The Chain Mail Print and Play is here!

We’re about 1 week from sending out the first packages of the new year (getting caught up is in sight!) and it’s time to get a little deeper into our monthly dungeon crawler. 

First of all you can print it and play it right now! The PNP is in the BGOTMC Dropbox. The link to the dropbox (and a few other items that are always important) is right here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/important-links-17210335 

And as a heads up, the game comes with a cardstock set of cubes that you can replace with real cubes. If you need help getting cubes, we setup a product at The Game Crafter. It's about $5 for the set (plus shipping), but if you can find them somewhere else for cheaper, please do so (and share your source below please). But if this works for you, here's the link: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/chain-mail-cube-pack 

So... let's talk about Chain Mail

Chain Mail is a 1-4 player adventure game that starts out with just a small handful of cards and a map, and grows over the course of the year. The footprint is the same each game, but the options and variability multiply very quickly. 

The game takes place in Earthshine, a world that has been literally torn open by a giant meteor. The chasm that has formed has become a new world for exploration, adventure and danger. Our characters have joined up to take on quests below the surface. 

The Starter Kit

Everyone will receive a starter kit consisting of 4 character cards, 4 status effect cards, 1 time card, 1 resource card, 1 turn card and a cube card (more on this later).

The Monthly Items

Each month you will receive a set of 4 cards that will take you on an adventure. There is a map, a card with two monsters, a quest card and a treasure card. Note: You only need one month to play the game. But...

...by the second month, you'll have 8 cards that can be mixed and matched for 16 different setup combinations. This grows very quickly. By the third month, it’s 81 different unique games. Mid-year we pass 1000 and by the end of the year, it’s over 20,000 different setups. 

Here's a silly image of all of the possible setups by month 2. (Also some month 2 teasers in there!)

Digging into the game

The basics of Chain Mail are very simple. It’s a solo/cooperative game where your goal is to complete the quest before the time runs out. Monsters and terrain might slow you down, but you have 4 awesome characters to try and get you through it. And those characters bring the complexity of the game. Each is unique in both what it can do, and how it can do it. 

The party takes a turn together. First they decide to stay or move. Then they’ll roll for trouble and either battle or adventure. Afterwards they’ll wrap everything up at the end of the turn. 

When a battle or adventure phase occurs, the characters individuality will come to life.

The Ranger

Faylyn has never faced a foe she couldn’t handle from a distance with her elvish bow.

Splitting hairs at fifty paces, disappearing into the fog without a trace, and calling upon the beasts of the wild are her specialties.

Faylyn is universally great, in and out of battle. With a large amount of health and a variety of powers, the only thing that’s slowing her down is her training. She’ll need to train on some of her bigger abilities (and when I say bigger, I mean the best search and attack in the game), but they are all within reach if she focuses. 

The Cleric

Argos is the faithful servant of a Goddess of Healing who rewards his devotion with healing magics. 

Coupled with his stalwart determination, Argos proves a mighty useful companion in battle. He is a rock against the wind, sturdy and strong.

Argos is a team player. Not only can he take on the fiercest of enemies, he can spread his energy throughout the party, giving them extra die rolls, extra actions and extra health. Sometimes it’ll be a neighboring character, other times it might be all characters. Saving up and sacrificing himself for the good of the party is always a huge moment. 

The Thief

Samear's time in the alleys of Earthshine taught him how to survive. He became a master of sneaking, stealing, and lockpicking. 

A skulker in the shadows, he is the shiver up your spine and the chuckle in the dark as your purse goes missing. 

Samear will help you in a bind. Need to get through a wall? He’s got something up his sleeve. Need to get out of a trap? He has the tools you need. He also has a great double bladed melee attack and a backstab ability that always hits. Well… not always. If he twists and turns too much, he’ll get disoriented and his actions will fail. So remember to take it slowly with the thief.

The Witch

Jix comes from a long line of witches, each stranger than the last. She knows potions in and out, mixing them to bewitch and befuddle. 

She can hex, imbue, and enchant with her elixirs. She can also bake a traditional gnomish Pigeon Pot Pie.

Jix is a bag of tricks. She’ll combine ingredients in a way that nobody else does, sometimes giving her a quick potion and sometimes working towards something bigger and better. She’s a resource powerhouse, brewing up money or food. But then she’s a battle master when she curses an enemy, sending their attack right back at them. 

There's so much more to talk about with Chain Mail as this is just the VERY VERY beginning of it. Feel free to check out the print and play and join us to discuss it over at discord: https://discord.gg/k2AFKz2 

Talk to you soon!