Post by interceptor on Aug 9, 2011 11:08:52 GMT 1
Set-up:
Being a huge fan of Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan the Barbarian), I played a skirmish between Conan, Red Sonja, and some other Hyborian warriors verses a group of snakemen. This skirmish is in anticipation of the new Conan the Barbarian movie to be released this month. This was my second game of SBH. I used a Dungeons & Dragons map of a jungle temple. I used a group of barbarian miniatures I handpainted, including two barbarian warriors, two infantry leaders (one representing Conan the Barbarian and one representing Red Sonja), and two archers. For the snakemen, I used Dungeons & Dragons snakemen miniatures (including a snake preistess, a snakeman warrior, and two snakemen archers). I selected the snakeman summoner template to represent the priestess. As the creature she would be summoning, I allocated points for summoning a snakeman abomination (I used a large naga miniature I handpainted for this beast). To look at some of the miniatures I used in this battle, visit my photobucket page: s337.photobucket.com/albums/n400/BarbarianWanderer/
Battle Report:
As Conan, Red Sonja, and their companions crept through the mist shrouded jungles of the Black Kingdoms, they saw the shadowy spires of an ancient temple ruin in the distance. As they moved toward this forbidding structure, slithering shapes advanced on them from between the crumbling spires. I used Conan and Sonja's leader ability to group move the other barbarians toward the temple. The snake priestess did something similar. Melee combatants stayed behind the cover of trees and pillars while the archers of both warbands fanned out to try and get shots at enemy targets.
The Battle is Joined:
The snake priestess held off on summoning the naga until the melee combatants were in close, so this unholy terror could be unleashed on them before they could flee from it's terrible wrath.
The first arrows were fired by the human archers as Conan, Sonja, and a lone Barbarian with a battleaxe flanked the snakemen to the right. Another barbarian and an archer flanked the snakemen to the left. The snakemen were inside the shadows of the temple and they began firing poison-tipped arrows toward Conan and his companions, with little initial effect. The priestess and the snakeman warrior held back initially to let the archers arrows wreck havoc. However, with the barbarians flanking them, they retreated behind a wall, forcing the barbarians to move in closer so the snakeman abomination could be unleashed.
Conan and his companions were drawn in by this ploy, and as an archer advanced, she took an arrow through the eye, piercing her brain and killing her instantly. First blood went to the snakemen.
The snakeman warrior slithered around the wall and advanced on the battleaxe wielding barbarian warrior. The clash of steel rang out through the jungle, and after this first close combat of steel on steel, the mighty barbarian warrior delivered a viscious blow, slamming the snakeman warrior to the ground. Before he could rise, the barbarian followed up with a mighty downward slash, and the evil snakeman lay writhing in two pieces. Blood for blood.
Conan and Sonja advanced, as did the lone barbarian on the left flank. They came under a hail of arrows, and as they closed in, swords flashing in the sunlight, they heard the eerie and wicked chant of the priestess. With a hideous scream, a swirling green mist appeared, and slowly the mist solidified into the blasphemous form of a hissing naga. The barbarian warrior on the left flank was right in the creature's path. He hacked at it but to no effect. The lone remaining archer fired arrows at the beast. The arrows found their mark, but not before the coils of the fiend knocked her companion to the ground. Before he could rise, the naga's head snapped forward faster than the eye could see, and the barbarian warrior's headless body stumbled back two steps, to fall twitching and bleeding on the ground.
Conan and Sonja advanced on this fiend as their archer companion rained arrows down on the monstrocity. Eventually an arrow found it's mark, and the mighty naga fell to the ground, a mass of writhing coils oozing slimy green blood from where its head was pierced. As the brave archer nocked another arrow, the priestess slithered up to her with an unholy speed, only to thrust a dagger through the archer's ribs. The archer fell to the ground as her life slowly bled out of her onto the cold stones of this cursed jungle temple.
Conan turned, only to be shot through the neck by the other snakeman archer. He fell, his sword clanging against the temple floor, his hands at his neck as blood gurgled from his throat. He died a warriors death, and Crom did welcome him into his mountain hall to dine at the table of the brave for all eternity.
Screaming in fury, Sonja lept toward the snakeman, but she was pushed back by the powerful priestess, who had mysteriously mutated before her eyes; the hands of the priestess elongating and becoming snapping claws. Sonja and the vile snake priestess exchanged blow for blow as the last barbarian warrior launched himself at the snakeman archer. Steel met steel and hardened muscle met ironlike coils, but in the end, the jungle creature was the victor, and the barbarian lay dying with a terrible gash across his abdomen.
Red Sonja, She-Devil with a Sword, stood alone, ready to fight and die. The snakeman archer fired arrows at her, but she caught these on her shield. The priestess, the fires of hell glowing in her infernal eyes, slithered toward Sonja, snapping her claws at the she-devil's head. Sonja retreated and lept atop a fallen column. She hammered away at the priestess with her sword, driving the scaly-witch to the ground. As Sonja was about to deliver the killing blow, the snakeman archer lept atop the column and slammed Sonja to the ground. Before Sonja could spring to her feet, the priestess slithered atop the column and ended the warrior-maiden's life with a quick snap of her wicked claws.
As the priestess and the lone snakeman archer slithered back into the demon haunted jungle from whence they came, the blood of the fallen heroes seeped into the cracked floor of the ancient temple. Soon, the only sounds heard in the jungle were the cries of bird and beast.
This was obviously not the outcome I was hoping for; I was rooting for Conan and his warriors. Still, I had a lot of fun, and the actual battle was quite close. Let's hope the new Conan movie has a better ending for everyone's favorite savage sword wielding Cimmerian.
