Rangers of Shadow Deep is a solo and co-operative tabletop miniatures game from the creator of Frostrgrave and Stargrave, Joe McCullough. Joe was a recent guest on the podcast and you can listen to the episode with him right here.
One game we didn’t spend much time talking about on that episode was Rangers of Shadow Deep. Fear not though, because we give it our full and undivided attention this time around. I’m joined once again by Robert who helped me talk through the Song of Blades & Heroes rulebook on a previous episode.
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What Do We Cover?
Firstly, we delve into the lore and fluff of Rangers of Shadow Deep. Like any of Joe McCullough’s games, there is a loose setting, but no attempt to micro-manage the story world. A lot is left up to your own imagination, creativity, and miniature collection.
Then we take a look at the turn sequence, before moving on to the ins and outs of creating your Ranger. This is the character that represents you on the tabletop, and there are many ways to customise them via their stats, skills, heroic abilities, weapons and equipment, and range of spells.
Your Ranger doesn’t need to venture into the Shadow Deep alone either. You’ll find a list of potential companions who can join you on your quests and missions. These range from naive recruits and enthusiastic hounds, to ferocious barbarians, knights, and templars.
Next, we have a peek at the opening scenario in Rangers of Shadow Deep. “Deserted Village” sees us investigating the disappearance of one of our comrades. Do we find him alive, or are we confronted with a gang of zombies, rats, and giant spiders instead? You’ll need to pick up the game and find out for yourself!
Rangers of Shadow Deep Miniatures
Finally, we look over a handful of minis that’ll act as potential Rangers in our first campaign. The Knight, Druid, Assassin, and Half-Orc Assassin were purchased from Otherworld Miniatures.
Rangers of Shadow Deep is a miniature agnostic system that lets you use whatever you own (or would like to own). That said, there’s a great “official” range of miniatures available from North Star Military Figures.
You can also find gnolls and other fantasy creatures at CP Models. Another of my favourite miniature companies, Midlam, have some great options for Rangers (as well as pretty much anything else in the game).
Playing Through the Scenarios
Rangers of Shadow Deep: The Deserted Village
The first scenario tasked us to venture out and look for one of our companions, a chap called Aventine.
Aventine has been missing for a few days, and on top of that, there have been reports of an attack on a nearby village. It’s up to our party to take a look around and get to the bottom of things.
Here’s our full report of The Deserted Village.
Rangers of Shadow Deep: The Infected Trees
It was time to take on the next one – The Infected Trees. Except I’ve actually no tree terrain in my collection, so let’s just go with “infected ruins” instead!
Here’s our full report of The Infected Trees.
Rangers of Shadow Deep: The Bridge Guards
Onwards to Mission Two (The Beacon Tower) with its first scenario, The Bridge Guards. Here, we see the introduction of the Gnolls, and those were a mixture of beastmen and goblins on our tabletop.
Here’s our full report of The Bridge Guards.
Thanks very much for listening, and please take a moment to subscribe to this show on your listening app of choice – that way you’ll never miss a future episode!