The Silver Bayonet: A Wargame of Napoleonic Gothic Horror
A skirmish wargame of gothic horror during the Napoleonic Wars written by the Joseph A. McCullough, the award-winning creator of Frostgrave.
As the wars of Napoleon ravage Europe, chaos and fear reign and the darkness that once clung to the shadows has been emboldened. Supernatural creatures--vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and worse take advantage of the havoc, striking out at isolated farms, villages and even military units. Whether they are pursuing some master plan or simply reveling in their newfound freedom is unknown. Most people dismiss reports of these slaughters as the rantings of madmen or the lies of deserters, but a few know better...
In Britain, a secret award--the Silver Bayonet--is presented to those soldiers brave or fortunate enough to have faced these creatures and survived. Often, these survivors are swiftly seconded to a specialist unit and ordered to report to one of Wellington's exploring officers. Formed to root out and destroy the supernatural menace, these small units are tasked with investigating strange reports, scouring battlefields, and seeking out allies and artifacts that could stem the tide. Britain is not alone in this fight--the other great nations have their own units dedicated to the fight against the supernatural--but that is not to say that mankind is united in the face of the rising darkness. While the rising darkness is a common foe, and rival units may forge uneasy and fleeting alliances, patriotism and national interest will just as often pit them against each other in races for ancient knowledge or forgotten treasure.
The Silver Bayonet is a skirmish wargame of gothic horror set during the Napoleonic Wars. Each player forms an elite band of monster hunters drawn from the ranks of one of the great powers. Riflemen, swordsmen, and engineers fight side-by-side with mystics, occultists, and even those few supernatural creatures that can be controlled or reasoned with enough to make common cause. The game can be played solo, co-operatively, or competitively, with players progressing through a series of interlinked adventures with their soldiers gaining experience and suffering grievous wounds and their units triumphing... or falling in the face of the shadows. It is a game of action and adventure, where musket and sabre meet tooth and claw.
I’m a fan of Joseph’s designs in the first place, but also a fan of the period. I can see plenty of uses for models in several of my collections for this. Sign me up.
I would be all over this if I wasn't already invested heavily into figures and Wild West scenery for Dracula's America, which is kind of along the same lines.
I guess when the ruleset we'll better know how Napoleonic we'd need Napoleonic miniatures for. I'm also kind of loathed to pick up another genre of miniatures (since I don't play historical wargames).so hope to know if I can use, say, my 1920's Call of Cthulhu adventurers, CMON World of Smog steampunk types, or monster hunters from Horror Series 1.
While Dracula's America does many of these concepts very well, I can see scope for a cool Napoleonic twist on the gothic horror;
- muzzle-loading weapons; you better be quick with that spit&tap when the dead start shuffling from the churchyard!
- Local folklore; werewolves and vampires sure, for all the existing model lines, but what did Napoleon's legion really come face to face with in the howling Russian winter? Were all the slaughtered patrols in the Iberian peninsula really just the work of vengeful local resistance and guerillas? What are the Kaiser's Jagers hunting for high in the Alps? And what was Napoleon himself looking for in Egypt all those years ago? Lots of modelling potential.
I also wish this was somehow accompanied with more dynamic models, but I'm a little afraid they'd come in the NorthStar's chunky retro-Brit style ... sets of arms&weapons in poses other than shouldered and heads with more expressions, all compatible with the very good existing historic lines would be perfect.
In Her Majesty's Name covers this genre pretty well too.
I hope it does something different than the Commander/Lt gain XP, and then a group of goons with upgraded specialists that Frostgrave, Ghost, and Stargrave looks to have.
I would love to see Mr. McCullough branch out a bit in their design ethos.
Easy E wrote: I hope it does something different than the Commander/Lt gain XP, and then a group of goons with upgraded specialists that Frostgrave, Ghost, and Stargrave looks to have.
I would love to see Mr. McCullough branch out a bit in their design ethos.
Ghost Archipelago was still a Frostgrave publication (as in: the full title is Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago), while Stragrave's name already implies a close connection to the same mechanics. Nothing of that sort is visible here though, so until proven otherwise, this could be as different from Frostgrave as Oathmark (another McCullough design), aside from the fact that both this and Frostgrave happen to both be skirmish games.
Easy E wrote: In Her Majesty's Name covers this genre pretty well too.
I hope it does something different than the Commander/Lt gain XP, and then a group of goons with upgraded specialists that Frostgrave, Ghost, and Stargrave looks to have.
I would love to see Mr. McCullough branch out a bit in their design ethos.
Easy E wrote: I hope it does something different than the Commander/Lt gain XP, and then a group of goons with upgraded specialists that Frostgrave, Ghost, and Stargrave looks to have.
I would love to see Mr. McCullough branch out a bit in their design ethos.
Ghost Archipelago was still a Frostgrave publication (as in: the full title is Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago), while Stragrave's name already implies a close connection to the same mechanics. Nothing of that sort is visible here though, so until proven otherwise, this could be as different from Frostgrave as Oathmark (another McCullough design), aside from the fact that both this and Frostgrave happen to both be skirmish games.
The name pretty much says it's Frostgrave in space.
Definitely unfair to say the man can't write anything else tho
Easy E wrote: In Her Majesty's Name covers this genre pretty well too.
