"We Only Kill Each Other" AAR

[Typephase]

I recently have been running a WOKEO campaign talking place in the 70s, the first two games of the for the campaign (a botched hit and a retaliatory strike on a drug store front for a bookie operation) where not documented, but this third game was. I cant find much WOKEO AARs, so I thought I'd share with you guys:

The March 1973 Newcago Reporter headline read "THE CATALDO FAMILY DECAPITATED." The long time Boss of the family had been convicted of a 60 year sentence under the RICO statute. Rico Pantangelsi, Capo of the south side faction and don of the city's gambling empire, was named "Acting Boss." All seemed in order, except Danny "Dog Meat" Mangenetti, also a respected Capo in the family, sees the Boss's long vacation to the Feds as a power vacuum, and an opportunity to seize Pantangelsi's gambling empire. An attempt to wack Rico failed, thanks to his loyal right hand man and bodyguard Luigi Mario, but an errant shotgun blast severed 3 of Rico's fingers, earning him a new Gangland nickname "The Claw." (Game 1) Rico understood the position his was in, and recognized his two wouldbe killers as Dog Meat's men. He sent Luigi and Al "The Barber" Micheletti to return the gunfire in kind, this time at Dog Meat's bookie operation in a local drug store. (Game 2) Their mission was successful, but Luigi suffered a gunshot wound and Al managed to escape the police response in a high speed chase by the skin of his nose, while dragging Luigi to safety. Needless to say, Dog Meat was furious, a simple hit has evolved to a full on Mob War, and word on the streets is The Claw's men are going to do a drug deal with the local Dim Sum Tong in a beat up old apartment. Dog Meat sends two Irish associates to rob the deal, assuring them the loot, because his only reward is revenge.....



The scene is set, the two Tong gangster await the exchange, a mother next door hums a lullaby to get her baby asleep...



The Bag man and Luigi, freshly recovered from his wounds, proceed down the hall...



and the stick up men lie in wait...



The mother activates first (WOKEO uses a card based activation) and rocks the baby to sleep...



Bag Man activates next and walks down the hall, one of the stick up men activates next, and manages to sneak into the hall with out the Mafiosi noticing him...



Luigi activates, and follows his charge down the hall, while the other robber manages to sneak around to the corner, peaking at his mark

We would use a moxie roll to test the robbers gumption to sneak around so close, and a brains roll for the mafiosi to notice, the robbers where passing their moxie rolls and the mafiosi where missing their brains tests...



The activation deck resets and shuffles, the bag man and Luigi move down the hall, while the robbers manage to sneak and follow them, after another activation deck shuffle, the bag man activates first, and notices the stick up men following them! "LOOK OUT PISANO" he shouts!



Luigi activates next, sending 2 shots down the hall, one zips by the stick up man's ear, and the other thumps him in the chest, knocking him "Senseless"...



The remaining stick up man manages to activate next! He returns fire, hitting Luigi once, he flops to the grown moaning and screaming in pain. The baby wails and the tong's ear perk up, one Tong member listens at the door trying to understand what exactly is happening (He failed his moxie test so he couldn't enter the gun fight quite yet)



The bag man retreats into the bathroom, trying to hid from the hail of gunfire. The Tong finally passes his moxie test and peaks around the door, just as 3 more shots thump into the door. The mother huddles for cover with her child. After a new round of activation, the Tong manages to draw first, and plugs a single shot into the remaining stick up man, who silently slumps to the floor in a hallway thick with gun smoke...

And that was the end of game 3 of our WOKEO campaign, The Claw's faction managed to hold on to their money, but Dog Meat's associates injured one of the Claw's top soldiers badly enough to miss the next game in edition to soiling the business relationship with the Dim Sum Tong. The next game will involve a sit down between the warring capos, both angling for peace...or are they?

