More dungeon crawling with Fantastic Scuffles

This week Andy T and I faced off in the dungeon depths for another playtest of the dungeon crawling element of Fantastic Scuffles. Andrew ran a team of adventurers with four characters (two warriors, a sage and a rogue) and four minions (two archers and two spearmen). I returned to the roll of dungeon keeper, filling my dungeon with hidden movement tokens filled with potential. Knowing me, of course that potential was always going to include kobolds - this time with goblins!

With such a large adventuring party, Andy split his team into two groups. All four minions and one of his warriors - the polearm toting knight - went left, discovering the wing of the dungeon populated by kobolds. Having slaughtered a group of kobold spearmen, they continued into the next room, finding the first of their treasure chests, but also running into a group pf kobold slingers led by a mighty (in his head anyway) kobold warrior. Although all the kobolds were to fall, it was not without cost, leaving all the minions wounded, and the adventuring warrior slumped on the dungeon tiles.

The other group of adventurers (warrior, sage and rogue), made their way forward, gutting two goblin trappers before splitting further to explore different corridors. While the rogue attempted repeatedly to pick a locked door, the sage discovered a goblin shaman. In the ensuing mage-off, the adventurer came out on top, but badly bloodied. The second adventuring warrior - a summoned treeman - made short work of some goblin archers.

As the adventuring characters moved forward into the next room, a couple of pesky gobling swarms surrounded them, before the sage and the treeman were taken out by the wyvern and his little goblin knight.

Making discretionary use of his swift movement, the adventuring rogue ran the alternative route to claim another treasure, only to find his way out again blocked by goblings. At the end of turn eight, he fell to a hail of poisoned blow darts from the swarms. With the last of the adventuring characters out of action, the minions (unsuccessfully attempting to open the chest back in their own room) scattered, leaving the dungeon keeper with all the treasure, but significantly less minions than he started with.

This was a close run thing. I always knew that if the adventurers split their party, they were going to have trouble going up against the wyvern. However, the wyvern's size meant that he was unlikely to get very far beyond his starting chamber, and he was only protecting a one of the four treasures. As it went, my little waves (ripples) of minions, while ineffective on their own, wore the adventurers down just enough for them to fail at the last hurdle. Just as it should be. Who do they think they are? Barging in and expecting to walk out with our treasures!