I hope it does something different than the Commander/Lt gain XP, and then a group of goons with upgraded specialists that Frostgrave, Ghost, and Stargrave looks to have.
I would love to see Mr. McCullough branch out a bit in their design ethos.
Easy E wrote: I hope it does something different than the Commander/Lt gain XP, and then a group of goons with upgraded specialists that Frostgrave, Ghost, and Stargrave looks to have.
I would love to see Mr. McCullough branch out a bit in their design ethos.
Ghost Archipelago was still a Frostgrave publication (as in: the full title is Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago), while Stragrave's name already implies a close connection to the same mechanics. Nothing of that sort is visible here though, so until proven otherwise, this could be as different from Frostgrave as Oathmark (another McCullough design), aside from the fact that both this and Frostgrave happen to both be skirmish games.
The name pretty much says it's Frostgrave in space.
Definitely unfair to say the man can't write anything else tho
For the record, I never said that.
I know from personal experience that once you have a successful model, it IS hard to move away from it. Especially when you are creating at the pace he is creating at!
Obviously Rangers of Shadowdeep was a big breakthrough product as well as Oathmark.
I am just hoping to see something a bit different with this than Nappiegrave.
Honestly Oathmark means I'm not to worried about that it has very different mechanics from Frostgrave. Equally the engine should work reasonably well ad end up more like Rifles of Shadow Deep maybe.
Easy E wrote: Huh..... that could just be a temporary cover..... but I like it.
It is shown on the Northstar's FB so it is likely official one. Also there will be a different system than a Frostgrave one (no details given), and all official minis will be metal = small release compared to FG or Oathmark.
According to the NorthStar FB page they are currently taking photos of some of the 'official range' of figures. To go in their next newsletter I assume. I look forward to seeing them.
For some time now I have had a project I have been working on called Tarnished Splendor, a personal mash-up of 7th Sea and Sharp Practice for a Napoleonic Horror, Pulp Adventure Exploration... so when I heard about Silver Bayonet it sounded like just my kind of thing.
There was talk of a European store stocking but not found it yet.
Wave 1 consists of British (top right), French (bottom left) and Spanish (bottom right) forces. If you get the launch bundle then you also get an exclusive Veteran hunter and a free Hobgoblin. Pre-orders are discounted until the 18th / 19th depending on regions and then price goes up.
I think I saw mention that Wave 2 is Austria, Russia and America (last one I am uncertain on).
There was talk of a European store stocking but not found it yet.
That would be miniaturicum.de
Gonna pass on the metals I think. They're okay but they're not the-price-of-60-plastics-from-Victrix okay. A lot of the promo shots also look outright goofy with "investigators" casually arranged around one out of place Frostgrave monster in broad daylight like neightborhood grannies having a chat while the grandkids kids play in the park.
Would be interresting to know a bit more about the rules first... They sell D10 in the preorder, so I guess this will not be the tried-and-tested Frostgrave system? And how will the scenarios and Solo/Coop work?
I'd expect the renessaince Troll to give a little overview in his blog, to drum up the hype
I would recommend watching the video I linked earlier. They talk about the combat. It sounds like Joe has tried to make melee feel different from ranged combat, slowed things down and made it less swingy.
There is not much about how adversarial or coop works in the video. Solo however sounds like Rangers of Shadowdeep.
Miniaturicum is offering the prelaunch deal those of us on the continent.
I'm very excited for this, but I've barely touched my Stargrave miniatures as it is. So, I think as good a deal as the preorder bundle is, I'm going to play it cool and just get the book for now.
Not that I noticed. I would recommend getting in touch with them if you are after just the book. My understanding is that Michael at Miniaturicum is quite capable of dealing in English and open to discussing things.
Shadow Walker those look great, thanks for adding that photo to the thread.
I had hoped we would see some kind of plastic kits released for this title but I know that I was being over optimistic given the niche nature of the genre. Maybe something that would have been a good creature kit for this as well as the *grave series of games, ie werewolves, vampire thralls, etc.
Or, what would have been nice was for North Star to put out the Napoleonic female civilians that Wargames Atlantic made an April Fool joke out of. That would have nice.
I have not seen any expansion books mentioned anywhere. However I have heard a rumor of at least 3 waves of miniatures, with monsters and the additional nations being covered. But that information is just a rumor at this stage, I have not seen it confirmed by Nick or Joe.
I think I saw Nick confirm a second wave with the second set of factions was coming in December / January. Hopefully a monster themed wave / missing human characters will follow after.
Fingers crossed for an expansion or two will also follow. Joe has been very focused on solo / co-op recently so would be great to see a campaign expansion.
Shadow Walker wrote: Who produces minis from that era in hard plastic, both soldiers and civilians? So far I know that WGA has some British soldiers sprues.
Shadow Walker wrote: Who produces minis from that era in hard plastic, both soldiers and civilians? So far I know that WGA has some British soldiers sprues.
I am far from a Napoleonics wargaming and modeling expert but I have been trying to learn more in the past year in preparation for this.
Victrix plastics are probably the best for skirmish game dynamic figures. Some folks complain Victrix minis are fiddly to put together compared to the more rigidly posed figures of Perry of Warlord Games, ie many are just marching in formation. I have built French infantry from Victrix, Perry and Warlord Games… and I find Victrix the easiest to make interesting individuals. Victrix and Perry also include nice painting advice to help explain the finer details of Napoleonic uniforms and their colors.
