Running a Tournament without Record Keeping

Over the years I have seen many different systems of scoring miniatures tournaments. They mostly involve mathematical equations, some quite complex, that measure the degree of victory or loss based on a number of factors. Generally, the intent is that whoever wins the most games should be the tournament winner, and along the way, players of equal ranking should face each other. Often (if not always) arbitrary "other factors", such as the loss of a general, or number of troops lost, are used as a tie breaker between those on equal wins. Some scoring systems even tend to value "other factors" to such a degree that their cumulative effect can be worth more than a win even when you lose or draw.

Another common aspect is that after each game, the players are required to fill in accounting sheets, calculating the various factors from the game, and then totalling them for each player. The tournament organiser then collects the results, and works out cumulative totals for every player to determine the next round draw. This sometimes requires a computer to work it all out.

So my goal is to run a tournament without pen and paper, and not need an organiser to run things between rounds. I realise that there are some formats out there that do this. I have read with real interest about the concept of a "King of the Hill" style tournament, such as detailed at this site. Here rank is determined by seating positions at tables set up in a line like a ladder that you have to work up. The players on the top table are the "King" and "Challenger". It is intriguing in having some sense of narrative to it, and physical locations, giving the feel of a quasi campaign. However, the main downside seems to be that every game must have a result, it does not cater for draws very well. (Draws are the bane of any tournament system).

The idea I have is that only numbered cards and poker chits are used, as in the picture below.

It is meant to produce the same results as a typical Swiss chess type draw, with a tie breaker mechanism between equal ranked opponents. The poker chits are a proxy for ranking; if you have more poker chits, you have more wins. The numbered cards are used as a tie breaker.

It is also meant to provide some narrative for a quasi campaign - the poker chits are called Resource Chits (the more wins you have, the more territory is conquered, or resources acquired). The numbered cards are called Influence Cards (the higher the number, the more influence you have).

So, the tournament rules are (assuming an even number of players);

Influence Cards
There should be a set of numbered cards, without duplicates, from 1 to the number of players involved. So in an eight player tournament, there are eight cards numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Before round one, each player randomly receives an Influence Card. These help with ranking.

At the end of a battle, the Influence Card may be swapped between players. In a win/loss game, the winner gets (or retains) the lowest value influence card between both players. In a draw/draw, there is no swap, both players retain their existing cards.

Resource Chits
Each player starts the tournament with a number of Resource Chits equal to the number of rounds in the competition. So in a four 4 round tournament, each player starts with 4 Resource Chits. When a player wins, they take one Resource Chit from the loser. In the case of a draw, neither player gains or loses a Resource Chit. Accordingly, a player losing all 4 games will end up with no Resource Chits at the end, whereas a player winning all 4 games will end up with 8 Resource Chits at the end. Resource Chits are to be placed on the table during the games so that ranking can be easily determined.

Matching Opponents
In round one, match players from the lowest Influence Card to the highest. So in an 8 player tournament, 1 fights number 8, 2 fights 7, 3 fights 6, and 4 fights 5. This is important so that the highest value cards end up with the winners after round one.

From the second round onwards, group players based on the number of Resource Chits. The player with the lowest value Influence Card in the group with the most Resource Chits will be matched against the player they have not played yet with the next lowest value Influence Card in that group. If there is an odd player left over in that group, then one is chosen from the group with the next highest number of Resource Chits they have not played yet with the lowest value Influence Card. The main thing is that players face equally ranked opponents but not face an opponent they already fought in the tournament.

After Final Round
The player with most Resource Chits is the winner of the tournament. If there is more than one player with an equal number of Resource Chits, then the one with the lowest value Influence Card wins within that grouping.

Notes
I intend to use this at in the MOAB Hordes of the Things tournament in 2016. I ran it in the 2015 tournament, in parallel with a traditional scoring system as a double check, and it produced the same results with a lot less work and organisation.

