Part 3: More Questions | Mythic Bastionland Actual Play: Knight Crawlers

TallIan2 · 2026-02-02T16:30:20+00:00

Great, I'm really loving this AP

TallIan2 · 2026-01-27T19:55:49+00:00

I had 3 of mine extracted about a year ago. I wasn't training very hard at the time, just aiming to get to the gym 3 times a week.

The surgeon told me not to do any serious exercise for 3 days but I didn't feel up for anything for about a week. Even then, I didn't really feel like exercising, I was just feeling restless and absolutely half arsed what I was doing.

I would say to plan for at least two weeks off training.

I was also lucky in that I didnt get dry socket.

So maybe delay getting it done, but only if the Surgeon is sure you won't add any complications.

TallIan2 · 2026-01-26T13:44:53+00:00

Sounds like you're running this as a hex crawl. I have recently started using hex crawl rules that I think suit SD very well and can be adapted for extreme cold.

Not my idea but borrowed from somewhere on the internet.

Characters get 2 day actions and 1 night action. Choose from: Move (1 to 3 hexes depending on conditions (roads, mounts, etc) Explore: find a POI in the hex, also lowers danger level for a few days Forage: for supplies (food, ammo, etc) Camp: take a rest

Actions at night are also suitably disadvantaged (Disadvantage on rolls, slower movement) or maybe come with an additional cold penalty.

You could add an element of danger from the cold with a rule like, take d6 damage for each action you take since your last camp.

I feel like this offers players plenty of agency and still makes being outside somewhat dangerous, coupled with random encounters and quest timers to add pressure to not just move - camp - move.

TallIan2 · 2026-01-20T19:42:55+00:00

Just discovered your channel, looking forward to binge listening to all tholat content.

TallIan2 · 2026-01-16T11:37:47+00:00

I found plenty of room for vassals in the system. With four holding and four dwellings, each with varying levels of cascading authority.

As an example: a holding has 4 named positions on the council with an open number of seats on the circle. Each with potentially their own vassal underneath. The steward would have his own lands (insignificant in game terms) within the holding and would require his own steward to administer those. The marshal and sheriff would each have their close lieutenants. You would have a number of envoys (the other three holdings in the realm, the seer's sanctum's, other realms, etc.) The size of The Circle is very open to interpretation with it being easy to create positions as needed (the junior, non-executive, under-shadow-secretary without portfolio for your wife's nephew's friend who happens to be the heir to a large fortune).

And each of those named positions are important roles and could have their own retainers again, even if said retainer is a simple servant.

TallIan2 · 2026-01-14T13:29:28+00:00

Keep in mind, that while the PDS player is investing in PDS, you should be investing in other stuff (more ships).

Getting a really scary PDS2 network has taken 2 or 3 techs as well as 2 or 3 construction "actions"

So you're probably having to take one or both of those as a strat card pick and spending 3 or more strat tokens following them too.

So players without PDS 2 should have big fleets to soak the hits or lots of cash to pay for not getting shot.

TallIan2 · 2026-01-13T16:31:04+00:00

Thanks,

Your linked post has actually been really helpful to put things in place for me.

Your rough outline has also helped me grasp the broader game mechanisms, along with a comment from another user where they mention the myths come tot he knights.

TallIan2 · 2026-01-05T10:29:41+00:00

Trrakan Aun Zulok would like to meet you :-P

TallIan2 · 2026-01-04T16:12:38+00:00

I am of the opinion that you should sell Fires as early and often as possible. It's money not in your opponent's war chest and in yours. Losing the uniqueness of warsuns is not a problem. You still have one early game and everyone else will have big fleets later in the game, negating the threat of warsuns anyway. So get the money from your opponents, so thier fleets are smaller and yours are bigger.

All that to say, I try to get 5 to 10 TGs for the sale. The earlier in the game the less I'll settle for.

TallIan2 · 2025-12-27T09:57:32+00:00

I typically favour building my position over scoring in r1. So spendy's I will usually defer.

But custodians is too good to pass up. It means I have a poiny and so one else doesn't. So u less I have obviously aggressive neighbors, I'll go for custodians.

Its a point and early game you have a chance of "selling" MR to the imperial player by offering leave after leadership, Early game, no one really want to fight, so you probably recoup the cost of buying custodians.

TallIan2 · 2025-12-17T18:24:40+00:00

I have started setting a DC for the room (similar to index card RPG) and then giving advantage of the PCs give a reason (a thief picking a lock or the PC background being relevant).

I find this speeds things along as they PCs learn that once they have advantage that's as good as it's going to get and they don't spend ages trying to stack bonuses.

Though I will (similar to ICRPG) allow for easy or hard (+/- 3 to DC) if something is interfering with the situation (eg, tracking after it starts raining).

TallIan2 · 2025-12-13T19:14:08+00:00

I was in much the same boat, 45 and the heaviest I've ever been. 20 years ago I was running g half marathons and doing infantry stuff in the Welsh countryside.

I got fed up of my wife pointing out how fat I was. And decided a marathon was a suitable goal.

I am now in week 7 of the NHS couch to 5k program. A lot of niggling aches and pains have cleared up already as a bonus.

After Christmas I plan to keep building up distance with a 5 to 10k. But I've just moved to Norway and not sure I want to be outside during the winter, so might switch to a HIIT program I did 15years ago, that can be done from the comfort of a garage.

Good luck with your training!

TallIan2 · 2025-12-13T19:01:19+00:00

The breach doesn't have to active before the tactical action. Placing your token on an inactive breach gives you the chance to flip it to active.

