Slitherine

So, as it does every year around this time, I start to think of goblins.

I love goblins. I love goblins soooo much that I have more goblins than I have of about 2,300 years worth of steppe nomads and Korean War ChiComs combined. Not one goblin, however, is painted.

With multiple painting projects going on right now, two of them obligatory, 'fun' painting time is kind of limited. The plan is to do some quick cleanups of 15mm goblins, black prime them and paint them quick and dirty - they are goblins after all. Glue them to bare metal bases and cover their feet with a compound of dilute white glue, coffee grounds and maybe a little bit of millet seed to touch up as mushrooms.

I have a friend who wants to learn FoG AM, but our armies are terrible mismatches - Skythians and White Company. But he DOES have a 15mm orc army finished. If the goblins can be cranked out in sufficient numbers, we are shooting for a game around the winter solstice, of orcs versus goblins. We will use, without adaptation or majicks, the Iroquois and Chichimec or Mound Builder lists from Blood and Gold.

If it comes to pass, an AAR will be forthcoming.

Bravo. Historical analogues work, or one can be more creative - the FOG rules are quite robust.

A way back I had Orcs under an Evil Overlord battle Medieval French under FOG to test the list - was fun, felt Orclike.

Mainly, we are running orc and goblin models because that is what we have a lot of - if I can get mine painted.

My friend wants to experience the basic game, and I wanted to try out a few of the Blood and Gold lists without buying more minis.

Gobbos seem just about perfect for the Chichimecs - acceptable but brittle shock troops with a bit of missile capability, and the potential for swarms of evading skirmishers. Mound Builders might even be better, with the option to run lots of poor LF, and it is one of the armies that interest me.

If this works I am thinking about the added fantasy whistles and bells. Initially, I am inclined simply to give the generals spell casting abilities to be used in the joint action phase. Generals could either move or cast if TC, or move and cast if FC or IC. If they are in combat they must cast with regard to the combat they are in, or provide the conventional combat bonuses.

I don't think spells should be attacks on opposing troops. I am more inclined to allow for altering terrain, spreading fear, creating illusions or briefly inspiring morale for friendly units. I think many games are broken with overly powerful characters. I don't have a problem with a caster dismaying or disrupting an enemy unit, but the caster ought not be able to launch a devastating attack on an unit.

For magic with a subtle touch I tried and wrote up a modified rule for casters being able to affect certain rerolls. Balanced so easily applied universally.

The actual Evil Overlord list special rules centered around resilience of troops within range of their Dark Master.

Both in the yahoo FoG Fantasy forum files.

I also wrote a lot about how overt magic could be represented and considerations to keep in mind I think your approach of being army specific in magic effects and doing it incrementally is a good one.

Using cards to determine which spells you may case adds nice uncertainty.