Greetings one and all, I would like to announce what is possibly my most ambitious event to date...

Decades ago a powerful Lost Loggia known as the Sphere of Ezekiel was uncovered by the Holy Empire of Abel, unfortunately they were unable to recover the precious object as it was sealed behind a powerful barrier. What little information they could discern was that the barrier was maintained by 5 potent Mystic Seals.

For years agents of the empire and other organizations scoured the globe trying to find a way to break the seals to no avail and as time passed the questers vanished or gave up until the item itself was barely remembered.

That is until a few months ago when a rumour with no apparent source began to spread across the world that someone (a thief, a powerful wizard or a clueless wandering girl the bards all have their own version) had uncovered an ancient book that described several powerful Seal Suppressing techniques which had once existed, scattered among the ancient societies of Gaia. Techniques so powerful that might just be enough to break through the Loggia’s protective shield.

Campaign Concluded

The search for the seal suppression techniques will be a series of linked events where teams start out with 150 levels a side which then grows as the campaign progresses.

To participate in the campaign there is a $5 registration fee which will be put towards the prizes. Please send an email of your intent to participate in this campaign to [email protected] before the 21st of April.

This entry fee will go towards the Prizes or the tournament which will include...

A Gift Voucher for Mind Games
A copy of the limited advantage card Dragon's Blood
and a copy of the Limited Edition Celia.

There will also be copies of the advantage card for two runner0up's

As this will be a campaign their are a number of additional rules which will be in effect. These rules are summarized on a handy pdf which you can download by right-clicking the link and selecting "Save As...": users.tpg.com.au/raith/AT/Sphere/Rules.pdf

Once the campaign gets underway I will be posting reports on its progress in this thread so everyone can see how it is going and who is closest to freeing the Sphere.

If you have any questions about the event or the rules please post here or send me an email at [email protected]

- Raith
Free Agent 005

Just a reminder that their is one week to go before the start of the campign.

If you are planning to enter please let me know in advance so I have a good idea on how much room to set up.

Start time will be at 2pm due to the ANZAC Day parade and memorial services.

- Raith

Hello one and all,

This Saturday was the start of the Sphere of Ezekiel Campaign, as well as ANZAC day and the judging of the painting contest so it was a busy weekend.

Seeing as the start of the campaign was on the same day as a fairly significant event for Australians I was not surprised when only two players turned up and stuck around, a few others drifted by for the painting results but left early.

Even with only a couple of players the campaign started with a single 10 turn match.

_________________________________________________________________

Player 001 (150 levels)(0 Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler

PLayer 002 (150 levels)(0 Exploration points)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos
Justina + After Image

_________________________________________________________________

Match 1: 150 levels. No special Rules

The match began with the usual round of maneuvering, Justina headed out on the flank trying to get the drop on Reinhold while Kairos and Kyler moved towards each other.

Conflict ensued around an ancient ruin with Kairos and Azriel battling Kyler, Reinhold closed and thrugh Azriel over the head of both Kyler and Kairos before Kyler was brought down,

Justina closed upon Reinhold firing her Penitent shot but was unable to hit while the colonel walked into range and vanquished Kairos.

It wasnt long after that when Justina fell in combat giving the Azur team thier victory as Reinhold walked up and smashed Justina with his stick.

Score: Player 001 - 5+1 Exploration Points; Player 002 - 1 Exploration Point.

After Action Phase: Player 001 Acquires +5 levels for 3 exploration Points. Both sides made "Downed" Checks for there figures with only Kyler suffering ill effects from his beating.

_________________________________________________________________

Player 1 (155 levels)(3 exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu

Player 2 (150 levels)(1 exploration point)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos
Justina + After Image

_________________________________________________________________

After Action Thoughts: The system held up fairly well to its first real test, with one notable exception. At this level the possibility of Downed is severely limiting so I am enacting a slight revision to the ruling. Any character suffering from a defeat in a Level 1 Encounter does not have to make a "Downed" roll.

- Raith
Free Agent 005

Last Saturday I held a Demonstration Event and while it fell outside of the official SoE event plan I have decided to make those days available to participants in the Campaign to use.

Their was a single match held under these rules between player 001 and 002.