You can also get a bit more dynamic poses for Perry British by using arms from British troops of the American War of Independence period.
You can use early Victrix French (bicornes) for French or Spanish simply by changing uniform colors.
You can get away generally with buying single sprues on eBay rather than buying whole boxes. Or buy boxes and sell sprues on eBay.
Nick posted up some more painted figures photos. First the Spanish then the French.
Aeneades wrote: I think I saw Nick confirm a second wave with the second set of factions was coming in December / January. Hopefully a monster themed wave / missing human characters will follow after.
Fingers crossed for an expansion or two will also follow. Joe has been very focused on solo / co-op recently so would be great to see a campaign expansion.
I just can’t imagine one of his games without at least two or three splats hot on the heels of the core release.
Not sure I am sold on the mechanics I read about. He definitely went against type, but I am not sure I liked what he did. I think I will need to see it in action once or twice before I am sold.
Doesn't look super impressive to me either. As sick of vanilla alternating activations as I am, on paper 50%IGO 100%UGO 50%IGO seems like a weird gimmick.
Lots of people complained that Stargrave was just a reskin of Frostgrave. It will be curious to see how folks react to such a big change in core mechanics. Will lots of people complain that Joe has tried to “fix what was not broken” or leave behind a winning recipe?
The 2d10 seems an obvious attempt to avoid the swingy nature of Frostgrave’s d20. There were plenty of discussions about 2d10 versus d20 on the Frostgrave forum (at Lead Adventure).
However the other mechanics are not things I have seen discussed there previously in regards to Frostgrave. I think it will really slow down combat and perhaps deal with some of that complaints about how the dominance of ranged combat in Stargrave changes things.
If the new core mechanics do not work for me, and Mrs. GG, it will be easy enough to take the bits I like from the game and mix it with things I prefer from the *grave series.
Grumpy Gnome wrote: Lots of people complained that Stargrave was just a reskin of Frostgrave. It will be curious to see how folks react to such a big change in core mechanics.
I was one of them and I was very pleased to learn this is a completely new system. But I'm really not enamored with the activation system. I've recently become a fan of "push your luck" activations like in A Song of Blades and Heroes.
It remind me a bit of Broken Legions where you need multiple dice rolls to resolve a simple attack action; one for normal hits and the other for crits. Here you seem to at least be choosing which to use with a reason why you might want one over the other based on weapons. Choice is good.
As a game with 3-6 figures, that is cool. As a game with 7 to 16 I am less thrilled.
As for activation, I think you are also missing that the Monsters get a chance to do something in between as well. So 50% I-GO, Monsters-Go, 100% U-GO, and 50% I-Go. Seems odd.
From Nick of North Star on the Lead Adventure Forum…
“Wave 2 will be Units of Russians, Prussians and Austrians. Wave 3 will be monsters. Wave 4...not sure, depends on popularity and demand.”
I think I will have to play the game as written a few times before judging the system but I am keeping an open mind. Worse case scenario, I keep what I like and change what I don’t. I am curious about what might work better and perhaps reverse engineer to use in Frostgrave/Rangers of Shadow Deep as well.
I've come to a realization that it's a bit redundant with Dracula's America, isn't it? And DA's system is pretty setting agnostic, really, there's nothing tying it to westerns.
I have not played Dracula’s America, so I can not really compare them adequately.
My first thought would be though that one is based in the States and the other is in Europe. My second thought would be that Silver Bayonet is pre-industrialization. No steamships, trains or revolvers. But those have to do with the setting and Are easy enough to change.
it comes down to the game mechanics…. And I just do not know enough about Dracula’s America to have a strong opinion… but at this stage I am not inclined to think the Silver Bayonet is redundant. Not unless there is a Dracula’s America expansion coming out with a focus on the undead harrowing the retreating Grande Armee in the snows of Russia.
Grumpy Gnome wrote: Lots of people complained that Stargrave was just a reskin of Frostgrave. It will be curious to see how folks react to such a big change in core mechanics. Will lots of people complain that Joe has tried to “fix what was not broken” or leave behind a winning recipe?
The 2d10 seems an obvious attempt to avoid the swingy nature of Frostgrave’s d20. There were plenty of discussions about 2d10 versus d20 on the Frostgrave forum (at Lead Adventure).
However the other mechanics are not things I have seen discussed there previously in regards to Frostgrave. I think it will really slow down combat and perhaps deal with some of that complaints about how the dominance of ranged combat in Stargrave changes things.
If the new core mechanics do not work for me, and Mrs. GG, it will be easy enough to take the bits I like from the game and mix it with things I prefer from the *grave series.
Well, as the game is called "The Silver Bayonet" and not "Nappygrave" or "Bayonetgrave" or "Musketgrave" or "Eurograve" or whatever, I don't think its valid to complain about Joe taking a different approach. If you want to play Frostgrave but in a weird Napoleonic setting, you can more or less already do that without The Silver Bayonet.
No wonder Vampires can't see themselves in mirrors, they are all broken . I know there are plenty of monsters out there, it just seems strange that they will wait till the third wave or more to release some specific for the game.
