Family gaming: The Rescue of Edwin

With some time on my hands (and trying to keep the kids occupied), I organised a more complicated version of our family gaming, in that the kids chose their own adventuring parties, with different characteristics for different races and a more in-depth combat sequence.
Basically their hero (a model representing them) had superior stats that were representative of their character. Ie youngest son was a Fighter, so had better combat stats, but was small so had the ability to dodge 1 attack. Eldest wanted to be a sorceress so had access to more spells but had weaker stats. The equipment and magic was based upon Heroquest cards, all dice rolls on 2d6, heroes could take any two actions (from movement, to conversing, to searching, to spell casting) and all others had one action. Their retinue were made up of 1 human, 1 dwarf, 1 barbarian, 1 attack animal and 1 pack animal (purely because these were the only models painted!) Each of which had slightly different characteristics. Some pictures may help explain. The enlisting of an adventuring party:

The adventuring sheets (I miss a photocopier!) 

Here are the chosen adventuring parties with heros:

Eldest daughters, mostly female group. 

Middle daughters group, she was desperate to get the white horse and the witch! 

Youngest sons party, keen on swords, muscle and treasure hunting! 

So the scenario of the game:

The three children had been isolating at home, the parents had gone shopping for food, so would be a long time queuing. The kids played hide and seek and the youngest hid in an old wardrobe in his parents room, squishing in amongst the coats, onesies and musty cardigans that hadn't been worn in an age. He could hear his sisters getting closer and as the wardrobe door opened he leaned fully against the back of the wardrobe hoping to not be found. Expecting resistance, he was surprised to fall out through the back of the wardrobe... The girls knew he was in there, they had heard him wriggling around. They opened the door and rummaged inside, but he could not be found, so they emptied out the entire clothing range but there was nothing. The eldest had read the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe recently, so checked the back, wooden panels and her hand disappeared through! She called her sister and they both tentatively squished through, calling out for their brother.... 

All three were greeted by a bald man in what looked like bathrobes. In a quiet voice he told them that he was Bayaz, the Mage and he had called them forth in a time of need. His son, Edwin, had been captured in the town of Rensburg, a town where night had permanently descended and a suffocating fog remained. The residents had locked themselves away, scared of the rumours and noises of the night. The brave adventurers were to enlist a team and go find the boy. 

So with the scenario set and the parties chosen, we began with all parties setting up along a table edge:

And then we were off, rolling a D6 to see who went first... 

Exploring the caravan, the sorceress found some gold, a potion and an orb. She looked into the orb and saw the crying face of a boy. When she returned her gaze she was surrounded by three ghosts. 

The young warrior led his party across the rickety Bridge. The clumsy barbarian made a racket and a swarm of bats flew out from beneath, swarming our hero. A few swings of his flail scared them away! 

The girls tried talking to the ghosts, with little response, until the sorceress held up the orb to them and the face of the boy appeared. The ghosts wailed and drifted towards one of the houses on the town square 

The boy searched the towns statue, reading the inscription on the plinth. As he did so the words lit up and a hole appeared. He put his hand in, took a wound but found a powerful potion of strength. Unfortunately the statue came alive and attacked!

The parties converged on the house marked by the ghosts, knocking on the door (so polite!) but awakening the undead - zombies! 

Having disposed of the bats and the living/unliving statue, the youngest approached a small cottage. Not knocking, but bursting straight in he saw a wardrobe and a pile of swords. The wardrobe offered up some chainmail and gold pieces whilst the swords became animated in the hands of some skeeltons - fight! 

Lack of photos here. But the boy Edwin was found in the house and coaxed out after fighting some more undead. Inexplicably my daughter, slightly peeved that she hadn't found Edwin first, cast a lightning storm on the ghosts. They attacked back and recruited some skeleton warriors. The fighting saw my daughter lose both her beloved wolf and her beautiful pony!

A quick look into the orb of clairvoyance showed a portal opening by the towns fountain, quick run and get out of here! Game over and tidy away!