_________________________________________________________________

Player 001 (155 levels)(3 Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu

Player 002 (150 levels)(1 Exploration points)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos
Justina + After Image

_________________________________________________________________

Match 2: 155 v 150 levels
Special Location: Outside Archangel
Special Rule: The effects of the Martyr card are in effect across this battlefield, all usual restrictions apply.

Unfortunately I forgot my camera for the day so this is only a quick summary.

The match began with the special location of Archangel being determined. Despite the proximity to the Holy City the teams set up on a sparsely covered board leaving the field very open.

As the maneuvering of troops began both sides attempted to keep their troops closer together rather than spread apart as they had done in previous matches. Slowly the two teams crept across the board, jockeying for position.

The battle began in earnest between Azriel and the Colonel with Kairos and Kyler jumping into the melee while Justina swung out wide aiming for the Colonel. In short order Azriel and Kyler fell followed moments later by the Colonel. Reinhold used Oblivion to take out Kairos but soon found himself outclassed by the penitent shot of Justina giving this match to player 002 just inside the 10 turn limit.

Score: Player 002 - 5+1 Exploration Points; Player 001 - 1 Exploration Point.

After Action Phase: Player 002 Acquires +5 levels for 3 exploration Points and reserves those points for future use.

_________________________________________________________________

Player 001 (155 levels)(4 Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu

Player 002 (155 levels)(4 Exploration points)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos
Justina + After Image

_________________________________________________________________

- Raith
Free Agent 005

CAMPAIGN UPDATE

Yet another Demonstration day turns into a SOE Campaign day. Things where a little different this time.

The day saw a few new people decide to join the campaign, and while only two matches where held between the active players their where a couple of practice matches for the new guys so they could get a feel for their proposed sides. Unfortunately I was rather buys explaining rules to people so i didn't get much of a chance to observe the intimate details for the battles.

Of the two battles that were fought the first was between players 002 and 003. The battle proceeded apace with Player 003 coming out on top in a closely fought match.

The second battle between players 001 and 003 was much less hard-fought as Reinhold found himself the last man standing for player 001 before he was overwhelmed.
_________________________________________________________________

Round 3 Scores.

Player 001 (155 levels)(7 Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 002 (155 levels)(6 Exploration points)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos + Aura
Justina + After Image
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent); 3x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 003 (150 levels)(2 Exploration Points)
Claire
Daniella + Supernatural Weapon
Khaine
Purchased: 2x Resource Increase (Unspent)
_________________________________________________________________

The Demonstration Day/Campaign Event also saw the addition of two others to the roster, but they have decided to wait till the next event day to join in on the fun.

Here are some photo's of the days fun.

A practice Match between players 001 and 003, Light v Azure

The first SOE: Campaign match of the day, Darkness versus the Light

The final maneuvering of the first match.

The beginning of the second match saw a reversal of sides for players 001 and 003

The final practice battle for the day saw Kyler and Harod sneaking about trying to remain unseen while Ayl used her mimic powers to eviscerate her opponents.

- Raith

SHERE OF EZEKIEL
Campaign Update: Round 4

Another weekend rolls by, the third official weekend for the Sphere of Ezekiel campaign. With the addition of two new player things really began to heat up. 6 matches were held most where incredibly close fought skirmishes.

The cheering and groans of defeat brought a lot of people over to take a look at what was happening and quite a few people sat down to watch or ask questions before wandering over to the Anima figures to ****** up ones they thought looked cool.

Despite the presence of 3 players with previous scores and access to 155point teams all the matches played were fought at 150pts. A tactic most challengers chose to restrict the potency of their opponents.

The weekend passed with two victories a piece to players 001 and 004. The star player of the weekend was Konnosuke who proved that despite the volume of fire directed at such an imposing creature he could wade through it and crush an opponent even if it meant his own death in the process.

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Round 4 Scores.

Player 001 (155 levels)(27 Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 002 (155 levels)(2 Exploration points)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos + Aura
Justina + After Image
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent); 9x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 003 (150 levels)(9 Exploration Points)
Claire
Daniella + Supernatural Weapon
Khaine
Purchased: 3x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 004 (155 levels)(11 Exploration Points)
Harod + Smoke Cloud
Shinigami Ayl + Control Bound
Konnosuke
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent)
_________________________________________________________________

All across Gaia more and more organisations scurry to find the hidden secret of the Seal Suppressors. Ruins are pillaged and encounters between warbands grow more and more frequent. Across the Great Plains and to the wall of Archangel conflict sounds.

