Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Back of Beyond => Topic started by: Ignatieff on 01 May 2010, 01:34:40 PM
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I've been a bit remiss of late - real life and all that, but 'The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers' annual outing to our favouraite UK show - Vapartanak in York in early February - was a tremendous success.
Here's a flavour of the game:
Set in Shanghai in the early 192?'S, it brought together all the usual suspects in a game of typical byzantine complexity. The backdrop was the death of one of our character players, The Chinese Warlord Slan Ties, and the power struggle that resulted around his annointed successor, Leen Too. Basically the 12 players (and one NPC) had to sieze as many of the strategic locations as possible in and around the city (20 odd in total). As always there were sub plots galore, the most important of which was a Kelly's Heros style bank heist of some treasures looted from the Imperial Summer Palace in the 1860's which had been kept in various Shanghai bank vaults since then.
The winner in the end was Harry 'Boy' Flashman, who managed to con a good number of the other players into helping him make off with the loot. He started the game as the owner of the 'Potemkin Princess', a converted Russian battleship and now Shangahais premier gambling and gentlemens club (a nod to the infamous Tuxedo Princess on the River Tyne).
Anyway, full briefs can be listed if there's any interest....
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/P2073535.jpg)
In this picture, the Bund is on the right. The Chinese garrison still hold onto the main armoury (they were to sell their lives dearly), whilst in the centre the infamous 'Mongolian State Circus' (an undercover organisation in the employ of Der Baron) burns to the ground, the subject of a few 'test shots' from new boy Paul Cooper (aka Rudi Schneiber, hero of the Austrian army). On the right you can see a Guinness lorry in flames, the scene of the games most infamous incident. Brigadier Linn and a company of Argylls were making their way down the Bund, when the Brigadier - triumphantly top the lorry, bottle of black stuff in one hand and cheroot in the other, were suddenly fired upon by the same Austrian gunners (erstwhile allies). The 75mm shell tore through the engine block and tore off the Brigadiers right hand. Amazingly he coolly picked up the cheroot and continued smoking! However a life long enemy had been made!
Too be continued in this summers campaign - Return to the Heart of Darkness.........
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Really cool. Looks like tons of fun too!
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Looks great. :-* :-* :-*
More pictures please
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I remember seeing this. It looks like a really great game!
Gorgeous figures and terrain, more pics please!
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Gorgeous, Love the big top in the middle ;D
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It looks quite chaotic but nevertheless I feel my loins stirring... Wonderful. If I can just get one game like this done I shall die happy.
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I saw this at Vappa. Looked scrumptious.
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Looks like lots of great terrain.
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Wow. Looks like a fantastic game.
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I for one would be very interested in your briefs.
(yes, I realise how wrong that sounds, but still...)
Looks like a fantastic game and great fun. And I second the request for more pictures, if you have them?
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The calm before the storm.....
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/P2073522.jpg)
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The airfield and neighbouring private members clubs...
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/P2073523.jpg)
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Soapy's splendid scratch built 'Shanghai Telegraphic' radio station, complete with flashing red light on top!
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/P2073525.jpg)
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Rum looking characters on a street corner.....
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/P2073526.jpg)
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Flashy (in the red fez) and his girlfriend Szu-Zhan park the Bugatti outside The Potemkin Princess......
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/P2073530.jpg)
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Another splendid scratch build -this time V.I.Blackwood converted a railway shed by imserting a concealed MP3 player and speaker which blasted out revolutionary favourites as his propoganda lorry toured the streets. However those deadly Austrian gunners soon made short work of his efforts! Brigadier Linn, amidst a sea of broken glass and Guinness, crawls to safety in the background. The Bund was not for the faint hearted that night!!!
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/P2073532.jpg)
More later.....................
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And here's the brief for the eventual winner, Harry 'Boy' Flashman.....
