I’ve played my first two Divergent Paths games this week, attempting to rescue the child from the clutches of the Ten Thunders as well as the Guild’s Witchling Stalkers, and trying to spring the man from the Guild jail card before Som’er Teeth Jones and his Gremlins could grab him. In a rather interesting evening, I actually played both of these games at once – since there were three of us and the Divergent Paths encounters don’t really allow for three players, I agreed to challenge myself and play two games at once. It certainly helped me to make snap decisions rather than over-thinking moves, though I have to admit that I found remembering the schemes the worst part – I did forget Cursed Object for two straight turns in one game :/ In my defence, playing two games at the same time after a full day at work is quite taxing!
* * *
The child stumbled through the ruins of the trainyard, scrambling over rusted tracks and past abandoned carriages. Behind her, she could hear the padded footsteps and canine-like snuffling of the hooded creatures pursuing her. She had no idea what they would do if they caught her, but some deep intuition told her that she didn’t want to find out. Suddenly she slipped and fell on the cobblestones, grazing her hands on the rough brickwork. Looking back, she saw a sheet of ice starting to form over the uneven ground of the railyard, and snowflakes started to drift lazily through the air as the temperature plummeted to a freezing chill. Snow? In July?
The child marker stumbled through the frosty trainyard.
Rasputina and her Arcanists enter the area.
This game saw McCabe leading the Ten Thunders as they attempted to grab the girl, opposed by my Rasputina and her Cult. The game started with the Katanaka Sniper deploying right next to the child, though this advantage was short-lived as Rasputina blasted him with a barrage of ice, taking him out of the game early on. Snowstorm moved up to support her, using December’s Command to pull the Blessed of December forward, who Leapt forward to interact and push the child towards the Arcanists.
Snowstorm assists the Blessed in pushing the child towards the Arcanist lines.
McCabe / Rollins finds his way suddenly blocked by pillars of sheer ice.
McCabe and his Mounted Guild Guard moved up to give chase, but found themselves stalled by the dense terrain and a set of Ice Pillars summoned by the Wendigo. With the child safely behind Arcanist lines, I attempted to deal with the pursuing Witchling Stalkers. The Ten Thunders were faster, though, taking out three of them before I could even get a model in range. Rasputina finally managed to draw a bead on one and hit it with a blizzard of ice, obliterating the creature before it could reach the child. After a tense battle in the corners as both sides attempted to score for Power Ritual, the game ended in a 9-8 win for the Arcanists.
* * *
The man was pushed into the wagon by a couple of surly Guild Guard, still protesting against their treatment of him. Slapping one side of the wagon to alert the driver, the Guardsmen fell into step as the prison cart lurched forward to leave the station. Before it could, however, two of the Guardsmen were cut down by a hail of inaccurate rifle fire while the other two were set upon by Malifaux Raptors, unable to even draw their sabres before the creatures were upon them. The wagon jolted forward as the driver desperately attempted to flee the ambush…
Beasts of all forms emerge from the woods near the station.
With its prisoner loaded, the Guild prison cart prepares to leave the station.
The game started with a hoedown as the Gremlin Banjonista started ‘playing’, the surrounding Gremlins shuffling forward in one big group. Som’er called even more Bayou Gremlins from the nearby forest, bolstering his numbers as Marcus led his beasts in a cautious advance. This proved to be their undoing, as – with a little help from Trixie’s ability to cheat the initiative flip – the Gremlins managed to spring the man from the Guild wagon. Most of Marcus’s beasts moved forward to try and intercept the man, while the Rogue Necromancy broke ranks to chase down a Rooster Rider.
Intent on capturing the man for their own purposes, Som’er and his Gremlins emerge from the opposite treeline.
A madcap brawl began around the wagon and the escaped prisoner, with the self-righteous man being pushed backwards and forwards as Gremlins and Arcanists alike managed to find a break in the scrum to get out of engagement and take an interact action. Luther Leapt into the fray, tearing his way through the Gremlins as Trixie and Lenny battered their way through Marcus’s Canine Remains. The Dawn Serpent sat in the middle of it all, absolutely loving it as it healed back 9 wounds each turn with Call Unto The Chi. By the time the game finished, both sides had racked up 8vp for a draw. There’s not actually an option right now on the Divergent Paths form for a draw, so this might call for a rematch at the weekend!
Take care,
Ben
forgotmytea 