Game 1:

The first match of the weekend saw player 001 and 003 battling it out. Daniella had taken the high ground early in the match to snipe only to find herself violently thrown off her perch by Reinhold, sustaining damage from the sudden drop.

Game 3:

Fought on the edge of the Great Plains (A special campaign location) the table was set up with all the terrain pieces down the edge of the board. Immediately both sides ran towards the protection of the ancient wall.

Daniella and Claire claimed the high ground while Khaine kept a lower watch. In an effort to avoid being shot at their opponents slowly worked their way forward.

The fighting broke out swiftly as the two sides closed, Kairos and Justina left the protection of the ruins trying to draw a bead on Daniella who in turn fired back. Azriel engaged Claire who had switched positions with Khaine.

Despite the careful manoeuvring and the late entry into combats (turn 6 was when the first attack landed) both sides too astonishing casualties in a single moment only Azriel and Daniella remained. Before Daniella emerged victorious.

Game 4:

Rumours of the Great Plains containing some of the lost knowledge about the seals drew more groups to the area.

While Konnosuke and Ayl strode across the plains Kyler and Harod danced an invisible ballet attempting to bring their abilities into play.

The battle picked up pace around a broken ruin with Konnosuke systematically crushing his opponents. In the end the demons attacks forced the Colonel to make a hard choice. Unleash Hephastious Krest, a move that would automatically result in Konnosuke dying and exploding killing the Colonel and possibly Reinhold as opposed to simply letting Konnosuke win and hope Reinhold could pus the monster away in time.

Consumed by the flames of Hephastious, Konnosukes dying strike barely missed Reinhold but opened the door for an unexpected trap as Ayl drew a bead on Reinhold and slew him with a beam of dark energies.

- Raith
Free Agent 005

SPHERE OF EZEKIEL
Campaign Update: Round 5

After a month without an official campaign day I was eager to get back into the conflict. The weekend saw a total of five games with player 001 participating in all the matches and unfortunately not walking away with a single victory.

Saturday was very quiet, I arrived on time and unpacked. Then as I sat down to wait for the players "Hausdorff" walked up and introduced himself. Unfortunately for him it turned out to be a very slow Saturday and it was almost a hour and a half after i arrived that the first of my players turned up. It seemed to be a weekend for geek conventions with MANIFEST (an anime festival) and a big wargaming event scheduled for the same day. Sorry things weren't more lively Hausdorff

Day one saw two games between players 001 and 004. Both time player 004 walked away with the victory. The battles ended up being very lopsided following several harrowing rounds where they could have gone either way

The second day was also quiet when i first arrived but was followed by solid gaming for the entire afternoon.

The first fight was between players 001 and 002 and was centered around a portion of the Great Plains (A reoccurring theme for these two)

With the terrain towards the edges the players decided to get straight into it but surprisingly took the better part of 5 turns to actually engage each other as ranged attacks where traded and neither player wished to commit their forces piecemeal, instead attempting to draw the other in.

Near the end of this battle a new player arrived. And seeing as player 002 had to meet people at MANIFEST they swapped positions and the next match began.

The match began with the usual setup, apparently the secrets of the Seal Suppression techniques can be found in remote unnamed locations not just in wide open areas.

Each played headed towards the ruins in the center of the field using it as cover to avoid line of sight.

Battle was finally joined when Hazael leapt into the air to engage Reinhold and lock down his push abilities while Aliss took to the stratosphere in preparation for her attack run on the following turn.

Having slowly clambered across the intervening terrain Nero managed to pin down the Colonel while Aliss and Hazael (We used an empty base to mark her precarious position) took down Reinhold. A back stab attempt from Kyler had little effect of Nero who quickly slew him in return before annihilating the Colonel.

Still willing to continue fighting despite his inability to roll anything important better than a 3 player 001 challenged player 005 to a final match. Using a rule I have that says "A group of similar items can be played as 1 terrain piece so long as each piece is touching" the player decided to have a little fun, building the most interesting A:T field i have seen to date.

