Wednesday, December 09, 2015
Sunday, December 06, 2015
Friday, November 27, 2015
Thanksgiving Game
Finally had a chance to play our Thanksgiving game. This time it was Hunt The Turkey again. I used a combination of Songs of Drums and Tomahawks for the base rules, turkey NPC reactions adapted from an old 2-Hour Wargames freebie, and the random tile placement suggested from the Lead Adventure forum. Quite the mix.
The scenario:
It's Thanksgiving on the frontier, 176X. Everybody is friends, if a bit touchy. Three groups wager to see who can bring home the big turkey for the Thanksgiving feast. Regulars, Settlers, and Natives all vie for the honor.
But the best turkeys are found deep in the darkest part of the woods. So deep and dark that it is easy to get lost. The board is made up of 1'x1' tiles. Each time a character crosses a tile edge they will end up somewhere else on the map.
(I took the original tiles, randomly mixed them up, then placed them back down. A master table told me where they would appear when crossing an edge). Miles, ever the smart one, immediately started drawing a map when he heard the rules. This served him well in the end.
Early moves were spent learning the board. Captain Miles and his mapping soon learned the way to the center of the board. They all entered the center tile and the turkeys activated.
Both turkeys (Q4) failed all activation's! They froze in place. Captain Miles rolled a group roll to gun them down and rolled:
This was the first of several disappointing meltdowns for Miles. But, he persevered.
Chief Helen followed the settlers onto the same tile. The regulars, through sheer chance, wandered into the same square and startled the turkeys. Both turkeys ran off to another tile. For one glorious moment, everybody was in the same section of woods.
Captain Miles, paying close attention to the turkey movement, followed them onto the new tile. Surprising them at short range, the turkeys froze again. Miles and company were able to shoot one turkey.
The Regulars aimlessly wandered in and shot at the second turkey. They missed by a mile. Captain Miles grabbed the dead turkey and hoofed it for home, leaving his 2 companions to reload and cover his back against the regulars. This proved a problem, as Miles ran smack-dab into the Indians!
(no picture, too exciting, sorry)
Chief Helen and her 2 warriors saw the tempting target of a lone settler with a giant turkey and could not resist. Treaty be dammed. They ambushed Captain Miles! The first shot sends him scampering behind a tree for cover, the other 2 miss.
On the next activation, Captain Miles ran for it with the turkey. His 2 henchmen charged into the square and gunned down Chief Helen (only a knock-down). Sounds like a typical family dinner!
On the next turn, Captain Miles exited the board with a giant dead turkey. Chief Helen popped back up and killed Mr. Parker, one of Miles' henchmen. It will be a sad Thanksgiving this year.
So the game ended. The Settlers scored a win, exiting with a turkey. But they did lose a man. The Natives came in second, no turkey but they did get a scalp.
And the Regulars? They're still wandering around in the woods...
The scenario:
It's Thanksgiving on the frontier, 176X. Everybody is friends, if a bit touchy. Three groups wager to see who can bring home the big turkey for the Thanksgiving feast. Regulars, Settlers, and Natives all vie for the honor.
But the best turkeys are found deep in the darkest part of the woods. So deep and dark that it is easy to get lost. The board is made up of 1'x1' tiles. Each time a character crosses a tile edge they will end up somewhere else on the map.
(I took the original tiles, randomly mixed them up, then placed them back down. A master table told me where they would appear when crossing an edge). Miles, ever the smart one, immediately started drawing a map when he heard the rules. This served him well in the end.
 |
| Those are giant sight-blocking trees. I ran out of scenery, OK? |
The Bands: Natives (Indians, whatever.) I pre-designated this for the youngest kid, so I gave them an advantage. They started with 3 muskets (both other groups had 2 muskets and a pistol each). Halfway through, I suspended the random movement rule for them and let them move directly from square to square.
The Regulars. Captain Lockyer and 2 soldiers. Totally inept at moving through the woods, as it turned out.
The Settlers. Captain Miles and his 2 henchmen. Not all would live to see the feast...
All 3 groups had a Q3, C2 leader and 2x Q4, C2 followers.
This was their target, 2 fat, juicy turkeys:
Q4 C2 (unless rampaging)
Turkeys would only react if startled (someone comes within 1x Long of the turkey) or shot at
Early moves were spent learning the board. Captain Miles and his mapping soon learned the way to the center of the board. They all entered the center tile and the turkeys activated.
Both turkeys (Q4) failed all activation's! They froze in place. Captain Miles rolled a group roll to gun them down and rolled:
This was the first of several disappointing meltdowns for Miles. But, he persevered.
Chief Helen followed the settlers onto the same tile. The regulars, through sheer chance, wandered into the same square and startled the turkeys. Both turkeys ran off to another tile. For one glorious moment, everybody was in the same section of woods.
Captain Miles, paying close attention to the turkey movement, followed them onto the new tile. Surprising them at short range, the turkeys froze again. Miles and company were able to shoot one turkey.
(no picture, too exciting, sorry)
Chief Helen and her 2 warriors saw the tempting target of a lone settler with a giant turkey and could not resist. Treaty be dammed. They ambushed Captain Miles! The first shot sends him scampering behind a tree for cover, the other 2 miss.
On the next activation, Captain Miles ran for it with the turkey. His 2 henchmen charged into the square and gunned down Chief Helen (only a knock-down). Sounds like a typical family dinner!
On the next turn, Captain Miles exited the board with a giant dead turkey. Chief Helen popped back up and killed Mr. Parker, one of Miles' henchmen. It will be a sad Thanksgiving this year.
So the game ended. The Settlers scored a win, exiting with a turkey. But they did lose a man. The Natives came in second, no turkey but they did get a scalp.
