Edits and Actual Play

Vyrmhack Actual Play: 

The Best Lord is a Dead Lord

The following is a dramatized actual play of a game of Vyrmhack.

A despotic lord fancies a stroll in the Briarfields, their company of musketeers providing them security and peace of mind.

Little do they know a pair of warbands, the HEXENWULFS (Alex) and the HOUSE ASTROLIS (Charlie) have been lying in wait, united in purpose to sever the lord’s head from their shoulders and plunder their nearby keep.

Round 1

The Lord is surrounded, their guards alert, the warbands advance cautiously- A pair of musketeers open fire on Eirdal, one shot going wide and the other glancing off his armor. The remaining musketeers fire on Sir Felstar; one shot merely causing a flesh wound, the other misfiring catastrophically, sending shrapnel and blackpowder into the face of its wielder.

Father Moon stirs, the magic inside it roils outward. Alas, the magic cannot be contained, a catastrophe occurs! (Charlie rolls a critical fail) What fell effects shall this sorcery unlea- Fur. The moon grows fur…

Round 2

Father Moon stirs, their magic failing to take purchase again, this time unleashing a rainstorm that blocks out the sun (…another crit-fail).

As the sky grows dark and the rain begins, the Hexenwulfs charge, the sound of brandished steel and howls roll out before them. Eridel takes point by running his blade through the musketeer who shot him, Vex close behind, attempting to stifle the violent rage that constantly plagues her actions. Old Man Lomm barrels in, failing to strike the second musketeer with his cursed hand, while Jaegerim the Wolf snarls and eyes the musketeer still reloading, sending an unshakable terror through them. 

The lord attempts to flee, using their guards as meat-shields to make their escape. The House Astrolis does not stand idle, Sir Felstar charging the nearest musketeer and neatly cleaving them in twain with one stroke of their blade while Ghreybeak sprints across the battlefield, pinning the fleeing lord and taking a bloody bite out of their thrashing legs.

However, the successes for the House Astrolis are short-lived. Sister Luna attempts a dangerous series of spells, replicating herself four-fold in a bid to fill the field with deadly spellcaster clones. The magic proves to be too much (oh good, another crit-fail).

The ground is rocked by a titanic explosion, the smell of charred flesh and sound of agonized howls paint the air as Sister Luna and Sister Umbra are engulfed in a magical explosion.

Round 3

In the wake of the explosion, the lord breaks free from Ghreybeak, sprinting to freedom. The Hexenwulfs remain trapped behind the bloodied musketeers and the House Astrolis still recovering from their loss.

Lomm attempts a fruitless breakthrough. Chester tries and fails to blind the Lord with magic, nearly knocking themselves out with a miscast (another ANOTHER crit-fail). Felstar batters a musketeer, but their line holds, the Lord ready to slip away to safety…

It is then that Father Moon, torched by the explosion, stirs once more.

Sorcery displaces the Lord and Father Moon, switching places and putting the now confused lord in striking distance. Jaegerim seizes the opportunity and charges the lord, straining to make the distance in time and raising their sword aloft.

The Lord remained unaware as the Wolf’s blade crashed into their skull, dropping their twitching body to the ground in a puddle of gore and mud.

Jaegerim lets out a ragged and triumphant howl, echoed back by the bloodied Hexenwulfs. The surviving musketeers scatter, taking their chances in the wilds of the Briarfields, harried all the while by an eager Ghreybeak and an enraged Felstar…

Conclusion

I can safely say after accidentally blowing up half my warband with three critical sorcery miscasts and one-tapping an enemy musketeer that Vyrm is EXACTLY the kind of brutal fun I want in skirmish games

While I never wanted Vyrm to be for "everyone" I was still worried it might not be successful as I envisioned it (especially the EARLY playtests).

Not to be too self-congratulatory, it feels REALLY good to play as it stands, with plenty of room to expand and polish. It is chaotic, quick, violent, thematic and a fun time trying not to die.

Anyway, Alex and I have plans to continue our campaign, so hopefully there will be more play reports in the future. If you end up doing one yourself, drop me a line and I'd love to check it out!