Rats! And I said I was done Painting 15mm (ish) Figures...

    8 Splintered Light Miniatures rat slingers that I need for my solo Sellswords & Spellslingers games

The other day I sorted through my Splintered Light Miniatures anthropomorphic animals (that's a mouthful...), both painted and unpainted. I discovered that I don't have quite as many rats painted up as I thought I did. They're going to be the "Orcs & Goblins" of my solo Sellswords & Spellslingers campaign. I must have sold some to my friend Rich Brown of RRB Minis & More this past Advance the Colors. I talked him into buying my multi-based armies (5 infantry or 4 missile troops per large hexagon base). He would be using them for Grey Matter Games' Mice at Arms rules. I had painted and based these for my own big battle fantasy miniatures rules set that never got written. So, I figured, why not make some money off of them? I remember also taking along my individually based ones, so I'm pretty sure he picked up some of my mice and rats.

    There were two poses in the batch of 8 figures - here the one with a pouch for sling stones

The reason for this long-winded diatribe is one I am sure you can guess: "Rats! I needed to paint up more rats!" So, I pulled out a bag of 8 rat slingers and sorted through and picked out 10 with hand weapons that looked like good characters. I would do them in two batches -- the slingers first and hand weapons after. To be honest, I had not painted figures this small in a long time. What scale are they? Well, that's a great question! When Splintered Light first released its miniatures, they were 15mm scale. Then, they started releasing bigger and beefier figures intended more as characters than as packs for 15mm armies. Initially, they said these were 18mm/20mm. Well, I looked on their website the other day, and they're listed as 28mm. To be fair, they say quite clearly, "Please note that these stand 15mm-22mm in height and are similar in size to halflings and kobolds." Measuring one of the slingers, he stands 14mm from bottom of the feet to eyes. So, yeah. I'm painting 15mm figures...

    LONG time since I painted such small figures - these rats measured 14mm from soles to eyes

Thankfully, this blast from the past of painting 15's went well. I did not pluck my eyes out and run screaming from the room! I told myself going that I would not go as crazy as I currently do 28mm figures. Every item on the figure would not be getting a base coat and highlight. Did I hold true on that? Hmm...you be the judge. Either way, this batch of 8 rats went fairly fast. First, I cleaned them up. Splintered Light figs have very little flash and are excellent castings. I glued them down onto the Litko hexagon bases that I started using for my individual ones long ago. And...um, that was for another set of rules that never got written! Then, I primed the rats white with Gesso.

I did a Google search of various rat fur colors, and end up choosing four to five. With a big brush, I slapped on their base coat, not worrying about splashing over onto other parts of the figure. Similarly, once dry, I grabbed my flat brush and dry brushed each in the appropriate highlight color. Next, it was time to look at the figures more closely and plan things out. I decided to go with their tunics/shirts next. I used pale or dark colors for that. I also did a drybrush on each. So far, no real difference between how I was painting them and how I do 28's! Next, I did the leather belts and straps in Autumn Brown base coat and Iron Wind Metals Leather highlight. Oops, still the same recipe as my 28mm figures!

    Here is the other pose which carry shields -- they were easier to paint than I'd feared they might be!

Pouches and bags were next, with the tiniest pouch on four of the poses getting only one color. The slings were done in a base and dry brush (Maple Sugar and Wild Rice highlight). The stones visible in the sling and in the pouches were done in a medium gray, with a dot of light gray highlighting. There were basically two poses in this batch of eight. Four had shields, and I did each design differently -- once again, with a base coat and dry brush. I chose to do individual shield patterns mainly because I went back and saw I had done that on my previous rats. I tried to strike a balance between barbarian looking shield designs and simple ones 

All that was left at this point was the pink of their noses,  tail, and skin inside their ears. This was done with a Salmon base coat and a tiny highlight of Pink. I also gave them big black eyes. I was tempted to put a tiny white dot of the light reflecting, but felt that I wouldn't be able to consistently make it small enough. At this stage I was essentially done. The biggest difference between painting these and my 28mm figs, I guess, is that there simply isn't as much detail -- not so many pieces of equipment festooned all over them!

    I also put tiny leaves on the bases from a bag I'd bought -- adds a nice woodland touch, I think

I finished them out with brown and black washes, and then flocked them. I added a couple steps over my standard flocking. I put three small tan colored pebbles on each base, and then at the end, I added a few scattered leaves on each base. It seemed like an appropriate touch for woodland fantasy figures. I may yet go back and add leaves to my already-painted animals. We'll see.

So, what else is on my desk right now? I am finally just about done with my two Shipping Container buildings. They took longer than I thought they would. They are in the flocking stage now, so you will see them likely tomorrow or the day after. I have the batch of 10 rats with their fur base coated, now. I also have the clothes lines from Miniature Building Authority (still) primed and ready to go. So, as you can see, I have plenty to work on!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 39 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 14

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 53
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 30

Prelude to a Solo Sellswords Adventure

    My 'Sellswords & Spellslingers' solo campaign will use my Splintered Light Miniatures animals

 Wait...what is this about?

