Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => VSF Adventures => Topic started by: Alfrik on April 03, 2010, 04:27:00 PM
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Skrapwelder hosted the Friday night game at a local game shop we haunt that evening as usual, some of us more often than others. This evening saw the motley assorted survivors having to slog through a dismal swamp to a far off hill top to signal for rescue. All movement was reduced severely, native fauna conisidered us part of the food chain, natives saw us as targets... till the Naturalist did the Newt Dance....ask Skrapwelder about that, not I... ;)
(http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww1/Alfrik_photos/VSFFRIDAY015.jpg) Opening picture of the board and Friday night crowd, thought the LARP crowd seemed smaller than usual this week.
The Great Hunter (Leadfool) and Spark (Alfrik) teamed along to keep the Hunters walker churning along with the recovered supplies. I must say the schoolmarm and her charges were good for distracting many of the creatures that shadowed our march. A lost section of Turkish troops engaged a portion of our column while amphibians plopped out of the stream from time to time. The Great Hunter bagged his share of critters and Turks though my apprentices with their BBS's (Big Bad Spanners) had mixed results fending off frogs!
A Long struggle, interrupted by the timely arrival of Pizza and cold drinks, continued to the top of the hill with some casualties, the schoolmarm being sorely missed...
More pics at:
http://armoredink.blogspot.com/2010/04/friday-night-game.html
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More pictures and an after action report.
After action report
The evening's excursion in miniature took place on Venus. As an opener to what we hope will be a small campaign the game is one to introduce the main characters to Venus. Last night we followed the trials and travails of a mixed group of passengers from the doomed Aetherliner Excelsior, which after an explosion in the boiler room that destroyed half the ship, was forced to send its passengers and crew to the surface in the ships cargo launches and lifeboats. Most of the evacuees made it to Victoria City safely but one of the cargo cutters full of passengers ran into some trouble and was forced to crash land in the wilderness.
Prologue
Once safely on the ground, the passengers of the cargo cutter took stock of their surroundings and it was decided that a short trek to higher ground would give them a better chance of being spotted by any recovery vessels sent out from Victoria City. There were some military personnel onboard as well as several notable public figures. The survivors were assured of a recovery by the authorities fairly quickly but expected to be rescued soon. Spirits were high as they set off for the hilltop just a short distance away. Little did they know that their landing did not go unobserved by less than friendly eyes.
Dramatis Personae:
Buckminster "Buck" Franklin: Big game hunter.
Augustus "Gussie" Fink-Nottle: Noted Naturalistwith a particular interest in Newts and Salamanders.
Bartholomew Wallis: Ensign in her Majesty's Aether Navy.
Colin "Longshanks" Pettigrew: Sergeant in the newly formed Royal Cytherean Rifles.
Rodericke Smythe: Special envoy of Her Majesty's Foreign Office.
Johnathan Carstairs: Teacher
Jack Dawkins: Stevedore and laborer working his passage to Venus.
Bruno Isembardo: Italian engineer. Sometimes called a "Spark"
In addition to the individual characters, each player was responsible for a few combatants as well as some civilians.
Photos of the battle:
The beautiful Cytherean foliage is the work of Alfrik and represents only a
small portion of some really great alien plant life.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2116.jpg)
A long view of the game table. The Spark, Bruno Isenbardo, was able to effect some repairs to Buck Franklin's clockwork howdah to enable it to carry the few supplies they had managed to salvage from the wreck of the cargo cutter. He also managed to cobble together some kind of defensive device he referred to as his "Atessala evaporator!"
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2117.jpg)
The way ahead through the swamp to the hill.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2118.jpg)
Bruno Isembardo (in the white hat) and Ensign Wallis work their way along the creek bank of the creek that winds its way through the swamp.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2119.jpg)
Rodericke Smythe, his footmen and several of his civilian charges.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2120.jpg)
Buck Franklin and his clockwork howdah.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2121.jpg)
Sgt. Pettigrew and a brace of Royal Marines lead the way on the right flank. Behind them the teacher, Mr Carstairs and a pair of the ships midshipmen stick close.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2126.jpg)
Pettigrew spots some movement in the bush ahead and orders his men to fire. The volley seems to have little effect if the return fire is any estimation. Who could be out here in the wilderness firing at them?