Most of the monsters mentioned so far are pretty common Gothic Horror tropes. Perhaps monsters more specific to the game Are scheduled for the third wave to tie in with an expansion book?
Wha-Mu-077 wrote: I don't get the appeal of the minis, shouldn't a self proclaimed "Napoleonic gothic horror" game have something, i dunno, intreresting about them?
Each to their own I suppose, I quite like the sculpts so far.
Wha-Mu-077 wrote: I don't get the appeal of the minis, shouldn't a self proclaimed "Napoleonic gothic horror" game have something, i dunno, intreresting about them?
Each to their own I suppose, I quite like the sculpts so far.
My only complaint is that they are not plastic but I guess it will have to wait until the game is at least as popular as Frostgrave, if ever.
Wha-Mu-077 wrote: I don't get the appeal of the minis, shouldn't a self proclaimed "Napoleonic gothic horror" game have something, i dunno, intreresting about them?
Each to their own I suppose, I quite like the sculpts so far.
My only complaint is that they are not plastic but I guess it will have to wait until the game is at least as popular as Frostgrave, if ever.
I would like plastics, at the very least for Napoleonic civilians, but as much as I love this project I do not see that any time soon. Much more likely to see something like that from Wargames Atlantic I suppose.
Wha-Mu-077 wrote: I don't get the appeal of the minis, shouldn't a self proclaimed "Napoleonic gothic horror" game have something, i dunno, intreresting about them?
Each to their own I suppose, I quite like the sculpts so far.
My only complaint is that they are not plastic but I guess it will have to wait until the game is at least as popular as Frostgrave, if ever.
I would like plastics, at the very least for Napoleonic civilians, but as much as I love this project I do not see that any time soon. Much more likely to see something like that from Wargames Atlantic I suppose.
Yeah, the chances for plastic are low. Now I am waiting for some battle reports from GMG and others to see how the game plays before I make an informed decision about that new mechanic.
If you wanted to set the game in the Americas, either as a home brew or a later expansion….
The pirate Jean Lafitte manages to help Napoleon escape his captors, the ship runs aground on an uncharted island…. Several nations and interested private parties dispatch ships to find the missing ship uncovering mysterious events thanks to the nefarious plans of the Harvestmen. Horror and Adventure ensues….
U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant Presley Neville O'Bannon runs across trouble in the desert…. An ancient cult…. A cursed? oil lamp…. The restless undead… as he and various other nations seek to resolve the Barbary Coast Question. More Horror and Adventure!
Deep in the forests of the North America West the indigenous tribes speak of terrible horrors, warning new comers that to enter these forbidden places means certain death… or worse. But the new Nation of the United States will not be put off by superstition and myth in its war with both Great Britain and those native tribes that refuse to submit to Manifest Destiny. Spain, eager to recover its declining empire seeks to prevent Lewis and Clark from heading West… but it is not just greed, the Spanish Crown believes only Holy Mother Church can deal with the supernatural horrors of the American wilderness….
A Russian supply ship finds a grisly scene of massacre at a remote outpost on the Pacific Coast of North America. The barbaric acts of native tribes? Jealous British explorers seeking to establish a claim for the British Crown? However, the ship‘s doctor happens to have an interest in paranormal incidents and the occult. He recognizes certain signs that this Horror was not done by human hands….
Hundreds of year old walking dead Aztecs locked in eternal battle with skeletal Conquistadors, an unimaginable sight to the explorers that have stumbled on the ancient ruins that may well become their own graveyard. What lies below….
In a troubled part of the Caribbean, a stretch of water that will be considered cursed by many, lies the ruins of a once great civilization. Shrouded in mist for thousands of years….what treasures and dangers lurk on, or below, the island of Atlantis?
''The Silver Bayonet Miniatures Release.
Wave One: British, French & Spanish Units. Available now.
Wave Two: Russian, Austrian & Prussian Units, Available Jan 22.
Wave Three: The monsters. Ancient Vampires, Goblins, Living Scarecrows, Revenants. Available Feb 22.
Picture below shows the Ancien Régime vampires, designed by Mark Copplestone.''
Those are oozing era-flair and atmosphere. Love em!
Yeah, most of the monsters don't need specific sculpts. Zombies, ghouls, werewolves etc. I assume northstar will go the same route as with stargrave and bundle some preexisting ones.
But we do seem to get some nice civilian figures that are currently rare in napoleonics. The doctors, investigators, gypsies etc. shown so far - I like them!
Shadow Walker wrote: Now I am waiting for some battle reports from GMG and others to see how the game plays before I make an informed decision about that new mechanic.
Same here. At yesterday's game of This is Not a Test we talked about how the more involved system suits us better for a narratively focused games, compared to something like the 'Grave' series. Granted none of us played Rangers, so I'm really interested to see how SB "feels".
Films to watch for inspiration: Pride prejudice and zombies, Brothers Grimm and Brotherhood of the Wolf. Ash is painting up some interesting miniatures that fit the period but are a bit bolstered by advanced technology of the day. I guess they represent the Spanish monarchy (monster hunters) with Vatican assistance. We need more miniatures like that.
I for one, am very much looking forward to seeing this. Current plan is some British Penisulars backed up with Undead and Beast hunters. Maybe some Moura if they release rules for something similar like spirits or sirens.
