First Game Review - Of Gods and Mortals (Osprey)

Pallas Athena, Goddess of Military strategy, heard a whisper on the grapevine (a little owl told her) that Aries, head-banging God of Warfare, had learnt of a chalice of great power hidden in a ruined temple and had left a group of Spartan warriors to guard the place.

[a 900 pt retinue consisting of Athena, Medusa, the Nemean Lion, four Kentaurides (Lady Centaurs), and an Amazonian Heroine and Guard]

She summoned a retinue from her followers -famed throughout Hellas as the Feminista - to overcome the guardians and steal the treasure for herself.

Aphrodite, who had no particular love for Athena, warned Aries who summoned reinforcements and charged down from Mt Olympus.

[a 720 pt retinue consisting of Aries, two units of Spartan hoplites and a Hero - we were playing the Temple scenario so Aries, Shaun, had a smaller force]

The Feminista spread out to surround the Temple and its guards.

The Amazons and Kentaurides uttered prays and sacrificed several small furry animals that they happened to have about their persons to boost Athena's power and the goddess charged into the Temple slaying one of the hoplites and pushing back the others.

Meanwhile Mudusa killed the Hero with a poisoned arrow.

On Turn Two Athena continued her attack, slaying two more hoplites and pushing them out of the Temple.

Meanwhile Aries teleported in with the second warband of hoplites.

Miffed, the god was sick as a parrot to see his worshippers slaughtered.

He charged into combat unsupported as befits The Nutter of the Gods.

To be surrounded by outraged Kentaurides who accused him of being a male chauvinist pig.

Fair mad to bursting, Aries tripped over an unlaced sandal and managed to spear himself in the goolies - disappearing in a puff of smoke.

[Actually, Shaun rolled a series of 1s]

Thoroughly rattled, the remaining Spartans fled allowing Athena to recover the chalice, which turned out to be a battered FA Cup lost after being won by Wigan in a surprise result at The Emirates stadium.

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So what did I think of the game?

Well the scenario seemed somewhat unbalanced and the Temple actually had nothing to do with the victory conditions, which seemed a bit odd.

This is another 'Song of Blades' variant with the combat mechanism cleaned up a bit. It seemed a little fiddly with a plethora of special rules for all the figures but I guess that would become tractable with time. The game lasted a little over an hour but would have been over in half that time if we knew the rules.

Not the sort of thing I would play a lot, but worth getting out for a fun game or quick one night campaign. A lot would depend on players creating a good story arc and scenarios.