One thing I am not sure about is whether players who draw should both lose a Resource Chit rather than retain them - as this then places the draw on the same footing as a loss (so as to discourage players aiming for a draw). Retaining the chit didn't cause any issues in the 2015 tournament, so I don't see the need to change this at the moment.

Mock Battles 2

In the never ending quest in finding a set of rules for larger scale "mock battle" gladiator fights, I tried Ronin with Martin last Friday night at the Sutherland Shire Gamers. My previous attempt at using the now OOP Warhammer Historical set in my previous post at Mock Battles.

Even though Ronin is meant for battles using Samurai in Japan, Craig Woodfield (the author) wrote a supplement in the Wargames Illustrated #318 (April 2014) called Gladius. This provides a conversion to Roman gladiatorial combat - not "one on one" fighting as such, but more for one group up against another group.

Just as an aside, I bought a set of rules at MOAB many years ago called Gladius by the same author. At the time I thought they had a very clever combat mechanism that involved a pool of dice, and allowed for some tactical decisions in how those dice were used. It seems that those rules became Ronin, which Craig Woodfield stated (in the WI #318 article) that "Ronin started life as a set of gladiator rules". I can see a some similarities, but there are a lot of differences as well. Anyway, enough of this aside.

We tried a refight of the "Attack on a Celtic village" scenario that was the subject of my previous post. It took place on a hex grid, we just converted one inch of movement to a hex. Here is the initial setup;

There were 8 "Romans" (gladiators in legion armour) who were level 3 and wore heavy armour, they also had skill with the gladius which gave them a reroll (24 points each). The "Celts" had 7 level 2 fighters in light armour (12 points each), and 5 level 2 fighters in medium armour (14 points each). They also had an additional hero figure (al la Maximus), who was level 5, wore medium armour, had skill with the gladius, had Fast (bonus to initiative) and Intuition (boost to defence) for 38 points. So a total of 13 "Celts" and 192 points per side.



Both sides rushed up against each other, with the Romans pushing up through their right to initially limit the superior number of Celts. After a couple of turns, the quality of the "Romans" with the extra level, gladius skill and heavy armour made quite a difference - the celts couldn't really stand up to this unless they could outnumber. The Celt hero (who we called Russell), was quite capable in his own right. We actually found that Russell probably should have had the Inexorable attribute rather than Fast. He was winning the initiative anyway without needing Fast, and he would win a combat with pool dice to spare. In such open terrain, he could have been freed up for extra attacks in other areas.

Below is the situation by the end. The Romans won. They only had 3 losses (all at the hand of Russell), and eventually, Russell himself was surrounded. I think the result could have been a lot different if Russell had Inexorable. However, the game did do what I thought it should - the Romans were superior to the Celts, and the Celt hero was superior to the Romans. The morale rules never came into play, apart from one Roman who was grievously wounded and kept failing morale to enter combat.

As the game was quite fast to play, we had time left over for an actual game with Samurai figures. Martin had brought a lot of these, and we had time to plan both sides (100 points each) and set up terrain as below;

It was basically a small group of heavy armoured Samurai with a powerful leader (4 figures) needing to cross over bridges to get to the enemy (5 figures), who had no armour but were armed with yari (bow). They also had a very powerful boss as well (but also no armour). The game also took place at dusk, so line of sight was diminishing with the falling light. It was a close result, the Samurai were (as expected) very powerful in attack, but they took wounds from bowfire closing in, so that the lightly armoured defenders won at the end with 2 figures remaining. However, like the gladiator game, morale didn't really come into it, with both sides passing tests easily. Not sure if this was being played wrong somehow, or whether it is the intention of the rules that fights were often down to the last man.

The Ronin rules were good, they provided for a fast game and simple mechanisms.

Knight of Destiny

The latest offering from Ganesha Games in the Four Against Darkness (4AD) series is The Knight of Destiny. I actually wrote this supplement, so will try not to wax lyrical about it too much...