With plenty of cover the groups raced for the central ruins. Early on Reinhold tried to move the entire ruin but failed (too big i guess). Despite the Colonel and Reinhold seeking elevation Aliss and Nero were soon able to clamber up the ruins and engage their opponents

Kyler leap out of hiding to help the Colonel while Hazael flew into position to charge.

The final battle of the day was horrific with a massive furball of combat seeing player 005 through to victory.
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Round 5 Scores.

Player 001 (155 levels)(5 Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu
Kirsten
Purchased: 9x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 002 (155 levels)(16 Exploration points)
Azrie l + Raphael's Gift
Kairos + Aura
Justina + After Image
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent); 9x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 003 (150 levels)(3 Exploration Points)
Claire
Daniella + Supernatural Weapon
Khaine
Purchased: 3x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 004 (155 levels)(25 Exploration Points)
Harod + Smoke Cloud
Shinigami Ayl + Control Bound
Konnosuke
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 005 (150 levels)(14 Exploration Points)
Aliss Testarossa + Combined Combat
Nero
Saint Hazael
Purchased: none
_________________________________________________________________

- Raith
Free Agent 005

Hi all,

This is a quick reminder for those people paying attention to this thread that the coming weekend will be yet another Campaign Session. This was to be the last weekend scheduled for the events but I am going to extend the time for the next two months. The additional days will be held in the same place as normal on the following dates...

October 24th and 25th (Saturday/Sunday)
November 28th and 29th (Saturday/Sunday)

- Raith

These game reports and photos are awesome btw. Thanks for sharing!

SPHERE OF EZEKIEL
Campaign Update: Round 6

This round of my Campaign started like most others, it was quiet for a little and then the first of the players arrived. Much to my dismay Fallecs was unable to stick about due to a sport event that’s of some importance around these parts. In any event we had the chance to have a game which went on long enough for another pair of players to rock up.

While Saturday turned out to be a Campaign Day, no one rocked up on Sunday but all was not lost as I spent much of the day explaining rules to people who came into the shop and I even got in a couple of full demonstrations as well as having some time to work on several Ki Powers for the RPG game I’m running.

Battle Report:

Friendly Match: Church v Wissenscraft

So Fallecs wanted a match and I am still in the mood for trying out new teams (seeing as I have so many) I took Church and he took the girls. For my team it was Xavier, Nero and Justina, the Anti-light, Anti-Dark, Anti-Mystic combo I have been wanting to try while my opponent took Celia, Alessa and Lorenzo for some throw action.

At 150 point the battle proceeded like usual with both group racing at each other. Alessa hid herself while Lorenzo pushed forward, I counted with Xavier heading towards Lorenzo and Nero keeping an eye on Alessa’s marker.

The battle joined beneath a series of ruins and it was a LONG fight while our various defence and resistance checks where remarkable the attack dice were against us, it took up to turn 5 before first blood was spilled, Justina took a beating from Lorenzo and Celia but managed to hang on with 1 LP left, then in round 8 I managed to finally hit Lorenzo and kill him then in round 10 Celia finally fell.

Campaign Match 1

Player 001 v 004

After the friendly the Campaign events began, for this match player 001 was able to swap out Kyler for Kirsten which proved to be a good choice. The macth started out focusing around a small wooded area and a river. Shinigami swept right hoping to ford the river while Player 001’s team moved forward. The rest of Player 004’s group headed right, hoping cover would let Harod and Konnosuke get close enough to maul their opponents quickly.

Despite choosing the side of the table he was on Player 02 quickly found the terrain setup working against him. Player 001 was able to hold off Shinigami with ranged attacks from Kirsten while Konnosuke struggled to make headway around the rivers banks and against the telekinetic powers of Reinhold. By the time hand to hand finally began Konnosuke had been poisoned several times and was barely standing, even with all the power counters he had, the demon still did little against his opponents as the Colonel weathered his death-spasm before destroying Harod giving player 001 the match.

Campaign Match 1

Player 001 v 004

Not dissuaded by the results of the first game the players setup once more. This time the table was cluttered with the maximum number of terrain features.

