In the Land of the Sundering Flood - Review

 Hi!

As long term followers of this blog may be aware, I'm a massive fan of Nic Evans of Mammoth Miniatures and his assorted rulesets. I've embraced Planet 28 and Brutalquest as my go to for Sci-Fi and Fantasy gaming and recently backed his newest endeavour, In the Land of the Sundering Flood.

The Rulebook

Handily the Kickstarter shipped the other day and my copy arrived Wednesday so I thought it was high time I actually read through it and posted my thoughts.

I backed to get the game, the map and the measuring device and they arrived in a sturdy envelope which our postman managed not to mangle as he usually does with post and my initial impressions were excellent as the game is very much a love letter to William Morris but in the style of Nic.

The Map

The game itself is described as a miniature adventure game rather than a wargame which I do like: "Unlike a full scale wargame or a traditional role playing game, a miniature adventure encourages you to think and act as your characters may think and act, whilst still focusing on the movements and actions of the miniatures on the tabletop".

This is a really lovely element to the game that I'm a big fan of, its immersive, storytelling approach with simple rules that allows for a fascinating story driven narrative but with plenty of opportunities for action, adventure and villainy!

The rules of the game are quite simple but elegant remind me of a blend of Song of Blades and Brutalquest which is a big plus for me. 

The game is alternating action with players taking turns to activate a model in their force, performing two actions be it to move, shot, fight a combat or use a skill. Nic has given a rather lovely illustrated bestiary of characters, denizens and monsters which inhabit the land of the sundering flood and they each have their own skills and special rules which add to their character and make each properly unique in their own way.

Special note must be made of Nic's lovely artwork too as it's absolutely a treat to peruse the book and I think the best illustration of the whole thing is the wolf pictured above!

Characters are separated into three broad categories, Fair, Fae or Foul and within that there are limitations to how many of certain ones that you can take, be it the named unique characters, the doughty companions or the more numerous followers and I do love the fact the Fae can fight on the side of Fair or Foul which is pretty representative of the classic myths of Britain that Morris drew from when he wrote the book in the 1890's as part of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Along with rules for combat, magical shenanigans and whatnot, the game comes with four narrative scenarios which can be interlinked to provide a campaign to play as well as a guide to the land itself, its inhabitants and its ways. Unlike Nics other rules, there is no guide to character creation which is a bit of a shame but with a wide array of character choices, its a minor quibble and the setting is so unique, it feels like there isn't really a need for it as the settings very nature means that creating characters that might not fit the aesthetic would feel somehow wrong.

I must admit that I'm keen to have a go at the game as it looks just my cup of tea and I do have a weeks holiday coming up but inkeeping with the Arts and Crafts movement that Morris was a member of and Nic is paying homage to, I think I'll be sculpting all the figures I'll be using myself so I suspect it may be a while before I get chance to properly play it but it will give me a focus for the next few months!

While the game may be a bit niche, it is a brilliant addition to Nic's portfolio of quirky, innovative and fun games and I look forward to delving into the Land of the Sundering flood. I do hope to see more games of this sort where the story and adventure is more important than simply lining up your forces and crushing your foes. 

Narrative, scenario driven games are such a pleasure to play, especially when compared to the rather soulless stuff that GW is churning out at present that it feels that Nic has done the memory of Morris proud with this lovely little game and has embraced the very thing that the Arts and Crafts movement embodied.

According to Nic's recent post on Instagram that there is a supplement on the way which is really exciting too!

Hopefully I'll get chance to get a figure or two started tomorrow but we're off out for the day to enjoy a much needed day off work so until next time, All the best!