And the Regulars? They're still wandering around in the woods...
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Songs of Panthers and Tigers Playtest
23 June 1941. Operation Barbarossa. Somewhere in the Byelorussian SSR.
German reconnasaince tank forces are pushing forward, trying to find a path through the marshy land of Belarus.
Confused Soviet defenders, their last message came in last night around 2130. Signed by Marshal Timoshenko himself, it called for a general counteroffensive on the entire front "without any regards for borders". Then the phone lines were cut.
Terrain: Mix of heavy woods and open ground. Deep boggy marshes on both sides form a narrow bottleneck. Lots of sight blocks (not good tank country). Special rule: Tanks can cross woods, but at reduced pace.
Objective: Same for both sides. Exit more of your tanks off the enemy edge of the board than he does. Of course, killing all his tanks works, too.
OOB:
German:
3x PZ 3 - Q4 A2 P2 Medium move
1x PZ 4 - Q4 A4 P4 Medium move - Leader
Soviet:
1x T70 - Q3 A2 P2 Medium move
1x BT7 - Q3 A2 P2 Long move
1x BT7 - Q4 A2 P2 Long move - Leader
2x T34/76 - Q3 A4 P4 Long move
Initial deployments:
German, 1 PZ3 is solo.
Soviet, 2x T34 are out of command range. We'll see if that hurts.
First move:
Soviets go first. Group activate the smaller tanks. 6-4. One action. T70 and commander advance, other BT7 rotates turret to cover the open area. first T34 on 2 dice gets a 2-3. He happens to be laid on a PZ3, so Aimed shot! +1 aimed, -1 cover. He rolls a modified 10. German rolls a modified 5. Doubled! First tank brews up.
Last tank rolls 3, gets 1 activation. He's in the sights of the PZ4, so legs it to cover.
Germans: Leader goes big, rolls 3. 2-4-4, 3 activation's. Leader moves up to cover, rotates turret to bear, and takes a shot at the T34 in cover. -1 for cover. He rolls a modified 5. T34 rolls at -2 for side shot. Gets 8, shot missed.
PZ3 takes 2 moves and rotates turret.
Solo PZ3 rolls 3, gets 1 activation. Moves up to treeline.
Soviets: Leader managed to race forward far enough that the other BT7 is now leaderless. He activates for himself and the T70. Rolls 2, gets 2 activations. He moves forward to the trees and rotates to where he thinks the enemy will be.
T70 moves forward and covers his back. Solo BT7 rolls 2, gets 1. 2x move, that long move really helps them cover ground
Rear T34 gets 2 activation, reloads and moves up to cover. Final T34 tries for 3, gets 1. Rotates turret to engage.
Germans: Everybody is on their own. Leader goes first. Gets 2, reloads and snap-shot at the same tank. 7 this time. T34 gets an 8! Lucky tank. His PZ3 buddy gets 1 activation, fires. -1 for cover, does not get the side shot bonus. Gets a 2! T34 again rolls, shrugs off the shot easily.
Final PZ3 gets 3 activations! He follows the edge of the treeline, rotates, and fires a side shot into a BT7. A modified 10. BT7 only rolls a 3, so it blows up. 2 down.
Soviet: T70 is out of leader range, so risks 2, gets 1. Takes a side shot at the PZ3. Modified 7. PZ3 rolls a modified 7, and lives. Leader rolls 3, gets 3. He reverses, rotates turret, and fires. A modified 3! The leader was too busy leading to aim. Curse these small turrets. Both T34s are laid on the PZ3. First one only risks 1 die, fails. Last tank rolls 3, gets 2. Takes the aimed shot to offset the cover. Modified 9. PZ3 gets a modified 8. The original attacker die was odd, so the PZ3 reverses like crazy and moves deeper into cover.
Germans: PZ4 by himself on the left gets 1 activation, reverses into cover. Leader group-rolls for the other one, gets 3 activations! Leader reloads and takes his time to aim, negating the cover. Modified 12. T34 gets an 8. The unmodified d10 of both was a pair, so the crew would have been stunned on a frontal shot. As it is a side shot, the T34 is destroyed. Finally. The other PZ3 reloads and advances cautiously into the woods.
Soviets: Leader group rolls, gets 2 activations. He reloads and charges into the woods. It's a game of chicken! T70 reloads and advances. Remaining T34 rolls 3, gets 1. He takes a shot at the PZ4. Modified 9. PZ4 gets a modified 9. Original attacker roll was odd, so the PZ4 has to retreat. This takes him well off the board, so bye bye commander.
Germans: Feeling lonely, the PZ3 in the woods goes for broke. Gets 2 activations, takes an aimed shot at the charging BT7. Modified 7. BT7 gets modifed 5, so has to reverse away. The other PZ3 gets 3, so reloads, moves up, and shoots the T70 (frontal). Modified 11. T70 is modified 9, so has to reverse. (Almost all attack rolls have been odd.)
Soviets: Boss group activates, gets 3 activations. T70 takes an aimed shot and reloads. Modified 9 on the side of the PZ3. German only rolls a 2 in defense and makes a spectacular explosion. The Leader, using his BT7's superior speed, is able to maneuver for a side shot on the last PZ3, but with a cover modifier. Modified 10 vs a 2. The final German tank is on fire.
The reconnaissance failed miserably. The Huns will have to look for another weak spot in the defenses!
Final thoughts:
1) I forgot to reduce movement distance when making turns. With the tight terrain, the BT's would not have gotten in as close.
2) This is probably the first Songs Of.. game I have ever played without a turnover. I will also try these with the Advanced rules when they come out. Hmm, should a reload be allowed as a reaction?
3) The leadership range of 1x Short feels too small in 20mm scale. I'm afraid everything will stack up like Flames of War. I might try increasing it to 1x medium.