Some background first. 4AD is a solo RPG game created by Andrea Sfiligoi, where the player controls a party of four characters that move through a randomly generated dungeon. Since its initial release, a number of supplements have come out. First was Caves of the Kobold Slave Masters, and then Dark Waters, both of which will kick off first level parties through to the third level. The next release was The Three Rings, which is for third to fifth level characters, so a logical progression for parties that moved through one of the previous supplements. Though the 4AD base game itself can be applied to any world or background, the supplements have theming, being set in the world of Norindaal, which is the official world of Song of Blades and Heroes.

The Knight of Destiny applies the game system to a medieval Arthurian world, where a single character (a starting 3rd level paladin) heads out from Camelot on a quest for the grail. It is set in the outdoors, so there is no dungeon generation or map making. The main inspirations are Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, the John Boorman's 1981 Excalibur film, and even a good dose of Chaucer's Pardoners Tale!

During the adventure, the paladin will come across a whole menagerie of creatures and characters, some benign, others not so. An important concept in the game are inns, it is here where the paladin can rest and listen out for rumors to help in the quest. Retainers can also be hired at inns; they will bring with them various skills (that the paladin does not have) to help on the quest. Another key concept is piety; at various points in the game, the paladin will have to make life threatening or moral decisions to succeed, as only the most righteous can find the grail.

While the paladin is busy questing, a larger story develops in the background where the evil and traitorous forces led by Morgana and Mordred will grow in power and try to defeat King Arthur. There is a role reversal for the player here, as the paladin can shift from being the hunter to the hunted, as increasingly powerful knights (bosses) will try to stop the grail from being found.

My aim was for The Knight of Destiny to provide a solid challenge, and be random enough for it to give a different game/experience every time it is played. My success rate in playing is somewhere below 50% - so finding and returning the grail to Camelot is not that easy! The randomness is brought about by a number of tables, similar to the 4AD base game approach where there is no scripting.

Anyway, I hope this a good addition to the 4AD family, taking the system into a semi-historical / mythological background.

Review of Dark Waters (No Spoilers)

Having just downloaded Dark Waters, the next supplement to Ganesha's Four Against Darkness (4AD), I was keen to give it a play.

4AD is a solo pen and paper RPG, which tries to capture the classic feel of the dungeon bash. The game has a lot of replay-ability as dungeons and monsters are randomly generated. One "scripted" supplement has already come out, Caves of the Kobold Slave Masters (CotKSM), which follows a set theme with a background plot.

Dark Waters is second supplement to come out, and like CotKSM, has a scripted background plot and a strong sea-faring/swashbuckler theme. It also introduces an entirely new character class - the Swashbuckler, a sort of fighter with some thematic abilities suiting the class.

The first part of Dark Waters is similar to the first part of CotKSM, in that there is an already generated map with it's own set of bosses and minions. One major difference is that the party can choose from two separate narratives to start with, each with it's own benefits and outcomes (what these are is not known before the choice is made).

So I created the following 1st level party to venture through the first section;

• A Swashbuckler (Jacabo)
• A Wizard (Balthazar)
• A Cleric (Ethelred)
• A Dwarf (Thorgrim)

It is hard to write about what happened without giving away spoilers, but it felt more difficult for a 1st level party than the core 4AD. A lot can go wrong, some of the situations and bosses were challenging. Though no-one was lost, Balthazar (the Wizard) and Ethelred (the Cleric) came close. They all got to level up, but had to spend most of their treasure to remove certain conditions that happened to them. There are things that can happen to characters that seems quite bad at the time, but can end up being a cool (and really pirate thematic) character effect.

The second section is in the dungeon crawl format of 4AD. It is thematically tied into the world of Norindaal, and is the exploration of a sunken temple somewhere near Atlis, with its corresponding sea creatures. There are new tables for the various monsters, events, treasures, features and other things. During the game I rolled up 21 rooms before completing. After running into a lot of the different minions and vermin, I found that the attack abilities of the monsters in this adventure probably favours a different party/character mix than what works in 4AD. This is good, as what works in one game should not necessarily work as well in another.

