Playtesting Burrows and Badgers v2: The Runaway; Squeaky Blinders vs Routiers

Tucking her wings in and diving down, Clarisse the starling felt the sweet air flushing over her beak, she grinned to herself as she saw the welcome sight of the lights of the 'Garrison' glimmering across the square, and she fluttered down and alighted across the square. She hopped across and through the door into the smoky public bar. It wasn't her shift tonight, but she was greeted like a returning hero by her friends of the Squeaky Blinders gang.
"Look wot tha cat dragged in!" Arthur the stoat cheerily yelled from his favourite booth.
"Well, at least I can hit things, not just jam my piece every time!" She chirped back at him, blowing him a kiss and strolling across to another stoat who was nonchalantly chewing a carrot and replacing a whiskey glass on the bar. "How you feeling Tommy?"
"Better. Rest, always the best medicine, both for me an' Bill the Oddy" The stoat boss sagely looked the starling up and down, "how are you feeling, Jeremiah Cheeses patch you up okay?"
"Good enough for me to go and relieve the tollkeeper of some spare change," she whistled, dropping a purse on the bar that jangled nicely. eliciting more cheer from the Squeakies, "Our priest was a little busy talking to his new friend about the glories of the gods, but he did okay, he'll be here in a bit!" She lied, knowing that the wound she had taken would trouble her for many moons more.
"Talkin' of our friend, has 'is father coughed up?" Arthur chimed in.
"Oh yeah, twenty-nine pennies to return that runaway puppy to Rufus the Hound," John the adder was busy totalling their haul with deft flicks of his tail. The day had started well, and was getting better, "what is it with these young pups thinking they can outfox an old warhound like him?"
Bill the Oddy looked up from his drink, "Good thing we spotted him early, those Routiers were obviously after the cash too." The shrew grinned at the others, "nice to see the 'onest members of  'is majesties watch doing their job, we had to put a stop to that!"


"Yeah, sorry I couldn't get to him straight away," Clarisse grinned wryly, "he wandered and moved just out of flight range."


Tommy looked over at the starling and cocked an eyewhisker, "Yeah, but that put you in range of that stoat with an 'eavy crossbow, hell of a risk Clarisse."
"It hurt a lot, no question about that!" She muttered, "but them new silks we all got made a difference, thanks Tommy," looking down to try and hide her shame.


"Think the routiers must 'ave been 'iding behind the inn, as they was all over the mutt in seconds," Clarisse added.
"Tell me about it!" Bill the Oddy groaned, "taken out by a hare with a two-'anded chopper!"
"You did 'it 'im good mind!" Tommy smiled wainly.
"Amazing how quickly it turned into an all out melee," Tommy added, "that hare moved so quickly, and then his toad, and his axe welding mouse friends were there, we had a fight on our paws there all!"
"Itssssss alright, we got 'im and hiiisssss toad bossss, " John the adder "They wasssss too busy being sssssslowly ssssssstunned by my venom."
"Oi, and my blade!" Tommy added, grinning at the snake, "It was becoming quite a brawl, even saw our brother of the gods sticking 'is boot in!"
"Let he oo is wivout sin cast the first stone!" came a shout from outside the bar door, and a tall black rat with dreadlocks bounded in. "Blessin's be upon dis 'ouse!" he grinned.
"And on yow!" the assembled crowd muttered, looked guiltily into their pints.


"Dere shrew mage wasn't on form, not getting many 'eels owt!" Tommy added, "but reverend, your new 'ealing potion's a bit potent!"
"Tank yow me son, which flavour did yow get?"
"Think it was strawberry and wormwood? Did me good once that stoat joined in the fight, but think I need a couple more as I was taken down."
"Well, while you unholy sinners were busy beating merry hell out of each other, me an' the pup went for a little walk to discuss 'is life choices!" The rat grinned, slipping his paw round a flagon of clear liquid, which appeared to contain a slice of lemon and ice.


"What ever you did Reverend," Clarisse added, "your blessing certainly helped us see off the Routiers!"


"Well, the pup was soon safe, and now, ladies and gentlemen, who will be attending chapel on the Sun's Day? Da apothecarium ain't gonna build itself yow know!" The empty flagon was replaced...


Our first playtest of v2 of Burrows and Badgers. Many laughs were had. The main rules are great. We both took unarmoured bands, mine were rogues, Mort's Les Routiers. 

A few thoughts: 

• New scenarios are good, huge variety of secondary and I like the gang flavoured quests too. His mole had the only luck in his gang, grabbing a secondary objective that I could not get to. I failed to complete my secondary due to being brought into the ruck to gain the Runaway, and also Clarisse failing to roll any decent search rolls before pilling in! This one rewards the winner well with 5d6 pennies, but the looser gets nowt! Watch out if this is an early campaign game folks! 
• The new blessed/cursed rule for actions, especially charges, cover and parrying and geat. With two-handed weapons means you hit hard, but two-handers chances of parrying are slim as they are now cursed, you need extra protection and armour. Unarmoured berserker types with big choppers are a bit easier to deal with now. 
• The second action allowing an attack, while cursed, while feeling powerful, is great, but chance of hitting drops dramatically. You do need to really want to take that action! Second action allowing a run then a charge means your combat range increases dramatically too, but you have to roll to get in, and I missed at least twice, judging that distance is crucial if you want your blessed roll as now you only count as charging if you manage to roll 3" or more, otherwise you just saunter into contact.
• We liked preparing actions so that they become blessed, and failed actions on a '1' produce fate points is a really nice touch, especially as Mort and I frequently roll them!
•  The new healing potions worked really well. Apothecary as a skill is now a must as his potion is 3d6 recovery!  I didn't get chance to use Jeremiah's healing on board (d6 for each action), he was too busy getting the pup off table, but it would probably have helped Clarisse is she had been healed before game end as she had taken so many hits from Mort's stoat and mouse (with a two-hander) that her recovery roll was at -4 if she wanted to recover, as she ended up being negative on her recovery roll and she took a nasty serious wound where any rolls of 1 from now on cause extra wounds. Whereas, Tommy and Bill the Oddy both rolled 6s and survived with minor injuries that could be taken off by resting before the next game.
• Cavalier and crossbows were much more powerful (strong 3), being able to clear the jam for temperamental for the firearms was a huge relief, even if Arthur couldn't hit a thing!
• The three new wandering charts are scary if you don't look at them carefully, as two have a 50/50 chance of being negative, but if you pick well, you can add nicely to your purse as Clarisse did.
• I took a sneaky band, but, ironically, not much sneakin g happened as Mort's hare moves to quickly he was on the pup in round two. Will keep testing that aspect!

Looking forwards to the next try out!