Rogue Stars. Trouble at t' Mill. This time its Venus.

A year ago (20 March 2021) I postulated (as a consenting adult) on using the VSF role playing game Space 1889's version of Venus as a setting.

I'm splitting this in 2. The game and some RPG bumpth just in case you or me ever get a group to play the best RPG game out there!

Mill from The Scene. Unfortunately doesn't do online orders - and only takes cash! First cash transaction since the first lockdown. Felt weird! All walls the heaviest bits from me big-box of shame. Hills Terrain for Gamers. Big buildings are aquarium bits got by 'er in doors. See end for my Rule Of Thumb.

Local Lizards  Militia.  200  Blitzkrieg  +2 initiative at start, taking -1.
All  +1 to shoot, +1 in combat.  Ignore 1st pin, Armour 1.

Jubal  Big, Fast, Leader, Reptiloid, Tough, Weaponmaster 3. 34 Total 42

“Kevlar”  Torso +2  6 
Sword 2 Primitive 2

Dave. Big, Fast, Reptiloid, Tough, Weaponmaster 3.   34 Total 42
“Kevlar”  Torso +2  6 
Sword 2 Primitive 2

Larry.  Alert, Big, Fast, Reptiloid, Tough, Weaponmaster 3  28 Total 38

“Kevlar”  Torso +2  6 

Sword 2 Primitive 2  38

Frank  Big, Fast 2, Reptiloid, Marksman 21 Total 23

Bow 2.  Reload.  Primitive.  2 handed.  Short Range 2

Garry Big, Fast 2, Reptiloid, Marksman 21 Total 23
Bow 2.  Reload.  Primitive.  2 handed.  Short Range 2

Kieth Big, Fast, Reptiloid, Weaponmaster. 14 Total 16
Spear 2 Primitive. Long  2

Vince Big, Fast, Reptiloid, Weaponmaster.14 Total 16

Spear 2 Primitive.  Long.  2

Saw Mill Crew  Miners. 200.  True grit. +1 endure roll until 2 go OOA.

Col. Sanders  Leader.  Tough. Civilian.  Tech. Steadfast.  Marksman2. 

“Musket” 4 Reload.  2 handed.  4  21.  Total 25

Memsaab Tough2. Civilian.  Steadfast.  Chucker.  Medic.  15 Total 31
Smell grenade.  6” range  2” radius.  Locals retire 1D.  4x4= 16

This worked out wrong. Suggest a "flee" plus pin & stress. Also a 2" puddle that needs a morale check to cross. I only used 1 activation as I'm thinking of a molotov cocktail/ostrich egg type of delivery.

Cook.  Tough2. Civilian.  Steadfast.  Chucker.  Medic. 15 Total 31
Smell grenade.  6” range  2” radius.  Locals retire 1D.  4x4= 16

Young Master Jeremy.  Ambidextrous. Civilian. Tough. Tech. Steadfast. Marksman2. Reactive. 32 total 42.

2 Pistol.  4 Short range.  10  

Gaffer Civilian. Tough2. Tech. Steadfast. Marksman2.  25 Total 30.
Pistol.  4 Short range.  5

Mr Smyth Civilian.  Tough 2. Tech. Steadfast. Marksman2. Perceptive.  Reactive.  Xenologist.  

Pistol.  4 Short range.  5

Whip. 2 Long.  2  34 Total 41

Camp coffee and proper Tiffin is recommended during such games to avoid time stress.

The Game.  Just the one, we were lazy and it's been a while.  Tony took the locals, placing them around the mill..  As the attacker I started.  Some snuck up to the fence, others around the flank.

The left hand scout gets spotted by the young master, who moves up and takes a shot, missing.

My archer takes a runner.

The locals congregate in front of the mill, attracting attention--.

The Gaffer advances.  The right flank archer takes a pot shot.  The Gaffer's webley roars.  A hit to the head puts the beast down, wounded - but not out.