The fighting began with Harod sneaking up on Reinhold while Konnosuke engaged the Colonel once more. Kirsten staked out a good vantage point and ranged knives down on the opposition while Ayl got into position for a charge.

After slaying Reinhold the game turned in favour of player 004, very quickly the Colonel was struck down by the combined power of the Shinigami and Konnosuke and in the closing rounds of the match the giant warrior clambered up onto the ruins to chase down Kirsten.

_________________________________________________________________

Round 6 Scores.

NB: After careful recalculation I realised the scores on here were missing some numbers, these new results are the accurate ones.

Player 001 (210 levels)(23 Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu
Kirsten + Piercing Weapon
+ Les Jaeger (Team Card)
Purchased: 11x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 002 (155 levels)(20 Exploration points)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos + Aura
Justina + After Image
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent); 9x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 003 (150 levels)(5 Exploration Points)
Claire
Daniella + Supernatural Weapon
Khaine
Purchased: 3x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 004 (155 levels)(3 Exploration Points)
Harod + Smoke Cloud
Shinigami Ayl + Control Bound
Konnosuke
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent), 9x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 005 (150 levels)(12 Exploration Points)
Aliss Testarossa + Combined Combat
Nero
Saint Hazael
Purchased: none
_________________________________________________________________

- Raith

CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Round 7

So this update is a little different than usual as its doesn’t just cover one update but both unscheduled events earlier this month as well as the official Campaign days.

Unfortunately at this time there are no pictures of the massive battles that took place but I will try to get some up soon.

Since the last update the Campaign has sped forward, 11 matches encompassing all the participants have been complete. The fighting has stepped up from Level 1 Encounters to Level 2 and is almost at the third tier for the two top players.

With so many battle having been played (2 games at a time) I was unable to keep track of each match in detail but all were hard fought with most coming down to every character being injured or only a single figure left standing.

The carnage came in all forms from Konnosuke Nuking everyone to death to Aliss using a Bumblebee tactic to sting and retreat over and over. The very final match reached its 10 turn limit with a complete draw 100VP to 100VP

The following are the results for the matches in brief

Results :
155 lvl Match – 001 v 005, victor: 005
155 lvl Match – 002 v 004, victor: 004
150 lvl Match – 001 v 003, victor: 003
150 lvl Match – 003 v 004, victor: 004
155 lvl Match – 002 v 005, victor: 005
200 lvl Match – 001 v 004, victor: 004
205 lvl Match – 001 v 004, victor: 004
155 lvl Match – 002 v 005, victor: 002
205 lvl Match – 001 v 002, victor: 001
155 lvl Match – 004 v 005, victor: 004
155 lvl Match – 004 v 005, victor: Draw
_________________________________________________________________
Round 7 Scores.

Player 001 (210 levels)(43 Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu
Kirsten + Piercing Weapon
+ Les Jaeger (Team Card)
Purchased: 11x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 002 (205 levels)(16 Exploration points)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos + Aura
Justina + After Image
Damien
+ Damien/Justina (Team Card)
Purchased: 11x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 003 (150 levels)(14 Exploration Points)
Claire
Daniella + Supernatural Weapon
Khaine
Purchased: 3x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 004 (200 levels)(30 Exploration Points)
Kairos
Shinigami Ayl + Control Bound
Konnosuke + Raphael’s Gift
Bael (Replaced Harod)
Purchased: 10x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 005 (150 levels)(28 Exploration Points)
Aliss Testarossa + Raphael’s Gift
Nero + Combined Combat
Saint Hazael
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent)
________________________________________________________________

- Raith

Ok so here are the pictures from the last few Campaign Events that I have, more might follow later.

Prep for the first match

'Ere we go! 'Ere we go! 'Ere we go!

Things get vicious quickly

Match 2 begins while the first wraps up

All in Brawl... or whose left of all

A couple of matches later

Yet more gaming

- Raith

SPHERE OF EZEKIEL
Campaign Update: Round 8

Veritable swathes of games were played between the five campaigners this weekend with some having extraordinary luck in the outcome of their battles.

The day started with a game between players 003 and 001 while I ran through a demonstration for a visitor. During that game the rest of the players arrived and quickly things got down to two simultaneous matches running at once.

