Space 1899 Venus 2) Rogue Stars - rescue the missionaries!

 

Let me set the stage.

In the distance, a native village.  Close, a small estate, farm or croft.  In a pen the captives.  Guards without.

A hilly, lightly wooded landscape.  On a hill a cluster of humans, deliberately conspicuous.  Overhead the bulk of a Zeppelin hang.

The Human choices:

Scenario 1.  The Cavalry approaches the settlement with a trader & guide (0 points civilians to gain the hostages then retire to the Zeppelin.  The crew stand guard.  Version of Secure area scenario.  After 1 hour of play if defenders have or gain initiative 100 points of relief enter from 1-3 edges.

Scenario 2.  Custer pays the Crew (plus officer) to mount an early morning raid and rescue the hostages.  The cavalry stand watch. Version of Rescue mission.

Follow on.  All must make it back to the Zeppelin.  Version of make it to the ship alive.  Each initiative switch the pursuers gain 80p(approx) enter from 1-3 edges.

The Hostages.  Merchants.  Civilians.  Activation, Reaction & Morale 14

Crawl 1"  Sneak, hidden, walk 2" Run 4"  Sprint 6"

Determined.  4 tokens.  Removes 1 stress from 1 character.

Cowboy.  Fast draw. Marksman2 Tough  15

Merchant (cowboy hat)  Marksman -4

Farmer Marksman Tough 4

Mrs Farmer Marksman  Medic.Tough  7

Engineer  Marksman  Tech3 Tough 16

Preacher (top hat) Leader2. Marksman 8

5th Cavalry  Star Cops  Sharpshooters 5 tokens reroll shoot roll.

Crawl 1"  Sneak, hidden, walk 2" Run 4"  Sprint 6"

S.O. Leader 3 Fire into Melee. Marksman3 Steadfast Tough Weaponmaster2. 58+8= 66

Knife. 1 (1) Sword. 2 (2) Pistol. 4 Short range. (5)

LT Leader.  Activation, Reaction & Morale 12  27+8= 35

Green. Marksman2. Steadfast Tough Weaponmaster2.  

Knife. 1 (1) Sword. 2 (2) Pistol. 4 Short range. (5)

Vet Trooper.   Activation, Reaction 9.  41+10 = 51 

Marksman3 Steadfast Tough Weaponmaster2. 

Knife. 1 (1) Pistol. 4 Short range. (5) Rifle. 4 Reload, 2 handed,  (4)

Trooper. Marksman2 Steadfast Tough Weaponmaster. 26+10 = 36 

Knife. 1 (1) Pistol. 4 Short range. (5) Rifle. 4 Reload, 2 handed,  (4)

Crew.  Bounty Hunters.  Blitzkrieg. +2 at the beginning, attempt to take -1.

Crawl 1"  Sneak, hidden, walk 2" Run 4"  Sprint 6"

Officer Leader. Fire into Melee. Marksman3 Perceptive. Stealth. Steadfast Tough Weaponmaster. 48+ 5 = 53

Knife. 1 (1) Pistol. 4 Short range. (5)

Bosun Activation, Reaction 9. 41+ 12 = 53

Leader. Veteran.  Marksman2 Stealth. Steadfast Tough Weaponmaster.

Knife. 1 (1) Pistol. 4 Short range. (5) SMG 4 Short range. Automatic. (6)

Veteran crew Activation, Reaction 9.  34+5=39

Marksman2  Stealth. Steadfast Tough Weaponmaster.

Knife. 1 (1) Rifle. 4 Reload, 2 handed,  (4)

Crew  Marksman2  Stealth. Steadfast Tough Weaponmaster.  29+5= 34

Knife. 1 (1) Rifle. 4 Reload, 2 handed,  (4)

Gunner Marksman3  Stealth. Steadfast Tough2 Weaponmaster. 43+6 + load

Knife. 1

Double Gun. 2 Handed.  Reload. Short range 2" spread  Stock cost 5 + shot load.

Stun (rock salt, glass shards, thorns) Disarm (hit by +1) Endure roll or 1pin 1Stun.  Blinds on critical.  3 per shot.

Entangle.  Chain shot.  Target TN10 (15 if crit) fail= entagled & falls prone.  10 per shot.

Shotgun.  Grapeshot.   5 per shot. 3 damage,

(cross between a blunderbus & mortar)  

No plan survives the enemy, and when it does it throws you.  Easton decided to upgrade the humans, vibroblades - took that as poisoned weapons.  And a power claw.  Ok, something like a Le Mat pistol or built in single shot weapon.

Matt decided to spend remaining points on a single stun grenade (pot filled with something nasty) for his priest.

The Locals  Militias.  Ignore 1st Pin.  Armour 1 

Crawl 1"  Sneak, hidden, walk 2" Run 4"  Sprint 6"

"Druids"  Well they're not - but you get the idea.  They carry obsidian knives and poisoned throwing darts.

Sharpshooters.  5 aim tokens. Reroll a failed shot.

Crawl 1"  Sneak, hidden, walk 2" Run 4"  Sprint 6"

Leader  Claws.  Leader2.  Reactive.  Reptile.  Stealth.  Tough.  Weapon master 3 45+8=53

Kevlar (shield) Torso, left arm +2 (6)  Sword 2 Primitive. (2)

Druid Claws.  Chucker2. Reactive.  Reptile.  Stealth.  Tough.  Weapon master 2 36+5=41

Knivesx2 1 (1) Max range 4" Primitive. Darts 1 Endure roll or 1pin 1Stun. (3)

Accolite.  Claws.  Chucker. Reactive.  Reptile.  Stealth.  Tough.  Weapon master 2 33+2=35

Knivesx2 1 (1) Max range 4" Primitive.

