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Grim Harvest - Dark Fantasy - Horror Wargaming, Moncks Corner, SC (2026)

06/03/2025

- THE BLACKMORE INN -

Hector sighed aloud as his foot set upon the final stone step of the old stairs that led into what used to be the Blackmore Inn. The old structure no longer served its intended purpose, and had not for many years, for its walls were worn and weathered and the roof collapsed in several sections. It stood ominous and silent in a barren countryside about a mile north of the nearest settlement. Things hadn’t been the same since the Crusades, and much of the land reflected that. Truth be told, the building would never again serve its intended purpose. Not only due to its state of disrepair, but no one traveled north anymore, not since the better part of the last decade. It had belonged to the Whitmans, nice kind folk who relocated to the city of Nurmia after their son had perished from the plague that wrought havoc across the continent. Unable to find a buyer, it fell into a dark and lonesome, decrepit state. A state that Hector could smell. An awful smell not only of musk and mold, but that of death.

Hector, strapped for cash and hankering for his various addictions, had foolishly signed on for a hunt to the old Blackmore Inn. He did so of course armed with ammunition and protective talismans, as the local lore spoke of a “horrid creature” in the region known to siphon the life-force from others as they slept, a creature of vampiric origin who had gone years now unchecked. One by one prior parties had checked off other locations from lists, as none truly knew the location the thing called home. Hector had been unfortunate enough to have finally discovered it. The rooms of course were in a state of disrepair, and due to looters nothing of significant value remained amid the debris, but carved into the floorboards and the walls were odd claw marks - signs that something called this place home, and that something was no longer bound only to the floors, but possessed the ability to climb with ease. Using his left thumb, he clicked back the hammer of his flintlock pistol to full-cock, and with his right hand drew a shortsword as he skulked about in the darkness exploring the rooms. Highly stressed from the possibilities of what awaited him, he was admittedly a tad jumpy; startled by the scurrying of mice and an odd scratching sound he could not put eyes on. This escalated as he entered the following room after ascending another set of stairs as cautious as possible.

The stench of death grew more unbearable, and before him lay what remained of poor wayward travelers who likely opted to seek shelter in the old ruined inn, and fell victim to what lurked within. Their bodies were absolutely mutilated in inhumane ways, their clothes shredded away and their flesh and meat eaten away in more than one location. Their deaths were not simple nor natural - what had occurred here was horrid and evil. Hector felt another wave of unease wash over him as his eyes attempted to adjust to the dim conditions within the room. Then it struck.

From above, a creature of average human weight dropped upon him, knocking him to the rotten wooden floor atop the stairs, eliciting a scream of panic from the monster-hunter! Moving his blade to block the fangs of the thing, he quickly angled his flintlock and pulled the trigger. A misfire. The flint had struck the frizzen, but no spark or explosive charge propelled a bullet into the being that pinned him to the ground. With one hand pressing the hilt of his blade against the snarling creature’s face with all his might, he opted to strike the creature with the discharged pistol. Striking it’s head again and again with what strength he could muster with his off-hand, it drooled a disgusting bile onto his throat which burned upon contact. He recoiled as he felt his flesh melt toward his vocal chords and was promptly disarmed in seconds - his sword cast clattering across the floor into the darkness. It was then the creaure sank its fangs into his neck.

Hector blacked out...

06/02/2025

Update! Despite the lack of posts here, playtesting and refinement of Grim Harvest has continued diligently! Most recently, Playtest #35 has taken place, and in addition playtesting of utilizing the rule system as a tabletop role-playing game has been commencing for the past month or more helping establish more of the setting's lore.

Key updates:

- Grim Harvest is shaping up to be a hardcover, 8"x10" rulebook in color.

- Significant effort has been put forth to incorporate the possibility of players in competitive play to lead Horror Forces regularly; not in just an odd side scenario.

- A group campaign system is in development allowing gaming groups to learn Grim Harvest gradually over a weekly basis with narrative flair and lasting consequences and decision-making.

- An open-form Solo Campaign is in development for solo players who wish to see how much of a career their hunters can survive.

- A bonus chapter now exists in the back of the book on how to use the Grim Harvest system for RPG adventures, including a "Foedex" of pre-statted enemies.

01/21/2025

Playtest #24 tonight with Terrell! Great success of a playtest, the first of its kind of competitive 1vs1 on an admittedly small playing field (2'x2'). Terrell, who hadn't interacted with the playtests of Grim Harvest since it's 2.0 change to its core system, was able to assemble a full playable Hunting Party Force within an hr, and the game took 2 hrs - right where it should be, about 1 hr per player involved.

