Nightwatch: Terror and Treasure in the Dark Corners of the World

There is a bit of a renaissance in tabletop gaming, what with COVID-19 and such, and along with it is the development of games for solo or cooperative play. When it comes to tabletop wargames, specifically skirmish games (miniature based adventures that use much fewer models than, say, recreating Gettysburg), there has always been an aftermarket/homebrew culture to play solo. Now, many fantastic games are designed from the group up to be solo compatible if not solo exclusive.Nightwatch is a skirmish game with Solo and Coop in mind, and it adds something many of the other lauded systems neglect: flexibility. Rather than concerning itself with a bestiary and exhaustive equipment list, Nightwatch allows you to assign models of your choosing into tiers - the lower levels being fodder and the big bad being a final boss. Its a brilliant game mechanic that will allow the widest adoption.The game itself centers around a group of adventurers who band together to rid their land of a specific threat. It is designed to be played as a campaign, where your early levels are ridding the countryside of minions and working your way up to a final confrontation. This adds a narrative appeal that is missing in other, lore-heavy games - it allows you to write the story in your mind and by your actions. When the baddie is defeats, the heroes retire to a happily ever after. Its wonderful to see a closed end in skirmish gaming campaigns and prevents the power drift that comes with long time, frequent players.Another mechanic that I find very appealing is the "generator" system. If you have played Gauntlet, or any number of video games since, you will be familiar with the appearance of bad guys spawning regularly from a geographical feature. Nightwatch includes these to both add some unexpected randomness to the difficulty level and tactics. It also allows a solo player to enjoy a true RPG experience without needing to guide monster placement objectively.That isn't to say the experience is just a random hack and slash. Each scenario represents one of several mission types. Some are escorts, some are eradication, others are capture the flag, and so on. The endless variety and ability to determine such things randomly again adds to the possibility to play solo without tipping the scales to your own favor.There are rules governing player character progress, upgrading gear, and monster tier selection based on squad experience (which is a nice way to balance). The game feels difficult but not impossible, which requires some tactical thought but never feels unfair. This is a strong positive. As is the simple and familiar aspects of the combat system itself. Not a lot of fiddle-faddle here, just suit up and charge. Its a breath of fresh air not to have to make heads/tails out of some strange mechanic included just to add something novel, and likely only marginally thematic. This is a gritty world setting with a grim mission, where life is cheap and violence is likely the only solution to the evil infecting your land. The game system reflects this by being no nonsense.There are no additional miniatures or terrain you will need to buy. Unlike another very popular miniature agnostic game, no part of this game does a bait and switch that will leave you kit-bashing or hitting eBay (if you don't want to). The layout of the board, the baddies you encounter, and the heroes you table can be represented with materials you already have (or proxies). This is the sort of game you could play on the cheap, have the same wonderful experience as others who have extensive pieces to draw from, and enjoy your time with it immensely.If I had to list any cons, I'd say that for players who are imagination-starved or overly dependent on the almighty RULES, a system like Nightwatch could be frustrating. There is a lot of room for supplementation, to offer re-skins and overlays to the system by providing specifics and scenarios that take preparation, imagination, and lack of inspiration out of the equation. I expect to see a lot of fan generated content.The only other con I have is in the layout/editing, which is a petty complaint and I only bring it up to acknowledge such. There are a few instances where words are used interchangeably that can be confusing, one instance in particular involving the word Mission and a crucial table. The rules are perfectly written for easy follow-along and reference. As an indie writer and publisher myself, I'd say that there are no sins here that aren't forgivable given the average expectations of similar products. Just don't expect a Games Workshop level of overkill with the polish. You'll be able to read it and be up and running immediately.Its not a long book, but neither are other popular ttrpg if you remove unit and spell descriptions. The art is good, there's even a little fluff which is great for something obviously presented with economy in mind. For under $20 this is hands down the best bargain for a rule system you'll currently find. Gamers are stealing it from Todoroff at this price as it offers remarkable replayability and flexibility.An easy recommendation and no qualms at all giving it 5 stars solid.

Nightwatch is a Dark Fantasy miniatures game about Hunters sworn to chase down a monstrous Quarry. But to confront the Quarry, they must survive a series of episodes pitting them against waves of its evil minions. Along the way, the Hunters level up in their Guilds and gain access to more powerful skills and can collect bounties to buy additional equipment and hire allies.You will need at least four miniatures to represent the Hunters and, according to the book, several dozen miniatures to represent the various types of monsters. In practice, however, you can get started with less monster miniatures by cycling back into play ones that your Hunters have slain. You can use any fantasy miniatures you already have or maybe collect some new ones to create a themed campaign. For example, I plan to run a campaign where seafaring Hunters track down the undead crew of pirate ship.You’ll also need some terrain but not necessarily a ton. The recommended play area size is three foot square. Most notably, you will need at least four terrain items to represent “portals” through which the monsters spawn. These could be just about anything; most simply, you could just use some standing stones easily made from scratch. You’ll also need some RPG dice, especially d4s, d6s, d8s, and d10s.Nightwatch is a fairly simple system and very flexible so you can use it to play through adventurers not centered around monster hunting. Check out my blog called Life on Jasoom for an in depth look at how the rules can be used for more generic fantasy gaming. Nightwatch is a great way to find new uses for miniatures already in your collection but be careful — it might also inspire you to add some more figures!

This softcover book feels sturdy and contains a lot of interesting illustrations similar to the cover. The rules are good and make for a fast playing game that is easy to teach to others. It does lack some detail in that weapons, items and spells are all vague enough that the player is left to give them more definition but I like that. In fact, I prefer that but I know some players prefer more definition. The campaign rules are short and simple and basically detail a series of linked skirmishes leading to a big, bad boss monster. Again, it's up to the player to decide how long they want to play the same campaign. It could be as short as three battles which means a full campaign could be done in a night but there are also rules for apprentices so your first hunter can pass on a bit to a successor and in that way, I think the author has given the players a very interesting reward on completion of hunts.It's been as fun to plan the next hunt and get figures painted and ready as it is to play out their battles. Players new to miniature gaming may need to pick up a few more baddies but it's basically 10 little guys, 10 medium guys, 5 big guys and a boss although you can add more nuance in there as you get more games under your belt. It's a great excuse to buy a new box of figures or pull out the old armies. It lends itself wonderfully to solo play and co-op and if you really want to play against someone, that can be done, too though the opposing player would be more like a game master in an rpg. Overall, I love it and I really appreciate that it lends itself to emergent storytelling while having a great set of core rules.

Such an inventive and deep game system that is built around an engine simple enough to be learned in 5mins. Easily allows for your normal Role-playing games to be turned into miniature based sessions without the need of complicated rules while still allowing TONS of narrative room. Built on the "Hardwired" game system, Nightwatch proves that this game system, while rules lite, is vast and powerful enough to be used in nearly any genre.HIGHLY recommended!

Genial, como todos los reglamentos del autor. Reglas simples para jugar solo o en cooperativo que permiten jugar con los más peques. Aun así cubren todos los aspectos de la épica fantástica y si se quiere se puede ampliar con un poco de imaginacion