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2130.jpg)
Turks! Pettigrew doesn't take the time to ponder how the Ottoman Empire managed to have troops on Venus. He quickly did a flanking withdrawal into the brush, keeping his civilian charges out of the line of fire. The Turks pursued. Noise and movement in the brush indicated there might be more of them coming.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2129.jpg)
Sure enough there were more of them out there. This group of Romanian soldiers (valiantly represented by the first of my French VSF forces) break out of the brush behind the Turks.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2127.jpg)
On the left flank the civilians, led by Professor Fink-Nottle, have encountered some of the local natives. Fink-Nottle quickly discovers their communicative gestures are much like the dances of Earth newts. Through a wild a wriggly dance the Professor manages to communicate the good intentions of all Englishmen and enlist the aid of the new found Newt people.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2128.jpg)
Ensign Wallis brings up the rear of the right flank and begins to trade fire with the advancing Turks across the creek. Behind the sailors, Bruno and his workmen are attempting to work their way up the bank of the creek which offers slightly better purchase than the rest of the swamp.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2131.jpg)
A long shot of the action showing Professor Fink-Nottle and the Newt People on the left. Turkish troops are across the creek.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2133.jpg)
The Romanians make it to the creek bank and several of them take some pot shots at Isembardo and his workers downstream. Isembardo returns fire with his ad-hoc device called the "Atessala Evaporator" Half the Romanians disappear in the resulting thunderclap and cloud of smoke.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2135.jpg)
Turkish troops keep up the pressure.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2134.jpg)
The Schoolmaster and his charges try and keep their distance from the quickly approaching Turks.
(http://rotanddrivel.com/IMG_2143.jpg)
The survivors arrive at their destination, fire off a flare and are quickly located by one of the aircraft searching for them. The bow Gatling makes quick work of the remaining Romainians as it comes in for a landing. The survivors clamber aboard and are whisked away to Victoria City.
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Couldn't you fit anything else into the game :o
An absolutely marvellous slice of VSF madness. Yet another game I wished I could have played.
I'd love to see some tutorials on those alien plants :D
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Awesome stuff, the terrain, the nicely painted miniatures, ...! I especially love the airship :-*
I agree on Gluteus Maximus, please share your experience in building the alien flora!
Greets,
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WOW :o
Sweet looking game!
Thanks for posting the pics and story.
Tom
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Did you use V&S&F or GASLIGHT?
Lovely display, one day someday... :'(
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We use the VS&F rules.
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Thanks, we just got our books of that system this week, and are still snooping around what the possibilities are et all
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Venus Vegitation tutorial link:
http://armoredink.blogspot.com/search/label/Venus
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Excellent looking game. Must get back to my Venus forces at some point.
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It was a great game as usual. Thanks Skrapwelder, I potted 2 Rumainians and got all my folks away. The walker took too much damage and had to be left for later recovery.
The first photo shows the game room available to us thanks to the store "Great Escape Games" Most of their games are GW but they certainly welcome us to play there on most Fridays We hold "open" games which means anyone that wants to can play. Not something that can happen with the GW crowd.
Of course it helps that the terrain is always unique and the figures well painted, thanks to Alfrik, Skrapwelder and my occasional contibution.
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Belting stuff there again chaps! I always look forward to your AAR's. Some lovely eye candy on that table too :-*.
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Looks like a great game. Colorful terrain. Do you have any details or pics on the rescue ship? It looks like it might be a souped up pirate ship. I kinda like that idea better than ironclads.
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Where in Sacramento is Great Escape Games?
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Its on the backside of a strip mall at Howe and Hurley
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The rescue ship was delivered to me that night. It had belonged to a dear departed gamer, Tony Mark, and the fellows distibuting his estate thought I would appreciate it. No one really knows where it came from, ie did Tony make it, buy it etc.
It is reall more 15mm then 25/28mm scale. It is a plastic card ship, "floating" by to toilet ball bells.
It was just something that arrived in time for the photos, thanks to Mike Branum.
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I'm sorry for his loss. I am sure he would appreciate its appearance in your game.
It worries me that I recognized the "balloons."
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Fantastic game! Looks like a lot of fun!
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Nice battle report.
Perhaps part 2 may help us understand how the Turks made it to Venus? ???
D&D minis - got to love 'em - I use the Kuo-toa as Deep Ones for Pulp gaming.
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As I understand, the Turks have no Ethership capability...
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As I understand, the Turks have no Ethership capability...
However, that portal that was discovered deep in the great pyramid at Giza.....
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Or perhaps a shining trapezohedron...
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I'll bet it's got something to do with the Astro-Hungarian Empire...
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Or maybe they got the valuable fast-food franchise and sneaked their troops in one by one, under the guise of chefs, waiters etc and then when the whole force was present unleashed them :?