In the end, more through good luck then good management, the party survived intact. One thing I did (hopefully correctly) was that I found 3 clues, and used them on the "weakness of a monster" ability, which can make all attacks on the final boss at +2. Clues are one of the great things in 4AD, and give some extra narrative. I just need to think up something creative as to what the clues could represent :) Ultimately, Jacabo and Thorgrim ended up on level 4 each, while Ethelred and Balthazar ended up on level 3 each. There was a fair bit of cash and magic items at the end, as the intrepid party awaits it's next adventure.

One feature of Dark Waters was that some campaign benefits are bestowed upon the party. How these can come into play are probably up to the players imagination and forthcoming supplements.

Overall, there is a lot of bang for your buck here. For the price of a few dollars, there is at least 2 hours plus of entertainment. The new swashbuckler character class also looks quite usable outside of Dark Waters.

Through the Mud and Blood

Tonight at the "club" Steve & Martin had a game of "Through the Mud and Blood". This is a WWI game using individual figures. I was mainly a spectator of sorts, providing unwanted tactical advice at various critical points. However, I did provide the figures for the German side, with Martin providing the British. Steve provided the cards, blinds and extensive knowledge of the rules.

The game was scenario 1 from the rules. It is an introductory scenario, with small forces. I had played this before with Steve, I was the Germans and lost. Steve since that time played the same scenario three more times, and every time the British won, mainly as they have more numbers and more commanders. So here with his 5th attempt, the challenge was to see whether the Germans could win. Steve took the Germans, Martin the British.

Below is the initial set up. Both sides deploy with cards. The Germans start in trenches, whereas the British are attacking, coming in from the board edge.

As the game progressed, the troops got revealed, first were the Germans in the trenches;

Then everything was fully deployed - here is the scene from the British perspective;

It was an interesting game, initially the main British command stayed back out of harms way (thanks to bad movement dice), which meant the advance was not that well co-ordinated, and units fell back in shock from the German shooting. The consensus was that a German victory was possible at this point.

However, as this scenario tends to turn out, the British command (called "big men" in the rules) got its act together, rallied the troops and they slowly wore down the outnumbered Germans for another British win.

The rules are interesting in that they simulate difficulties in command during the era, and also the suppressive effects of firepower. Units can take casualties or accumulate "shock" points - and shock points reduce movement and shooting ability unless rallied off. A lot of shock points will force a unit to fall back.

Anyway, onto scenario 2 next time to see who can win that one....

Gladiator Campaign

Last night at the Sutherland Shire Gamers, I played in a three way gladiator campaign with Steve and Martin using the free Munera Sine Missione rules. We tried a few experimental amendments to version 2.3 that are mentioned on Alan Saunders' Stronghold Rebuilt site, and other ideas to provide some narrative between campaign fights.

In brief, the way the campaign works is that each player has 6 gladiators, and fights with two of them every round, so that with three players, there are three fights each round (each player effectively fights the other). The fights are sort of conducted simultaneously, one turn is conducted by both players in fight 1, the one turn in fight 2, then one turn in fight 3, and then back to fight one. This continues until all fights are complete. It also means that all players will know what is happening in every fight, and does tend to keep everyone engaged.

A winning gladiator can gain a skill if they beat an opponent with equal or more skills (but not less). For each gladiator that wins, the player (their ludus) gains 1 prestige point. 2 prestige points are gained if a gladiator with more skills is defeated, and 1 prestige point is lost if a gladiator is beaten by one with less skills. This method seems to favour all gladiators skilling up at the same time, as there is a fair amount of downside risk with little reward to running your better gladiators against rookies.

Anyway, with printed cards for each gladiator, this is how the three side-by-side games looked;

In the first round, all three of us won a fight, so all got 1 prestige point, and we all had a gladiator that had acquired a skill. There were also two deaths, one was an outright mortal wound in the arena, the other by the crowd giving the thumbs down. In general, the crowd was quite miserable, and despite many attempts by gladiators working the crowd, the reaction received was lukewarm at best.