Hmm… I finally got to see Ash‘s playthrough. Sadly a bit underwhelming for me. Hopefully that is just down to it being the first scenario and things pick up a bit as you go on.
Why underwhelming?
It did not feel horrific. There was no sense of terror or any kind of atmosphere. I did not get a sense of Napoleonic warfare.
I was not immersed.
The two action activation with reloading being a single action felt very quick, basically load and shoot every activation.
Despite Richard Sharpe so famously going on about shooting three rounds a minute, 1 to 6 rounds a minute for smooth bore muskets was common in the Napoleonic era according to historical sources.
The rate of fire depended on quality of weapon, training, and time taken for aiming.
General Jomini wrote "This is important question of the influence of musket fire in battles is not new: it dates from the reign of Frederick the Great, and particularly from the battle of Mollwitz, which he gained - it was said - because his infantrymen, by the use of cylindrical rammers in loading their muskets, were able to fire 3 shots per minute more than their enemies." (Before 1730 all European armies used wooden ramrods, the Prussians were the first to adopt the iron ramrod.)
The ratio of musket fire was 1-6 shots per minute, depending on quality of weapon, training and time taken for aiming. Marshal Maurice de Saxe wrote: "Light infantry should be able to fire
Then there is the fact it takes longer to reload a rifle than a musket. Is that reflected in the rulebook?
Originally I liked the idea of the split activations in the turn but the playthrough did not seem as interesting as I first thought.
The return fire or duck for cover rule was interesting but in play it did not look that great.
What happens if more than one person shoots at a model? Does it keep getting to move after each shot? Not enough minis to make stacking it crazy I suppose.
When I watch Sharp Practice playthroughs I get a sense of Napoleonic skirmishing, albeit with a Hollywood Sharpe lens filter to it, and I er immersed.
What I want from the Silver Bayonet is to feel the same but with added supernatural horror.
My thoughts too. Horror, monster hunting game, where just 1 hobgoblin appears and dies rather quickly, did not feel like creating the needed atmosphere. I will wait for the solo gameplay to fully judge it but so far I am rather dissapointed.
A single hobgoblin as an opening encounter is very revealing of Joe as someone with self-proclaimed literary ambitions ... in other words I think it works very well as a first "chapter" in a campaign. I'm having more trouble discerning the flow of the game with Ash playing both sides in the batrep, I'll have to re-watch it more focused without simultaneously cleaning the dishes ...
We've shipped all the pre-orders, the shipments to our American & European partners will be leaving ASAP (Though as the 2 main ones are at Historicon this weekend they won't be doing much with them).
I wasn't involved in the play testing of this game, so I've got my first 'foray' into it next week.
New figures, the Russians for Silver Bayonet came in yesterday, along with the Vampires, Goblins and Living Scarecrow. I'll have pictures of them all very soon.”
It did not feel horrific. There was no sense of terror or any kind of atmosphere. I did not get a sense of Napoleonic warfare.
I was not immersed.
So exactly like North Star's promo shots of miniatures in casual poses looking like they're exchanging pleasantries with the neighborhood werewolf on the high street in broad daylight on their way to get tea and crumpets?
It did not feel horrific. There was no sense of terror or any kind of atmosphere. I did not get a sense of Napoleonic warfare.
I was not immersed.
So exactly like North Star's promo shots of miniatures in casual poses looking like they're exchanging pleasantries with the neighborhood werewolf on the high street in broad daylight on their way to get tea and crumpets?
Yeah, it looks like you called that one.
Listening to another review it seems like there are very few, if any, arcane items to find. This seems counter to the premise.
Yes, reloading as quickly as you could take a few steps was very off-putting. Didn't feel like a Napoleonic game at all. And the scenario was dull and not very immersive either. Wouldn't have been much different if the "horror" element was completely removed. It's just two random groups of guys run into each other and fight, over nothing really.
That's absurd. Why would they make you buy a supplement in order to get the flavor of the game? The game is billed as a Napoleonic supernatural game. To suggest it's fine if the base game is bad because they're sure put out supplements that add in Napoleonic and supernatural flavor is baffling. That's what the game is supposed to be about, it should actually be in the game.
privateer4hire wrote: Surely it will receive the Splatgrave treatment with supplements to add the flavors being mentioned?
So it's a Napoleonic Gothic Horror wargame, that's going to get the Napoleonic, the Gothic and the Horror added by supplements post-relase?
I can't see that going wrong, no sir.
We should probably wait until we had a proper look at the rules, before ranting.
It might suck, but I am still hoping for a great game. Nice to hear it is shipping soon.
privateer4hire wrote: Surely it will receive the Splatgrave treatment with supplements to add the flavors being mentioned?
So it's a Napoleonic Gothic Horror wargame, that's going to get the Napoleonic, the Gothic and the Horror added by supplements post-relase?
I can't see that going wrong, no sir.
Dunno. I do know that the author’s games tend to have a good amount of supplements. Stargrave didn’t include zombies and hive/horde aliens but supplements covered them. Maybe this core book is like a toolbox?
Joe does seem to listen to player feedback and release material to address common complaints. So maybe we will see more books but nothing has been announced beyond more minis from Northstar.