Final final:
Awesome addition to the Songs Of... family. Now I need more tanks, as the family will finally want to play tanks with me!
3) Awesome expansion to the rules!
German reconnasaince tank forces are pushing forward, trying to find a path through the marshy land of Belarus.
Confused Soviet defenders, their last message came in last night around 2130. Signed by Marshal Timoshenko himself, it called for a general counteroffensive on the entire front "without any regards for borders". Then the phone lines were cut.
Terrain: Mix of heavy woods and open ground. Deep boggy marshes on both sides form a narrow bottleneck. Lots of sight blocks (not good tank country). Special rule: Tanks can cross woods, but at reduced pace.
Objective: Same for both sides. Exit more of your tanks off the enemy edge of the board than he does. Of course, killing all his tanks works, too.
OOB:
German:
3x PZ 3 - Q4 A2 P2 Medium move
1x PZ 4 - Q4 A4 P4 Medium move - Leader
Soviet:
1x T70 - Q3 A2 P2 Medium move
1x BT7 - Q3 A2 P2 Long move
1x BT7 - Q4 A2 P2 Long move - Leader
2x T34/76 - Q3 A4 P4 Long move
 |
| Yes, I know they're T34-85's but not today... |
Initial deployments:
German, 1 PZ3 is solo.
Soviet, 2x T34 are out of command range. We'll see if that hurts.
First move:
Soviets go first. Group activate the smaller tanks. 6-4. One action. T70 and commander advance, other BT7 rotates turret to cover the open area. first T34 on 2 dice gets a 2-3. He happens to be laid on a PZ3, so Aimed shot! +1 aimed, -1 cover. He rolls a modified 10. German rolls a modified 5. Doubled! First tank brews up.
Last tank rolls 3, gets 1 activation. He's in the sights of the PZ4, so legs it to cover.
 |
| Is that a German? It is! |
 |
| First turn, first kill. I didn't even get to play! |
Germans: Leader goes big, rolls 3. 2-4-4, 3 activation's. Leader moves up to cover, rotates turret to bear, and takes a shot at the T34 in cover. -1 for cover. He rolls a modified 5. T34 rolls at -2 for side shot. Gets 8, shot missed.
PZ3 takes 2 moves and rotates turret.
Solo PZ3 rolls 3, gets 1 activation. Moves up to treeline.
Soviets: Leader managed to race forward far enough that the other BT7 is now leaderless. He activates for himself and the T70. Rolls 2, gets 2 activations. He moves forward to the trees and rotates to where he thinks the enemy will be.
T70 moves forward and covers his back. Solo BT7 rolls 2, gets 1. 2x move, that long move really helps them cover ground
Rear T34 gets 2 activation, reloads and moves up to cover. Final T34 tries for 3, gets 1. Rotates turret to engage.
 |
| Be patient, Comrade. The Huns will advance, then they will die! |
Germans: Everybody is on their own. Leader goes first. Gets 2, reloads and snap-shot at the same tank. 7 this time. T34 gets an 8! Lucky tank. His PZ3 buddy gets 1 activation, fires. -1 for cover, does not get the side shot bonus. Gets a 2! T34 again rolls, shrugs off the shot easily.
 |
| A one? You call yourself German? |
Final PZ3 gets 3 activations! He follows the edge of the treeline, rotates, and fires a side shot into a BT7. A modified 10. BT7 only rolls a 3, so it blows up. 2 down.
 |
| See Hans? They can blow up |
Soviet: T70 is out of leader range, so risks 2, gets 1. Takes a side shot at the PZ3. Modified 7. PZ3 rolls a modified 7, and lives. Leader rolls 3, gets 3. He reverses, rotates turret, and fires. A modified 3! The leader was too busy leading to aim. Curse these small turrets. Both T34s are laid on the PZ3. First one only risks 1 die, fails. Last tank rolls 3, gets 2. Takes the aimed shot to offset the cover. Modified 9. PZ3 gets a modified 8. The original attacker die was odd, so the PZ3 reverses like crazy and moves deeper into cover.
Germans: PZ4 by himself on the left gets 1 activation, reverses into cover. Leader group-rolls for the other one, gets 3 activations! Leader reloads and takes his time to aim, negating the cover. Modified 12. T34 gets an 8. The unmodified d10 of both was a pair, so the crew would have been stunned on a frontal shot. As it is a side shot, the T34 is destroyed. Finally. The other PZ3 reloads and advances cautiously into the woods.
 |
| The T34 finally dies |
Soviets: Leader group rolls, gets 2 activations. He reloads and charges into the woods. It's a game of chicken! T70 reloads and advances. Remaining T34 rolls 3, gets 1. He takes a shot at the PZ4. Modified 9. PZ4 gets a modified 9. Original attacker roll was odd, so the PZ4 has to retreat. This takes him well off the board, so bye bye commander.
 |
| "I'm, uh, gonna report to HQ. You guys hang out here, ok?" |
Germans: Feeling lonely, the PZ3 in the woods goes for broke. Gets 2 activations, takes an aimed shot at the charging BT7. Modified 7. BT7 gets modifed 5, so has to reverse away. The other PZ3 gets 3, so reloads, moves up, and shoots the T70 (frontal). Modified 11. T70 is modified 9, so has to reverse. (Almost all attack rolls have been odd.)
 |
| Hey! This is my cover! Go get your own. |
Soviets: Boss group activates, gets 3 activations. T70 takes an aimed shot and reloads. Modified 9 on the side of the PZ3. German only rolls a 2 in defense and makes a spectacular explosion. The Leader, using his BT7's superior speed, is able to maneuver for a side shot on the last PZ3, but with a cover modifier. Modified 10 vs a 2. The final German tank is on fire.