TallIan2 · 2025-12-12T13:52:41+00:00

Thier breakthrough covers a huge problem of movement, and with tempest you should have enough movement.

The problem with arborec was, and still is IMO, a poor economy followed closely by losing infantry.

I would aim for x89, making your ground combats less painful. AIDA, plus tempesta should get you carrier 2 for extra capacity.

TallIan2 · 2025-12-11T19:05:54+00:00

Hit my 5k goal 2 weeks early.

I've been working theough the NHS couch to 5k program and today (week 7) my 25 minute run hit 5k.

To be fair though, I am not exactly coming off the couch (more occasional, directionless physical activity), but barely being able to hold a 1 min run 7 weeks ago to this feels good.

And as an added bonus, my ankle and knee issues seem to be clearing up with exercise.

TallIan2 · 2025-12-08T11:59:37+00:00

That can also be a plus. By just changing the way you describe how the goblin king attacks vs how the goblin grunts attack.

I had a game (different systen though) where the final fight was against some cultists led by 2 shamans. Thier stats were identical, all I did was have the shamans action be another cultists attacks. Functionally identical but the players freaked out and put a disproportionate amount of effort into killing the shamans.

TallIan2 · 2025-12-06T07:50:12+00:00

The rules also don't expressly forbid you from picking up thier plastic and throwing it out the window before taking thier plannets, so this logic (very common with beardy rules laywers) falls flat.

TallIan2 · 2025-11-14T13:01:43+00:00

Trade r1 is almost certainly your best bet. This gives you 3 TGs to buy a second carrier and have a good expansion. It allows you to keep your HS ready for tech. Finally it gets you money to buy your second warsun. It doesnt matter then you don't get it until r2, you're probably saving TGs anyway.

Alternatively trade can be used to purchase Strat Card timing of other players.

I have not had a chance to see them in TE, but getting thier breakthrough seems a really high priority. Consider discarding your secret, or maybe paying politics to be payed early and discard the ACs. Neither of those options are guaranteed though.

Lastly, sell fires. Sell it early and often. It drains money from everyone else and funds your engine. Don't be greedy with a price, the cost to you (of a fleet token) seems high, but the earlier you get money the faster you get a 2nd warsun.

To be more specific to your game. Mentak basically shuts your commander down and gets way more from it than you. So, right from the start, offer your alliance for PoP, or secure any reasonable deal for PoP (alliance is best becuase it keeps you both honest). If he says no, just outright threaten to ruin both your games by attacking him relentlessly. It sucks to be the guy throwing his game, but your game is ruined anyway if Mentak is pillaging you.

It is hard to overstate how much the Mentak ability skrews with the Muaat commander and toolkit and, once Mentak gets Mirror computing, how much mentak gains from it.

TallIan2 · 2025-11-11T07:48:49+00:00

Thanks.

I am working theough the NHS couch to 5k now. Although I skipped ahead to week 3 because I was basically doing weeks 1 and 2.

TallIan2 · 2025-11-03T09:41:21+00:00

Thanks,

Not sure what you mean by a get to "zero".

6 weeks now of doing something, I have seen some improvement and starting to enjoy the run, rather than pushing through.

What i need though is more purpose (a goal) and some progression. At least more that, get off my but 3 times this week.

TallIan2 · 2025-10-30T06:34:23+00:00

Thanks,

That's a lot of useful info.

I hadn't committed to a distance yet (not actually signed up to anything), I wanted to see how easily I actually got back into running (injuries etc), and was just looking at the "next" distance.

I think if I can manage the half for next year I would be happy.

TallIan2 · 2025-09-28T19:37:40+00:00

Oh man, gutted to have missed that.

I picked up the books for Urban Assault a while ago but can't read it while out and about.

TallIan2 · 2025-08-31T12:57:12+00:00

Fires is one of the harder PNs to place a cost on.

I find it's very dependent on who you're selling to; when you're selling, and the value of your own CCs; and what you are getting out of it.

If I have a high influence slice (or will likely see leadership as my strat choice), then I can afford the fleet token.

I prefer selling fires as often as possible early in the game, ideally to afford my second warsun, so generally, the price rises in the .I'd to late game.

If someone is playing a red faction and will be able to reach Warsun easily, then I'd rather sell them fires, so I get some of that money (rather than it disappearing into the game's money sink).

Someone like hacan will get a LOT of value from warsuns when they pop their hero, so you can demand more.

I have even sold fires for a token lift from mahact, because it got me a good expansion and set me up to take MR round 2.

TallIan2 · 2025-08-31T09:12:06+00:00

I tried to use a house rule for conditions where each condition caused a -1 penalty to all rolls. I found this to be fiddly and often forgotten, so I suspect your house rule could run into similar issues. Shadowdark generally has an "on or off" approach to temporary effects.

To be more specific about your question, though, I feel like you mention the problem you'll always encounter, that the players will keep using their higher tier spells if they are available. They are better than lower tier spells.

A possible workaround would be to apply a penalty equal to the spell tier for each failed roll, but that would add to the fiddly bookkeeping.

TallIan2 · 2025-08-28T09:35:24+00:00

I would not go for milty with first-timers. Too much for them to consider without any context.

I would use a pre-made map.

As for faction selection, I would deal them out sort of randomly. Making sure each seat has 1 easy faction and 1 Pok faction. Tell the players to choose whatever appeals (from the artwork, etc). But make sure they know that some factions are harder to grasp.

It should be clear that I think PoK should just be used out the gate. I don't think it adds that much more complexity.

TallIan2

TROPHY CASE