Heresy which is his first character model to get used in this campaign.
read moreMoM’s Podcast #93
MoM’s Podcast #93 — A Warmachine and Hordes Podcast Topics: Timestamps: 0:01:00 = News and Announcements 0:20:15 = Dojo John’s Dojo The High Reclaimer +6 -Devout -5 Kell Bailoch -2 eEiryss -3 The Book -2 Rhupert -2 2x Bastions -16 Zealots+UA -8 Idrian’s+UA -3 Aiyana & Holt -4 Colin’s Dojo 3Kreoss +5 -Reckoner-8 -Templar-8 -Repenter-4 -Redeemer-6 2x Vassal’s-4 Saxon Orrik-2 The Book-2 eEiryss-3 Choir-2 Zealots+UA-8 TFG+UA-8 Follow us on Twitter @museonminis and like us on Facebook! Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:08 — 24.3MB)Subscribe: Android |...
read moreDICE RAGE LIVE ep.14 – The Return Of Lee!
One of the funnest episodes of DRL in a while! Enjoy our Agenda Free shenanigans! And we’re doing our five questions thing,...
read moreRoad to War Episode 36- A Warmachine & Hordes podcast
Road to War We’re back! Sorry for the break. Real life. And Cons. And laziness. And Stuff. But we’re back now! Nobody actually reads this. Email us questions at aroadtowar@gmail.com or on twitter at @roadtowar Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:33 — 28.6MB)Subscribe: Android |...
read moreCrippled System Videocast 7 – Circle vs Retribution
The seventh video cast, including Battle commentary by Jeremy S, JR, and Alex S. Alex Shaver vs Jeremy S – Circle of Orboros vs Retribution of Scyrah Morvahna1 vs Rahn our youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/crippledsystem email us at podcast@crippledsystem.com Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Follow...
read moreNemesis: Major Haley. 5 – Returning of the Wandering Wordmonger
It’s been a while! Life has been hectic! You can believe I was moving house, and work has been hectic, but the truth, the real truth is more reductive. Not unlike my actual face. So let’s get back in the driving seat! Let’s dust off and get back on the horse! Let’s …something something wagon? This week we are covering Trollbloods and Retribution of Scyrah. For Troll bloods there are easier answers, as a Troll beast brick is basically unshootable, and very good against Cygnar. So we’ll discuss some other lists with an honourable mention or two. For Ret I’m going to discuss the subtleties of the ‘easy button’ against two stormwalls. Not that it’s a difficult matchup if you’re careful, but it bears some thought on the matter! Of course, as always, be aware of the assumptions I’ll be making about Haley’s list. Kithkar’s Krieg So it doesn’t take a genius to realise that Runes of War, IMO the best list in the Trollbloods Faction is a good bet here. Three Arm 22-23 warbeasts, which are also often high Def over all of the walls make a great start. Banishing ward can protect you against the few builds that include arc nodes, or a desperate Haley scenario rush. The runeshapers are Arm 15 or 17 and have 5 wounds, so the infantry removal section of the typical Cygnar army is inefficient. All of this makes for a very, very good matchup. While we’re on theme forces, Family Reunion is also good in the Haley matchup. Once again, it’s too much beef. The Boomhowlers will easily buy you the time to get your walls of champions in the zones and you begin to negate covering fires and seriously threaten the wall. Iron flesh can make champions really difficult for the ‘wall to remove in melee as well so in typical troll fashion you can just outlast your foe. I’d be hardpressed to find someone who doesn’t like hearing that they should play Borka! He’s so much fun! The Grand Champion of Beermachine! So what are our other options here? Blood fury burrowers can threaten around covering fire, but they offer a perfect reason for Haley to feat when she predicts they will pop up. Most of the rest of Madrak’s army is pretty susceptible to covering fire, excepting Long Riders. So you could embark on an adventure to include burrowers, warders, and long riders enough models that can get through the covering fire as well as the burrowers to force the feat, which you shouldn’t overlap with threatening/exposing your other models too much. Swarming stormwalls with models that hit hard and can charge through/get around covering fire is very effective, especially in scenario play. Finally Grissel1 and Grim2 can play games of damage swing against the stormwall, again with longriders and warders primarily, though gators get some honourable mention for yet more multi-wound infantry. You’ll want troll gang, calamity/mortality, rage/flaming fists, and so on. Trolls have an excellent time against Cygnar as long as you have at least one list with Arm buffing and multi-wound models, these will always be issues for Cygnar. Take care that you’re Haley list isn’t hard countered by their other list, but many Troll Cygnar drops are good against almost everything the Faction can...
read moreMoM’s Podcast #92
MoM’s Podcast #92 — A Warmachine and Hordes Podcast Topics: Timestamps: 0:15:00 = High Command 0:40:00 = Template Talk 0:43:00 = News and Announcements Follow us on Twitter @museonminis and like us on Facebook! Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:15 — 25.3MB)Subscribe: Android |...
read moreWarmans Episode 6 – Legit Shrimp Cocktail
Explicit. Bill and Brian B. discuss: Michigan Cup Shrimp Cocktails/Bill is rich Gencon Spoilers and pre-releases Gencon masters/Iron Gauntlet List B I L L E D: 2 list format Menoth for a local tourney (note: no carcast) Like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warmanspodcast Michigan Cup: https://www.facebook.com/events/153245081538799/ Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:51:50 — 51.2MB)Subscribe: Android |...
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