By its conclusion, my Horror models had been defeated, but not without any remaining Hunter models unwounded or near dead. A player unfamiliar with the current system (but familiar with other gaming combat systems) was able to stat a list and win against the game designer in a 2 hr time-frame, which is a good fair place for the system to be. Dice rolls matter, tactics certainly matter, but an over-familiarity with the system doesn't seem to be an "ace in the hole."

01/21/2025

Playtest #23 commenced last Wednesday with Dylan & Matt. While the game is often played co-op, we did a playtest of 2 vs 2, a game of combined Hunting Party against a combined Horror Force.

An observation was made on the Stress mechanic. Up until this point, non-horror models gained Stress for beginning their activations within line of sight of a Horror model, and being penalized for having too much by the end of the activation - now playtesting has shifted to both being the same trigger, at the end. Now models have chances to either hide from Horror models or to eliminate them, and potentially never gain it in the first place.

This means instead of taxing models with Recover actions they feel they need to do to remove Stress, now they can negate the issue by either being more aggressive (more hostile actions to speed the game to a conclusion) or to hide in cover (which is thematic).

01/15/2025

- THE CRUSADES -

Also known by many as the “Great Devastation,” the Crusades were a long collection of brutal military conflicts orchestrated by the the church. Specifically these events were brought into the world from the hands of a man known only as the “Hierophant,” a self-proclaimed prophet who garnered control over the church through his immense charisma, rising to a very powerful religious leader. His claims were initially met with skepticism, as he claimed that he had since birth been wracked by prophetic visions that he believed was from the divine commanding him to lead the faithful. A beckoning to reclaim lost sacred lands from prior conflicts across the continent, to purge heretical arcane practices that mankind should not know or engage with, and of course to spread the true faith.

After years of testing the lad, he had grown into a man and acceptance of his claims saw the Hierophant rise through the clergy until his alleged prophetic visions could be acted upon with acquired authority. This began a new era for the people, seeing a conflict lasting two decades back and forth, which unfortunately saw the land ravaged by warfare, the decimation of cities, and displacing thousands of civilians. The forces that pushed back against the church were not only arcane orders, and those of paganistic beliefs, but often the common folk who rebelled against the church either not agreeing with the admiration of the supposed prophet or in direct defiance in defense of their personal freedoms and not wishing to live under oppressive rule. These forces were at times also accompanied by subsects of the church itself, who were not convinced of the prophet’s authority and refused to acknowledge him as such. Some even vilified the Hierophant as a fraud, as as the years continued and cities fell, used his “successful conquests” as polarizing acts to demonize his character to those around them.

Noble houses too become very involved in these holy conflicts, and saw opportunities in them to play into political power struggles, expanding their territories, eliminating rivals, and and gaining influence in the midst of devastation. However, it was the common people who suffered the most, as the Crusades brought forth disruptions of trade, famine, and rampant disease, bringing forth the Whooping Plague. The plague has essentially run its course by modern times, fifteen years later, but occasional outbreaks still occur due to unknown dormant carriers.

Finally, to relief of almost all, the Crusades came to a climatic close fifteen years ago as the Heirophant’s forces lay siege to the city of Ashenhold, a capitol city along the Blackfang Mountains. The holy military force breached the walls and pressed inside, forcing their way into the inner sanctum where ancient relics had long been kept. From these relics, consisting of a variety of arcane items of great power, emerged a powerful entity who sought to protect the artifacts from the religious warriors and engaged the Hierophant in cataclysmic duel that saw widespread destruction about the inner city. In desperation, the Hierophant opted to weild another artifact from the vault, which interfered with his own holy powers. This moment of weakness saw the Heirophant utterly destroyed, his soul cast into a realm of darkness. While the people of Ashenhold were thankful of the arcane guardian, the item to which the entity was bound, as well as all other items known destroyed or taken way by fleeing militants, were once again locked away, deemed “too powerful” for human interaction.

The Hierophant's defeat saw the holy forces fragmented, creating a power vacuum. The faith’s legitimacy was largely questioned in the aftermath, and many of the Hierophant's actions over the twenty years quickly became seen as heretical, and unified forces of the people, weary from war, demanded peace. The Treaty of Ashenhold was quickly drafted and signed upon by regional lords, nobles, and the clergy who felt their hand had been forced given the circumstances. The treaty established that a ceasefire was to be enacted immediately, an end to all hostilities for any reason, as well as reparations put forth by the church to the people for damaged lands and homes. Most importantly, the treaty established mandatory reforms within the church to prevent future extremism.

