15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: Flying Lead Manifold Destiny of Godzillasaurus

Or Big Trouble in Tokyo Municipal Space Port

The Prologue

This is Victorian Science Fiction, right? Now lets suppose that the Japanese had adopted a slightly different path. During the Sino-Russian War the Chinese and Korean labourers were happy to serve the Japanese, as they paid them a decent wage, good food and better conditions than their own countrymen. The Japanese also built roads, hospitals and schools. If they had carried on in this manner, it's possible that large chunks of Manchuria, China and Korea could have come over to Japanese control without any real conflict. German prisoners in WW1 found the Japanese gracious hosts, many stayed on and German marching bands were invited to tour. Let us embrace this spirit.

Technology is another matter. Chinese papier mache armour was capable of stopping musket rounds. Light silk and bamboo are the ideal building materials for dirigibles. Standardisation and mass production started in Bronze Age China.

Lets consider a different weapon technology, a low powered gun using a mixture of clockwork and compressed air. A wide bore handle will accept a range of different weapon pods, the gearing giving the weapon its required air power. So we have a weapon that can deliver a net, a stream of blowpipe-like needles or a heavier bean-bag style. All silent, all ideal for use aboard a space craft.

Ideal weapons for use by customs staff boarding party (usually) based on a cutter or similar, or working within range of passengers. These are Peter Pig's old SF range. He was a bit (20 years) ahead of his time. There's a good mix of figures that fit in well with todays 18mm.

Customs Inquisitor (Trooper)
Points 63	Quality 4+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Low Speed Needler Carbine, Body Armour

Customs Senior (NCO) Netgunner
Points 60	Quality 4+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Shotgun, Body Armour, NCO/Second In Command

Customs Collector (Officer)
Points 71	Quality 4+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Low Speed Needler Pistol, Body Armour, Leader

As well as customs staff there is the local militia. You can think of this lot as being corporate troops (well the East India company had them-) or militia raised by the local mayor or feudal lord.

All these are from 15mm.co.uk – being used as steampunk as opposed to cyberpunk. The mix takes into consideration their main tasks of crowd control, guard duty and policing.

Ashigaru Militia
Points 47	Quality 4+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Single Chambered Rifle, Body Armour

Ashigaru Militia Grenadier
Points 57	Quality 4+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Fragmentation Grenades, -Single Chambered Rifle, Body Armour

Ashigaru Militia Swordsman
Points 50	Quality 4+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Pistol, Body Armour, CQB Specialist, Dashing, Fearless, Strong

Ashigaru Militia NCO
Points 54	Quality 4+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Pistol, Body Armour, NCO/Second In Command, Steady Under Fire

Ashigaru Militia Officer
Points 62	Quality 4+	Combat 2
Special Rules	-Pistol, Body Armour, Leader, Steady Under Fire

To oppose these stalwarts we have the dreaded Chou family. Their aim is to capture Godzillasaurus and the Dominar. Quite what use they will make of the three girls does not bear scrutiny, them being yer actual feendish orientals like.

Foo Han Chou the tazer does for hypno-ray, etc. Sprinter and Stealth for ability to get out fast.

Points 128	Quality 2+	Combat 1
	-Taser, Fear, Leader, Medic (professional), Specialist, Sprinter, Stealth

Su Chou, his daughter

Points 95	Quality 2+	Combat 1
	-Shuriken/Small Thrown Knives, -Taser, Acrobat, Chucker, Fearless, NCO/Second In Command, Sprinter, Stealth

Kut Chou and Hak Chou - dirty great swords come under superior weapons

Points 75	Quality 4+	Combat 3
	-Large Calibre Pistol, Combat Fiend, Fearless, Poor Shot, Strong

Aristu "Aka Aka" Chou

Points 74

Quality 4+

Combat 2 Drum Fed Light Machine Gun, -Large Calibre Pistol

Bit Chou, Chu Chou, Dog Chou, Eet Chou, Gou Chou, Mat Chou, Noh Chou, Out Chou

Points 56

Quality 4+

Combat 2 Large Calibre Pistol, -Single Chambered Rifle

Lin Chou, an anti-hero with a sabre

Points 89	Quality 4+	Combat 3
	-Pistol, Acrobat, Combat Fiend, Hero

The third side is our usual friendly bunch who have been together through so much already-

Dominar

Points 86	Quality 3+	Combat 1
Special Rules	-Taser, Body Armour, Leader, Long Move, Personal Communication Device

Minders 3

Points 71	Quality 4+	Combat 3
Special Rules	-Shuriken/Small Thrown Knives,, Fanatic, Personal Communication Device, Sprinter Combat Fiend

Godzillasaurus

Points 48	Quality 5+	Combat 5
Special Rules	Armoured +1 (Thin), Off-Road, Vehicle

The forces

The Good Grand total 1,265 The Bad Grand total 1,252

Imperial Customs Team 8 Inquisitors 504, 2 Seniors 120 1 Collector 71 Total 504

Militia 4 Militia 188, 1 Grenadier 57, 8 Swordsmen 400 NCO 54 Officer 62 Total 819

Chou Family Foo Han Chou 128 Su Chou, his daughter 95 Kut Chou and Hak Chou 150 Aristu "Aka Aka" Chou 74 Bit Chou, Chu Chou, Dog Chou, Eet Chou, Gou Chou, Mat Chou, Noh Chou, Out Chou 448 Total 905

Those with hangover Dominar 86, Minders 213 Godzillasaurus 48 Total 347

The Game. Here is the goods yard of said Tokyo Municipal Spaceport. When the manifest of the Kabyashu Maru is presented, it is obvious that there is one major discrepancy. To wit the absence of a party who had joined at Mos Edo but disappeared during the journey. This matter is a police one, rather than customs. The command decide to flood the lander (the interplanetary merchant ships are bricks of the aether, incapable of landing) with gas (used for decontamination) and hold all parties for questioning. But the Godzillasaurus, freed from control and towering above the gas is able to make its escape.