The Rules are great for tight, small shootouts like this, the card activation and interesting's a chaotic shooting rules provides a hectic and exciting gangland firefight. The only house rule I added was to make the guns a little more dangerous by making a figure take a "blood test" roll ever time they took damage, if they failed the first test they are knocked "Senseless" (down but not necessarily dead) if they pass the first they take another blood test to be stunned. Any knocked Senseless character made a third blood roll post game, a failed roll means the character is dead and is out of the campaign. I think this small house rule makes the gunfighting more final, but also gives characters a change to fight through SOME damage, especially if they are spec'd in high blood (HP) scores.

We also used the AMAZING "Mean Sets" form The Virtual Arm Chair General, I've build 3 now and they all add so much to these games, not only are they beautiful but they add interesting and unique terrain to shoot up.

Game 4 on the way...

[MaleGriffin]

Excellent! Thank you for sharing! I just got my Litko clear bases and I can't wait tp base my figures on them! You can really see how much better they look!

[CapnJim]

Lovely little dust-up there.  Nice report on it, too!  Well done!

[Grumpy Gnome]

Looks like a great game!

[Typephase]

GAME 4

This is the final game of the campaign, and the WOKEO rules really got to stretch it's legs in this one.

The waring factions of Capos Rico "The Claw" Pantangelsi and Danny "Dog Meat" Mangenetti have decided the violence has had too much an effect on business to go on. A sit down has been arranged at Lagano's Italian Restaurant. This war ends here, one way or another...

We started the game doing "Brains check" if both Capos passed there brains checks, neither side would go into the game with an advantage, but if one did and the other didn't, the Capo who passed his check would get to set a hidden assassin to aid in the "meeting." In this game Rico passed his check and Dog Meat failed, thus Rico got receive Dog Meat at the restaurant with a "special guest."



Dog Meat Mangenetti arrives with his trusty Bodyguard Santino "Stan Smith" Santini, young lovers dine and a man pours his woes to the bar tender



Rico and his bodyguard Frank "The Mustache" Nardeli wait in the private room, munching on a nice cold antipasto...



and  Al "The Barber" Micheletti waits in the bathroom waiting to ambush Dog Meat, wishing he was eating some capocola right now...



"See honey, I told you this place was authentic, they even have real gangsters eating here..."



Dog Meat and his bodyguard approach the private room, Nardeli meets them at the door "We wait outside, the two captains can talk in private..." This was the first time Dog Meat and his bodyguard could make brains checks to detect something was up, but they both failed to notice anything wrong.



The two Capo's begin negotiation (they would be here conversing for the next 3 turns at least, unless one fails a moxie test taken once per turn.)



Its time for Al the Barber to spring into action, but he fails his moxie test! So instead he sits in the bathroom, fiddling his shotgun, questioning his choice of profession "I could've just been a garbage man..."



Speaking of failed moxie tests, Rico fails one his next turn, the pressure of waiting for the trap to be sprung is too much for him. He asks to be excused to the bathroom "Too much vino" and Dog Meat fails the brain check needed to notice something strange "ok, send the waiter back while you out there, I want the branzino"



Nardeli realizes he might have to do the shooting part all by himself, so he spends his activation asking Santino "Hey, you want a drink?" Santino passes his brain check and notices that this whole set up is sort of strange, but fails his moxie test to act!



Santino decides he does want that drink, to calm his nerves, and moves to the bar as Rico emerges from the private room...



Just then Al The Barber finally finds his courage, and bust out of the bathroom shotgun in hand, Santino CRITICALLY FAILS his moxie test, and dogs it to the door, I guess he wasnt so trusty after all...



Now Dog Meat is left alone to face the two shooters, pinned in the small private room, but his courage stands as he passes his moxie test. He then uses his activation to try to get the table between him and the shooters for some cover. It provides little help at first, as Al blasts his shotgun 3 times, one shell splinters the table wood, as another shatter's the Capo's thigh bone, another peppers his head! Amazingly, Dog Meat is a tough old mafiosi, and he manages to stay alive, and with his senses.



His next activation he passes a brawn test to flip the table, adding some more cover, while Nardeli shoots his revolver 3 times at the trapped Dog Meat, 2 shots are stopped by the table, but a 3 hits him him in his wrist, still the man is able to stay alive and keep fighting, as he uses his next activation to fire his (truly) trusty single shot sawed off shotgun, hitting Al the barber in the leg. Al is able to shrug it off though...