After a long hot day the last match was a special match the various players decided it would be fun to play a joint battle so player 001 and 004 teamed up as a Dark Force against players 002 and 005.

The Battle took place around a centralized ruin and despite the effective force of 300point per side quickly bunched together as a massive brawl with desperation moves being used over and over.

_________________________________________________________________

Round 7 Scores

Player 001 (275 levels)(9 Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu
Kirsten + Piercing Weapon
Dereck Shezard
+ Les Jaeger (Team Card)
Purchased: 24x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 002 (205 levels)(32 Exploration points)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos + Aura
Justina + After Image
Damien
+ Damien/Justina (Team Card)
Purchased: 11x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 003 (150 levels)(20 Exploration Points)
Claire
Daniella + Supernatural Weapon
Khaine
Purchased: 3x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 004 (200 levels)(47 Exploration Points)
Kairos
Shinigami Ayl + Control Bound
Konnosuke + Raphael’s Gift
Bael (Replaced Harod)
Purchased: 10x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 005 (155 levels)(37 Exploration Points)
Aliss Testarossa + Raphael’s Gift
Nero + Combined Combat
Saint Hazael
Purchased: 1x Resource Increase (Spent)
________________________________________________________________

- Raith

SPHERE OF EZEKIEL
Campaign Update: Round 9

Seven matches were fought between the Campaigner over the course of the Saturday, the highest number of games in a single day since the start. The pressure of the approaching conclusion brought on a great struggle for the players to reach the highest level of the scenario with almost all the participants being capable of searching directly for the secret Sealing-Techniques to reach their final goal.

In the final hours of the day players 002 and 005 struggled through the Dark Woods (A special scenario) surrounding an ancient tower and ruins. The woods bore a terrible curse, unable to freely use their supernatural abilities the combatants were forced to resort back to simpler methods to achieve victory. The fighting was so intense and focus that player 001 and 003 were able to complete two full bouts in the time it took for player 005 to reach victory.

_________________________________________________________________

Round 9 Scores.

Player 001 (280 levels)(22 Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu
Kirsten + Piercing Weapon
Dereck Shezard + Clock of Kronos
+ Les Jaeger (Team Card)
Purchased: 25x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 002 (205 levels)(41 Exploration points)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos + Aura
Justina + After Image
Damien
+ Damien/Justina (Team Card)
Purchased: 11x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 003 (150 levels)(34 Exploration Points)
Claire
Daniella + Supernatural Weapon
Khaine
Purchased: 3x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 004 (270 levels)(3 Exploration Points)
Kairos
Shinigami Ayl + Control Bound
Konnosuke + Raphael’s Gift
Bael (Replaced Harod)
Ophiel
Purchased: 24x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 005 (205 levels)(20 Exploration Points)
Aliss Testarossa + Raphael’s Gift
Nero + Combined Combat
Saint Hazael
Azriel
Purchased: 11x Resource Increase (Spent)
________________________________________________________________

- Raith

SPHERE OF EZEKIEL
Campaign Final: Round 10
Warning: Lots of Pics.

It’s been a long road but the time has come. The last battles have been faught, ruins have been raided for secret techniques and the Sphere has been claimed.

Over the course of two days the top three players battled it out for supremacy in the concluding matches of the Sphere of Ezekiel campaign.

Both days started with the players chaffing at the bit to get underway, barely giving me time to get everything setup and ready.

Seven matches took place with six of them being at the final level of play. The Campaign was a very close finish with the top three players all looking like they could win and even the final match hung upon a single turn before the winner was decided.

Here is the summary of the final Weekend

________________________________________________________________

Sphere of Ezekiel: Battle Reports
Battle 1: Azur (Player 001) v Dark (Player 002) 200lvls

The first match was the concluding level 2 Exploration event players 001 and 002 took to the field lining up their teams swiftly amid a series of ruins and stone structures. The largest theme for the match was the modified initiative roles with both sides gaining modifiers.

Player 001 held back his Azur forces which gave Player 002 and his Dark team an opportunity to utilize the terrain as cover (Something many of the following games would lack). Azriel and Kairos closed on Kirsten who stepped in to protect Reinhold while Justina and Damien moved into position for a final strike and the game was swiftly complete with Player 002 earning enough points to add Goethia to his side while Player 001 used the few points he scored to swap in Arkeid (in place of Dereck) who he had swiftly painted overnight.