 

Now Larry dashes in.  Another report and the beast is down, wounded in the chest, but he's up again and cleaves the human.  The red cluster - convenient place to store.

With the Gaffer gone, that flank is free for stealthy moves.

Our two chuckers move forward at a slow cautious pace.

Larry gets up and moves to a safe spot to see to his wound.  

With no visible threat, the humans seem to feel safe.  But they are being stalked.

The archer shoots - a 20!  2 pins.  Tanj.

Mr Smyth goes hunting.  A near miss and the archer scoots.

Keith dashes in and stabs Mr Smyth goes down wounded.

Moving up-  

Dave dashes in and crunch!  The lad goes down.

Colonel Saunders is no chicken, faced by a target rich environment he blasts his son's killer. 

Leader on leader action.  The Colonel goes down.  The cook finally moves in and starts lobbing smell bombs then starts with the first aid.

But as he works, Dave is coming round.  Hard bastard.  But the cook lets loose a stinky and Dave goes.

The archer shoots Memsahib.

Now the cook is in a stew, archers on both sides--.  He goes down, but the poor lad, now recovered, is faced with the same quandry.

He runs - but not fast enough.

Now, finally- .  We diced morale at each changeover.  Finally she goes through her gate, squashing poor Larry in the process. 

Not bad, could have been better.  Hope you enjoyed it, we'll return to Venus so look forward to seeing us.

The Rule of Thumb.  When buying non-wargame products use the side of your thumb to measure doors.  Easy to do without getting funny looks!

Space 1889.  This setting is suitable for any location.  If you're building a settlement from wood - first thing you need is the saw mill.

Infrastructure.  The mill runs on wood alcohol.  Wood chips, branches and other waste are turned into (undrinkable!) alcohol.  The waste mash is used for feed, mixed with other veg, for herbivorous dinosaurs such as Betty.

Betty is an old Prototriceratops.  Her kind are forest dwellers, digging up and eating rotting logs, bones and fruiting mushrooms that ferment in multiple stomachs.  Her normal life was interrupted when she was captured.  She had already raised her last brood and all she had to look forward to was falling behind during a migration and falling prey to predators.

Now she's fed, watered and protected.  Pulling logs all day is hardly a strain, plus her captors understand that if she wants to scratch or eat it's best to let her get on with it.  A creature of routine, she doesn't like unusual noise or surprise.  The gate of her enclosure is deliberately flimsy to allow her to escape in case of large carnivore attack or fire.

Like most, she lives in a world of smell and taste.  She locates her food by the fousty/musty smell of decay.  Don't have cheese sandwiches around her.

The Jao0.  (Venus sourcebook p 86)

Most humans fail to realise that other races come in different sizes as well as wildly different cultures.

Leading a nomadic life, each tribe directs their huge herds in distinctive trails.  If you come across one, the wide swathe of different growth sets them apart and indicate the direction and lapse of the herds travel.

I'm guessing that these routes will follow rivers, streams and denser marsh.  This follows the idea that the larger sauropods used water to support their bulk.  Plus, huge beasts must require huge quantities of water.  I can imagine different fish (aquatic dung beetles?) populations travelling before and after the herds.  Fast growing plants probably use the beasts to spread their seeds.

I will take issue with the given account.  By keeping the larger predators at bay, the tribes would be weakening the stock.  If you want more info, look up the effect of reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone.  The tribe need to take on the roles of protector and predator to all their charges and themselves.  Weeding out the old, infirm and non cooperative.  They will interfere in breeding and the selection of a new herd matriarch.  

Any settlement infringing, polluting or harvesting any part of the trail is going to get attacked.

Merchants will set up along the trail to trade as it passes.  They might be protected by the tribe as honoured guests, hire the odd youngster looking for adventure in the wide world.

Small herds of breeding stock being exchanged either at a set location or as part of a larger inter-tribal gathering could be an interesting event.