01/10/2025

First post of Grim Harvest's lore, exploring beyond the realm of game mechanics and delving into the setting in which Grim Harvest takes place. Of note before going further is the Church of the Luminari. In the miniatures game Grim Harvest, players take on the role of Hunting Parties, consisting of monster hunters out on paid jobs to rid the lands of emerging evils - sometimes on behalf of the church. Meanwhile some Hunters only dabble in the teachings of the religion without subscribing entirely to the faith. Meanwhile, other Hunters steer clear of the doctrine, openly reject it, or have been excommunicated.

- THE LUMINARI -
All across the continent, the predominant religion is easily that of the Luminari, often referred to simply as the church. This organized religion has existed for over two-thousand years and puts belief in a singular, all-powerful deity referred to as the Dawnbringer, who they believe brought a shining light into a world once entirely consumed by ever-present darkness.

A variety of symbology exists within the church, including that of the Dawncross representing the deity's radiance, and the Lantern of Vigilance - a symbol representing the eternal watchfulness of the faithful in their continued mission to keep the world a bright and holy place as their creator intended. Regarding scripture, the church has two primary sources of holy texts, the first being the Dawnscript, a sacred mass-produced tome detailing the Dawnbringer’s teachings, what is expected of the faithful in daily life, and a recorded history of the Luminari religion. The other, admittedly less common, work is The Vigiliant’s Chronicle; which serves as a collection of assorted tales and parables that illustrate a variety of struggles and triumphs regarding a number of Luminari saints, and potentially interwoven mythical figures, over the centuries.

Leading the entire Luminari church is always that of either a Dawnfather or Dawnmother, a highest authority that the church believe is selected by their deity to lead them in the right path. Just below the leader is that of the Illuminated, senior clergy who have already proven to have dedicated their lives to the cause and stand as examples of unwavering dedication. Most common of all are the Vigilants, who are largely comprised of local priests, monks, and small religious leaders in outlying communities.

Regarding their practices, the holy Rite of Illumination is a sacramental ritual initiating new members to the church, some of whom must first undergo a Purification Rite beforehand if they are deemed to have been tainted by darkness and evil prior to their acceptance of the Dawnbringer. However, by large the most common practice is that of their Daily Vigil, often performed by most who take the religion as a major part of their lives, which involves simple prayers and candlelight processions at both dawn and dusk as twilight spreads across the land.

The church's stance on occultism is adamant, and are absolutely opposed to non-holy practices. This leads many Hunters of the faith who dabble in occult magic to keep such facts as hidden secrets from their peers, often known only by those they hunt alongside.

(Pictured is "Haunter of the Dark" by PeteAmachree, 2008)

01/09/2025

Playtest #22 last night at The Gamers Guild SC! The game ran very smoothly with new minor adjustments, and is definitely just about where the rules system needs to be I feel. Will be doing a handful more playtests with rules exactly as-is for a bit and see.

This game saw 3 players playing co-op against the horrors - and they lost! Overwhelmed before being able to defeat the legendary horror. While there were a few bad die rolls, it was generally agreed that the loss stemmed from poor tactics on their part. One character holed himself up in the graveyard tower, and while he generally helped by providing cover fire, he was rushed and trapped in there once his bodyguard could no longer guard the tower's entrance. The cemetery was overrun by horrors, the forest being in darkness, and the abandoned keep having been determined to be haunted definitely led to a frantic experience.

Everyone still had a fun time, and it's welcoming to see the players lose, it's supposed to be a challenge when playing these co-op scenarios, and they shouldn't be won all of the time. Die rolls, tactics, rough event cards drawn - it should be uphill, and lose-able if not countered efficiently.

It was great to get the cemetery terrain onto the table for the first time, and the amount of compliments and photos taken by almost all who wandered into the store was great! I believe I have a new roster of people itching to try it out and contributing to more playtesting!

01/07/2025

A whole 2'x2' panel full of scatter terrain! Remember, if it's adjacent to a church it's a graveyard, and if there's no church it's a cemetery!

01/04/2025

Throwback to Playtest #9 in October 24', the first solo-play experience of Grim Harvest. This was before completing my first terrain tile and getting the Abandoned keep painted up. This was a very close game, seeing my Hunting Party face off against a stitched together abomination and it's minions. Played solo on a 2'x2' play space, the game was very action packed from start to finish and really came down to the wire at the end, with the hunters just barely prevailing.

Grim Harvest - Dark Fantasy - Horror Wargaming

06/03/2025

06/02/2025

01/21/2025

01/21/2025

01/15/2025

01/10/2025

01/09/2025

01/07/2025

01/04/2025

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