My Erie tribe had a "bonus battle" this turn. After initially confirming they could attend on our arranged date at the pizzeria, three players had something come up. Two of them obligingly matched up against each other in the strategic phase, and were able to schedule a makeup game. The third I fought with my Erie on another date, as well, despite also fighting a battle on the regularly scheduled meeting at the pizzeria against a different opponent. I reasoned that since I did not fight a battle due to the odd number of players last turn, that no one would mind if I made that up with an extra one this turn. In fact, my players have been incredibly flexible during this playtest. If two players can't make it, the others leave their tribes alone so that they can match up against each other. It would be a disadvantage to fight fewer battles over the course of the campaign, although the rules will have mechanisms to make that fair.
Rival Shawnee and Susquehannock warparties close beneath the trees of the Eastern Woodlands of Ohio |
Susquehannock hunters race to rescue one of their brothers who has been captured by the Shawnee |
A raiding party from the Neutrals tribe is surprised and strung out by an unexpected ambush by Erie hunters |
Warriors from the Neutrals tribe fearlessly close with my Erie warparty |
This hero of the Neutral tribe would fight off all three of my Erie warriors who surrounded him -- even when he'd been knocked to the ground! |
Tribe
|
Place
|
Victory Points
|
Neutrals
|
1st
|
26 points
|
Shawnee
|
2nd
|
23 points
|
Mohawk
|
3rd
|
22.5 points
|
Kickapoo
|
4th
|
17.5 points
|
Seneca
|
5th
|
13 points
|
Miami
|
6th
|
11 points
|
Susqehannock
|
7th
|
10 points
|
Erie
|
8th
|
9 points
|
Honniasont
|
9th
|
3 points
|
It is a source of amusement for my friends that I wrote the rules, but have a long history of struggling to win games with them. I point to the fact that my dice rolling is notoriously bad. Witness the three consecutive losses with a +4 to +1 advantage against Keith. In fact, my first attack against one of Dave's Mohawk that I had knocked down -- another +4 to +1 roll -- saw me come up short again! I joke that I'm not supposed to win my own campaign playtest, so having a tribe at the bottom of the standings doesn't bother me. Plus, you could always say I am just being a gracious game master, and letting my players win the laurels of victory. However, I know the truth is I DO try to win. It is just those little incidents in the game that inevitable turn the tide of battle against me.
Tribe
|
Prestige Points (PPs)
|
Neutrals (Keith Finn)
|
16 (5 MajV, 1 MinD)
|
Shawnee (Joe Merz)
|
15 (3 MajV, 3 MinV)
|
Kickapoo (Andy Swingle)
|
10 (3 MajV, 1 MinD)
|
Mohawk (Dave Welch)
|
10 (3 MajV, 1 MinD)
|
Seneca (Mike Stelzer)
|
9 (1 MajV, 3 MinV)
|
Erie (Mike Demana)
|
5 (1 MajV, 2 MinD)
|
Miami (Jenny Torbett)
|
5 (2 MinV, 1 MinD)
|
Susquehannock (Steve Phallen)
|
4 (1 MajV, 1 MinD)
|
Honniasont (Bruce Adamczak)
|
1 (1 MinD)
|
Still, everyone continues to have fun with the Beaver Wars playtest. The scenarios continue to provide new and interesting challenges to the players. I scrupulously ask players for feedback on every scenario, and we are making tweaks to each as we agree are needed. I'm particularly happy that no major changes in the campaign rules have been required. This second "reboot" of the campaign rules seems to working like a charm. I will probably try to have a post-game session soon, though, and if no changes appear to be needed, begin putting the rules into the publication process.
Tribe
|
Scenario Victory Points (SVPs)
|
Neutrals (Keith Finn)
|
97
|
Shawnee (Joe Merz)
|
86
|
Mohawk (Dave Welch)
|
61
|
Seneca (Mike Stelzer)
|
60
|
Kickapoo (Andy Swingle)
|
59
|
Miami (Jenny Torbett)
|
55
|
Susquehannock (Steve Phallen)
|
45
|
Erie (Mike Demana)
|
38
|
Honniasont (Bruce Adamczak)
|
15
|
Tribe
|
Beaver Pelts
|
Mohawk (Dave Welch)
|
41
|
Neutrals (Keith Finn)
|
33
|
Shawnee (Joe Merz)
|
32
|
Kickapoo (Andy Swingle)
|
29
|
Susquehannock (Steve Phallen)
|
25
|
Miami (Jenny Torbett)
|
22
|
Erie (Mike Demana)
|
22
|
Seneca (Mike Stelzer)
|
20
|
Honniasont (Bruce Adamczak)
|
19
|