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Author Topic: Isn’t he Zouave? or “Who goes there: friend or pho?” [Pulp Alley]  (Read 1308 times)

Offline Ehpeaell

  • Student
  • Posts: 18
    • Sir Rand McNally, 25mm Adventurer


French Zouaves in Indo China rush to save the girl Capitaine Dreyfus loves from a squad of Black Flags lead by the infamous Vih-Lin.

I tried out the Pulp war rules option in the Pulp Alley book to see how it would go, and how it would play if Pulp Alley were a bit more of a "standard" wargame, but of course it's anything but normal...  :D

Check out all the action here!
https://rpgnouns.wordpress.com/2021/03/03/isnt-he-zouave-or-who-goes-there-friend-or-pho/






Offline nandrin

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 160
Very nice AAR and scenario!
Maybe it´s worth a try to use gangs and mobs instead of mass followers to represent huge numbers of low-level fighters.

Offline Ehpeaell

  • Student
  • Posts: 18
    • Sir Rand McNally, 25mm Adventurer
Nandrin, that's a great idea!  I should try that out with a refight since I haven't cleaned up the table yet...

Offline Alcide Nikopol

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 508
Copied from the battle report "This was a bit of an experiment as well, as one of the leagues was made up of the leader, the sidekick, and an 11 figure contingent of followers. Turns out that a mass of troops on the table is a bit of a glass cannon. Where there were five zouaves, and three of them were removed from play during the game (one when a card forced a charge on the sergent), the 11 followers were all gone by turn 4, and the sidekick along with them. They were too easy to take out permanently, as opposed to the fewer allies, who could and often did recover."

Pulp Alley is very well balanced even when you have asymmetric forces. This type of force is definitely a glass cannon and sometimes that can be effective. The 5 model Gangs can look intimidating but remember they are balanced to have the basic effectiveness of an Ally.
A.Nik-

Offline Ehpeaell

  • Student
  • Posts: 18
    • Sir Rand McNally, 25mm Adventurer
Agree with you completely @Alcide Nikopol.  The Flags were hampered in this game by not being able to get into contact quickly enough to force the Zouaves to start splitting dice and cut back on their effectiveness.  The Zouaves were essentially able to get into good firing positions early and take advantage of the reroll capability of their rifles and cut down the Flags as they approached. Not to mention that the dice gods were just not in the Flags' corner that game...so many failed rolls for hits and health!

I love the options available with Pulp Alley both in how to create a force and how to choose to play out events on the table. Very elegant, simple, and incredibly effective.

 

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