Tribals. (everyone else)

Brawlers.  10 reroll failed melee attack

Crawl 1"  Sneak, hidden, walk 2" Run 4"  Sprint 6"

Hero Leader  Activation, Reaction & Morale 7.  65+ 8 = 73

Hero. Claws.  Leader2.  Reactive.  Reptile.  Stealth.  Tough.  Weapon master 3

Kevlar (shield) Torso, left arm +2 (6)  Sword 2 Primitive. (2)

Huntleader. Leader. Reactive.  Reptile.  Stealth.  Tough.  Weapon master 3 38+8=46

Kevlar (shield) Torso, left arm +2 (6)  Sword/axe 2 Primitive. (2)

Axe/Sword &Shield.  Reactive.  Reptile.  Stealth.  Tough.  Weapon master 3 32+8=40

Kevlar (shield) Torso, left arm +2 (6)  Sword/axe 2 Primitive. (2)

Spear &Shield.  Reactive.  Reptile.  Stealth.  Tough.  Weapon master 3  32+8=40

Kevlar (shield) Torso, left arm +2 (6)  Spear 2 Long. Primitive. (2)

Archer  Marksman2. Reactive.  Reptile.  Stealth.  Tough.  Weapon master.  37+2 39

Bow 2 Primitive. 2 handed.  Short range.

Scenario 1 Hold them!  As the humans come to take or negotiate, you (huntleader & 5 others) must stall and hide whilst the local chief calls out the big chief on the hill.  He approaches alone whilst all the local archers sneak up and pelt the humans.  Variant of mission Duel and complication 11 Surrounded by hostiles.

Scenario 2.  Ambush!  The priests tell you to gather all your archers.  When the humans approach you must shoot them then back away.  Variation of mission secure area.  

The Druids will then attack the retreating humans once they are burdened with captives.  Variant of Mission Ambush.

Loss of the Trader, CO of the expedition, all (or most) the hostages or the Hero will lead to a larger conflict--.

Game 1. The cavalry approach to rescue the hostages but get ambushed.

The table.

2 spear guard the prisoners.

The estate.

The strike - arrows come from hidden archers. One shoots back and is now unloaded (blu disk. Blue dice = actions. The 2 civilians are out in the open.

One archer takes and gives damage. Yellow = pins. Green = spotted.

The leader runs across the field. Um, yes. One trooper goes down, an arrow in the arm and one in the chest. The CO gets a 20, shoots at an archer crawling through shrubbery. Another 20. Archer takes 2 pins, ignores 1st!

Sneaky priest.

The leader sneaks through the trees and cuts down a trooper from behind.

The CO shoots the other leader down, OOA, but not out. That's the signal for the locals to push forward. The merchant and scout drag OOA's away.

The Druid gets shot and wounded.

3 left---

The acolyte - marked with a white dice= sitting target, failed just about every roll.

Trying to bug out.

Getting outnumbered and surrounded. Poor trooper gets a dagger in the eye! OOA and dragged by the CO.

Shoot out, tribal archer vs veteran trooper.

Archer wounded and pinned.

Acolyte goes in and manages to down the veteran.

The treeline is breached and the CO retires with the wounded trooper.

2 OOA get off and back to the Zeppelin, but the CO goes down fighting.

Game 2

One advantage to gaming in a shop is the ability to purchase! I bought a big box of Warpainter tufts and added a few to the defenders in the meanst while.

The Hero approaches and yells insults towards the hill until the bosun steps forth.

The bosun gets the initiative, shoots, misses(!) does a hail of fire that results in a pin, but loses initiative! loses his head the hard way. That could have gone so differently--.

Taking more fire, 6 pins and a wound, the hero gains the hill.

Now it's bayonet work, and one gets thrown over the wall OOA. Second tries the same and gets clobbered in the head.

The gunner gets 2 shots off at the assembled warriors. Blue chit = spotted.

Surrounded by bayonets, gets another 2 pins, a wound and prone plus a temporary cripple to the right arm.

Once he's down the sniping archers have a target and a crewman gets an arrow through his arm and a pin.

The hero's dice have to be moved, they take up too much room. 6 pins, 1 wound 6 stress.

The huntleader gains the hill (3 actions running) He then defeats the gunner and throws him over.

The initiative turns and the last 2 make a run for it. And that end the game!

The butchers bill:

In the first game one trooper given over to the care of the prisoners survived, but the CO didn't.  Of the 2 returned to the ship 1 survived, making 50% casualties.

Second game.  These were not so kind to the wounded.  The Hero didn't make it.

Add- ons.

Village, just a bit more and its done.

All the following are from Irregular Miniatures. All lizards are from Alternative Armies.

5th Cavalry. Needs a few more characters such as a doctor and engineer.

The crew. Cannon and support to finish. A few more needed.

Imperial Germans. Few more needed.

I hadn't intended to do these in batches but necessity. Small start but ever onward!

Druid priests and acolytes. These are skirmishers and dismounted pterosaur riders.

Not sure what will be required, prep work.

These were a Temu find, mossed rocks but polystyrene shapes flocked. Very light, better suited to adding to a base. Would make larger scale war triffids or stealth haggis.