Being a huge fan of Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan the Barbarian), I played a skirmish between Conan, Red Sonja, and some other Hyborian warriors verses a group of snakemen. This skirmish is in anticipation of the new Conan the Barbarian movie to be released this month. This was my second game of SBH. I used a Dungeons & Dragons map of a jungle temple. I used a group of barbarian miniatures I handpainted, including two barbarian warriors, two infantry leaders (one representing Conan the Barbarian and one representing Red Sonja), and two archers. For the snakemen, I used Dungeons & Dragons snakemen miniatures (including a snake preistess, a snakeman warrior, and two snakemen archers). I selected the snakeman summoner template to represent the priestess. As the creature she would be summoning, I allocated points for summoning a snakeman abomination (I used a large naga miniature I handpainted for this beast). To look at some of the miniatures I used in this battle, visit my photobucket page: s337.photobucket.com/albums/n400/BarbarianWanderer/
Battle Report:
As Conan, Red Sonja, and their companions crept through the mist shrouded jungles of the Black Kingdoms, they saw the shadowy spires of an ancient temple ruin in the distance. As they moved toward this forbidding structure, slithering shapes advanced on them from between the crumbling spires. I used Conan and Sonja's leader ability to group move the other barbarians toward the temple. The snake priestess did something similar. Melee combatants stayed behind the cover of trees and pillars while the archers of both warbands fanned out to try and get shots at enemy targets.
The Battle is Joined:
The snake priestess held off on summoning the naga until the melee combatants were in close, so this unholy terror could be unleashed on them before they could flee from it's terrible wrath.
The first arrows were fired by the human archers as Conan, Sonja, and a lone Barbarian with a battleaxe flanked the snakemen to the right. Another barbarian and an archer flanked the snakemen to the left. The snakemen were inside the shadows of the temple and they began firing poison-tipped arrows toward Conan and his companions, with little initial effect. The priestess and the snakeman warrior held back initially to let the archers arrows wreck havoc. However, with the barbarians flanking them, they retreated behind a wall, forcing the barbarians to move in closer so the snakeman abomination could be unleashed.
Conan and his companions were drawn in by this ploy, and as an archer advanced, she took an arrow through the eye, piercing her brain and killing her instantly. First blood went to the snakemen.
The snakeman warrior slithered around the wall and advanced on the battleaxe wielding barbarian warrior. The clash of steel rang out through the jungle, and after this first close combat of steel on steel, the mighty barbarian warrior delivered a viscious blow, slamming the snakeman warrior to the ground. Before he could rise, the barbarian followed up with a mighty downward slash, and the evil snakeman lay writhing in two pieces. Blood for blood.
Conan and Sonja advanced, as did the lone barbarian on the left flank. They came under a hail of arrows, and as they closed in, swords flashing in the sunlight, they heard the eerie and wicked chant of the priestess. With a hideous scream, a swirling green mist appeared, and slowly the mist solidified into the blasphemous form of a hissing naga. The barbarian warrior on the left flank was right in the creature's path. He hacked at it but to no effect. The lone remaining archer fired arrows at the beast. The arrows found their mark, but not before the coils of the fiend knocked her companion to the ground. Before he could rise, the naga's head snapped forward faster than the eye could see, and the barbarian warrior's headless body stumbled back two steps, to fall twitching and bleeding on the ground.
Conan and Sonja advanced on this fiend as their archer companion rained arrows down on the monstrocity. Eventually an arrow found it's mark, and the mighty naga fell to the ground, a mass of writhing coils oozing slimy green blood from where its head was pierced. As the brave archer nocked another arrow, the priestess slithered up to her with an unholy speed, only to thrust a dagger through the archer's ribs. The archer fell to the ground as her life slowly bled out of her onto the cold stones of this cursed jungle temple.
Conan turned, only to be shot through the neck by the other snakeman archer. He fell, his sword clanging against the temple floor, his hands at his neck as blood gurgled from his throat. He died a warriors death, and Crom did welcome him into his mountain hall to dine at the table of the brave for all eternity.
Screaming in fury, Sonja lept toward the snakeman, but she was pushed back by the powerful priestess, who had mysteriously mutated before her eyes; the hands of the priestess elongating and becoming snapping claws. Sonja and the vile snake priestess exchanged blow for blow as the last barbarian warrior launched himself at the snakeman archer. Steel met steel and hardened muscle met ironlike coils, but in the end, the jungle creature was the victor, and the barbarian lay dying with a terrible gash across his abdomen.
Red Sonja, She-Devil with a Sword, stood alone, ready to fight and die. The snakeman archer fired arrows at her, but she caught these on her shield. The priestess, the fires of hell glowing in her infernal eyes, slithered toward Sonja, snapping her claws at the she-devil's head. Sonja retreated and lept atop a fallen column. She hammered away at the priestess with her sword, driving the scaly-witch to the ground. As Sonja was about to deliver the killing blow, the snakeman archer lept atop the column and slammed Sonja to the ground. Before Sonja could spring to her feet, the priestess slithered atop the column and ended the warrior-maiden's life with a quick snap of her wicked claws.
As the priestess and the lone snakeman archer slithered back into the demon haunted jungle from whence they came, the blood of the fallen heroes seeped into the cracked floor of the ancient temple. Soon, the only sounds heard in the jungle were the cries of bird and beast.
This was obviously not the outcome I was hoping for; I was rooting for Conan and his warriors. Still, I had a lot of fun, and the actual battle was quite close. Let's hope the new Conan movie has a better ending for everyone's favorite savage sword wielding Cimmerian.