The reconnaissance failed miserably. The Huns will have to look for another weak spot in the defenses!
Final thoughts:
1) I forgot to reduce movement distance when making turns. With the tight terrain, the BT's would not have gotten in as close.
2) This is probably the first Songs Of.. game I have ever played without a turnover. I will also try these with the Advanced rules when they come out. Hmm, should a reload be allowed as a reaction?
3) The leadership range of 1x Short feels too small in 20mm scale. I'm afraid everything will stack up like Flames of War. I might try increasing it to 1x medium.
Final final:
Awesome addition to the Songs Of... family. Now I need more tanks, as the family will finally want to play tanks with me!
3) Awesome expansion to the rules!
Saturday, November 07, 2015
Chain Reaction 2015 - First Test
I really want to like these rules. I bought several of the older versions, but kept bogging down in the tables. Now CR2015 is out and promises to be streamlined. So here is the scenario, from CR2015 and an older “star wars” supplement.
Situation: A rebel pilot has been captured and taken onboard a star destroyer by a bounty hunter. He has knowledge of rebel plans, so must be recovered before he spills the beans.
Hero Band:
Young Obi Wan. Rep 5. Jedi. -1 to shooter’s rep when receiving ranged fire (deflection). Lightsabers gain a +2d6 in melee combat.
Use the force: Can conduct a melee attack at range. Can never score higher than OOF, cannot take damage in return.
Clone Trooper (x2). Rep 4. Blaster Rifle.
Rebel Pilot: Rep 4. Sniper pistol. (Starts as captured. When bounty hunter PEF is resolved, is captive of the BH until he is knocked OOF. Then retrieves weapon and joins the heroes.)
Bad guys: PEFS have pre-defined movement routes and never deviate until resolved.
PEF 1:
Stormtrooper. Rep 3. Blaster pistol. Stormgunner. Rep 4. Shotgun.
PEF 2:
General Greasy. Rep 5. Sith. -1 to shooter’s rep when receiving ranged fire (deflection). Lightsabers gain a +2d6 in melee combat.
Use the force: Can conduct a melee attack at range. Can never score higher than OOF, cannot take damage in return.
Battle Droids (x2). Rep 4. Blaster Rifle.
PEF 3:
Bounty Hunter. Rep 4. Blaster Rifle, 1x Thermal Detonator. Can only move 6” while towing captive. Hollywood rules (captive will never be hit by misses).
PEF 4:
Nothing. Be calm, young Jedi.
Turn 1: Empire gets initiative. All PEFS move random amount. (Roll 1d6 for each PEF and move along their track.)
Clone troopers open door from corridor and come into view of 2 PEFS. First one in power regulator chamber is resolved as the bounty hunter! PEF in the cargo bay is Nothing! With their 2 inches of movement left, both clone troopers enter the hall, but Obi Wan doesn’t quite make it. First In Sight test!
Both sides roll and get 4 successes each. Back to the rule book. It says the non-moving side wins ties, so the bounty hunter fires! His blaster rifle has the range on both troopers, so he allocates 1 die to the closer and 2 to the further. He rolls a 6, 6, 1. This is bad already. Each trooper gets hit once. Damage time. First trooper takes a 4. That matches his Rep, so he is OOF. Second trooper takes a 6! Obviously Dead.
So, Obi Wan just saw the door open and his two troopers get gunned down before his eyes. As a Star, does he have to take a test? To the book. He chooses what he wants to pass. Being Obi Wan, he chooses to Carry On. End of Turn 1.
Turn 2: Obi Wan gets initiative. He steps out into the bay and triggers a new In Sight test. Bounty Hunter passes 3, Obi Wan passes all 5. He chooses to Charge Into Melee. Yeah, time to test the melee rules! (Line of Sight to the other 2 PEFS still blocked.)
Bounty Hunter rolls 5 dice (4 rep +1 for improvised weapon). 3 successes. Obi Wan rolls 7 dice (5 rep +2 for the light saber). Only gets 2 successes. Of course, he rolls a 6. Obi Wan is Obviously Dead. Time for Star Power. 3,3,4,4,5. Obviously Dead is reduced to Duck Back, and all dice are kept. He ducks back around the corner and wonders if this Force stuff is worth it. (Note: it was at this point I noticed that I could have had a lot more cover in the chamber, and never even resolved the first PEF. Too late now)
So now what does the Bounty Hunter do? He didn’t Receive Fire, or have a Man Down. So straight to the NP Movement table. But he has that captive? As it turns out he only passes 1, so “remain in cover or move to nearest cover”. He wisely moves into the hallway and prepares to fire. No, wait.
The Bounty Hunter has a Thermal Detonator! He’s going to throw it around the corner at Obi Wan’s hiding place. Yeah, the grenade rules!
He only moved 2” to get to cover, so he has enough movement left to ready the grenade. He passes. The spot he is aiming at is within his LOS (barely). Blast damage should still hit. Of course he passes 2 so the grenade lands precisely where he wants. 2d6 roll on the damage table for Obi Wan. A 1 and a 5. That’s another OOF for Obi Wan. Star Power time again! 2,3,4,5,5 Obi Wan shrugs off the grenade and keeps his dice.
Turn 3: Bounty Hunter gets initiative. (4 vs 5). He gets 2 successes on the NP movement table, so chucks another grenade. But he fails his ready test. The grenade is armed, but he can’t throw it yet.
Obi Wan, not knowing about the grenade, charges into melee. Bounty hunter gets 3 successes, Obi Wan 2. Not again! This time he blows the damage roll and loses 1 rep. More melee! BH gets 2, OW 3. Obi Wan blows his damage roll and loses 1 rep. Next round: BH 3, OW 5! The Bounty Hunter is OOF.
