Flying Lead (ish) Rats Drift

Rats Drift.

We all do it. A familiar set of rules that fit like a comfy pair of old, um, slippers. (I've never owned a pair, but I get the concept. I'm retired- not old enough to wear 'em or a cardigan!) I'd joined a Lost Worlds FB site. Done it in the past, want to revisit, so you'll see these elements cropping up. I've posted a pirate campaign earlier in the hopes of attracting some younger players of our acquaintance into playing. But alas so far they have resisted the cerebral side. Need to paint plastic pirates with silly guns and skulls.

Digress. My plotting was that one faction of said campaign would find the treasure map that would lead them to a mysterious island somewhere of the coast of Africee. Here all manner of creatures would await them. You know, hanging around in set locations waiting for them to turn up, looking at pocket watches, drinking coffee and buffet spam or fish paste sandwiches. Of course the hired hands would turn out to be mutinous pirate dogs. This is the nature of such and must not be denied.

So here, perhaps, is a proto-kingdom on that far flunged land. A tranquil spot by a lovely river. A fort nestles against a pool. The farm of Rats Drift nestles nearby, with its population of happy, industrious farmers. What would rats farm? Cheese plants? This I have skirted for now. Please ignore this omission, dear reader and lettuce continue in a spirit of concord and imagination.

But what is this? Dread Rat Raiders approach our happy homestead, intend on spreading disharmony and bloodshed! Thus we set the scene. Tony took the defenders, who set out on their morning patrols, as you do.

Tony had 10 gun armed militia with leaders. The fort had 2 fixed cannon & crew. The farm had 8 farmtool armed workers. (All these were Rebels Pyrats whilst most of the rest were Pendrakens 10mm rats). The raiding rats were 4 sections of 8, the young Turks (Rebel again) 2 sections of nasty chopper types and the command which included a 4 squad of the dread white mice suicide bombers.

I diced for entry location, 1-2 the ford near fort, 3-4 the other side of the fort and 5-6 the long road.

First came the young Turks along the long road. Next a chopper squad across the ford. Ahah! Chance to take his militia in the rear. They don't like it up 'em! But they repeatedly failed. Rapidly came to the conclusion that they didn't want to get their feet wet (it's freezing! My mum gave us a note-) So the initiative was lost. The YT's stormed down the road just as the farmers dashed to the aid of their militia brethren. Sliding over the wall, they started looting and a-burning as is their wont.

The farmers realising that they had enemy to the rear, half returned (half in woods) to defend their home. The furthest militia unit, seeing flames arise from happy homestead marched to the sound of the flames.

Another chopper unit came on the long road and proceeded with reactions from Tony. Then my leader makes his appearance and his party dashes for the cannon!

Meastwhile the militia line up on me poor choppers and start pouring in the flying lead. Bodies start to drift downstream and any idea of momentum is lost. Then the farmers hit them from the flank and all is lost. The last one is drowned, poor soul! The leader manages to escape and works his way around the shrubbery.

The battle for Rats Drift heats up. The militia climb the roofs, work through the ruins and lay volleys down on the YT's below. The farmers charge in and the survivors are repulsed, retreating leaderless (cut down by a cunning volley) to their brethren choppers. Together they advance! The farmers, realising that they are outnumbered rapidly retreat to the fort. The militia having enemy to their rear start to reform.

Now it's the white meeces moment of glory! I treat those as a Flying Lead artillery strike- you get 1-3 dice dependent on range, any failure allows the target to move the hit marker one move (1fail S, 2=M, 3=L) A taper is passed a bomb it lit and a rat's away! Um, not the best results. One own goal (a 1, which I took as a faulty short fuse) but the fence is toast even if the cannon survived. Undaunted – and still facing the cannon, who only got off one bang will cost them dear! The leader dashes over the still smoking, rat covered shards into the fort!

So in the middle the home team is outnumbered by the approaching horde supported by the last of the YT's, who sneak back over the wall! In the centre the rebels storm through the fort.

And there we had to leave it! Not often we have to leave a game uncompleted, one so perilously balanced! Still twas fun, the white mice added a surreal touch. Yes we could have done it (as I had originally planned) with a human side. If so, the rats would have been mooks-one hit wonders. Everyone was Q4 C2. Guns were M range +2, 2 activations to unload. Units went with the leader rather than group activations. Cannon were +6 (first target, +5next, etc) 6 actions to reload with 3 crew (so requiring 2 group activations). Go on, have a go – have fun! No one will ever know---.

Young Turks

Militia patrols

Drowned rat!

Flying Lead (ish) Nemo vs the Fishmen

Nemo vs the Fish Men.

Despite evidence to the contrary. A giant squid made a selfie, or a picture of his/her mate or mum or a campaign poster from carefully arranged shark vertibrae on a shallow sea bed millenia ago. Presuming intelligence to be new, unique or land based is arrogance. Did they go extinct? Deeper? Or migrated to the vast deeps of the solar system. If we catch up to them in Europa lets hope they are friendly and not want their real estate back.

Back when life evolved around the vents. What intelligence's, what civilisations arose? We know species are found in common. Could they have sent out generation ships into their dark void in search of new worlds?

Nemo's crew need a source of aquafiddlyum. Here is a rock with a pure vein of it. But the locals consider it sacred and prepare to defend it.

Nemo's troops are the usual Q4 C2, guns Medium +2. Not move & shoot but no reload. I toyed with making them mooks, one hit wonders to account for the effects of environment.

Fishmen guns Short +3 single shot. Cannon +6 first target, +5second, etc. 6 reload 3 crew. Crabs & lobsters +4. Flying squad halberdiers +3. All other weapons presumed to require bracing so sea floor only.

The Game.

In comes blue squad, to be attacked by the crabs. One gets short and the rest come on, getting the better of Nemo's troops. With a mighty whoosh the flying (well swimming if you want to be pedantic) swoops on the greens, scattering them. Four go down and 2, the officer & a crewman, start a running battle until the crewman is killed and the officer surrounded and captured to face a gristly fate on the altar of some dark, deep deity.

One green survivor has a ding-dong running battle with a net-armed scout a crab and its handler, finally gets away!

And the time the predators are circling. Do you like these? From GZG, a fleet based on the original drawings in Full Thrust, but never released other than a special at a Salute, many moons ago. I think my bamboo & rest make ideal sea plants. I'd been intending to make stage trees with the big green pompoms-.

The red squad move up but the hidden cannon goes boom (split water-recombine, enough chemicals react violently with water, glass vial-smash-boom.) sending half of them to hell. The rest are faced with the armoured crab men. Grey squad, alerted to its presence, takes out the cannon and moves on to decimate another unit.

Alas, Nemo's forces are now too weak and scattered to achieve their goal and must retire.

Real fun. Quick, easy game.