From previous posts here, you may remember my plans to run a series of semi-historical series skirmishes set in Britain during the Dark Ages, and using Ganesha Games' Sellswords & Spellslingers miniatures rules. With my Five Parsecs From Home solo campaign wrapping up, I thought why not do another one of those for myself using these rules? It'll give me more practice with them, and be a chance to use my Splintered Light Miniatures anthropomorphic figures. It has been since last January that they appeared on table as enemies in a Might & Melee game (Wiley Games rules). We also used them in our brief dalliance with Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago back in 2018. In this case, my SLM animals will be both the heroes and the foes! 

With that, here's a little intro monologue introducing the characters: Badger Mage Jemmy Tar, Coyote Barbarian Yo-Dee, Pin Marten Ranger Woodbine, and Armadillo Fighter Abraxis. Apologies for my hack fantasy fiction writing...!

    The Splintered Band (from left) are Woodbine, Abraxis, Jemmy Tar, & Yo-dee

 On the Trail Towards Porthewn

"I am looking forward to finally arriving at Porthewn," said Jemmy Tar, as he adjusted the shoulder straps of his pack. He was the tallest of the four who were walking single file along a forest trail littered with fallen leaves, broken twigs, and lots of mud. Jemmy next straightened his light purple mage's robes, craning his neck to see if he could spot the roofs of the riverside town ahead, yet.

"Are you looking forward to sampling the town's ales, my friend?" asked Abraxis, the stout armadillo soldier, who was breathing hard as he tried to match his tall companion's longer strides. "We know how much you love your ale...!"

    Jemmy Tar, badger mage, and his little apprentice (who may appear in games, or may not...)

Jemmy snorted. "Ales are just one part of it! I want to see this new town that has been chopped out of the Great Forest. I want to talk to the mice settlers, learn what challenges they've overcome setting up along the river. I want to study their relations with the Frogfolk, who trade along the river's winding course. I want to talk to their Town Elders, hear why mice chose to settle here, in a place that only scattered forest monasteries of the Emerald Robe existed before. What new plants or herbs have they discovered?" At this point, Jemmy paused, and looked ahead to see if the cloaked pine marten, whose footsteps they were following, reacted. He received a quick glance back from the ranger, who then faced front again, deep set eyes scanning left and right.

"Are you suuure it's not the ales?" Abraxis asked. "That's the only thing I'm looking forward to after this interminable journey! Your stride is so much longer than mine," he puffed, swinging his arms vigorously, then patting his armored hide. "Plus, I'm carrying more weight than you!"

    Abraxis, the Armadillo soldier, is a sworn drinking companion of the ale-loving Jemmy Tar

Behind Jemmy, Yo-dee spoke up, in his heavily accented common tongue. "Yo-dee goes to Porthewn because Jemmy Tar does. Where Jemmy Tar goes, Yo-dee goes...!" The coyote barbarian's voice rumbled in the silence beneath the canopy of leaves.

The armadillo turned and craned his neck around Jemmy so he could make eye contact with the coyote. "Do you follow him out of friendship or service, Yo-dee?"

Yo-dee used his long, shiny sword to push aside a low-hanging branch and duck beneath it. "Yo-dee is Bloodguard. Because Jemmy Tar saved our village pups, Yo-dee follows. Our Wise Ones knew not why the young were dying. Jemmy Tar knew and provided potions. The young ones were healed. They die no more from the sickness. Yo-dee's village is grateful. If Yo-dee's life or death can serve the master, Yo-dee swears to do so."

    Woodbine, the pine marten ranger, is the band's guide through the Great Forest

Their ranger guide, Woodbine, spoke from the front of the column. "Well spoken, Yo-dee." He continued, "Jemmy, I have been meaning to ask. What was killing the young? Was it a new food source or a plant, or a vermin that infected them? I'd heard you tell the story before, but never the cause of the illness." The ranger's voice was modulated so silently that each could barely hear his words, but just enough that all could understand them.

Jemmy patted one of the herb pouches secured to his belt. "It was zuduk, an infestation. A vine that was growing on the trees close to Yo-dee's village. When the wind blew strongly, tiny petals, or pollenaides, would detach from the zuduk plant and and waft their way into the village. As you've noticed, coyotes pant to cool themselves. The zuduk is a mild poison to them. All would ingest it, but they are a hardy people. Only the very young were unable to shrug off the infection. They would wither, lose their appetite, and die."

    The Splintered Band trudges along on a path through the Great Forest

"Ah!" Woodbine nodded. "Ten autumns ago, there was no zuduk near Yo-dee's village. Now, it spreads throughout the Great Forest. No wonder their wise didn't have lore of that plant." Jemmy Tar made sounds of agreement, but did not elaborate on the cure. He knew the ranger, who was a skilled healer and understood the forest plants better than himself, would ask later.

Abraxis nodded as well, adjusting his shield on his back. "So, Yo-dee's village, in their gratitude, sent our friend here to be a bodyguard in repayment? No mean gift," he said, looking back at the tall and rangy coyote. He paused for a moment, then said, "Ah-ha!" Chuckling, he added, "If Yo-dee is oath-sworn to Jemmy Tar, then I must be tankard-sworn to him! For I have never known a better drinking companion than our friend the badger in all my days!" he laughed.