Harry Flashman and the Philosophers Stone Flashy’s brief
...Flashy did feel a slight pang as the corpulent figure in the British mess kit tipped over the side of the ‘Potemkin Princess’ deep into the inky black Yangtze, the splash muffled by the noise of the carousing revellers in the gaming rooms below.
“Christ, they’ve let standards slip since my time” he cursed to his Chinese lover, Szu-Zhan, as the bloated corpse of Major William Crawshay, late of the 17th Lancers, floated silently towards the mouth of the river and the East China Sea beyond.
Crawshay had made the ultimately fatal mistake of running out of credit – and friends – aboard the Princess, Shanghai’s premier gambling and gentlemen’s club, moored off the Bund. But not before he had let slip to Flashy of the existence and whereabouts of his family fortune: the fabled Ming Emperor’s Philosopher’s Stone, a giant lump of emerald encrusted jade, looted from the sack on the Imperial Summer Palace in 1860. Since then it had lain in a Shanghai bank vault, “for a rainy day” as the buffoon Crawshay had chuckled, shortly before Szu-Zhan traced a crimson line across his throat.
Objective
Steal the Philosophers stone, and spirit it safely away from Shanghai
You know it is in one of three banks: Honkers and Shankers, Bank of China or in the vaults of those old opium merchants, Jardine Matheson.
To open the vault, you need three keys. Crawshay always carried one around his neck, which you now have. The other two are in two of the vaults, and the stone in the third. Without the keys you would need a ton of amatol to blast open the vault.
Forces Available
Flashy: + 2 leader, sniper, ‘lucky’. Szu-Zhan: +1 leader, sniper
3 x 8 irregular thugs (M3). Rifles, bombs and +1 to hit at under 4” due to the profusion of personal small arms. One of these must start on the Princess, one in the port area and the other will be placed by the umpire
3 x lorries (in the port area)
Special Rules
You will be given three poker chips. These can be used to either bribe local Chinese forces to your bidding (one chip per unit, effect lasts for three moves during which time you control them), or you can buy off any foreign troops by making them ‘turn a blind eye’ to your shenanigans (one chip per move, lasts one move).
Intelligence
Your bones tell you that your old rival, Fu Manchu, is also hot on the trail of the stone. No doubt he is behind the anarchy on the Shanghai streets at the moment.
Your men tell you that there are Bolshevik agents all over the city trying to stir up Revolution. Good luck with the chinamen thinks you, he’d rather have a pipe than join the proletariat any day of the week!
The city is also full of more grandees than normal at the moment, adding to the chaos. Some sort of arms trade fair. Anyway, the city is getting very hot, too hot in your view, so the sooner you load up the loot and head off the better!
STEVE LANGAN 06/02/2010
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I really enjoy your battle reports (and of course the pics).
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What a fun game.
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very, Very, VERY nice!
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An excellent set-up! Thanks for sharing. :-*
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Excellent! :-*
Cheers
Christopher
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Thanks for sharing. Are you still on V3.5 of your rules?
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As usual, Ignatieff, simply fantastic ! :-* :o ;D
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Thanks for sharing. Are you still on V3.5 of your rules?
5.4.2....or thereabouts....
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5.4.2....or thereabouts....
Any chance of getting a hold of these?
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Sure. Send me a PM with your e-mail address. Still 'work in progress', but they are getting there. Can still be played off a two page playsheet, which I'll also send you.
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Sure. Send me a PM with your e-mail address. Still 'work in progress', but they are getting there. Can still be played off a two page playsheet, which I'll also send you.
Ignatieff, would it be forward of me to ask for a copy to?
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Not at all. Send me your e-mail address. When I do publish them, it wont be for any other reason than for the love of it, so no worries.
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The strangely pilotless Brandenburg surveyed the unfolding chaos below, whilst hard core Austrian stormtroopers held the vital Railway station.....(note to self, must get more Copplestone pilots)
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/P2073534.jpg)
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Meanwhile the DH10, hijacked by Bukharan pilots (! lol!!!) took to the skies......