In the second round, Steve and Martin won a game each, the third between myself and Martin ended in a draw. As none of the gladiators selected in this round had any skills, Martin and Steve both now had 2 gladiators with 1 skill each, and also had 2 prestige points, whereas I was stuck on 1 prestige point. However, all gladiators survived.

Martin in particular had a tendency to use a Retiarius in the fights, managing to net his opponents in each game. In the below scene, Afra managed to entangle Tigris;

In the third round, Steve and myself had a skilled gladiator each facing a rookie gladiator put forward by Martin, the third fight was between two rookies. I gained 2 wins, so going to 3 prestige points, however, as my skilled gladiator beat someone of lower skills, he was not able to test for a new skill. Martin beat Steve's skilled gladiator, so he gained 2 prestige points, whereas Steve lost 1 prestige point. One of Steve's gladiators even suffered the dread double 2 result and lost the appeal to the crowd, who's demeanor never improved.

There were the usual highlights such as broken weapons, dropped shields and helmets and knockdowns. In one fight, both gladiators lost their weapons! Even the referees were used to effect as they bumbled around, getting in the way of an attacker and in one instance, standing on a dropped shield. However, the crowds were generally unmoved by the spectacle, rarely giving out any favour.

As it turned out, each fight took about 15 minutes to resolve, so one campaign round took around 45 minutes, so we only got the three rounds (12 fights in total) in for the evening. I thought we would get through it a little faster, but it might be too ambitious thinking that the campaign can complete in a normal evening.

Even though the fights are very dice luck dependent, I thought the campaign as a background did give some objectives to aim for and made it into an engaging multiplayer game.

Battlesworn Star Wars Solitaire: Playthrough

Using the scenario from the previous post, below is the description of the solo playthrough. All bids (initiative, shooting, combat etc) for the smuggler side were generated by the solo bidding charts. Please note that this is not a review as I was involved with proof-reading and some editing of Knights and Knaves.

As the main objective is to enter the building and destroy the plans, the main Imperial tactic will be to bid high initially in an attempt to get as many figures as possible through the crystal fields, bypass the thugs, and try to enter the building. As the AI will generally bid lower from turn 7 onwards (and an action is needed to enter the building), at least one Imperial model should really try to be in there by turn 6. This should also give extra time for the search. The Imperials also need to deal with the bounty hunter, who is a major threat.

Here is the ground level view of the deployment. Stormtroopers are to the front so that both Sith are not closest enemy;

Turn 1
Imperial Initiative Bid: 6
Smuggler Initiative Bid: 3

As the smugglers have initiative, and Vader is in LOS of the bounty hunter, he uses the sniper ability (does not have to shoot at closest enemy) against Vader. Vader bids 4, the bounty hunter bids 2, so there is no dodge attempt. Rolling 3 dice (2 bid +1 for ranger vs preferred target) the wound roll is 6,6,4 - two hits. Vader expends the talisman and blocks the shot (AKA calls upon the force). Two thugs then shoot at the stormtroopers in the open, both missing, with the return shots missing as well. A lot of shooting so far. With the reaction moves, the apprentice, a stormtrooper and the speeder move forward. If not for the thug in the way, the speeder could have moved through the crystal field. This is the situation at the end of the turn;

Turn 2
Imperial Initiative Bid: 6
Smuggler Initiative Bid: 2

This is a good bid result for the Imperials, as they can do a lot more moving. With the initiative, a Gamorrean charges the stormtrooper (who was moved up as a blocker), and the bounty hunter shoots at the sith apprentice. The apprentice bids 4, the bounty hunter 6. The apprentice failed the dodge roll. The bounty hunter then rolls (7 dice) 6,6,5,4,4,4,1. for two hits. The apprentice also plays the talisman, using the force to block the shot. Both talismans are now gone, but have certainly paid for themselves. Now the speeder moves to be just outside the building, the apprentice moves into a position to charge the bounty hunter, Vader moves to the road and a stormtrooper moves forward out of cover at the rear. In the fight, both the stormtrooper and Gamorrean bid 5, so a non-event, but good for the stormtrooper. Things are looking really positive for the Imperials. The situation at the end of the turn is;

