This is the seventh report in our narrative campaign series, Campaign of Thrones. After each battle, the characters on the losing side will potentially be captured or killed. This will transform the story as we know it, inspiring new ‘What If?’ scenarios and battle reports. Join us on this alternative dice-driven version of the War of the Five Kings and battle at the Wall.
After venturing beyond the Wall, the Campaign now heads across the Narrow Sea to join Khal Drogo, Viserys Targaryen, and Daenerys Targaryen in Essos. Drogo recently wed the exiled Princess of Dragonstone, Daenerys Stormborn, and her brother Viserys wants nothing more than to use this arrangement to take back the throne his ancestors controlled for 300 years.
Though the timeline is a little wonky with regards to Viserys death, I decided to create one scenario to see if Drogo or Viserys (or both) will survive and make their way to Westeros, or if events will transpire as they do in the books.
The game size was small at 30 Points per army. The lists were:
HOUSE TARGARYEN (KHAL DROGO):
Units (Attachments)
Drogo’s Bloodrider’s (Khal Drogo)
Dothraki Veterans
Dothraki Hrakkars
NCUs
Daenerys Targaryen (Khaleesi)
Viserys Targaryen
Viserys is desperate for power, so he receives big benefits from claiming the crown zone.
HOUSE TARGARYEN ('KHAL OGO'):
Units (Attachments)
Dothraki Screamers (Jorah/Ogo, Commander)
Stormcrow Mercenaries (Stormcrow Lieutenant)
Stormcrow Archers
Freedmen
Freedmen
Freedmen
NCUs
Xaro Xhoan Daxos
The Great Khal custom scenario was developed due to this campaign. I wanted to do something in Essos since Daenerys is such an important character and there are lots of intriguing possibilities for how her story could diverge from the true narrative. I’m not sure how many Campaign of Thrones battle reports will take place in Essos (mostly due to the lack of a Ghiscari faction), so each one will be extremely important to the fate of every character involved.
This scenario utilizes the proxy commander rule, so ‘Khal Ogo’ is actually Jorah Mormont, Westerosi Tactician.
DEPLOYMENT
Drogo's Bloodriders and the Dothraki Veterans deployed on the center-left, with the Hrakkars held in reserve.
The 3 Freedmen units and the Stormcrow Mercenaries were flanked with Ogo’s Screamers on the left and the Stormcrow Archers on the right.
ROUND 1
Daenerys began the skirmish by claiming the envelope. She made the Screamers weakened, believing them to be the main offensive threat in Ogo’s army. The Stormcrow Archers marched up, hoping to encircle Drogo’s small force. The Vets maneuvered forward, making sure to stay out of range of the Archers. Xaro claimed the horse zone to maneuver the Archers onto the right-flank objective token. Viserys claimed the crown, but the Stormcrow Archers passed the souped-up panic bomb (even on top of a corpse pile). The Bloodriders marched, staying near the center of the battlefield, within striking distance of multiple enemies. With Drogo’s army already out of activations, Ogo’s mini-horde moved forward and Ogo positioned his Screamers near the left-flank token, ready to either claim the objective or strike Drogo’s Bloodriders from behind.
ROUND 2
Xaro claimed the horse, blocking the Hrakkars from outflanking his army this round. The horse zone’s effect was replaced with the tactics card Betrayal, so Ogo immediately scored 1 victory point. Drogo placed the Betrayal tactics card on the Stormcrow Archers, hoping to deal out some extra damage (1 wound every time they activate) and grab an extra VP when the Archers are destroyed. 1 to 0 for Ogo.
Severely outnumbered on the battlefield, Drogo’s side had to act fast. The Dothraki Veterans maneuvered, then charged into a unit of Freedmen. Their strategy was for the Vets to one-shot the fragile unit and propel themselves into the enemy’s backfield. The Dothraki attack dealt 5 wounds, but the Freedmen passed their panic check with a roll of 8 and survived with only 1 wound remaining. Now wildly out of position and surrounded by enemies, the Vets were charged in the flank by the Stormcrow Mercenaries. They did 6 wounds to the Vets, who then Swift Retreated out of the melee and got a quick shot at the Mercs, dealing 1 wound to the sellswords.
Drogo’s Bloodriders activated and targeted Ogo’s Screamers with War Cry. Drogo rolled snake eyes and failed the morale test. They shrugged off the bad roll and charged head-on into a different unit of Freedmen. This time the solo unit blew up, and after the new corpse pile was placed down in the backfield, Drogo used Unstoppable Advance to surge forth on top of the token. The Archers activated next, suffering 1 wound from Betrayal. Their aim was true, dishing out 4 wounds to the Dothraki Vets and causing a failed panic test. The Veterans were on the verge of death with just 1 wound remaining. Viserys claimed the crown zone and targeted the near-death Freedmen. They failed the test and were destroyed, leaving 1 unit of Freedmen left in Ogo’s force. Viserys took a risk and used the second part of his ability on the Vets. They passed the panic check and restored 1 wound.