The Thermal Detonator immediately goes off. Obi Wan and the pilot each take 3d6 rolls on the damage table. The Pilot is OOF, Obi Wan also. Star Power one last time. 1,3,5,5,6. He reduces the damage to a Duck Back, but loses 1 Star Power die.
I called the game there. Obi Wan would be able to drag the wounded pilot to the exit without triggering the other PEFS. Now, one does wonder why they wouldn’t come investigate large explosions in the power chamber, but that can be another story. Obi Wan wins, but at what cost?
Oh, and a battlesworn pic:
Situation: A rebel pilot has been captured and taken onboard a star destroyer by a bounty hunter. He has knowledge of rebel plans, so must be recovered before he spills the beans.
Hero Band:
Young Obi Wan. Rep 5. Jedi. -1 to shooter’s rep when receiving ranged fire (deflection). Lightsabers gain a +2d6 in melee combat.
Use the force: Can conduct a melee attack at range. Can never score higher than OOF, cannot take damage in return.
Clone Trooper (x2). Rep 4. Blaster Rifle.
Rebel Pilot: Rep 4. Sniper pistol. (Starts as captured. When bounty hunter PEF is resolved, is captive of the BH until he is knocked OOF. Then retrieves weapon and joins the heroes.)
Bad guys: PEFS have pre-defined movement routes and never deviate until resolved.
PEF 1:
Stormtrooper. Rep 3. Blaster pistol. Stormgunner. Rep 4. Shotgun.
PEF 2:
General Greasy. Rep 5. Sith. -1 to shooter’s rep when receiving ranged fire (deflection). Lightsabers gain a +2d6 in melee combat.
Use the force: Can conduct a melee attack at range. Can never score higher than OOF, cannot take damage in return.
Battle Droids (x2). Rep 4. Blaster Rifle.
PEF 3:
Bounty Hunter. Rep 4. Blaster Rifle, 1x Thermal Detonator. Can only move 6” while towing captive. Hollywood rules (captive will never be hit by misses).
PEF 4:
Nothing. Be calm, young Jedi.
 |
| Our Hero prepares to open the door |
 |
| PEFs move on random tracks |
Clone troopers open door from corridor and come into view of 2 PEFS. First one in power regulator chamber is resolved as the bounty hunter! PEF in the cargo bay is Nothing! With their 2 inches of movement left, both clone troopers enter the hall, but Obi Wan doesn’t quite make it. First In Sight test!
Both sides roll and get 4 successes each. Back to the rule book. It says the non-moving side wins ties, so the bounty hunter fires! His blaster rifle has the range on both troopers, so he allocates 1 die to the closer and 2 to the further. He rolls a 6, 6, 1. This is bad already. Each trooper gets hit once. Damage time. First trooper takes a 4. That matches his Rep, so he is OOF. Second trooper takes a 6! Obviously Dead.
 |
| Um, Guys? Are you OK? |
So, Obi Wan just saw the door open and his two troopers get gunned down before his eyes. As a Star, does he have to take a test? To the book. He chooses what he wants to pass. Being Obi Wan, he chooses to Carry On. End of Turn 1.
Turn 2: Obi Wan gets initiative. He steps out into the bay and triggers a new In Sight test. Bounty Hunter passes 3, Obi Wan passes all 5. He chooses to Charge Into Melee. Yeah, time to test the melee rules! (Line of Sight to the other 2 PEFS still blocked.)
Bounty Hunter rolls 5 dice (4 rep +1 for improvised weapon). 3 successes. Obi Wan rolls 7 dice (5 rep +2 for the light saber). Only gets 2 successes. Of course, he rolls a 6. Obi Wan is Obviously Dead. Time for Star Power. 3,3,4,4,5. Obviously Dead is reduced to Duck Back, and all dice are kept. He ducks back around the corner and wonders if this Force stuff is worth it. (Note: it was at this point I noticed that I could have had a lot more cover in the chamber, and never even resolved the first PEF. Too late now)
 |
| Where is Yoda when you need him? |
So now what does the Bounty Hunter do? He didn’t Receive Fire, or have a Man Down. So straight to the NP Movement table. But he has that captive? As it turns out he only passes 1, so “remain in cover or move to nearest cover”. He wisely moves into the hallway and prepares to fire. No, wait.
The Bounty Hunter has a Thermal Detonator! He’s going to throw it around the corner at Obi Wan’s hiding place. Yeah, the grenade rules!
He only moved 2” to get to cover, so he has enough movement left to ready the grenade. He passes. The spot he is aiming at is within his LOS (barely). Blast damage should still hit. Of course he passes 2 so the grenade lands precisely where he wants. 2d6 roll on the damage table for Obi Wan. A 1 and a 5. That’s another OOF for Obi Wan. Star Power time again! 2,3,4,5,5 Obi Wan shrugs off the grenade and keeps his dice.
 |
| Mister Thermal Detonator is nobody's friend! |
Turn 3: Bounty Hunter gets initiative. (4 vs 5). He gets 2 successes on the NP movement table, so chucks another grenade. But he fails his ready test. The grenade is armed, but he can’t throw it yet.
Obi Wan, not knowing about the grenade, charges into melee. Bounty hunter gets 3 successes, Obi Wan 2. Not again! This time he blows the damage roll and loses 1 rep. More melee! BH gets 2, OW 3. Obi Wan blows his damage roll and loses 1 rep. Next round: BH 3, OW 5! The Bounty Hunter is OOF.
 |
| Charge! Um, what is that in your hand? |
The Thermal Detonator immediately goes off. Obi Wan and the pilot each take 3d6 rolls on the damage table. The Pilot is OOF, Obi Wan also. Star Power one last time. 1,3,5,5,6. He reduces the damage to a Duck Back, but loses 1 Star Power die.
 |
| Ouch! |
I called the game there. Obi Wan would be able to drag the wounded pilot to the exit without triggering the other PEFS. Now, one does wonder why they wouldn’t come investigate large explosions in the power chamber, but that can be another story. Obi Wan wins, but at what cost?