The only way I can see these small groups moving through others (enemy/Ally) borders would be incognito or with Vatican escort and papers. I don't think they would be flying their nations colors. IMO the Vatican and other religious headquarters should be working more closely together to destroy the supernatural menace. The normal armies can still beat the crap out of each other.
Maps would have helped set the tone as well. I can imagine that these various monster hunter groups would be moving mostly by ship from port to port. The Harvestmen could have a vast network throughout the world and have a top leader (Vampire Lord) for example and a headquarters like Malta for instance. Maybe they have a huge fortress somewhere where they hold rituals. Maybe they have usurped the Knights of Malta. My point is this game had such tremendous potential. I hope future supplements will address these short falls.
Mine pre-order bundle arrived today from Miniaturicum here in Germany… excellent first impression. Very high quality, particularly the sculpts of the minis. I like the artwork in the book, however I will need more time to read and digest the rules before having a fair opinion of them.
It has been over a year of me eagerly awaiting the release of this project. I hope this is just the beginning and that we see the same kind of support Joe’s other games have had.
I hope the Harvestmen become a faction as well. It would be nice to have some established world villainy rather than just random werewolves and ghouls. My main villain will be an angry, immortal Templar knight who seeks vengeance on the world and particularly France for the initial Templar destruction.
I hope this is just the beginning and that we see the same kind of support Joe’s other games have had.
It would be nice to have more than just 4 scenarios for solo gaming.
Yeah, that is disappointing. For some reason I thought it was five and only seeing four irked me, although that is my fault and at the end of the day only a single scenario. Maybe I am missing it but I am not getting the same sense of grand overarching narrative like I did reading the first Rangers of Shadow Deep Book.
I am a bit surprised Joe did not add something like the Hand of the Red King in this Silver Bayonet book.
Ottokill, I like your angry, immortal Templar idea.
I am liking the Silver Bayonet minis but the rule book is proving not to be as much as I was hoping for. It seems to have missed some opportunities and whilst I know Joe can, and usually does, put out some expansions it seems to me that the first impression from the book will not entice people enough into this small niche.
I am liking the Silver Bayonet minis but the rule book is proving not to be as much as I was hoping for. It seems to have missed some opportunities and whilst I know Joe can, and usually does, put out some expansions it seems to me that the first impression from the book will not entice people enough into this small niche.
Yeah, I have the same feelings. Looks like he either could not create what he wanted or simply choose the wrong ''tools''. Anyway vampires:
Whoa! Those models are awesome!
So your telling me someone made a miniatures game where i can make a small team of monster hunters at the historical peak of military fashion?!! How has no one thought of this before? If anything else this is going to be great fun to build and paint.
Is this infantry only or can you have some mounted troops (would love to paint a hussar or lancer...)
Great news! Ive got silver bayonet on my christmas list now. Hopefully ill be celebrating the birth of our Lord by gruesomely slaying Napoleonic monsters and demons as God intended
So it has taken longer than I expected but I have finally written my first impressions of The Silver Bayonet and the miniatures from the pre-order. Bear in mind this is from reading the book and watching folks play on YouTube rather than playing a game myself, so take what I say with a pinch of salt.
Grumpy Gnome wrote: So it has taken longer than I expected but I have finally written my first impressions of The Silver Bayonet and the miniatures from the pre-order. Bear in mind this is from reading the book and watching folks play on YouTube rather than playing a game myself, so take what I say with a pinch of salt.
TLDR: The game needs more work, it feels unfinished at this point, but the miniatures are brilliant.
Thanks for the review, doesn't sound like a game for me.
Frostgrave worked for me with an interesting world full of magic and weirdness. The little fluff bits scattered through the rules helped a lot.
RoSD deepened these narrative game elements and is pretty much the perfect lite-RPG wargame imo.
But when this overall narrative is taken away like in Stargrave, it suddenly becomes a very boring game system.
So I was rather curious about the Silver Bayonet. But Northstar models just don't speak to me, and the game system reads like a Grave system with D10 instead of D20. I had hoped it would build upon a horror and/or suspense system, rather than relying upon the same "2 warbands with the same objective" formula.
I am glad the review was of help and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Most of the time blogging is like shouting out into the Great Void and wondering if you will ever hear anything back.
Grumpy, it was good review. I did try to leave a comment on the blog, but it wouldn't let me after it picked up the scent that the email I was using used to be linked to a blog, and wanted me to log in!
I love the air rifle, and would have loved to see something like that implemented in the game... like it doesn't have the 'reload' time, but if you roll a critical miss, you need to spend a turn reloading the air canister.
I am hoping that Joseph reads stuff like this forum, and users blogs, because while the book is already out, it would be nice to see some updates made.
Cheers mate. Sorry the blog commenting process was awkward. It has been problematic since I started, which is why I encourage folks to comment where it is more convenient for them. Other than Facebook. I hate Facebook.
Joe has in the past been very aware of player feedback. I am pretty confident that my observations of the game will echo those of others once the shine wears off. The question will be whether it will be financially viable to publish further support for the game.
Something of interest to me was how technology I assumed was Victorian was around but generally unpopular earlier. Napoleon could have backed and then advanced both steamships and hot air balloons but he was too conservative!
Heres a thing. You can get sprues out of the big multi part napoleonic model kit boxes on ebay. 2 or 3 sprues out of various kits and you got something for a silver bayonet unit. Ive got some french elite infantry, british and riflemen coming . Ill put some capes or cloaks from the bits box on them to make fit the horror vibe.
