I came across this game on Wargame Vault a few months ago. Always interested in new place systems, I picked up the bundle with Blood on the Blade, and its Sci-fi counter, Blood in Space when it was on sale. I read through the rules a time or two, then ended up moving on to other projects. After reorganizing some of my PDF prints into some binders, I decided to give it a go using some models I had handy.
Ruleset: Blood on the Blade
This is the first time playing Blood on the Blade, and set up using the recommended starting party and scenario. You get 6 party members to start, Two 2HW warriors, 2 HW& Shield, an archer, and a mage (with an escape, heal, and damage spell).
The initial scenario is entitled Search, with the party having to move across the table and explore 6 areas of interest. Once a marker is revealed, a dice is rolled to discover if you find loot, enemies, or nothing of interest.
Now onto the fun!
Our brave Adventurers set out for the hunt! From left to right: Gaev (great axe), Worbur (axe & shield), Kimal (bow & dagger), Bergath (staff), Nyas (short sword & shield), and Rogoth (warhammer)
Overview of the table set up as our party enters the south edge.
Gaev approaches the first marker in the SE section, revealing a couple of skeletons.
Soon combat is joined and our hero battles it out with the bag of bones, taking a hit for his efforts.
Kimal the archer moves around the copse of trees and takes out the other skeleton.
Rogoth and Nyas approach the marker in the SW.
Nothing of interest here...
Worbur moves in to support, but is too late! Gaev falls to the skeleton's attack
Meanwhile, our other party members push the hill and encounter more undead skeletons! 3 Warriors and a Champion shamble out of the woods to defend their former homeland.
The skeletons move remarkably quickly. Nyas falls back off the crest of the hill towards his companions, but 2 of the undead fall upon our adventurers.
In the southeast, Worbur continues to trade blows with the first skeleton.
But is able to finally return the bonehead back to the cold embrace of death.
Back on the eastern side, Rogoth and Nyas are still tied down with enemies, while a warrior catches Kimal the archer before he can slip away. The skeleton champion moves closer down the slope to attack the weaker of the invaders.
Rogoth fells his opponent while a flurry of blows gets traded in nearby combats.
Rogoth moves in to help Nyas dispatch another bony fiend.
Worbor moves back to the main battle area, while Bergath fails to cast his healing ability (a trend that would continue...). Kimal is having a tough time with the remaining warrior and champion.
Our adventurers converge into the melee!
Rogoth and Worbur fell the champion, but not before Kimal is struck down. Nyas and the warrior continue to carve each other up. Bergath fails to heal again.
With the last warrior dispatched, the party has a moment to regroup, but once again Bergath fails to bolster his compatriots.
With half of the objectives left to explore, the party begins to push on. Only 4 of the original 6 members are on their feet, and most of them are badly injured.
Aproaching the next objective, Rogoth uncovers 2 more warriors and a champion skeleton.
At last, Bergath heals a few wounds from Nyas.
As battle is once again joined, Rogoth takes out his opposing warrior, Worbor tangles with another. Bergath manages to heal a minor wound from Rogoth, trying his best to keep everyone in the fight.
Nyas moves against the champion, only to see his own entrails spill on the ground! Worbur is barely on his feet, suffering 10 of his 11 HP!
The champion moves and finishes off Worbur, who manages to take the warrior down with him,
Though wounded, the champion finishes off Rogoth, leaving only Bergath!
Our last intrepid adventurer flees the table, leaving the restless dead with the un-recovered loot. With no one to drag them back for recovery, the other adventurers will surely rot away and join the ranks of the undead.
Post-Game Thoughts:
Another great set of rules for small game action. I haven't played many games with a draw-to-activate mechanic, but it really works. While more enemies may have been encountered if the game went on, this one played out with about 15 models, with not all of them being active on the table at once. It took only about an hour to play, with a lot of referencing between pages. Most of the information you need is on the character sheet, without any chart hunting or significant math to worry about.
The included behavior guidelines for enemies make this work well for solo play, though I tended to forget about them once combat was joined. Perhaps I'll get the hang of it with more games under my belt.
I'll be looking forward to trying out a few more games, and probably making a go of a campaign at some point.
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