Early winter 23,000 BP
After two short suns, the east hunting party of the River Tusk tribe have stalked an old, weary female mammoth down through Broken Lake Valley. Their pursuit has brought them to near where the ice sheets already stretch - blindingly white in the last suns of the year - across the Lake-Where-Summer-Goes-to-Sleep.
The four hunters are younger men of the tribe of no more than fourteen springs. They have been assigned the role of herding the beast toward where the main hunting group awaits, see this as a chance to prove themselves. If they could take the mammoth now, releasing her spirit to the sky bringing her heart to the ambush site - they must surely receive the grudging accolades of Pine-wolf and his inner circle of hunters….
The party enter from the east. With hand signal and motion of spear, they fanned out around the mammoth, as she grazed on the thin sedges which protruded yellow and frost-withered through the early snow. Guyth slipped on ice, letting out a howl. The mammoth turned slightly, but returned to her feeding. Hopl disturbed a rock, again the mammoth did not react. Olk closed in, skulking forward.
The young hunters try their luck:
Incautiously approaching at speed, Funf cracked a thin sheet of ice, and the mammoth turned to face him, stepping back a little. She turned and lumbered along the ice-shore - slipping away to the east. Olk ran along the water edge hoping to scare her back toward where the rocks trapped her. Guyth tracked her on a parallel course to the north. They both approached the beast at the same time. She trumpeted in frustration, turning back.
Hopl darted in between the yellowed tusks, so close he could smell the crushed grass on her breath. He thrust upward with his spear into her neck with a whoop. The flint blade drew blood but was stopped as it scraped breastbone. Behind her, Guyth and Olk flung spears and the wheeling, trumpeting mammoth. Another trumpeting, and Olk fled. Always more circumspect, Funf lagged back, realising this was foolish.
They circle in on the ageing behemoth:
The mammoth turned again on Hopl, who was pestering her with his spear from close in. She swung her tusks, chipped at the tips from many a fight to protect her young, now grown and far away with the main herd. One mighty blow caught Hopl in the side. There was a crack of ribs and he fell to the cushioning snow.
Hopl darts in and draws blood, receiving a broken rib in return:
The teenage hunters knew they had taken on more than they could handle. Their foolish attack would anger Pine-wolf and cause mirth among the hunters, or worse if they lost their quarry. Perhaps the wounds scored and taken would earn a grudging respect? Angry and embarrassed, the boys threw their spears again, their aim spoiled by their rage. At the next trumpeting, Funf ran. Hopl dragged himself to his feet, and, with Guyth supporting him, they picked up their spears and backed away….
********
Three suns later….
The mammoth was in sight again, by the lake, a little further down the shore, near where a rocky ridge exhausted a jagged pile of glacial rubble into the frozen lake. Pine-wolf squinted his deep set eyes and pursed his lips. Despite the stupid actions of the boys, he’d let the other hunters rage at them. The old leader had merely let his disappointment manifest as silence. They had learned a lesson: few among the hunters could deny they had done the same.
Besides, the mammoth was wounded. The blow caused by the boy Hopl had slowed her, perhaps even now the great spirit leaked from her into the sky. He had seen her before - a magnificent beast, now left behind as the stronger, younger herd travelled east along the curving shore of the great Lake toward wherever the summer went.
He glanced up to his left at where his loyal deputy, Horb, led Olk around the foot of a rocky ridge. He hefted his club from side to side and motioned at Knaf behind him: It was time.
They circled around, wanting to corner the mammoth between the rocky outcrop and the lake shore. Horb and Olk loped forward. Knaf lingered while Pine-wolf himself skirted along the shore. Something made the mammoth look up. She turned toward where Horb's footstep had sent a fractured plate of shale skittering, and she backed away, pivoting like a great floating log in a roaring river. Knaf’s spear clattered - another bad sign - and now she was ambling away from them, toward where a narrow gap - and escape - revealed itself in the rocks. Pine-wolf cursed, but to his relief saw that Horb and Olk were working together. They scrambled up a steep snow-covered scree-bank, moving along the ridge between the small pines. Knaf and Pine-wolf closed the circle, ready to attack if she turned back again.
Horb and Olk stalk their prey along the ridge:
Horb stood on the rocks overlooking the defile and howled, his cry echoing flatly across the snow. The mammoth turned and trumpeted, just as Knaf hurled his spear. The spear struck home, red blood spatters staining the pristine snow, Horb charged forward and swung his club at the beast’s ankle as she turned on Knaf. There was a crack of bone and another blast of fear and rage. A momentary pause as the trumpeting cry echoed far across the lake, then Olk lunged forward, using the energy gained as he leapt from the edge of the rocks to drive his stone spear deep into the beast’s pelvis. She staggered.
Pine-wolf darted in with his massive club-spear, smashing it down into the thick snow-matted shag of the mammoth's leg. The blow found an artery, and the mammoth’s life spirit bathed him in a gush of red warmth. She sank down onto her hind legs and her side. The hunters backed away, closing their eyes and thanking the Earth-mother, exhaustion and relief replacing the adrenalin of the hunt. Pine-wolf uttered soothing words as the she-mammoth quivered and sighed out the last of many breaths.
The tribe would feed for another winter.
The River Tusk hunters claim their prize:
Pine-wolf, who leads the hunt:
The River Tusk's hunters:
All the hunters are from the exquisite Lucid Eye Cro-Magnon range.
*******
Two first games of Palaeo Diet at Perth Miniature Gamer’s Group last night - the first for my 12 y.o. son and I.
We ran the first scenario “Vanilla Skies” in both games. First hunt we ran four spear armed hunters. They got in one wound on the mammoth which we carried over as a (-1 Resilience) penalty into Hunt 2. We were tentative, just getting to grips with the rules. We’re familiar with the Ganesha engine and this one is nicely tweaked. The beasts are unpredictable and dangerous and it was good to work out the need to co-operate. The hunters tried to encircle the mammoth, but she scared them with her trumpeting - two of them right off the table. There are no rules for that but we considered the hunters lost (thus ‘losing’ the first hunt). In my opinion any game where the ‘AI’ opponent can beat you is worth playing again!
Some tools of the trade: homemade measuring sticks and QRS...
Hunt two we equipped two of the hunters with clubs (need that +1). Working together they kept the mammoth on the table (again no rules but we figured it would have successfully run away if its reaction moves had caused it to leave the table). Some close action brought her down, with some particular powerful blows from clubs finishing off the mighty beast using the critical hit rule. She put up a good fight, and we respect her for that.
Next time we’ll take on a herd - I have Eureka aurochs ready to stampede! - and maybe learn to work with fire or hounds. It’s a great little rule set - always happy to find a challenging and (mostly) cooperative system set in a new and different world. It’s the kind of miniatures game the whole family can try - even ‘er indoors! I look forward to some games over the Christmas/Summer break here in Oz, when it’s hot enough to enjoy rolling out the snow terrain.
Hope you enjoy.
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October 11, 2024, 10:51:50 AM
June 14, 2017, 09:06:25 AM