Flying Lead Green Baron on a Red Planet, being an VSF adventure

How, I hear my discerning reader cry, is it possible for the Baron Greenbakusama and his cronies (but without his goblins) is now in 1905 Mars? Could he be the manifestation of a multidimensional being? Or shall we get on with the game, drawing a veil across any minor discrepancies in any perceived plot?

Reports fly across the surface of Mars that an even stranger than normal flying machine has been sighted. Several parties set off in pursuit, Prince Umpa of Allumpa is always after an excuse to get away with the boys.  

But what is this? It's heading towards the hidden city state of Bananos, dread city of the Death Cult priests! A crash! The flyer is down! The two parties rush to secure the strange machine and its crew.

The Cast

Prince Umpa of Allumpa Points 130 Quality 3+ Combat 3 Special Rules Combat Fiend, Hero, Leader

Royal Companion Points 70 Quality 3+ Combat 3 Special Rules Combat Fiend

Rifle Guards Points 58 Quality 3+ Combat 3 Special Rules -Single Chambered Rifle, Poor Shot

Martian Flyer Points 62 Quality 4+ Combat 2 Special Rules Armoured, Long Move, Off-Road, Personnel Carrier 9 passengers, Vehicle

Prince Umpa's party on the Flyer

Flyer 62

The Prince 130

2 Sword companions 140

2 Radium Rifle Guards 116

Total 448

The Baron - Personality Points 122 Quality 3+ Combat 1 Special Rules -RPG, Leader, Personal Communication Device, Slippery, Strong

Stilleto - Personality Points 172 Quality 3+ Combat 3 Special Rules -RPG, -Shuriken/Small Thrown Knives, -Silenced Pistol w/ Laser Scope, Crack Shot/Marksman, Fanatic, Hit Man, Personal Communication Device

Pet Points 84 Quality 3+ Combat 3 Special Rules -Blowgun w/ Poison-coated Darts, Acrobat, CQB Specialist, Dashing, Jungle-craft, Long Move, Personal Communication Device, Stealth

City Patrol

Zombie sword Points 12 Quality 3+ Combat 1 Special Rules Fearless, Mook/Extra/Cannon Fodder, Personal Communication Device

Evil priest - Personality Points 144 Quality 3+ Combat 3 Special Rules Combat Fiend, Fearless, Hero, Leader, Personal Communication Device, Strong

Maiden Guard Officer - Personality Points 84 Quality 3+ Combat 2 Special Rules -Bolt Action Rifle, Body Armor, NCO/Second In Command

Maiden Guard Points 48 Quality 4+ Combat 2 Special Rules -Bolt Action Rifle, Body Armor

City Patrol

Zombie Sword 8x12= 96

Priest 144

Maiden Officer 84

Maiden Guard 3x48= 144

Total 468

THIS IS A QUALITY PRODUCT GIVING QUALITY RESULTS

Have you ever had a boss that yelled a lot, went on like a demented bee and micromanaged? Read my evil priest above, 'cos that's how he behaved. Now look at the Baron. He makes decisions, takes over command of his guards and the fall of the dice allow him to behave in a rational way. We started off by giving the crash party 6 different post-crash locations. The top of the flat hill came out tops, being the highest.

Next came the decision on sides, the local city dwellers, evil priests and a controlled population. Sit back and join the winning side or the other more technically advanced. Decision- the latter.

So it's off the hill and make a “b” line for the party. We used the same method as before, the Baron's party could attempt to use the failed reactions of both parties. The RPG's are the the round type, hidden in a coat pocket, with a fuse at the top which are vigorously rolled towards the enemy.

Tony got the reaction and a good start, dropping off 2 infantry by the flier. I had about the best result of the game, one of my zombies went charging ahead followed by the priest. The Princes guard hop back on with the Baron and does a swooping “crunch” into the zombies, killing 3 out of 4. The flier banks and dumps the Baron and 2 guards off on the top of the hill.

Meanstwhile the maiden guards have taken cover after some very mediocre volley fire. They follow the path of the flyer and begin to make their way towards the Barons party. As commented above, the Baron had been using unused activations, but now we switched to him using his leadership ability and we stopped using reactions. Thus the game now had 4 effective groups each moving in turn, that is until 2 fails when the initiative passed to the other side. Sounds complicated but not in reality.

Now the Baron had a quandary, stay on the hill only to be picked off or retire down the hill into the rough ground. A rapid descent, but for once my guard sub-leader actually made an activation and the 2 parties meet in column.

Having managed to move up, my priest spots that the flyer has landed to help the other party and mounts an attack. The prince spots the danger, grabs some support and does a short “hop” into the unit of zombies. Meanwhile my guard manages to order a retreat into the rough where a short nasty battle ensues. I lose.

The flyer is landed and the 2 remaining zombies and the priest leap on and engage the prince and guards. The rest of the party, now free of opponents, rush to the princes aid. One zombie is shot, the other engaged then dispatched. Now a ding-dong battle ensues between the 2 leaders. I have the best of it, despite both of us rolling constant single activations, knocking the prince back off the flyer. I leapt down, he got up – I knocked him down again. And that was the problem, with a clear line of fire the priest went down in a hail of aimed radon rifle shots. Even Martians can hit at close range! One point to clear up, one of the maidens ran away, undoubtedly to be picked up. Now how is Mrs Prince going to react? This could be another Battlesworn game!