    The Great Forest has become dangerous, haunted by vicious bands of rat raiders

"Aye," Jemmy said, "but I don't have an armadillo's constitution to handle excesses of ale, my friend! Still, I agree -- we are companions of the tankard. Malty Browns, tasty Bocks, thick Porters, crisp Lagers!" Both badger and armadillo smiled, remembering many joyous evenings. "And I admit, I am thirsty..." All four laughed, for each had memories of their merriment. The band had been traveling for weeks to Porthewn, but had been boon companions for nearly a year, now. 

Woodbine's whisper carried back to the others, almost quizzical in tone, "No rats on our journey, so far..." Each made a sound in reply, but Jemmy's head continued to nod. Finally, he appeared to have gathered his thoughts, took a deep breath, and sighed.

    Jemmy Tar and his Bloodguard companion, Yo-dee the coyote barbarian

"The wars of the mice and rats have been going on for centuries -- all the way back to the Great Awakening. When the woodland creatures opened their eyes and their minds grew, remembering, acting on what they learned -- no longer on instinct. Many creatures began to walk on two legs. The mice, smaller, but wiser, focused on lore. Accumulating knowledge and passing it on to their litters. They were the first to build communities. The rats, stronger, bigger, and meaner, learned to prey on others -- seizing was easier than building, they decided. The other races were occasionally drawn in to their wars, but the fighting never ceased. A century ago, the rats were defeated and driven back to the margins of the Great Forest -- the mountains, swamps, and desolate places. However, in recent years, they've returned. They are raiders, kidnapping merchant caravans or travelers, and taking their goods. Some say they devour those they take. Others say prisoners languish in cages, and still others say that they make the captives fight each other in gladiatorial games. That would fit their cruel nature...

"I confess I have led our merry band here, because I have learned rats are closing off the trails leading to Porthewn. If travelers do not come here soon, the way may be shut. So, I wanted to see Porthewn with my own eyes, and learn if the elders know what has brought the rats back. Why has their menace been reborn? So, I apologize if I lead you into danger, my friends..."

    Yo-dee the coyote has sworn to protect the life of Jemmy Tar, the badger mage who helped his village

Behind Jemmy, Yo-dee whacked a branch with his sword, scything it cleanly from where it was overhanging the trail. "Yo-dee does not fear rats..."

Abraxis turned around again, eyeing the tall coyote. "And you shouldn't -- not with that giant rat-cleaver of yours...!" Yo-dee paused and seemed lost in thought. He stopped walking for a moment, then abruptly strode forward, again.

"Maybe Yo-dee should name his sword. I call it 'Sword', now." The teeth in his long, narrow snout gleamed as his lips pulled back, revealing sharp canines. "Rat-cleaver is a noble name, friend. Yo-dee likes."

Jemmy chuckled. "A noble name indeed, Yo-dee. And look ahead -- Woodbine sees Porthewn, now. He is pointing out it the town's rooftops..."

    The Splintered Band arrive at Porthewn -- a mice city hewn out of the Great Forest

 

What's next?

Hopefully soon, I will begin posting battle reports and pictures from my solo games of Sellswords & Spellslingers. I encourage you to check out this cooperative/solo miniatures game, if you haven't played it. The defenders are controlled by a deck of cards and the game's A.I. You can play without a GM, or with, if you prefer. Stay tuned for reports from the adventures of the Splintered Band (named in honor of Splintered Light Miniatures, whose figures I am using).

    Along the river, mice settlers have built Porthewn -- where the Spintered Band begins its adventures

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 31 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 14

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 51
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 26

Death in a Gorilla-Haunted Jungle Clearing

Joel's Squirrels arrive first and survey the battlefield, eyeing the Central Treasure with the pirate loot

After freeing the prisoners of the Ratmen, the Raccoons and Squirrel crews agreed to share the information they provided. As it turned out, the prisoners belonged to a notorious pirate and treasure hunter -- who none mourned as he lay slain by the ratmen. However, the Raccoons and Squirrels were able to convince the freed crewmen into telling them the location of their buried treasure. They immediately set sail for the island, little realizing the Mice, Pine Marten, Jungle Rat, and Crushers crews were tailing them.

The archway of the Central Treasure was hotly contested by the Mice and the Pine Martens

According to the survivors of the pirate crew, the captain's treasure lay buried beneath a massive stone archway, decorated with stone heads staring out in all directions. Six ships anchored off the island, and six crews crept stealthily through the jungle. The haunting sounds of gorilla calls made the treasure seekers nervous, as they searched for the archway. We were playing "X Marks the Spot" from the Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago rulebook. We used one central treasure and then each player placed two minor treasures. All began 31 inches from the central treasure, though only the Pine Martens and the Mice seemed to move towards it in the early going.