Battle 2: Dark (Player 002) v Azur (Player 001) 270lvls

The Second Battle for the day was initiated by Player 001 who challenged Player 002 to a tier 3 conflict hoping that a victory would give him access to one of the Sealing Techniques required to unlock the Sphere.

During Setup a special location was called for the result being that the battle would take place in Paradise. An area so beautiful it was distracting enough to reduce Ap regeneration by one point per turn.

Both players suffered from the lack of Action points but managed to race towards a central ruin.

Azriel, the first to reach the ruins was quickly obliterated by ranged fire while Kyler who snuck forward to engage Justina. Goethia took the high ground and attempted to annihilate the Cluster of Azur enemies but was soon forced from its perch by Reinhold and the battle wrapped up with Player 001 gaining his Seal Technique.

Battle 3: Dark (Player 002) v Azur (Player 001) 270lvls

Player 002 quickly rechallenged Player 001 hoping that a rematch without any special rules might earn his revenge. Not only was the battle going to be a standard match but it ended up an open field with only two terrain pieces on the table.

Both sides raced towards the table’s centre with Damien being the only character to try and use what little cover the terrain provided.

Kyler and Azriel soon met and began to smash away at each other with the rest of the Azur Alliance closing to firing range where the abundance of extra actions provided by Arkeid and the Colonel quick backed Player 002 into a corner as character after character was beaten to the ground handing Player 001 another victory and a massive points bonus, enough to almost return Dereck into his forces.

Battle 4: Dark (Player 002) v Azur (Player 001) 270lvls

The first match of the following day saw players 001 and 002 again battling it out. Player 002 once more initiated the challenge hoping that maybe a new day would help him achieve victory. This time the field sported several ruins that looked like they would provided excellent cover to reach the Azur Alliance without taking too much fire.

Unfortunately for player 002 his opponent refused to engage him, instead the Alliance staked out a hill repeatedly firing at whoever stuck their head out from cover. The hill proved an effective platform to defend especially with the aide of Reinhold and his telekinetic powers.

Battle 5: Samael (Player 004) v Azur (Player 001) 275lvls

This battle saw player 001 being challenged by Player 004 and his Samael force. With little in the way of effective ranged attacks Player 004 setup to advance as far as possible beneath the enemy “guns”

Time and Again the Samael forces were thrown back by Reinhold and his movement abilities. In the end Konnosuke stubbornly managed to get into charge range, only to fall short of his target by less than an inch and a moment later the demon was thrown back towards his allies.

The rest of the battle proceeded in the same manner with Player 004 unable to close to hand to hand. And Player 001 claimed his forth straight win.

Battle 6: Dark (Player 002) v Samael (Player 004) 270lvls

It was clear that Player 001 had earned his place within the grand Final and so player 002 and 004 turn to each other to decide who would place third and who would go on to the concluding match. With a quick check for any special rules the player setup the field centred around n only ruined street. Dark v Samael, Kairos v Kairos. Both players were ready to do battle and the match was close run.

Each team raced forward lining up their forces beneath the ruined arches unleashing what range attacks they had across the intervening gap while the Damage Accumulation models and heavy hitters moved into position.

Shinigami Ayl stuck her head out of the ruins only to receive a torrent of fire from Justina forcing Bael to hastily vacate the area as Ayl was slaughtered. Meanwhile Kairos and Ophiel engaged Azriel and Damien in a close fight with poor rolling afflicting both sides.

Ophiel met his fate just as Konnosuke made his way into the battle, a moment later a second Kairos appeared engaging his twin in a duel. Within moments only a single Kairos stood as Konnosuke exploded obliterating his own side more than his opponents.

The fall of Konnosuke left Bael engaged by Justina, the witch quick escaped from combat and made a run for it rather than sticking around and the match was over Player 004 had earned third place.

