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The above was taken near the end of the game. The tension had been ratcheting up gradually until finally it all hit the fan - the bogeyman, wraiths, wolves, AND wendigo all out on the table.
The wraiths were super annoying (in my play tests and in the real thing). I just borrowed an existing monster from the rulebook - a spirit, I think. When killed they respawn 8" away. There is no way to actually kill them.
The party lucked out during the final rounds - I rolled poorly when checking against the threat level and the villains only recovered hit points once. By concentrating their attacks, the party was able to kill the wendigo. With the evil destroyed, the wolves were released from their trance, the wraiths were dispelled, and the bogeyman, who had profited from his lurking around the wendigo lair, took off deeper into the woods.
Huzzah!
While the players enjoyed the setup, figures, and terrain, (and 2/3 liked the game system) to my surprise, what really tickled them was the cotton "smoke" for the fired muskets. As a staple of Horse & Musket wargame pictures I have seen over my nearly 20 years of miniature gaming, I thought nothing of it, but for them it was revolutionary (no pun intended, given the game's period).
I was reminded that it's easy to take for granted those things that we do or see every day and how much impact the littlest thing can have on someone who hasn't encountered it before. It also reminded me of something I read in a book long ago, about how, when you invite people to dinner at your house, you should make them what you would normally make, don't aim for fancy or different or to impress, because what is a typical meal for you will still be a treat for your guests.
In any case, I am quite satisfied with how it looked and played, and I look forward to playing it as a solo venture since Perilous Tales supports solo play out of the box and utilizing the "campaign" rules which allow for character advancement. But that's for 2025 - the Christmas game was the last game of 2024.
Of course, I'm knee deep in my reviewing 2024 and goal setting for 2025 (for everything, not just hobby), so more on that will probably be my next post.
Until then, Happy New Year!