The Crushers' Hunter Yoti, at top, and Badger crewman Buckey eyeball a treasure to see if others will go for it

Since we had five players, I stepped in to make it an even six, using my Crushers crew that fared relatively poorly last time. In addition, I realized I had not even spent my Heritor's experience -- d'oh! Still, we had a successful outing. We decided to be flexible and move forward without making a beeline for any particular treasure. We had the Pine Martens on our right, and our nemesis the Mice on our left. With both our neighbors going all out for the central treasure, that left us with the opportunity to snatch up a number of minor ones.

Bentley secures the treasure while Yoti sneaks around the giant stone stature to stalk another treasure he spotted

I not-so-wisely sent both my Wolverine Heritor Hugh, and Wolverine Warden Jack, off by themselves, splitting my group as far as command and control. Hugh used Wraithwalk a number of times to move through thick patches of jungle with no penalty. Jack cast Beast Strength on most of the crew, after another "successfull" Beast Call. To my friends' amazement (and amusement), I continued to defy the odds on rolling up a random encounter after successfully casting Beast Call. If the last game went 6-7 turns, then this one went about the same. It wasn't until the final turn of this game that I actually rolled a 10+ on a 20-sided die to summon a random encounter. That is about 11 straight misses on a 50//50 chance!

Our nemesis, the Mice crew, snag a treasure early on...while unfortunately leaving their Warden to snipe at us again with lighting bolts!

Still, some monsters showed up after players quickly began snatching up treasures. Two gorillas and a Frog-man Warrior showed up, with each monster killing a crew members. This was a fairly lethal game, with the hated Mice losing their Heritor an almost losing their Warden. Specialist crew members from two other crews died, as well. My Crushers were doing great, though. We suffered no casualties and managed to snatch up four treasures -- the most of anyone. Along the way, we wrought vengeance on the Mice -- whose Warden continued to take Lightning Bolt potshots at us whenever he had the chance. My hunter Yoti and Warden Jack ambushed him, though, wounding him and forcing him to use Windwalk to get away.

This time we counter-attacked the Mice vermin! Yoti delivers a deep wound to their Warden, while Jack prepares to engage one of their crewmen (who would later be finished off by Yoti)

Buckey and Bentley, my loyal Badger crew members, each snagged a treasure and made it off-table. Both Yoti and the Heritor Hugh grabbed treasures, then dropped them to go Mice Hunting. Eventually, both made their way back to their treasures. With the Mice Heritor dead and the Warden fleeing the table, we decided to call it a victory and withdraw.

Two members of the Jungle Rats crew advance past a large, stone idol in search of treasure

Meanwhile, the battle between the Mice and the Pine Martens for the central treasure went back and forth. The Pine Marten Heritor grabbed it and moved off, only to be chased down by a Wraithwalking Mice Heritor. A deep gash from the Mice Heritor's two-handed sword, saw the Pine Marten summoning his crew to his aid. Two responded, but the Mice had the better of the three in the second round, as well. Frustrated, the Pine Marten Warden cast Wind Blast and hurled the Mouse nuisance away. A crossbow bolt and Raccoon arrow weakened the Mouse Heritor, who decided to flee. The Raccoon archer took one long range shot at him as he fled into the jungle and amazingly scored a hit, dropping him.

The Jungle Rats' Warden secures a treasure, which will be handed off to a crewmen to carry back to their ship

 

After losing one crewman to the Frog Warrior, the Squirrel Heritor charged into the fray and cut the interloper down. Content with one treasure, the Squirrels then withdrew from the clearing. Another gorilla had appeared, and with Raccoon arrows flying everywhere, they decided to the call it a day. The Jungle Rats were dodging the attacks of gorillas, and cursed as the Pine Martens disappeared with the central treasure. They moodily and reluctantly withdrew, shaking their fists at the harassing fire of the Raccoons. All crews except the Squirrels got at least two treasures, with my Crushers taking four and the Squirrels one. As more gorilla calls rang out through the jungle, the treasure hunters decided to hurry back to their ships with what they'd found.

Although in position to contest for the central treasure, the Squirrels decided to hang back and fight off the Frog Warrior who wandered into the glade

After the game, the players decided to increase our crew size from five to six. We felt that we needed more because a crewman who takes a treasure off board is lost for the rest of the game. We made it a point to move more quickly, and have multiple players taking their turns at once if they were far away from each other. This six-player game lasted about 2 1/2 hours, which is about what we want on a Sunday evening. Two specialist crewman died and the Mouse Heritor ended up with a permanent leg injury. Otherwise, the only casualties were standard crewmen. The players seem to be picking up the rules more now, plus it helps two of my regulars have purchased the rules and read them. We don't play it often enough to remember everything, so it is a group effort. All in all, everyone seems to be having fun exploring the Ghost Archipelago -- which is the goal, after all!

Keith's Raccoons were the true spoilers of the day -- snagging two treasures early then launching arrows and casting Brambles to frustrate our snipe at the other crews

Mice and Squirrels Tell Their Tales

The board's center, with the cage containing the Satyr in the upper right, and Weasels and Pine Martens treasure hunting

I received two AARs from my players after our second Frostgrave game. For my write-up of the action, read Caged...Like Rats! I'd been waiting to see if any reports from the other five players showed up before publishing these, but it looks like that's all. First up is the Mouse's Tale, by Mike S. It is followed by the Squirrels report, by Joel.