Turn 3
Imperial Initiative Bid: 3
Smuggler Initiative Bid: 6

I thought at this point the Imperials should go on the offensive and try to win the initiative, bidding 3. The smugglers bid 6 (maybe the AI disconcertingly thought I was going to bid 6 again....?). The apprentice charged the bounty hunter who reaction shot back. The apprentice bid 3 and the bounty hunter bid 5, Again, the apprentice failed to dodge, but the bounty hunter clean missed with a 6,5,4,4,1,1 roll on 6 dice (including the ranger bonus). Vader then charged Lando (thinking this will be an easy fight). Even though Lando could have reaction shot back, the pistol was more valuable in melee with a +2 dice bonus (rather than +1 for distance shooting). Instead a thug did a reaction shot on Vader. Vader bid 3, the thug 6. Vader failed to dodge, and the thug rolled 6,5,3,3,2,1 - against a monk a miss as 2's count as 1's (otherwise would have been 1 wound), so Vader gets through unscathed. The speeder made a move for the building but was reaction charged by the second Gamorrean. In the fight, the speeder bid 6, and the Gamorrean bid 5, with both missing with their subsequent rolls. The apprentice bid 6 and the bounty hunter bid 2. With his 3 dice (+1 ranger bonus) the bounty hunter rolled 5,5,2 for 2 hits. The apprentice (now on condition yellow) rolled 5,4,3,3,1,1 for no hits. Not good. Vader bid 6 and Lando bid 4. Lando rolled (6 dice with +2 pistol bonus) 6,5,5,4,3,2 for 3 hits. Vader rolled 6,5,5,3,3,2 for 3 hits. Both Vader and Lando on condition red. Not good. The stormtrooper bid 5 and the Gamorrean 3. The Gamorrean striking first rolled 6,6,4 - as the stormtrooper had only one life point he was killed. Not good. The situation at the end of turn 3;

Turn 4

Imperial Initiative Bid: 6
Smuggler Initiative Bid: 5

I bid high again so as to call up the rest of the stormtroopers and get reserves into the battle. I was anticipating the AI to bid low. The smuggler bid of 5 was completely unexpected and perfect at foiling this plan... The freed up Gamorrean charged Vader. With the other 4 actions, the smugglers tried to shoot up the stormtroopers. There was a lot of shooting, as the stormtroopers could return fire. After 4 shots on the 3 stormtroopers, there were 2 dodges but one stormtrooper who was in the open was killed. The remaining two stormtroopers returned fire but missed. With only one reaction for the Imperials, it had to be used to save Vader. Using the Monk break-off ability, he slipped out of the combat and into the crystal field. The fight between the apprentice and the bounty hunter was a draw with a bid of 5 each, and the speeder vs the Gamorrean was drawn with bids of 6 each. The early progress made by the Imperials has come to a standstill. The situation at the end of the turn is below;

Turn 5
Imperial Initiative Bid: 3
Smuggler Initiative Bid: 5

A good initiative result to get things moving again. Vader moved through to the other side of the crystal field. A thug did a reaction shot. Vader bid 3, the thug bid 6. Vader failed the dodge (not sure why he can't dodge!), and the thug's wounding roll was 6,5,3,3,2,1. Normally this would have done one wound (and take out Vader with one life left), but the Monk ability turned it into a zero result. The remaining two moves were to make the stormtroopers move forward as reinforcements. They are desperately needed to peel away Lando and the Gamorrean! One of them took a reaction shot, the stormtrooper bid 3, the thug 2. The thug rolled a double 6 killing the stormtrooper. There goes the reinforcements.... In the melees, the apprentice and bounty hunter drew yet again, with both bidding 5. The speeder bid 5 and the Gamorrean bid 6. The speeder cut through for 3 hits (6,5,5,2) bringing the Gamorrean to red condition, whose 6 dice strike back was 6,6,5,4,2,1, bringing the speeder to yellow condition. The position at the end of the turn was;