Al the Barber's activation comes around again, as he tries to empty his shotgun into the beseiged Dog Meat, missing two shots and jamming his shotgun on the third!



The beleaguered Dog Meat attempts his final stand (remember he is passing moxie rolls every activation! on top of blood rolls every time he is shot!) He pull out his hold out .25 but it jams on the first shot! Nardeli's activation comes around, and he empties his revolver's last 3 shots, one slams into the table, another hits Dog Meat and stuns him...



And the third strikes him dead...

Danny "Dog Meat" Mangenetti was a head strong, near bullet proof, and ambitious Capo. But sadly, in the cold hard world of Organized Crime, ambition can get you killed, and "near" bullet proof is not quite bullet proof enough...

[Doug ex-em4]

That’s a great looking setup you’ve put together - very photogenic. You say it’s from "Mean Sets"? I’ve never heard of them - must investigate and I should also check out the rules.

Thanks for a fine AAR.

Doug

[Typephase]

That’s a great looking setup you’ve put together - very photogenic. You say it’s from "Mean Sets"? I’ve never heard of them - must investigate and I should also check out the rules.

Thanks for a fine AAR.

Doug

Here is the link: http://www.fauxtoys.com/tvag/620-Mean-Sets.htm

The Virtual Armchair General does mean sets (interiors) mean streets (exteriors) and the rules, i have to say i thoroughly enjoy all 3

[Doug ex-em4]

Here is the link: http://www.fauxtoys.com/tvag/620-Mean-Sets.htm

The Virtual Armchair General does mean sets (interiors) mean streets (exteriors) and the rules, i have to say i thoroughly enjoy all 3

Thanks - I’ve had a look; intriguing. As a matter of interest, what did you mount yours on? Foam board?

Doug

[Typephase]

I mounted the print out on foam board (varying thicknesses, I used what ever I had around) and then cardstock for the doors/bar/bathroom stalls.

[Doug ex-em4]

I mounted the print out on foam board (varying thicknesses, I used what ever I had around) and then cardstock for the doors/bar/bathroom stalls.

My comment didn’t appear for some reason. It was only to say that that was what I expected but the post looked strange with just your quote and nothing from me so I thought I’d better edit it

Doug

[Seuchenhexer]

That looks pretty amazing.

[CapnJim]

Oof.  Tough Day of Dog meat!  First, his associate bugs out on him, and then he is gunned down like, well, a dog...oof!

Great report, though!  Well done!

[Vagabond]

Cheers that was an enjoyable read although I was totally confused by Moxie and Blood rolls without access to the rules.

Nice sets that the Armchair General does, I've often looked at them but never succumbed,  yours add a lot to the visuals.

I noticed in both games you had bystanders but they didnt appear to do anything, were they just for colour.
Cheers

[Typephase]

Cheers that was an enjoyable read although I was totally confused by Moxie and Blood rolls without access to the rules.

Nice sets that the Armchair General does, I've often looked at them but never succumbed,  yours add a lot to the visuals.

I noticed in both games you had bystanders but they didnt appear to do anything, were they just for colour.
Cheers

In my rush to proved something fun to read I didn't really explain well. Moxie is basically your figures courage, to do an action that would put their life in danger or to engage in violence they must pass a moxie test. Blood is a figure's heath points, damage lowers the blood total, and after taking damage a figure must roll under there blood total to avoid being stunned.

The bystanders in both game's actually did move (mostly running away or taking cover) they have a card in the activation deck. Actually in both games the bystanders called the police, but the action was over with time for the criminals to escape before they arrived. I didn't document this because it didn't seem to exciting, and they managed not to get in the way or otherwise effect the game in the end.

[pops]

Was a great read!   The rules are a lot of fun, and quit thorough.  If you are interesting in a less modern mob - the line that was built to compliment WOKEO is at
Mobster Miniatures dot com.