The Mice adventurers, including the Warden T.B. at top, center

A Mouse Tells His Tale

Well, we headed into the jungle again. Hopefully this trip would show more profit than the last foray.  As we came upon a major clearing, we found a chest in a clump of bush. We sent the regular crewman back to the boat with it -- time enough to open it later. After doing this, we approached the clearing center. To our surprise, there was a Satyr in a wooden cage, guarded by jungle rats.

The Mice decided to ignore the "Weasel types" (Pine Martens and Weasels), who busily scooped up treasures

As we came closer we noticed some Weasel types in one direction and some larger rodents across from us. Well we had competition for the crewman. Our Heritor M.M., along with the archer R.M., decided to fill one of  the rats with arrows. Well, it seems more archery practice is called for! It took us several more shots than it should have. While they were about that I -- the Warden T.B. -- grabbed our infantryman Pynkie and headed out to flank the rats. I saw a weasel trying to scurry off with a chest and attempted a lightning strike, which failed to go off. As I continued the flanking move, we noticed the large rodents were having the luck. They were approaching the cage as we fiddled around.

Noticing the Satyr in the wooden cage, the Mice attacked the Rat guards, hoping to free him (central treasure)

I also noticed a wolverine-looking Warden headed for a clump of brush that had part of a chest showing. I sent Pynkie ahead as I tried a lightning strike. Well this one went off -- and did it ever! The wolverine's fur stood up, started smoking and he collapsed. I started moving forward to support Pynkie against a single crewman, when there was a loud cry in the distance. We decided it was time for discretion and headed back to the ship.

M.M. and the archer joined us as we returned, we caught up to the crewman Jerry, just as we got to the ship. Well, at least we didn't lose anyone like we lost Tom last time...!

A Mouse captive in a cage (one of the central treasures) guarded by Jungle Rats

Squirrels Tails

A howl off in the distance goes unanswered.  Those bushy tailed Bandits stepped into the clearing on our right and paused.  That was the signal Dukka, our leader, was looking for. He left the cover of the rocky knoll and paused ON the dead Jungle Rat in front on us.  This made the dead rats right rear paw twitch-twitch and started a chain reaction.  Red's tail went flick-flick-flick, Flopsy ground squirrel got nervous leg, I heard that thump-thump-thump from her hidden well behind us.

The Squirrel's allies for the game, the Bandits (Raccoons) advance towards the cage, discovering a treasure

Those Bandits looked at us.  We looked at the last two Jungle Rat guards. The caged mouse looked at the Bandits.  The Squirrels and Bandits cautiously advanced in unison.  The two Jungle Rats stood their ground.  Off in the distant a howl went up, a rally call that went unanswered again.  The eight of us got to the cage together, the Bandits paused, looked at the Jungle Rat guards.  The last two Jungle Rats looked at Dukka and bared their teeth. Dukka looked at the caged mouse, lightning strikes off in the distance. The caged mouse could not take it anymore and immediately fainted.  Before the Jungle Rats could move against us, a bushy tail bandits broke into the cage like the expert he was. The mouse slumped out of the cage into the bandit's paws as the Jungle Rats jumped on the adventurers.  The two guards were easily put down and before we left the cage we filled the cage with those two dead rats. The End

The tense scene as the Squirrels and Raccoons arrive at the cage and decide to cooperate against the Rat guards

Caged...Like Rats! Second Fur-grave Game

A Splintered Light Miniatures Weasel explores for hidden treasures among jungle ruins in our Ghost Archipelago game

We played our second game of Fur-grave last night. A few of the regulars could not make it, so I fielded a crew to make it an even six players. I had chosen one of the scenarios from the rule book, Drichean Cages, to play. Of course, since I substituted Splintered Light Miniatures Rats for the Dricheans in my campaign, I renamed it, "Caged Like Rats!" I set up a fairly symmetrical 6'x4' board with two scratch-built, wooden cages each containing a prisoner, as central treasures. There were 11 ordinary treasures scattered about the table, too. This table did not feature any temples, but just random ruins overgrown by jungle.

Looking down the 6'x4' table - you can see the two cages in the center. Most jungle patches towards the center had treasures, as well. Captain Hugh and crew advance at the bottom left.

Since narrative AARs are becoming quite the rage with Frostgrave, I will do ahead and try my hand at it here, since I actually got to play this time...!

The hard-eyed, hulking Heritor motioned his crew forward, after inspecting the bodies of the slain adventurers. He thought he recognized some of the crew as belonging to a rag-tag band that had been successfully exploring the isles of the Ghost Archipelago for years. Yoti, his hunter, murmered, "Rats, sir -- this is definitely their work. I see their tracks everywhere." The Coyote was seldom wrong, and the Wolverine captain had grown to rely on his advice through the years. Captain Hugh was contemplating an idea. If he could find any captives, perhaps they could be Shanghaied into his crew and persuaded to show them where they'd hidden their treasures.