Oh, and a battlesworn pic:
Sunday, November 01, 2015
A Fistful of Horror - Halloween Game AAR Part 1
As I do every year, I demand of the family one game on Halloween. We were bored of zombies, so this year I decided horror would come to the old west. Knowing people would be up for a quick game, not a marathon session, I chose the Fistful of Lead rules - quick and dirty, and most of the players already knew them.
On the web I found a wonderful addition to "The Rules With No Name" that added all the classic monsters. I brutally copied the ideas for FFoL. Since I had no Frankenstein or wolf-man character, I didn't translate them to FFoL.
Scenario: Sleepy town of Rock Ridge is in for a bad night. There's a traveling sideshow in town, the new Preacher is raising a ruckus, some shady characters are hanging out in the hotel, and the last train through dropped off a mysterious car. And now it is dusk...
Town layout: 3' x 3' Railroad car at one end, sideshow at the other. Boot hill cemetery off to one side. Only several buildings could be entered. The big clue was the dry goods / hardware store dead smack in the center of town. Really wanted the players to visit the store and find goodies like torches, wooden stakes, etc. Across from the store was the church (under construction) with the Preacher giving a sermon out back.
All the players (except the monster player) knew was that this would be a supernatural game. Sara had the lawman posse: Town marshall and 4 deputies. She was heavily armed with 2 shotgunners. 2 of the deputies could start out on patrol, the rest in the office. She had no clue where the real threat was coming from, so she put her patrollers in the middle of town.
Miles' friend Matt got the Pinkertons. The group was following the mysterious train car and expected supernatural problems. They had quite the issue with their guns throughout the scenario, but did do some damage.
Helen got the Preacher group. At first she was a bit lost, having the preacher climb the water tower to sermonize from on high. But after a little coaching she figured out how to use him to full effect.
And of course, Miles had the monsters. He was pre-briefed on all the surprises that were in store (except for one).
Missions: Count Dracula is stuck in limbo as part of a traveling sideshow. His wife has been hunting for some time. She thought she grabbed him in the last town, but just got a real Aztec Mummy instead. Now she is determined to rescue him and bring him back to undeath. Miles' job is to start at the train car with the Mummy, Countess, and 2 gypsy mooks. Make it to the sideshow, re-animate dear Count and bring him home. 2 more medium-power minions are available if needed.
Town Marshal: Sara has to keep peace in town. No random shooting, can't act until something happens.
Preacher and gang: He's been running a big sermon about the evils of sideshows. They will start marching on the sideshow, but will get sucked in to the main fight.
Pinkertons: They know something is wrong with the train car, and are waiting. 2 are inside the hotel resting. 1 is on the balcony on guard. 2 more are hanging out near the train car. (The Marshal actually had this as one of his "problems" - a couple strangers lurking in the shadows)
On the web I found a wonderful addition to "The Rules With No Name" that added all the classic monsters. I brutally copied the ideas for FFoL. Since I had no Frankenstein or wolf-man character, I didn't translate them to FFoL.
Scenario: Sleepy town of Rock Ridge is in for a bad night. There's a traveling sideshow in town, the new Preacher is raising a ruckus, some shady characters are hanging out in the hotel, and the last train through dropped off a mysterious car. And now it is dusk...
Town layout: 3' x 3' Railroad car at one end, sideshow at the other. Boot hill cemetery off to one side. Only several buildings could be entered. The big clue was the dry goods / hardware store dead smack in the center of town. Really wanted the players to visit the store and find goodies like torches, wooden stakes, etc. Across from the store was the church (under construction) with the Preacher giving a sermon out back.
All the players (except the monster player) knew was that this would be a supernatural game. Sara had the lawman posse: Town marshall and 4 deputies. She was heavily armed with 2 shotgunners. 2 of the deputies could start out on patrol, the rest in the office. She had no clue where the real threat was coming from, so she put her patrollers in the middle of town.
Miles' friend Matt got the Pinkertons. The group was following the mysterious train car and expected supernatural problems. They had quite the issue with their guns throughout the scenario, but did do some damage.
Helen got the Preacher group. At first she was a bit lost, having the preacher climb the water tower to sermonize from on high. But after a little coaching she figured out how to use him to full effect.
And of course, Miles had the monsters. He was pre-briefed on all the surprises that were in store (except for one).
Missions: Count Dracula is stuck in limbo as part of a traveling sideshow. His wife has been hunting for some time. She thought she grabbed him in the last town, but just got a real Aztec Mummy instead. Now she is determined to rescue him and bring him back to undeath. Miles' job is to start at the train car with the Mummy, Countess, and 2 gypsy mooks. Make it to the sideshow, re-animate dear Count and bring him home. 2 more medium-power minions are available if needed.
Town Marshal: Sara has to keep peace in town. No random shooting, can't act until something happens.
Preacher and gang: He's been running a big sermon about the evils of sideshows. They will start marching on the sideshow, but will get sucked in to the main fight.
Pinkertons: They know something is wrong with the train car, and are waiting. 2 are inside the hotel resting. 1 is on the balcony on guard. 2 more are hanging out near the train car. (The Marshal actually had this as one of his "problems" - a couple strangers lurking in the shadows)
A Fistful of Horror Part 2
Part 2:
Initial Moves.
