RS Mercenaries on Mars 4 Headed of at the Pass

Number 4! The main battle's over and the strewn and steaming bodies of the young acolytes are found.

 There follows wailing, gnashing of teeth and sending of hastily assembled parties off in all directions to avenge the dead and recover the diamonds.

Play this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3353dbkWt4

Doesn't take much to figure out my favoured film or book style, does it? A small disparate group forced together go through a series of encounters. Shades of Apocalypse Now, Kellys Heroes Hammers Slammers and The Zone.

I love a follow-on game, this whole series is the tumbling of the dice. A vehicle got away during the raid. They take the chance of doing a blag during a battle. Now they are being hunted with no rain storm to hide in.

The Wild Bunch

The team make it back into the loving, quiet embrace of the marshlands. They rest up, apply basic first aid. It's hard to allocate XP, but they killed all 6 opponents and got the diamonds, so I'd say 40. I'm not adding this now as this game is of such immediacy. Higs gets 12, see below. Freed did the most, killing 2 so another marksman (6) I'll add same to Ell (6) Now the Captain, another leadership (6) Geed reactive (5). That leaves me 5 for the next replacement.

Alas Hard is dead, but they pick up Sergeant Hig, who was watching their escape route. I've “boosted” him by 12 points which comes off the total gained.

Mercenaries

Captain Leader2, Ambidextrous, Elite, Marksman1, Martial arts1, Tough1 Reactive 55

Sword (2) Pistol (4) 7

Ars (trooper) Vet, Marksman2, Martial arts1, Tough1 Reactive 20

Shotgun (4) * with bayonet (2) 10

Ell (gunner) Reactive, Tech1, Tough1 Weaponmaster 2 Martial arts2, 27

Pistol (4) separate bayonet (2) 6

Freed (driver) Marksman1, Reactive, Tech1, Tough1 23

Shotgun (4) 8

Geed (engineer) Marksman1, Tech1, Tough1 17

Shotgun (4) * with bayonet (2) 10

Hig (Wagon commander) Leader1, Vet, Marksman2, Martial arts1, Reactive 31

Shotgun (4) 8

Total 212

*Heavy shotgun, 2 handed 4 damage 8

Think French Spas loaded with solid shot. Developed to wholesale cull of large African animals seen as vermin. The outrage resulting saw them transferred to colonial armies as the perfect weapon for poor shots. Using such weapons against sentients, men, women & children cause less outcry. No? Animals shot with machine guns from helicopters outrage. Civilians so dispatched by their own governments hardly a mention on the news.

Hateful 6 Militia

Officer Leader 3, Marksman3 Reactive, Vet, Weaponsmaster3, Stealth1 Steadfast 2 65

Accurate Pistol (4) 10

Baggs Alert, Marksman2, Stealth1, Perceptive Steadfast1 22

Musket, (4) 3

Croop Alert, Marksman2, Stealth1, Perceptive Steadfast1 22

Musket, (4) 3

Drim Alert, Marksman2, Stealth1,Perceptive Steadfast1 22

Musket, (4) 3

Evhil Alert, Marksman2, Stealth1,Perceptive Steadfast1 22

Musket, (4) 3

Froody Alert, Marksman2, Stealth1,Perceptive, Steadfast1 22

Musket, (4) 3

Total 200

The Game. Again this one doesn't match the scenarios in the book, although 17, make it to the ship alive is closest. I couldn't resist the addition of the worm which follows complication 19 space demon, and gives a proper Martian feel I hope! All Martian monsters are big, scary and noisy but can just be killed by a strong chap.

 I took the Martians and won the initiative.  I got all mine onto a slight rise then handed it over.

Using reactions I probed forward.

As did they.

Action shot!  as per the scenario, once all on table the big nasty comes out.  There are 6 "wet bits"  so I numbered them and Tony rolled.  A 1.  Right in front of my chap who'd just managed to make himself a sitting duck!

The monster rolls, the first 20,20,10 in the game.
You would think, wouldn't you?  nope.

Even hitting on the head it still only managed a pin and a knock-down.

Its presence changes the dynamic.

Oh Eff, we've got to get past that!

The Captain bravely comes forward to assess the threat.

The amazed survivor gets up, promptly gets attacked again, he loses his rifle and does a sensible runner!  Wouldn't you?

Shoot!  Shoot anything!

The Captain does a runner, chased by a hail of bullets.

Cautious advancing mode.

One shot, he obviously knew the right spot.

The leader goes down, shot in chest *1

Another one goes down.

Right, let's do this one.  Well that was the plan.  He kept getting hit in the chest, knocked down and pinned.  Over and over again.

Geed hugs the cover and goes to the flank.

And gets shot for his trouble!  The leader gets up again!

Emboldened by the kill they advance.  

Higs gets lucky!  He'd lost his gun so dives for the dropped rifle (1)  picks it up and snaps a shot (2,3) drops it then grabs Ell's pistol (4,5)

Meanstwhile Ell gets the worst of it and dies!  I cannot kill these guys!

No, I haven't finished painting, but I couldn't resist using it.

The 2 vets begin to advance in a correct but rearward direction.

This cost me the driver, Freed.

I was pissed at losing Higs.

The 2 vets are ahead of the pack.  Fortunately, the nearest is the rifleless one who ran away and has been watching from a safe distance.

They get off the board.  With the diamonds.  Hah.  On to the next one.  Taxi!

"You lose it here you're in a real world of hurt"

We tried a new method.  List taped to the top of a plastic figure box and small counters.

Just before the end, my leader had 11 pins!  9 in chest, 2 in arm.  He soaked up so much!  I lost no- one!  The other yellow pin was the worm munched one. What a difference from last week!

Tony's surviving 2.