Three Ratmen guard one of the two cages containing a prisoner, which acted as the central treasures

Soon, the five adventurers entered a clearing in the jungle. Yoti pointed out a wooden cage just beyond a small patch of trees. Inside, was another crewman from the unfortunate band. Surrounding his cage were three large ratmen, heavily armored and carrying swords. His warden, Jack, another wolverine gestured to ask if he should call out to summon help. Jack had a way with the animals of the jungle, and his howls often brought creatures to assist the crew in their mission. Hugh nodded, and the wolverine warden's piercing howl rang through the clearing. Simultaneously, Yoti trotted forward, followed by the two Beavers, Bucky and Bentley. Hugh's chainmail jingled as he ran forward, as well.

Early success for my crew! Bucky finds a treasure amid jungle ruins, while Capt. Hugh and Yoti dispatch a Ratman

The five split into several groups, Jack leading Bentley off to the left around the patch of trees, while Yoti and Hugh went to the right. Bucky ducked into the trees, having spotted something hidden amidst the vegetation. It turned out to be a moss-encrusted oaken chest. The beaver scooped it up, and checking with his captain, began to carry the heavy chest back the way they'd come. Yoti snapped off a couple bow shots at the closest guard, the second shot wounded the rat who growled in pain. He scurried towards the Coyote hunter, slowing his approach at the sight of the menacing wolverine captain when he appeared around the grove of trees. Yoti fired again, wounding it further, then dashed in with is sword out. Captain Hugh followed in his wake, and with one mighty swing of his axe, dashed the rat lifeless to the ground.

Action raged around the board as players seek to scoop up as many treasures as possible! Counter-clockwise from right, Mike S (Mouslings), Brian (Weasels), Joel (Squirrels), Keith (Raccoons), Mike W (Pine Martens)

Yoti advanced on the next closest guard, feathering him with an arrow, too. Both then waded in on this guard, swinging their blades. Hugh felt a tingling run up his arm and recognized the blue glow surrounding his axe -- it was Warden Jack, casting Mystic Energy upon his weapon. His swipe staggered the rat guard, but he could see it was still alive and preparing to strike back. Hugh narrowed his eyes and summoned the Surge of energy which would let him act again, quickly, before the enemy could respond. His eyes twitched in pain, but the Surge worked and his axe struck again before the rat could reply. Another guard lay lifeless at their feet, and neither had suffered a wound.

Cute, but evil! The Mousling Crew were my main opponents on the table, felling my Warden

Meanwhile, Jack was hurrying along to catch up with Bentley, who had also spotted something that looked valuable in a clump of overgrown ruins. Bentley was surprised that no jungle creatures had appeared in answer to his call. Perhaps the rats infesting this area had slain all the animals? He did successfully cast a couple more spells -- empowering Bentley and Captain Hugh with Beast Strength. Just as Bentley reached the grove containing the ruins, he spotted several figures hurrying towards them from across the clearing. More rats? No, he could see they were Mouslings  from a rival crew -- probably also intent on absconding with the captives. Just then, the Jack's fur began to stand up on end and he could almost smell the electricity in the air. He ducked, but too late -- BZZZAPP! A massive bolt of lightning arced across the clearing from the Mousling Warden and knocked Jack to the ground. Bentley looked back at the still form of the warden, " Jack...? You okay?" No reply. The beaver growled in rage and charged into the mousling who'd entered the grove after the same treasure. They exchanged blows, but neither was hurt. 

Freed! The Raccoons and Squirrels team up to free the prisoner while keeping the Rat guards busy

 Meanwhile, Captain Hugh and Yoti stood before the stout wooden cage. The other rat guard had been felled by the Mousling crew. Both hammered on the wooden bars, but to no avail. The prisoner was a bedraggled-looking Satyr who looked at them fearfully. The wolverine and coyote hammered on the cage again, and still the wood held. Suddenly, Yoti tugged on his captain's arm and pointed. Across the clearing, a horde of rats was pouring from the jungle, headed towards the cages. "Sorry, mate!" Hugh growled to the Satyr. "Time to go! Bentley, Jack -- back to the boat!" As the captain turned around, he saw a wounded Bentley carrying his warden Jack in his arms as he followed. Yoti turned and fired a few arrows into the rat horde in the hopes of slowing them down. He snickered as he noticed the Mouslings also taking to their heels. He also caught sight of a couple more crews rapidly absconding -- they looked like Weasels and Pine Martens, but the hunter couldn't be sure. Up ahead, he could see Bucky still waddling along with the chest he'd found. "Well," the hunter thought, "at least they'd have something to show from this landing on this rat-infested island!"

From the other side of the table, the Raccoons cast Brambles to wall off the guards temporarily,

With six players, things moved relatively slow at times. We need get better as players in with taking our turn if the previous player is on the other side of the table and our move will not affect his. As it was, we had to cut the game off early -- just as my Heritor and Hunter arrived at the cage! Bad luck. A series of horrible die rolls kept us from opening it up -- more bad luck. In fact, my rolls were pretty bad in general. After a successful casting of Beast Call, I managed to never roll a 10+ the rest of the game (5+ turns?) to summon any random creatures. Luckily, Warden Jack would survive on the post-game die roll and was just knocked out. The Lightning Blast spell is TOUGH! It is a +6 shooting attack, to 1d20 roll? My Mousling opponent almost maxed out on damage, but did enough to take the warden out on one roll.