From the beginning, the monsters drew low cards for initiative. There was only one deal where the went first, but it was when it counted. But at the start, they were slow. The Marshall wandered his men down the middle of the street. The Preacher was still in a sermon. The Pinkertons got antsy and sent one of their men up close to the train car. Too close, as a matter of fact.
The first monster attacks! A mummy jumped out of the train car and mauled the Pinkerton in hand to hand. It was brutal and ugly, just as expected. The Pinkerton went down and had to roll 7 times on the wound table (keeping the worst). He rolled 7 times, and only came up with a single wound! He should have been dead! But because the combat was so quick, the GM ruled that nobody else heard the ruckus.
The monster followed up with another haymaker. This time the countess herself rushed out of the train car and attacked the downed Pinkerton. With more statistically normal rolls this time, the downed agent was killed. But again, it was so fast nobody had a chance to fire. Next, two gypsy minions emerged from the train and ran at full speed towards the other Pinkerton agent, hoping to silence him before he could raise the alarm. But they were just a few inches short...
Next round: The lone Pinkerton agent that could possibly raise the alarm got lucky, and activated first. He pivoted to see his partner down, large shapes looming over him, and two crazy people dressed in 100-year old clothes and waving flintlocks charging at him! He fired! He ran out of ammo! (Game note: The Pinkertons were carrying silver ammo, which had a bonus on hitting monsters. As an offset, their guns would run out of ammo (jam) on a 1 or 2, not just a 1. Their player rolled a 1 or 2 every single turn! He always had at least 1 agent with an empty gun) But, a shot had been fired and now every one could be alerted. The agent, having run out of ammo, wisely decided to run up an alley next to the hotel.
The monsters rushed forward, hoping to reach the sideshow. But in their haste, the Countess left the Mummy alone with the corpse of the agent. The Mummy's special rule kicked in. He would now single-purposedly drag the corpse to boot hill and perform a ceremony (rip his heart out). After he completed it, he would be healed of all wounds and ready to fight again.
While rushing forward, the gypsy minions took a shot from the agent on the balcony, but it missed. Sara's Marshall and deputies were running forward, having heard several shots fired by the strange men in town. Sara played it well. One of her deputies ran around the corner and saw the Pinkerton with a smoking pistol. They went into a nose-to-nose standoff with the deputy yelling "drop your gun" and the agent yelling "look behind you!". Then the vampire swooshed by and they got on the same page...
As the Countess and gypsies rushed forwards, most people concentrated on the Mummy. He took many shots. Another GM note: The monsters were supposed to be very hard to kill. It took an 8 or 9 to cause 1 wound, a 10 to cause 2 wounds. But poor Miles, staying true to his dice rolling, always rolled high for his own damage. The mummy rolled a 10 twice in a row when hit by gunfire, and was killed outright.
Although saddening to Miles that he lost his mummy, it did let the Countess get to the sideshow tent. Next round all heck was going to break loose. The monsters would gain Count Dracula and 2 zombie skeletons. The Pinkertons and the Marshall had both lost a man. The Preacher had finally climbed down off the water tower and was starting to advance.
Initial Moves.
From the beginning, the monsters drew low cards for initiative. There was only one deal where the went first, but it was when it counted. But at the start, they were slow. The Marshall wandered his men down the middle of the street. The Preacher was still in a sermon. The Pinkertons got antsy and sent one of their men up close to the train car. Too close, as a matter of fact.
The first monster attacks! A mummy jumped out of the train car and mauled the Pinkerton in hand to hand. It was brutal and ugly, just as expected. The Pinkerton went down and had to roll 7 times on the wound table (keeping the worst). He rolled 7 times, and only came up with a single wound! He should have been dead! But because the combat was so quick, the GM ruled that nobody else heard the ruckus.
The monster followed up with another haymaker. This time the countess herself rushed out of the train car and attacked the downed Pinkerton. With more statistically normal rolls this time, the downed agent was killed. But again, it was so fast nobody had a chance to fire. Next, two gypsy minions emerged from the train and ran at full speed towards the other Pinkerton agent, hoping to silence him before he could raise the alarm. But they were just a few inches short...
Next round: The lone Pinkerton agent that could possibly raise the alarm got lucky, and activated first. He pivoted to see his partner down, large shapes looming over him, and two crazy people dressed in 100-year old clothes and waving flintlocks charging at him! He fired! He ran out of ammo! (Game note: The Pinkertons were carrying silver ammo, which had a bonus on hitting monsters. As an offset, their guns would run out of ammo (jam) on a 1 or 2, not just a 1. Their player rolled a 1 or 2 every single turn! He always had at least 1 agent with an empty gun) But, a shot had been fired and now every one could be alerted. The agent, having run out of ammo, wisely decided to run up an alley next to the hotel.
The monsters rushed forward, hoping to reach the sideshow. But in their haste, the Countess left the Mummy alone with the corpse of the agent. The Mummy's special rule kicked in. He would now single-purposedly drag the corpse to boot hill and perform a ceremony (rip his heart out). After he completed it, he would be healed of all wounds and ready to fight again.
While rushing forward, the gypsy minions took a shot from the agent on the balcony, but it missed. Sara's Marshall and deputies were running forward, having heard several shots fired by the strange men in town. Sara played it well. One of her deputies ran around the corner and saw the Pinkerton with a smoking pistol. They went into a nose-to-nose standoff with the deputy yelling "drop your gun" and the agent yelling "look behind you!". Then the vampire swooshed by and they got on the same page...
 |
| After the Mummy was killed, everybody hung out on Boot Hill. Except for that one guy. He was convinced something was going to come out of that outhouse... |
As the Countess and gypsies rushed forwards, most people concentrated on the Mummy. He took many shots. Another GM note: The monsters were supposed to be very hard to kill. It took an 8 or 9 to cause 1 wound, a 10 to cause 2 wounds. But poor Miles, staying true to his dice rolling, always rolled high for his own damage. The mummy rolled a 10 twice in a row when hit by gunfire, and was killed outright.