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/P2073537.jpg)
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Time appeared to stand still at the table........
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/P2073539.jpg)
That's all Folks!!!
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I really love your minis and buildings. Can I just ask where the continental looking townhouse buildings are from?
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I really love your minis and buildings. Can I just ask where the continental looking townhouse buildings are from?
Thanks! Much appreciated. Those buildings are done by the 'Rapid Fire' folks. They used to sell them painted, but I think they dont any more.
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The strangely pilotless Brandenburg surveyed the unfolding chaos below, whilst hard core Austrian stormtroopers held the vital Railway station.....(note to self, must get more Copplestone pilots)
I see a whole new scenario here "the Mystery of the Pilotless Plane" or "Ghost Fliers in the Sky"
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The strangely pilotless Brandenburg surveyed the unfolding chaos below, whilst hard core Austrian stormtroopers held the vital Railway station.....(note to self, must get more Copplestone pilots)
I see a whole new scenario here "the Mystery of the Pilotless Plane" or "Ghost Fliers in the Sky"
Hmmmmmmm....I think you might be onto something there.....
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Ah! How did I miss this?
Every time I see one of your games I feel the inadequacy of my own attempts. Fantastic, as always.
How do you manage so many separate players, forces and objectives? Are your rules specifically designed for these type of multi-player games?
Edit; Just noticed the interesting range of nations there - is that the Tibetian embassy next door to the American and Austrian ones?
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Thank you. It aint rocket science. The rules are card based and therefore flow v.quickly , even in big games. Multiple players are also not an issue (I think from memory we had 12 in this one, including the Tibetans) Each move took about an hour, which considering the lead, the objectives and the terrain, was pretty good. They do have plenty of detail as well, so no shortage of excitement. The one thing it does require is planning. Many a late night and early morning on the train is taken up with planning these big games. Small games are no bother whatsoever however. A bit of imagination also goes a long way it has to be said.
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Once again a nice game and a nice report, Ignatieff!
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A stunning table accompanied by stunning miniatures.
Great work.
Steve
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Sorry if I missed this earlier in the thread, but where did yo uget the circus tent?
Lovely table all the way 'round. Looks like a magnificent game.
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Sorry if I missed this earlier in the thread, but where did yo uget the circus tent?
That's a funny story. It was in our local toy shop, and the shopowner took great care to tell me how rare it was and how it was destined to become a collectors item and how I should keep it in its packaging, blah, blah, blah.....72 hours later, with a sand textured basing, spray job and bespoke decals on the front entrance. :D.....
It was made by Lledo, £24. Tent is thin metal, perfect!
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That's a funny story. It was in our local toy shop, and the shopowner took great care to tell me how rare it was and how it was destined to become a collectors item and how I should keep it in its packakging, blah, blah, blah.....72 hours later, with a sand textured basing, spray job and bespoke decals on the front entrance. :D.....
It was made by Lledo, £24. Tent is thin metal, perfect!
Lovely story. I relish desecrating 'collectors items'. :)
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I've ben asked to share a few more of the briefs. So, by popular request, herewith that of the Beast of Bukhara, Adrian Enver Pasha himself....
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/defoix/ENDOFEMPIRES020.jpg)
The Slan Ties Ultimatum Bukharian brief
You are Adrian Enver Pasha, Emir of Bukahra, aka ‘The Beast’, state building phenomenon of the early 20th century, bulwark against Bolshevism and all round conqueror of Central Asia.
You are in Shanghai for the XXVth annual Shanghai arms fair, a poor affair in these post war times, mostly peddling second hand WWI equipment (Schneider tank with an 88mm hole in the side anyone?).
However Shanghai itself is a modern marvel, and one that has inspired you for the building of Novae Bukhara, your new capital, the precursor to a 1000 year dynasty!