A real fun game, innovative use of the flyer – a bit like a huey, by Tony. The zombies acted pretty much as expected. I'd like the bodyguard rule from Flashing Steel, the idea of a zombie stepping in the way of a blow or shot seems right.

I'm planning a bigger game, a raid to recapture the flyer- or is it a distraction? Watch this space.

I made some Mars scenery. The ruined pyramids are based on Sainsbury's trifle packaging. See what I have to endure for you! I made a box inside then a pva and sand layer. Artificial grass mat is from Lydle, painted but it resisted quite well. Time for second coat. Don't get wet, it just runs out.

Essential supplies, plus ginger beer.

Pretty average for me-

OGAM Thunder and Lightning, power and rain, a Japanese perfect storm!

There seems to be a time every year when my life turns Japanese. I'm building some larp stuff at present and after pulling all my Achaeans out of their (11) boxes it suddenly occurred to me that I'd painted some more (mundane, from Eurika via Fighting 15's) Japanese that I hadn't used yet. My original plan was to get Athene out, but then I decided to do the most diverse forces possible. A mundane high quality force with one legend and a mythic with 5 legends.

Ryujin, the Dragon King 396 points Q2 C5

Amphibious, Gargantuan, Shapeshift (human form: Q2, C5), Water God, Weather Control, Armoured, Flying, Part Waters

Warlord 144 points Q3 C3 Armoured, Mounted, Long Move, Shooter (Long), Bard, Rare (1)

Chosen Samurai (CO) Q4 C3 Armoured, Fanatic, Mounted and Long Move, Shooter (Long) and Good Shot. 32 points @8 =256

Samurai (CO) Q4 C2 Armoured, Steadfast Mounted and Long Move for 15 points. Shooter (Long) and Good Shot for 10 points. 8@ 47= 376

Samurai (CO) Q4 C2 Armoured, Steadfast 16@ 22 = 352

God 396

Legend 144

Mortals 984

Total 1,524

Raijin, God of Thunder 368 points Q2 C4

Lightning, Weather Control, Flying, Long Move, Hammering Blow

Kirin 124 points Q3 C3 Flying, Shooter (Medium), Dashing, Long Move, Armoured, Rare (1)

Jorogumo, Spider Woman Q3 C2 Labyrinth The Labyrinth Trait represent the Jorogumo binding her targets with spider webs. 2X 60 = 120

2 Nure-Onna, Snake-Bodied Woman Q3 C3 Amphibious, Huge 2x72 =144

Warriors (CO) Q4 C2 Armoured 16@20 points =320

Warriors (CO) Q4 C2 Shooter (Medium) 16@20 points =320

Spider demons Q4 C2, 15 animal-2 greedy (q test destroys enemy) -3 Dashing 8@ 14 =112

God 368

Legends 388

Mortals 752

Total 1,508

I've gotten some stick because I called KOW & Dragon Rampant “clunky” and slow. So I'm going to take my time (longer than it took to play) to describe the first 2 rounds.

Tony took the mythic. I used a box file to block off and we both set up more like Battlesworn, but I guessed this could be a long game. He struggled to get them all on and adopted a crescent formation.

He won the toss and started a general advance.

In DR you'd be lucky to get 1/3 to move, in both I'd be sat back twiddling my thumbs.

I was lucky as there were enough reactions to move most of mine forward. So as he advanced, so did I, just like real encounters. He got most of the way along before failing, so the play moved to me.

I continued to advance and got my archers to take out a spider. Now like uses likes reactions. I needed to get my dragon into the fray, reducing units and taking out legends. But I got 1 fail. The thunder god can use lightning once a turn. You can shoot on reaction. This he did, taking out my only legend.

In the other systems Tony would have been twiddling thumbs bar the one piece of shooting. That ended the round, so any at-the-back troops can take a move forward. Again, not possible.

I was working up a three-pronged attack. My left dragon & archers were keeping his archers busy, my central archers started a running battle with the spiders while my right Samurai engaged the goblins and the spiderwoman.

Then the Dragon took out some archers and a spiderwoman, the legends and god headed his way. At the clash Raijin got lucky and knocked down Ryujin, but it didn't last long and a chomp! Took him down due to rolling a 1 with a hammering blow. Morale, one group of archers goes off, most of the rest goes back. But you cannot keep a good god down. Up he pops thanks to Greenbacks Greenies. The Kirin went for my cavalry, Raijin my Samurai, and Ryujin the Nure-Onna. Time for another clash, and again the god of thunder goes. More retire, a couple of small units dissapear.

Up he pops again for the second time. My Samurai are looking ragged, cavalry reduced, legend dead. Tony's numbers have evaporated but I'm still outnumbered. The spiders make a break for the rear of my Samurai and I'm hard pushed to hold them. But Tony's are suffering so it's back to the brawl again – and it's another 1. The thunder god is done. More lose morale and there's not enough. Mine are left holding a stricken field littered with dead.

What a good game! Trading punches all the way. Fast, furious and we both had to think. Tony had the advantage of having troops to invoke and other forces to protect them. Quality will out.

a foaming cup of nut brown meths

A single Samurai takes on a hoarde of ravening beasts while a Dragon God'
s got your back - how manga is that?

Chase me! Chase me!

Greenbakusama "Big god with hoirns, three volleys rapid!"