Battle 7: GRAND FINAL

Player 001 v Player 002
Azur Alliance v Dark 270lvls

At 4 o’Clock the field of battle was cleared terrain was placed away and the final began with the placing of the Sphere of Ezekiel itself into the centre of the area. The rest of the terrain was soon laid out offering little in the way of cover. No hills this time for Azur to camp or blocking walls for the Dark Faction to lurk behind.

In the best imitation of Admiral Horatio Nelson the two sides raced straight at each other, making their way towards the Sphere in the table’s center.

Player 002 split his forces, reaching the Sphere first and sweeping round it while Player 001 set up his assault line to bombard his enemy as Kyler tried to sneak around the Sphere he was spotted by Justina.

The match slowly crept forward with Azriel being the first to fall while Kyler tried to engage with Goethia and Kairos sprinted forward taking out Kirsten while trying to reach Reinhold.

Every move was matched by the players in turn. With combat quickly becoming an all in brawl with blow for blow falling so evenly there was little to indicate who had the upper hand.

Suddenly Justina and Kairos fell leaving only Goethia standing pouring fire at Arkied, The Colonel and Reinhold. Who were surprisingly unable to hit the giant robot with return fire.

Arkeid swiftly closed on the mecha hoping to destroy it with a charge that ultimately did little more than scratch some paintwork.

As the other Azure character closed Goethia escaped from Arkeid and flew up onto a ruined building hoping elevation would even the odds. Despite the valiant last stand it was all over with Player 001 claiming victory and the Sphere of Ezekiel’s secrets for the Azur Alliance.

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Summary

So after seven weekends and a number of additional games fought on Demonstration days I present to you the winners of the Sphere of Ezekiel Game.

First Place: Jordan (Player 001, Middle) who received a LE Celia, $25 Gift Voucher and a Copy of Dragon’s Blood
Second Place: Mechafox (Player 002, Left) who received a copy of Dragon’s Blood
Third Place: Isaac (Player 004, Right) who also received a copy of Dragon’s Blood

The entire campaign ran without too many problems and now that it’s over I am already on to working out next years with modifications to the rules learned from this year. Thanks to Mind Games Melbourne (City Store) for putting up with us on a regular basis (and the occasional heated debate) and Thanks to the Players for coming along regularly I hope to see you all next year as well as some new faces.

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Final Scores.

Player 001 (360 levels)(1 Unspent Exploration points)
Colonel + Covert Operation
Reinhold + Presence
Kyler + Nu
Kirsten + Piercing Weapon
Arbitor Arkied
Dereck Shezard + Clock of Kronos
+ Les Jaeger (Team Card)
Purchased: 28x Resource Increase (Spent), 3x Magic Weapon (Arkied, Kirsten, Reinhold)

Player 002 (270 levels)(7 Unspent Exploration points)
Azriel + Raphael's Gift
Kairos + Aura
Justina + After Image
Damien
Goethia (Pilot: Frederick Mausser)
+ Damien/Justina (Team Card)
Purchased: 24x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 003 (150 levels)(34 Unspent Exploration Points)
Claire
Daniella + Supernatural Weapon
Khaine
Purchased: 3x Resource Increase (Unspent)

Player 004 (270 levels)(3 Unspent Exploration Points)
Kairos
Shinigami Ayl + Control Bound
Konnosuke + Raphael’s Gift
Bael (Replaced Harod)
Ophiel
Purchased: 24x Resource Increase (Spent)

Player 005 (205 levels)(20 Exploration Points)
Aliss Testarossa + Raphael’s Gift
Nero + Combined Combat
Saint Hazael
Azriel
Purchased: 11x Resource Increase (Spent)

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The Colonel stepped towards the softly glowing sphere of energy the remnants of the ancient sealing techniques flicked like lightning along the edge of the Sphere’s containing ruins. A feeling of endless power filled the air as the Colonel approached the swirling mass. Arkied and Reinhold looked on from a short distance still weary from the conflict to seize the necessary anti-wards.

Stretching forth his hand the Colonel watched as the Sphere’s surface rippled away from him as if a stone had been dropped into a calm pond, his flesh made contact with the Sphere and in that moment he knew it was a mistake. Light flared and a thunderclap of noise threw him backwards, wind whipped at his scarf tugging it from his shoulders as something vast and unseen was released from its techno-arcane prison that had kept it for untold millennia.

- Raith