Objective
Steal as much modern technology as you can lay your hands on. In priority order:
1. The crystal diodes from the radio station. You want to start broadcasting speeches from The Great Leader to the illiterate but loyal masses!
2. Canadian Pacific: world class railway technology!
3. Mr. Ping’s Opium Den: recreational drugs for the masses!
4. Shanghai Swingers Club: you’ve spent most of the arms fair week in here, and you want the franchise!!!
Double points will be awarded for being first in these locations. You will also receive an additional unit for each of these taken, if you are first there
All other objectives are marked by a flagpole. Every time you are the first man to take a position, you get to throw for additional units. Note that the ‘first man through’ is the only player who will gain an extra unit. Double bonus points will be awarded for holding onto positions you take and hold at the end of the game (note you do not need to have a garrison, only be the last man through).
Forces Available
1 coy of Emirs Guard, 10 x T3 M3’s, stubborn with bombs. 1 LMG
1 X Putilov Garford A/C (new purchase from the Arms fair!) T3 M3, 1 x field gun, 2 x LMG’s
1 coy of ‘Turkish officers’. 10 x T2 M2 ferocious, with bombs 1 LMG
Intelligence
Shanghai is a mess. There are foreign troops everywhere, red infiltrators trying to forment revolution, degenerate local government which allows the Triads and rascals such as Harry Flashman to run roughshod over the rule of law. Perfect conditions really for your plot!
The only one Bolshevik in the woodpile is a cable from BSS Central (Bukhara Secret Service) which alerts you to a plot in Shanghai against a major leader.....you have been warned!
STEVE LANGAN 06/02/2010
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Thanks.
Great stuff. Every time I look at the photos in this thread I spot something else.
Love the briefs too. Please keep them (and any more close-ups) coming.
Its all appreciated. Truly inspiring, :).
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And here's what the Lone Star States finest was upto.....
The Slan Ties Ultimatum American brief
You are Texas Ted and need no introduction. Yet again your country has sent you on a mission to uphold freedom, democracy and the American way of life. This time it has gotten ugly, real ugly...
The despotic government of China has fallen, to be replaced by an equally despotic regime. However it ain’t going as smoothly as that, as the Imperial powers have decided to go for a land grab in Shanghai, the pearl of the Orient. Washington has ordered you and the men of the US Embassy staff to protect American interests at all costs and to ensure that the old undemocratic Imperial powers do not take the city unopposed.
Objective
Protect the American Navy Y.M.C.A headquarters by taking it and holding it for the duration of the game. Take and hold the central wireless station, and radio in air support for US ground forces. USS Sanatogen is stationed 50 miles to the east and can deploy air assets. Double points will be given for the achievement of these objectives.
Additional units can be gained by taking objective points (marked by a flagpole). Note that only the first unit into a location will gain an additional unit, though there will be bonus points awarded at the end of the game for the number of US flags that still fly over objective points.
In addition, intel suggests that an assassination plot, targeted at a head of state, is being planned by a major power. Normally US State Dept policy is not to intervene in the internal affairs of a friendly state (unless there is oil involved, naturally) however as the region is deemed unstable enough, this time we will make an exception. Triple points will be awarded if you a) uncover the plot and b) prevent the assassination
Forces Available
Colonel Ted Houston: + 2 leader, sniper Sergeant Victor Maclachlan: +1 leader, sniper
1 company of US Marines: 10 x T2 M2 ferocious marksmen, with bombs and 2 LMG’s
1 T3 M3 White Armoured car
1 x T3 M3 vehicle towed field gun
Intelligence
In addition to the usual slimey limey bastards and assorted krauts, intel suggests that a major criminal operation is underway, using the unfolding chaos of Shanghai as a cover. The traids are involved, as is the degenerate Englishman, Harry Flashman. They may well be involved in supplying the logistics to the assassination plot.
STEVE LANGAN 06/02/2010
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Missed this thread mysteriously. As always, Steve: M A R V E L O U S !
:-* :o :-*