Tuesday 11 May 2021

Playing Hordes of the Things in times of the Corona Virus

Hordes of the Things

The last time I played HotT was four years ago, the last time I played a tabletop game eight months ago.

So I invited my friend Krüger over to play Hordes of the Things.

This happened between the second and third wave of Covid 19 in Germany. Krüger and I were wearing masks of course and windows and doors were open. As far as I know this reduces the risk of catching Corona to less than 1%.

I enjoyed re-reading the rules before we played, although it felt a bit like reading a math book.

I played Spanish conquistadors with this list:

Blade General, 5 Blades, 6 Shooters

Krüger played jungle cannibals. He has been painting this army for some years now and it was the first time I saw it in action:

Warband General, Magician, 6 Warbands, 3 Shooters

Krüger was the defender.

Krüger

We had to improvise a bit with the terrain. First of all we played on a table which used to be my mother’s kitchen table. Its area is 17% smaller than that of a regular HotT table and it’s oval, not square. 

We borrowed a paper mache hut from my youngest son to present Krüger’s stronghold. And we used a cloth with grass printed on it and pieces of yellow felt and toy trees to depict woods.

I was a bit nervous because of Corona and I forgot that it isn’t useful placing one blade element behind the other when deploying my army.

Krüger, on the other hand, forgot that Warbands don’t get a +1 rear support bonus in woods for a second Warband behind them.

So we both didn’t deploy well.

Hordes of the Things

I managed to destroy two warbands on my right flank at the beginning of the game and then played quite badly.

I lost two blades and four shooters, thus loosing the game.

It felt really good to play HotT after so many years. It was a good break from the isolation I’m currently in.

view from the balcony

After the game we had a chat on the balcony. Krüger said something which sums up some of the stress I’m currently under. He said that everybody is imprisoned in his own particular situation during the Corona pandemic.

A single person is always alone. A couple without kids can only see each other. A couple with kids is always surrounded by kids and children can hardly escape their parents these days.

We made plans to play HotT again, but unfortunately the week after our game Covid 19 cases rose rapidly where we live.

3 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed seeing your game and reading about it. All my gaming has been on Zoom since last March or solo. These are strange times indeed. We are coming out of things a little here but it all very odd. Your friend makes a good point. My ancestors hailed from around Stuttgart so Germany has been very much on my thoughts in all this.

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  2. For me the distractions of the hobby have been helpful. Yet even that wears very thin. I hope things move forward well for you and yours.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot, Alan!

      After a year of Corona I find it hard to make plans. The virus seems to be quite unpredictable.
      I hope for a more relaxed summer though, and the possibility to see friends again.

      The hobby community has helped me get through this year and I especially enjoyed reading your blog.

      My mother had a lifelong friendship with a family in Salisbury which started as a pen pal friendship after the war.

      I was lucky to be able to visit England many times as a child, sometimes alone.

      I wish you and your family all the best,
      Karl

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