All in all, it was fun to play a game and not just GM. On the other side of the table, Keith's Raccoons managed to free the prisoner in their cage, with assistance from Joel's Squirrels. The Weasels ignored the cages and scooped up as many treasures as they could. The Pine Martens, also in the center but on my side of the table, also ignored the cages for the treasures. Captain Hugh's "Crushers" -- as I called my crew -- came up on the short end in the treasure hunting. They'll be back, though, and hopefully fortune will smile upon them on that day!

Drake's Perch: Weasels, Squirrels, and Pine Martens...oh my!

The Pine Marten Heritor and crewmen investigate the island, searching for hidden treasures

I asked my players to send me an After-Action Report from their crew's point of view. Here are three of them, the Weasels, Squirrels, and Pine Martens:

The Weasel crew disembarked from their ship onto the southern side of the island.  Not knowing what dangers my lie in wait, they headed north as a group of five.  Quickly, they saw a treasure lying ahead, as well as a large building to the east.  With no apparent danger in sight, the Heritor and two crewman headed toward the sighted treasure, while the Warden and the remaining crewman snuck east to recon the building.

In the foreground are the players who were on this board, Joel (Squirrels) and Mike W (Pine Martens) on left, and Allen (Jungle Rats) and Brian (Weasels) on far right

Arriving at the first-located, smallish treasure, the Heritor, again seeing no signs of danger, ordered one crewman to lug the treasure back to the ship while he and the other crewman investigated deeper north into the jungle.

The Warden and crew member had reached the building, but they were met with danger which made their Weasel noses twitch.  A band of Jungle Ratmen was noisily scampering about the jungle further to the east.  After observing them from the shadows for a bit, the Warden decided that the Jungle Ratmen must not have seen him and his crew, or must not have any interest in them. So, while he kept watch, he ordered the crewman to enter the building and see what could be found.  Luckily, the crewman came back a few minutes later lugging a small chest of treasure.  In the meantime, unknown jungle denizens had ambushed the Ratmen, further distracting them from the actions of Warden and crew.  “Exxxcellent!" thought the Warden.

A Weasel crewman runs off with a treasure looted from the large statue behind it

Being rather devious — even for a Weasel — he sent the crew member back to the ship with the treasure, while deciding to lurk about and see how the fight turned out for the Ratmen, hoping that maybe it would go poorly and he could loot the bodies.  Periodically, the Warden called upon his magic to throw a random projectile into the Ratmen melee, but alas, his paws were all thumbs and only one projectile of four landed, and it helped! Unfortunately, it helped the Jungle Ratmen…sigh. Seeing nothing to be gained, he slipped off through the cover to rejoin his crew at the ship.

The Weasel Heritor examines a wall of Brambles cast by the Squirrels to block him from the treasure

Meanwhile, the Heritor and a crew member had delved deeper into the jungle and come across a large alter with a large treasure prominently displayed on a higher level! While waiting for his crewman to grab the treasure, he was able to observe a band of Squirrelmen to the north, but luckily a river was lying between them. Hoping he would have time to drag the treasure off before the Squirrelmen could stop twitching their tails and organize an attack. He and the crew member quickly started dragging the chest to the west, hoping to get to that side of the island and signal their ship.  Approaching a bridge to the west across the river, the Heritor thought he had it made, until out of nowhere, a long hedge of brambles blocked their way!  Those darn Squirrels! Maybe they weren’t all nuts, and had some of the sneak in them too!

Where there's a Weasel, there's a way! The Heritor had no trouble weaseling his way past the Squirrel's barrier

No matter, our Will is high and we will Weasel our way through those brambles. And so we did. Reaching the western edge of the island, large treasure in tow, they were delighted to see another small treasure lying under a tree not far from the beach.  The Heritor grabbed that, while the crewman continued to drag the large treasure, and both were able to reach the water and signal the ship to come pick them up  before the Squirrelmen were able to mount another attack.

Aboard ship, the Heritor and Warden compared stories, and were mighty pleased at their luck and their one large and three small treasures!

The Squirrel Crew exits the jungle towards the river's banks, searching for treasure

Here is the report from the those "sneaky" Squirrels:

Foul Omens: The Squirrels Tale

Foul omens of strong winds and gray vertical rain cleared the deck of our barque, Heart of Oak. With only one skiff seaworthy, we five went ashore.  Floppsy "Ground Squirrel" could hear ten weasels or pine martins close by, extra caution was suggested by leaders Dukka and Dakar. This was quickly agreed upon and we five moved into the bush.  One small ceramic treasure urn (75 gold coins) was found and quickly secured, and moved out of sight.

Dukka then did a mighty leap and landed next to another small wooden chest.  His movement attracted the attention of a weasel of unusual size (W.O.U.S.), that quickly closed ground and met Dukka at the treasure chest. Neither gave ground, so neither got that treasure.

