The horror, the horror

 Armed with terror birds galore and crazy, gun-touting Victorian killing gentlemen, the Xmas game 2022 was ready!

Although things work well in my head (no really!), it’s only when you get it on the table and throw in other players that any game gets a proper test. So I inflicted the game on a willing group of friends at the East Leeds Militaria Society wargames club. 

It worked well! The hunters blew away pretty much every critter that crossed their path, everyone quickly got to grips with the fast play rules, and they all had a laugh. Even the ones who met a grizzly end or were shot in the back by a fellow hunter!

The game was on a 6 x 4 table. For the Bramley Barners’ Xmas game it’s a 15’ long table!

Would this change the dynamics? Heavens, yes!

Encounters with critters felt spartan. I should have expected this. It was due in part to the large playing area, but the 10 hunters kept to three hunting parties. And I had someone from each party throwing for the chance encounters each turn. That said, in the two hours of play before we retired to the local pub, the hunters had tracked down all the terror birds, only some of the non-feathered prehistoric nasties hadn’t entered play. I thought that a couple of players didn’t get a decent game due to their objectives. Along with the devastating power of most of the hunters’ weapons, the objectives are something for me to think about before presenting this as a demo game at Vapnartak (and somehow making the game more pc…!)

He’s behind you! A Phororacos charges out of the jungle. Even this surprise attack ended in a cloud of feathers as the hunters blam! blam! blam! the critter to death.

Top shows a happy family group of Diatryma terror birds, soon just to be an orphan chick on its way to be a prime attraction in an American circus!

Middle some of the befuddled Napoleonic wargamers!

Bottom understandable head scratching while I position some of the local wildlife.

Two groups of Guardians try to intervene. These are the local gamekeepers if you like, dedicated to protecting the terror birds. Both groups receive a hot reception from the hunters and after taking casualties, flee.

The local poachers arrive! Cavemen! By the time they arrive the Guardians are nowhere to be seen and the ground is littered with carcasses. The cavemen happily collect meat and shock-horror the hunters actually don’t shoot them (they’ve shot absolutely everything else!)

Several nesting terror birds are blown away and their nests raided. Here a large female Diatryma wonders what all the noise is… blam! blam! blam!

A Smilodon minds its own business. It sat there ages whilst the hunters wondered why…

Until the German hunter whistled long enough and threw stones at it…

The only hunter fatality of the game! Lord Savoury of Staines is the hunt organiser, the host. He and his German, Belgian and Dutch guests all blaze away at the charging “sabre tooth tiger”, but none find their mark and Lord Savoury meets a grizzly end! A consolation goal for the beasties!

On balance the game worked well, most of the players seemed to enjoy it and the rules were adequate. Not a glowing testimonial, but it fitted the bill (beak?) for the Xmas game. Probably a 7/10 on boardgamegeek lol!

Certainly looked good. A little work to do before presenting it at Vapnartak. Probably my participation game swan song as putting on participation games at shows is incredibly hard work. I’m no spring chicken!

Thanks for reading

Cheers

Chris