Evil is abroad this night...

...a prelude.

It had been hot, so very hot; the best summer for a generation said many. The crop had been bountiful and with the last sheaths of wheat loaded on to Windy Miller’s cart the villagers of Muchwhinging looked forward to slaking their first with a flagon, or three, of ale.

 As daylight started to fail, the stifling heat did little to dispel a sense of foreboding that many felt.  Birdsong gave way to a shrill cry that got louder as the exhausted lungs that carried it near-burst with exertion. 

"Sit yourself down and catch your breath lad; what’s all this fuss about, eh?"  The reassuring words of Richard Marshall doing little to appease the scrap that sat in front of him.  The young boy, took a sip of water from the tankard, but his trembling hands could not maintain sufficient purchase and it fell to flagstoned floor, shattering the unfamiliar silence within the 'Slaughtered Lamb'.

The unwitting messenger slowly raised his head, expectant eyes bore into him, but the only words he could utter would cause the thickest of hairs to stand proud, "They... they're back!"

The hour is nearly upon us and the preparation is all but done. Tomorrow's game is inspired by ‘Witchfinder General – Days of Revelation’ and brought to the table by using a pared down version of ‘Donnybrook’. Given that this is new to all taking part we have chosen a simple encounter scenario whereby the villagers of Muchwhinging set out into the gathering gloom to do battle with the vile abominations that have returned to their lands.

A lot of fun has been had getting to grips with the rules, which appear simple, yet brutal, benefitting from a good deal of narration and a fair sprinkling of common sense. I have had a couple of run throughs in preparation with some hilarious outcomes as the events have taken a completely unexpected change of direction on the turn of a card.

I have had to par down the game a little, mostly because I didn't have enough troops to field both sides, but followed the rules for setting up so hopefully it will be a balanced encounter. I have also invented a few characters, combining elements of Witchfinder with Donnybrook factions, allowing me to field some of the more esoteric models in my collection.  Using the downloadable cards from the 'League of Augsburg Blog', I was able to add as much character information as possible, so hopefully that will help to keep the came ticking along.

Now provided, I remember to take some photographs, and jot a few notes down, then there should be a battle report before too long.