Although saddening to Miles that he lost his mummy, it did let the Countess get to the sideshow tent. Next round all heck was going to break loose. The monsters would gain Count Dracula and 2 zombie skeletons. The Pinkertons and the Marshall had both lost a man. The Preacher had finally climbed down off the water tower and was starting to advance.
A Fistful of Horror - Halloween game AAR part 3
Part 3: The big finish
The sideshow tent was half surrounded by members of all three groups. One Gypsy was down, another right in the middle. And cards were drawn. Remember how I said only one time did the monsters get good cards? This was it. First out of the tent was the Countess. She broke to the left and took out a Pinkerton on the way. Next 2 zombie skeletons burst out and attacked. One of the preacher's men was killed and a lawman went down. (1 king and 2 aces drawn by Miles!)
Now it was the town's turn. The Preacher charged forward, his bible held high. The zombie skeletons recoiled in horror, running away. Miles went next, and out of the tent burst Count Dracula himself. Identifying the Preacher as the biggest threat, the Count rushed him and smeared the Preacher in hand to hand. Just plain wiped him out. But while he was busy, his wife was taking fire from multiple sources.
The final epic turn:
One Pinkerton guard had been standing on that balcony the entire game, waiting for the right shot. He had shot at Dracula once, but at long range had missed. His only hope was the deuce in his hand. This time, he would get 4 shots at Dracula.
But Dracula didn't play nice. Dracula rushed the Marshall! Another bloody hand to hand! The first round was a draw, which should have been a warning to Dracula. The Pinkerton couldn't shoot for fear of harming the lawman.
On the left, things were bad too. The Countess was down for the second time. Regeneration wasn't keeping up with the bullets. But now that she was down, fire concentrated on the zombie skeleton, and he took the hits. A shotgun blast at close range blew off one of his arms, to the enjoyment of the players.
And then the John Wayne moment happened. Marshall West was in desperate hand to hand combat with Count Dracula and a zombie skeleton. 2 against 1, the fight of his life. I called "roll for melee". Miles would get 1 roll for the zombie, 1 for Dracula. Sara would get 1 roll. She dropped the die out of her hand by mistake, it hit a building, and ended up a 10. After much discussion, we determined that it was an accident (she said so), and she had to re-roll.
So she was forced to re-roll her greatest hit of the night.
And repeated it. Another 10, no questions this time.
Dracula, already suffering from 1 wound, took 2 more and went down. (Miles kept rolling 10s for damage on himself).
The zombie, at 2 wounds, took 2 more and disintegrated into a pile of bones.
While the countess was still up and moving, we called the game as trick-or-treaters were starting to arrive. The Marshall and his posse ended up with the win. And Marshall Gordon West? After singlehandedly taking out a Master Vampire and a Zombie Skeleton in hand-to-hand combat? Well, I hear Chuck Norris just offered to be his valet...
The sideshow tent was half surrounded by members of all three groups. One Gypsy was down, another right in the middle. And cards were drawn. Remember how I said only one time did the monsters get good cards? This was it. First out of the tent was the Countess. She broke to the left and took out a Pinkerton on the way. Next 2 zombie skeletons burst out and attacked. One of the preacher's men was killed and a lawman went down. (1 king and 2 aces drawn by Miles!)
Now it was the town's turn. The Preacher charged forward, his bible held high. The zombie skeletons recoiled in horror, running away. Miles went next, and out of the tent burst Count Dracula himself. Identifying the Preacher as the biggest threat, the Count rushed him and smeared the Preacher in hand to hand. Just plain wiped him out. But while he was busy, his wife was taking fire from multiple sources.
 |
| Count is up on the right, having just smeared the preacher. But what about that outhouse? |
The final epic turn:
One Pinkerton guard had been standing on that balcony the entire game, waiting for the right shot. He had shot at Dracula once, but at long range had missed. His only hope was the deuce in his hand. This time, he would get 4 shots at Dracula.
 |
| Guy on balcony "Please give me a high initiative, please?" |
But Dracula didn't play nice. Dracula rushed the Marshall! Another bloody hand to hand! The first round was a draw, which should have been a warning to Dracula. The Pinkerton couldn't shoot for fear of harming the lawman.
On the left, things were bad too. The Countess was down for the second time. Regeneration wasn't keeping up with the bullets. But now that she was down, fire concentrated on the zombie skeleton, and he took the hits. A shotgun blast at close range blew off one of his arms, to the enjoyment of the players.
And then the John Wayne moment happened. Marshall West was in desperate hand to hand combat with Count Dracula and a zombie skeleton. 2 against 1, the fight of his life. I called "roll for melee". Miles would get 1 roll for the zombie, 1 for Dracula. Sara would get 1 roll. She dropped the die out of her hand by mistake, it hit a building, and ended up a 10. After much discussion, we determined that it was an accident (she said so), and she had to re-roll.
So she was forced to re-roll her greatest hit of the night.
And repeated it. Another 10, no questions this time.
Dracula, already suffering from 1 wound, took 2 more and went down. (Miles kept rolling 10s for damage on himself).
The zombie, at 2 wounds, took 2 more and disintegrated into a pile of bones.
 |
| "Clint Eastwood? Never heard of her..." |
While the countess was still up and moving, we called the game as trick-or-treaters were starting to arrive. The Marshall and his posse ended up with the win. And Marshall Gordon West? After singlehandedly taking out a Master Vampire and a Zombie Skeleton in hand-to-hand combat? Well, I hear Chuck Norris just offered to be his valet...
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