I like grumpy gnomes ideas for the black powder weaponry. Rifles need to have more range than muskets for sure and a longer reloading time may make sense. Or just having to stay stationary to reload might be enough. Volley gun might should be a one off thing. Cant imagine trying to reload it in combat at this scale. All these changes could make more melee oriented models too powerful though ..just have to try it and see.
It is certainly possible, and a lot of fun, to kitbash your own figures from various multi-part plastic kits. I love kitbashing.
However, I also like characterful metal sculpts as well and I think North Star did a bang up job on these.
It seems to me that the reload time on the Nock Volley Gun would be very long, which Joe has modeled in the game. Even Harper in the Sharpe TV
show tended to only use it once per engagement. I do not recall ever seeing him reloading.
Here is some more information about the 7 barrel Nock.
Grumpy Gnome wrote: The fatigue mechanic brings potentially more tokens on the board than I am used to. Anyone have any suggestions for a cool way to track that?
I'm looking for bright stackable small round tokens / chips for Moonstone too. They are not as easy to find in a plain design as one would think.
Dollar tree. They have a connect four knock off with yellow and orange disks about the size of a dime. They also sell left right center dice game which comes with blue mini poker chips about the size of a nickel
Malika2 wrote: This stuff would be really great for Turnip28
The SB Facebook group has folks posting some crazy good grimdark napoleonics, I keep wishing those people would join Turnip, their talents are being wasted on SB.
Ouch... to each his own I guess... That's the way I feel whenever I see Turnip28 stuff... waste of figures and talent. But it's all fine as long as you have fun with it.
Wha-Mu-077 wrote: I still haven't seen a hint of Gothic Horror in this Gothic Horror wargame
I guess that's on me for expecting Darkest Dungeon-tier stuff, eh?
Examples of Gothic Horror are Dracula, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde and the Turn of the Screw. Typically has elements of romanticism, forbidden pleasure and more subtle horror.
Darkest Dungeon is set in a Gothic Manor but is more Fantasy or Lovecraftian horror (the later especially with the DLC) with some enemy inspiration taken from Gothic Horror but is not really gothic horror (despite claiming to be so).
Silver Bayonet definitely fits into the traditional Gothic Horror genre.
Malika2 wrote: This stuff would be really great for Turnip28
The SB Facebook group has folks posting some crazy good grimdark napoleonics, I keep wishing those people would join Turnip, their talents are being wasted on SB.
Bandits.
''Some of the creatures of darkness employ humans as guards, helpers, or just extra muscle. These are often deserters, criminals, and thieves. Whatever their background, they tend to be unscrupulous, uncaring, and generally beyond redemption.''
Silver Bayonet definitely fits into the traditional Gothic Horror genre.
But in a "tell, don't show" kinda way.
Not quite sure what that means. It's a visual medium of miniatures, not a script/story. Granted, I don't think that many gothic horror elements can translate well to a tabletop wargame, as the stakes are more personal in dealing with dear, isolation, romanticism, etc, It's more suited to a RPG than a wargame. However, I don't see how Turnip 28 captures that better. Plus the minis aren't really gothic horror themed, being some kind of eldritch/folk horror mashup. While the sculpt styles might be considered a bit quaint, I can absolutely use SB figures in a Ravenloft game.
From FB:
"Who's this bookworm?
It's the free figure you'll get with the next wave of The Silver Bayonet figures. Is he a Supernatural Investigator? An Occultist? A Veteran Hunter? Or an educated Grenadier? It's your choice.''
From FB: "The Silver Bayonet: The Carpathians: Castle Fier
Released May 2023.
Recruit new soldiers, face new foes, and explore the mysteries of the Carpathian Mountains in two new campaigns, one competitive and one for solo or cooperative play.
High in the Carpathian Mountains stands the crumbling Castle Fier. Once home to a powerful warlord, the castle cast a dark shadow across the nearby villages, until crusaders attacked with sword and flame to put an end to its menace. Though history passed into folklore, the ruins of Castle Fier remained shunned by all as a cursed site. Now, horrors have been seen moving at night. An army gathers. Something has awoken in the ruins. With the political situation in the surrounding region becoming increasingly unstable, France, Prussia, Britain, and the other powers have dispatched their best agents to investigate the ruins, eliminate any threats, and acquire any treasures that could prove useful in the ongoing fight against the harvestmen. and each other.
The Carpathians: Castle Fier is a supplement for The Silver Bayonet: A Wargame of Napoleonic Gothic Horror, in which the special units must fight their way through the ruins of a menacing haunted castle. It features two campaigns - one competitive and one for solo or cooperative play - as well as new monsters to fight, soldiers to recruit, and treasure to unearth."
From FB:
"What is this?
This is our Silver Bayonet Changeling figure. It'll be coming free with every 'Deal' order of Wave 5 Silver Bayonet Figure release, May 2023.
Although it'll be exclusive to just Deal purchases initially, it will be on sale December 2023 for the pre-Christmas period only.''
Shadow Walker wrote: I wonder if there will be something for Asian folklore, especially Japan? Could be a nice setting with their weirdo daemons etc.
I'd say yes. I reckon he'll be heading all over to mine myths and monsters. Far east will probably be quite popular...