The Pine Marten player kept sending new random encounters against the hapless Jungle Rats, above

And finally, here is the "report" from the Pine Martens, who are apparently known for their brevity:

The Pine Martens where able to keep the Jungle Rats busy with monsters, while we made off with as much treasure as we could carry.  The End!

Drake's Perch: A Satyr's Story

The Satyrs advance through the jungle towards the temple ruins in search of treasure

My players are writing up after-action reports from the point of view of their crews in my Fur-grave campaign. Here is the report of the Satyrs, written by Brett:

The crew had just dropped ship’s anchor. I called my Warden and three best crewmen over to me while directing the rest to lower the scow. There was a foreboding sense about this island, and I noticed the apprehensive glances my crew gave it.  But my Warden’s divinations have never led us astray, so if he says there is treasure on that island, then we go ashore! 

As the scow shuddered to a halt on the gravel shore, the air hung thick and hazy. The oppressive heat made me very glad to have left the heavy armor on the ship. No sooner had we headed inland, we saw the silhouettes of two structures looming up through the haze. Impossible to make out anything other than the general size, I directed the Warden and a crewman to explore the closer structure. With the other two crewmen, I set off for the further one. We had walked a short distance through the jungle and were now able to see structure more clearly. It had a very unique architecture that we had never seen before. That’s when we heard a loud, violent shriek high above us. As we ducked for cover, we looked up to see a large, lizard-like creature with a huge wingspan fanning the air as it alighted on top of our destination. Fortunately for us, its attention was intently focused on something on the other side of the building. As we stared in amazement at this creature, it shrieked again and dove off the other side and out of our sight. Not knowing how many of these things might be flying around, we quickened our pace to get to the building.

A Silver Drake perches atop an overgrown temple - luckily for the Satyrs, he would choose another victim!

Breaking through the jungle, we could now clearly see the building and noticed the center was completely open, as an archway would let you walk right through the middle of it.  Looking through the archway, we saw exactly what had held the creature’s attention. It was locked in mortal combat with what looked like a well-armored, well-trained, oversized rodent. What a strange place we’ve found! My crewmen, noticed something more troubling.  Another oversized rodent was attempting to make off with a large golden statue. Clearly this had to be the treasure the Warden foretold, and there was no way we were letting a rodent run off with it! Immediately, I directed my archer to round the building to cut off any escape. Hoping the creature would keep the other rodent occupied, we charged the overburdened rodent. With one mighty swipe, I dispatched the rodent and my trusty crewman caught the statue before it could hit the ground.

As the Drake slashes away at a member of the Mice crew, Brett's Satyrs emerge from the gloom

Meanwhile, the creature had done a better job than expected and slain the rodent. But now I found myself at the center of its attention. Fortunately, the rodent had done most of the work for me, and we were able to take down this strange creature (later, my Warden would tell me it was a Drake) without any harm to us.

Brett, middle, plans how to outwit Keith (right) and the others on their four-player board

As we turned to head back to the ship, a large bramble of vines suddenly blocked our path. What strange magic is this?  Not sure of what or who did this, we chose to exit the building on through the archway and meet up my archer crewman on the side of the building. Just as we thought we had cleared the area, two different rodents starting firing arrows at us. Fortunately, they were poor shots and not interested in following us as they retreated back into the jungle.

One of the Satyrs in possession of a central treasure found in a passage through he huge, overgrown temple

When I turned to thank our archer for sending off those rats, I saw he was already targeting something behind a large pile of stones. Then, I caught sight of the Warden waving his arms rhythmically in the air, clearly in the middle of some incantation. I thought my archer was going to fire again, but something shiny caught his eye and I guess treasure outweighs glory as he bolted to that location. Then, I saw a strange shimmer cross from the pile of stones through the stone wall near my archer, who was totally preoccupied with whatever he had found. I directed my crewman with the statue to make to the ship with all haste and ran around the wall only to find an even larger rodent about to attack my distracted archer. I charged him and, at the same time, saw the Warden round the corner as well. I knew things were not going to end well for this rodent.  But as slippery as all rodents can be, he looked up at me, and just as my blade sliced toward his neck, he pulled some crazy movement stunt and instantly vanished into the jungle.

The divinations of the Satyr's Warden came true -- the crew proved fortunate in amassing great treasure

With the immediate threat abated, the Warden and I sent the last two crewmen back to the ship, while we headed back into the jungle to investigate the obvious ruckus of another battle deeper in the jungle. We arrived in time to see the end of a skirmish of strange creatures — an odd bunch of furry creatures, with stripes on their heads, running off with what should have been more loot for us. And there were more of those cursed brambles...a LOT more! The Warden looked at brambles, looked at me, and while gesturing toward the creatures, pointed out just how outnumbered we were. He then told me he had foreseen more treasure elsewhere, and suggested we should make haste to the ship before all of the treasure we did recover mysteriously disappears amongst the crew!

As we lifted anchor, I was thankful that we didn't lose any crew and quite pleased with the amount of gold coins we found. But my Warden was far more interested in the trinkets. With a wink of an eye, he said “Just wait ‘till you see what I can do with these baubles!”