The customs party sent in to (dark, smoke filled narrow interior) take prisoners runs at the first roar and crunching of bulkheads (wouldn't you?).

The start.

Customs are spread out from the landing bay entrance but means of dropped dice – any going off-table can be presumed to have met their fate. Civilians (mobile scenery) are added in the same manner. This sets up several “stories” - the pile of customs by the lander shed door plus the loss of a Senior suggests that his squad was going in, the stalwart NCO in the lead. So the scene is set, a pile of running officers being pursued by the beast. Over near the goods entrance another officer is questioning a porter near his court while two more officers are near a door at the lockups.

Everyone else will start to enter on a “6”:

The Dominar and the girls will wake up. Objective, get Godzillasaurus and run.

Chou family will gain the side entrance. Objective, get the Dominar and Godzillasaurus then run.

Militia will enter via main entrance. Objective, (plus customs) stop everyone else achieving theirs.

Tony won the initiative and (diced) Godzillasaurus to the right. He minced two of mine before taking a stroll around the area. That gave my Collector to gather a couple of chaps to put up a resistance. He gave his life so that the public could get clear. The Senior then gathered the stragglers back to the exchange.

Where is everyone?

Why can we roll no 6's?

With a defiant “Whoot” the lorry comes crawling out. He remembers that lorry. He attacks it head on. Crunch! Flesh beats steel. Crunch! He goes to the side and pushes the lorry over. So dies the Sword girl. The Dominars party retire to cover. As with sharks, the safest place is just behind.

Now the brute is heading for the main gate. Panic! I hadn't considered the possibility of him wandering out onto the road. Fortunately I then roll a six! Cheers, mention in dispatches. In come those oriental sons of fun the militia! The officer gets a poor roll and sends in the first squad of his section, the gun bearers. A round of ineffectual gunfire followed by a Roar! Their morale breaks and they go hurtling back. I name the officer Wupert-san. The sergeant is more effective and the swordsmen prove more than willing. The first squad go into combat and it's a standoff. The second squad form up on the flank ready to drive the wee beasty back.

At this stage poor Tony has rolled about 15x on the same D6 hoping for a 6. We did not roll another 12 or so to get a 6, cos that would be cheating and not cricket! Still, as a result of said 6 in come the steaming Chous!

First comes the brake with the machine gun crew, careering across the yard they stop, the gun opens up on the long line of militia waggling swords. Troopers go flying, but only the sergeant (at the end of the line) crumples, riven through with flying lead.

The lorry's next, a few snap shots and the old advancing behavior. Wupert-sama has regained some composure and orders his scattered shooters and the grenadier forward.

More ineffectual firing then the grenadier. Now this area is full, any miss- but no! First time ever a grenade lands where directed! Up goes the brake and all inside her. Meanstwhile the brave swordsmen have slashed Godzillasaurus to the ground for the loss of only 1.

The Model T next, troops get organised. In response the brave custom lads come out and yell the traditional chant of “You can't park that there”! They take on the advancing yellow peril, the sergeant uses his net gun to good effect (counted as a shotgun, a hit means entangled) and yet more ineffective shooting from everyone else.

Now Lin Chou proves his worth, charging towards the sergeant he shoots the first lad deaded and then cuts down the sergeant.

But, I hear you cry, what of the famed Dominar? Fear not, he plots away. Sending his young ladies in sneak mode, they edge ever closer. At the imperial wave, the longbow goes twang, the militia officer goes Aaaaarg-U and falls to ground in a crash of expensive armour. General alarms then its the longbow again, taking the poor chaps life as he lies bleeding.

The militia, now at a loss, retreat (by chance) four gather around their fallen leader and start to remove him. Godzillasaurus now relieved of the flashy things starts to stalk the fleeing. The Chou family are victorious of the customs and organised. Now negotiations start and the new partnership makes haste in the motors with a recaptured Godzillasaurus poking his head through the roof.

Alas what fate awaits? To be shown off in some seedy backstreet circus? Used as a fiendish instrument of extortion? Here we must draw a suitably sized veil.

Well I hope you enjoyed this series – it had started as an interesting game and grew of its own accordion. No doubt we shall see more of the Dominar and the Chous. But Godzillasaurus?

One last footnote. Our cultists have had a schism. As you know their sacred text was found hidden in a 17c book on horticulture unearthed from a sacred book show in Much Binding In The March (the one next to the chip shop, not the one by the railway station with the adult section in the back – so they claim). One veritable scribe going about his labours of transcribing every fifth world. In an ecumenical flash he realises that the Standard Reference Number is in fact a coded reference to the name of the divine and as such must be included in the count.

Here we see a verenable scholar with a version of the divine work assisted by a lay poking member admonishing Mrs Ethel Quatts, her hatchlings and pet, of Pewter Lodge, Mons. Of course if they had bothered to ask they would have realised that she is a proud (if naturalised) citizen of the British Empire by gad.