After that I would also see a profit in Mesoamerica and South America. Plenty of cool stuff there. And also we should not forget about the Africa, at the time of the SB wars still a ''Dark Continent'' full of unknown dangers.
lord_blackfang wrote: McCullough splatbook treadmill giving GW a run for their money
While I am not playing the Silver Bayonet myself, I think it is great to see him supporting the game with follow-up material. And it seems a good idea to get some other folks like Ash involved since he is working more independently these days.
And it was nice to watch the video interview of him, which gave some insight into his decision making in the game production. Including his own admission that he is not a subject matter expert on the Napoleonic era.
The game was not everything I hoped it would be but I am glad to hear other folks are enjoying it so much. And perhaps as the game matures it may address some of the things I felt lacking, ie better explaining the Harvestmen in the bigger picture as well as on the table and the tactical tempo blackpowder combat.
I will be curious to see if he adds Ottomans to the game with the Egypt expansion.
"The Silver Bayonet: Canada
We'll start to show you the new Silver Bayonet figures for the supplement Canada over this weekend, starting with the Baxbaxwalanuksiwe and the Wendigo.
Released November 2023''
This is one of those odd situations where I'm very glad something exists but can't support it myself. It's very cool to see North Star making Canadian figures. My own preference for metal means I'm not thrilled about the Wendigo being resin (I checked,) but some people will be, and that's normal procedure for North Star's larger figures anyway.
I'd prefer more weird Canadian monsters in the mix, but the main thing is that I really can't devote the time to open a new genre front in my miniature painting queue.
Really like some of those sculpts for the new Canada supplement. Am I right in thinking these are only available as unit packs rather than individually?
From FB"
"Coming May 2024.
Face dangerous new foes, recruit new soldiers, and uncover the mysterious treasures of Ancient Egypt in two new campaigns, one competitive and one for solo or cooperative play.
Somewhere beneath the shifting sands lies the forgotten knowledge of the pharaohs – magic granting power over wind and rain, life and death, and even time itself. Napoleon didn't cross the Mediterranean simply to conquer Egypt, he sought these ancient secrets. No one knows what he found, but his military victories since then speak for themselves. Now, as Bonaparte continues to burn his way through Europe, desperate nations have sent their own special units across the sea to search for a counter and end his rampage.
Egypt: Shadow of the Sphinx is a supplement for The Silver Bayonet, in which the players' special units explore the mysteries of this great land, venturing into lost cities, forbidden ruins, and even beneath the Pyramids themselves. Contained within are two campaigns, one competitive and one for solo or cooperative play. Also included is a new recruitment list as well as a number of new soldier types, and the equipment that might give them an edge, but they will still have to face an array of terrifying foes, including mummies, werejackals, and serpopards, many not known to the living for more than 3,000 years...''
''Bedouin Raider.
New Soldier class for The Silver Bayonet. Can be recruited by the Egyptian Silver Bayonet Unit.
We'll be launching the pre-orders for the new book 'Egypt' and the new figures for it on the 1st of May.
Painted by Kev Dallimore.''
''The Silver Bayonet: Egypt.
Andrew Taylor has painted up some of the new Soldiers for the Egypt supplement.
The British and French Soldiers will only be on sale during May. After then they'll be withdrawn. When designer Mike Owen makes more figures so that we can release British III & French III Units, they will be part of them.
The French Grenadier figure will not be for sale, he'll join the ranks of the Limited Edition figures. He comes free with each preordered Egypt Deal.
Preorders start 1st of May.''
''Four Silver Bayonet characters dressed for the Mediterranean. These will only be on sale this month. After that they'll be 'mothballed' for a future release.''
From their FB:"The Silver Bayonet. Mike Owen has finished a new French and British Unit, this time dressed for Egypt, and we start on the figures for the new Supplement Italy this week."
From their FB:
"The Silver Bayonet: Italy.
Released late November 2024.
Will we be releasing miniatures for this book? You bet. Look out for the preorder campaign October 2024.
Venture into the undead-ravaged lands of southern Italy with this supplement for The Silver Bayonet, featuring a solo/cooperative campaign, new soldiers, and new foes.
Something sinister has risen in Calabria, the hauntingly beautiful yet dangerous province of southern Italy. Still recovering from the destructive earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people, the region's clergy preach a crusade against France and its allies. As the major nations vie for military, political, and ideological supremacy over the Mediterranean, the Bourbon royal family plots to reclaim its Neapolitan throne, sending agents from its Sicilian stronghold to support the briganti – Calabria's bandit gangs – in waging a bloody guerrilla war against the occupying French. Meanwhile, rumors spread that the dead no longer rest easy, but rise from their graves to wander isolated valleys and mountain paths...
You are sent into this powder keg to seek out the truth behind these tales. Amid the chaos, you will encounter enemies both mortal and monstrous, including a variety of undead… and those who command them. A solo/cooperative campaign and competitive scenarios will challenge your troops, so recruit new soldiers and steel your nerve to face the many perils of mysterious Calabria.''
I'm also kind of loathed to pick up another genre of miniatures (since I don't play historical wargames).so hope to know if I can use, say, my 1920's Call of Cthulhu adventurers, CMON World of Smog steampunk types, or monster hunters from Horror Series 1.