The sole surviving Freedmen, tired of being used for target practice, used Swift Position to move up and then charged headlong into the Dothraki Veterans. The puny villagers dealt a whopping 5 hits, destroying the proud horselords. The Freedmen celebrated their stunning victory, then surged forth as far away as they could from Khal Drogo and his Bloodriders. 2 to 0 for Ogo. Ogo ended the round by staying out of battle and moving on top of the left-flank token. The commanders Drogo and Ogo each scored 2 and the Stormcrow Archers scored 1.
At the end of the round, the score was 5 to 2 for Ogo.
ROUND 3
Daenerys immediately claimed the horse zone, and luckily her opponent did not have Field Control. The Hrakkars were deployed in the enemy backfield, in the rear of the Stormcrow Archers. The Archers turned to face the Hrakkars, moving far away as possible, hopeful that the corpse pile would protect them from the lion’s deadly charge. Drogo, sensing that the only way to victory was by destroying all enemy units, abandoned the objective token and charged into the Stormcrow Mercenaries. Even with War Cry and Addrivat!, he only dealt a total of 7 wounds. Xaro Xhoan Daxos healed the Mercs with the bags. Viserys claimed the swords and Drogo attacked the Mercs once more. This time, the Bloodriders destroyed the Stormcrow Mercenaries, scoring 2 victory points (1 from Addrivat!). They played Overrun and crashed into the surviving Freedmen. With the help of the +1 wound from Expert Duelist, Drogo killed the Freedmen, taking 2 units out in one turn. He surged forth and turned his sights towards the Stormcrow Archers. The Hrakkars crashed into the Archers, doing 3 wounds damage and stealing the objective token just before the end of the round. Ogo remained alone on the left side of the battlefield, scoring another 2 victory points.
7 to 5 for Ogo.
ROUND 4
Ogo’s strategy to win was evident: retreat and survive. Xaro claimed the horse zone, but Drogo played Field Control to limit the Stormcrow Archers movement. Drogo’s Bloodriders used War Cry to make the Archers vulnerable and panicked, then raced in and attacked. The Archers suffered 5 wounds from the attack and were killed by panic damage. Drogo scored 2 victory points because of the Betrayal tactics card that was placed on the Archers in Round 2. The score was now tied 7 to 7.
Ogo, on the other side of the battlefield, simply passed their activation. Drogo tried to get across the field to charge into Ogo and steal his objective token, but Ogo was too far away. The Targaryens had one last play to win the game: place Viserys on the crown and have Ogo fail a panic test and drop the token. Viserys claimed the crown zone, giving the Screamers -3 to their panic check (-2 from Viserys, -1 from the corpse pile). They rolled an 8, passing the test. Ogo’s Screamers scored 2 VP and the Hrakkars scored 1.
Final score: Ogo defeats Drogo 9 to 8.
WRAP-UP
30-point battles can be really fun if both players are willing to go for broke. It's especially fun with the Dothraki because units like Drogo’s Bloodriders are able to race all across the battlefield, massacring Freedmen and Stormcrows as they go. I’m happy with this as the first custom scenario set in Essos. Hopefully CMON eventually releases some non-Targaryen units from Essos. I would love to see the Ghiscari Legions, Sons of the Harpy, and more, whether as neutral units or their own faction.
CODA
With Drogo’s trusty Veterans being slain by lowly Freedmen and Viserys failing his big chance at glory, the path forward became clear: Viserys and Drogo would die just as they did in A Game of Thrones. Daenerys would burn Drogo’s body in a large funeral pyre. As fire consumed the great khal's flesh, Daenerys stepped inside the searing flames with her three petrified dragon's eggs. As GRRM wrote many years ago:
When the fire died at last and the ground became cool enough to walk upon, Ser Jorah Mormont found her amidst the ashes, surrounded by blackened logs and bits of glowing ember and the burnt bones of man and woman and stallion. She was naked, covered with soot, her clothes turned to ash, her beautiful hair all crisped away … yet she was unhurt.
The cream-and-gold dragon was suckling at her left breast, the green-and-bronze at the right. Her arms cradled them close. The black-and-scarlet beast was draped across her shoulders, its long sinuous neck coiled under her chin. When it saw Jorah, it raised its head and looked at him with eyes as red as coals.
Wordless, the knight fell to his knees. The men of her khas came up behind him. Jhogo was the first to lay his arakh at her feet. "Blood of my blood," he murmured, pushing his face to the smoking earth. "Blood of my blood," she heard Aggo echo. "Blood of my blood," Rakharo shouted.
And after them came her handmaids, and then the others, all the Dothraki, men and women and children, and Dany had only to look at their eyes to know that they were hers now, today and tomorrow and forever, hers as they had never been Drogo's.
As Daenerys Targaryen rose to her feet, her black hissed, pale smoke venting from its mouth and nostrils. The other two pulled away from her breasts and added their voices to the call, translucent wings unfolding and stirring the air, and for the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons.
The next time we see Daenerys, she and her newborn dragons will have travelled across the Red Waste to the ancient city of Qarth. While in the legendary city, Daenerys will face many dangerous trials in the House of the Undying.