Turn 6

Imperial Initiative Bid: 2
Smuggler Initiative Bid: 3

I wanted to win initiative and luckily did so, with the AI getting only one reaction.  The apprentice used the Monk ability to break off from the bounty hunter, and move out of the crystal fields towards the building. This used up the one smuggler reaction move - the Gamorrean next to Lando made reaction charge back. The speeder was now free to get into the building, and use the cavalry ability to break off melee (he could have done it anyway with his opponent on red condition). The fight between the apprentice and Gamorrean was another draw with both bidding 5. I forgot to take a picture at the end of this turn, but the main thing was the Imperials finally got into the building.

Turn 7
Imperial Initiative Bid: 2
Smuggler Initiative Bid: 4

Just needed the two actions here - one for the search roll, the other to break off the apprentice from his second combat. The apprentice moved towards the building and was reaction charged by the Gamorrean in red condition. Now for the search roll (drum roll...), a 2, so nothing found yet, but a +1 modifier for next turn. The most logical reaction move for the smugglers now seemed to be moving the bounty hunter towards Vader and box him in. I hadn't really seen this possibility when I broke the apprentice off from the bounty hunter originally, as I was focused at getting into the building instead. Not seeing moves that far in advance is why I don't play chess. In the one fight, the apprentice bid 3 and the Gamorrean 5. With the 3 dice the apprentice finally did something nasty and killed the Gamorrean (6,4,2) - two hits, but only one was needed. The situation at the end of turn 7 was;

Turn 8
Imperial Initiative Bid: 3
Smuggler Initiative Bid: 5

This first thing was to move the apprentice into the building (now a +2 search modifier). With the 2nd action, I decided to get Vader away, and moved him into the crystal field - this turned out to be a bad decision (a really bad decision). The thug did a reaction shot. Vader bid 3, the thug 6. Vader failed to dodge yet again. The wound roll was 6,5,5,3,3,2. Two wounds on Vader, and he was down. Now the search for the 3rd action (drum roll....), a 3 (with the +2) modified to 5, another failed search. With the remaining reaction, Lando simply reloaded his pistol as the final scene (I couldn't think of anything else to do with the game over, and this seemed the most cinematic...). The Imperials lost with Vader taken. The situation at the end was;

Thoughts

In hindsight, I made the wrong moves with Vader. He should have gone for the bounty hunter at the start instead of the apprentice - and then try to get him into the building ASAP and out of harms way. And when I broke Vader off, he should have tried to leave the field rather than hang around. At the end, I should have used paralysis (force choke) on the bounty hunter rather than try to run away at that stage, or just do nothing so that there could be no reaction shooting on him. The other alternative was to do a different opening and use stormtroopers at the start, using them as blockers to draw off the building defenders. Not sure. The game seemed to slip away from the Imperials, but was still winnable at the end.

The Talismans proved to be good value, but unfortunately, used up to soon due to some lucky shooting from the bounty hunter - Vader could have used it at the end. The tricksy break-off from melee that monks have was good as well, allowing the apprentice to bounce through a few enemy to get a run into the building. The one Monk ability I should have used but didn't was the dice flip when defending against shooting.

The initiative bids from the AI were higher than I expected, but it worked out for the smugglers as it gave them a lot of reaction shots and charges. I was using the second row on the initiative bid table (where there are 2 or more unengaged shooters) which does give an increased chance for higher bids. This is also the first game I had where there were no tied bids, so didn't get to see my attempt at a modified version of the escalation rule come into play...