CapnJim's Pulp Stuff (2nd Matewan Convention Game AAR - Pg 15...08 Nov 23)

[has.been]

Has.been I do, yearly. I'll be at Salute this year.

I thought this year's Salute was canceled.

[BaronVonJ]

Not from what I heard. Mid April. They contacted their vendors who then contacted me. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Regardless, if Salute gets cancelled I'll be in the UK in the Fall (London, Edinburgh, Dublin).

[has.been]

. Mid April.

  Next year? (2023)

(London, Edinburgh, Dublin).

Don't you just hate those cheap Airlines? Never know where you'll land.
 

[BaronVonJ]

Flights from International cities are cheap, it’s getting to them from KC that coats money

[mikedemana]

Missouri to Ohio drive would test the limits of patience as a human being.

I actually drove this on a weekend trip to St. Louis this past spring. A trip to the mounds at Cahokia puts one in a better mood right away!

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

I ran my "Prisoner Swap Goes Bad" scenario at the Advance the Colors convention in Springfield, OH, USA this weekend past.  Had 2 players - they ran the 2 gangs.  One of the players was Kirk from Miniature Building Authority (he ran the local bunch).  A shout out to him, as het let me borrow 2 Soviet-era GAZ jeeps he had on display at his vendor booth, since I managed to forget my Policia cars....

I played the local cops. 

28mm, using Fistful of Lead.

These 4 pics show the sleepy little Village somewhere in Europe (about 1990 or so).  It all started out as a normal quiet day...but it didn't stay that way...

I should get to the AAR tomorrow....

[BaronVonJ]

Great looking game. Wish I could have made. Maybe I'll be getting an order for rules from Miniature Building Authority...

[CapnJim]

Thanks, Jaye.  Maybe Kirk was impressed enough by our game...

Anyways, on with the show...

It was indeed a quiet morning in that little Village somewhere in Europe about 1990 or so.  The weather was fair, and the locals were going about their daily business, unaware of what was coming.  Two farmers were dickering over the price of a tractor, while 2 brothers were visiting their mother's grave in the local cemetery.  Across the street, the parish priests were engaged in deep theological conversation with one of their parishioners.   The owner of the local Chinese restaurant was out on the sidewalk having a smoke before the lunch rush, while a couple was headed to that same restaurant.  Across the plaza, a chap has emerged from the butcher shop, while 2 guys were enjoying the tranquility of the fountain in the middle of that plaza.  And on a corner, a young man, his hoodie drawn up, was just hanging out.  None of them had any idea things were about to get very noisy.

Neither did the 2 local cops walking their beat.  They came on walking up the street toward the plaza from the southwest.  Just another day on patrol.

The first hint of trouble came when 2 vehicles, unfamiliar to the locals, came up the road, also from the southwest.  A small puke-green car and a big blue van.  They pulled up in front of the big house at the southern end of the plaza.  One by one, men with rifles and shotguns, trying to be discreet, got out and set up so they could keep their eyes on things.  The last guy out was manhandling another unarmed man, his hands tied behind his back.

The beat cops somehow got distracted by something behind the first house they came to and went behind it.  Maybe they heard a noise. Or maybe one of them had to take a leak.  We'll never know, but one of them had been on the force a long time, so they must have had a good reason.  When they returned from whatever it was they were doing, the other beat cop (a rookie) saw one of the unfamiliar chaps with a rifle, and ordered him to drop his weapon.  Twice.

His demands were met with a hail of gunfire.  The veteran officer went down hard, and the rookie frantically called for backup on his radio before he too was shot down.  He had managed to get a few rounds off before he fell, but to no avail.  These guys from out-of-town apparently meant business.   All the while, the leader of the local gang of thugs brought another unarmed man out of the restaurant, his hands ties behind his back as well.  He led him to the middle of the plaza, that apparent meet-up place for some kind of prisoner swap (at least that's what the Police learned after this whole sordid affair). 

By now, sirens could be heard, from the southeast and the north.  As the locals scattered to get out of the way of the gunfire, the local cops' first backup unit arrived from the southeast.  Their Soviet-made jeep pulled up right in front of that blue van, the 2 officers inside piling out to do what they could.  Which wasn't much.

As the 2 gang leaders yelled at each other about where exactly to swap their prisoners, the unfamiliar guys with guns shot one of the back-up officers down in the street, and cornered another (wounded) in his jeep.

It was then a second back-up police unit arrived, from the north.  As they entered the plaza, they too were met with gunfire, several rounds holing the radiator of their GAZ jeep.  As steam poured out of their stricken vehicle, the driver maintained enough control to keep from crashing.  But their jeep was dead.  The 2 officers in this vehicle hopped out, took up positions, and returned fire.  Hitting no one...yet.

As the local townsfolk slowly disappeared from the streets, back in the plaza the 2 gang leaders finally came to terms on the swap.  And the prisoners were exchanged.  As gang-members untied their respective men, the wounded officer in the 1st back-up unit was trying desperately to survive the out-of-town gang members hunting him in his vehicle.  By now, members of both gangs were engaged in a shootout with the cops in the 2nd back-up unit.  Those 2 went down, one by one, but not before taking the leader of the local gang with them. 

With 5 cops down and the 6th wounded and fighting for his life, and the sound of more sirens drawing closer, the leader of the out-of-towners ordered his men into their vehicles.  They left the 6th officer laying in the street next to his vehicle, barely clinging to life.  He lived long enough to report that the interlopers had fled in both their vehicles, heading southeast out of town.

When more cops showed up, they found 5 of their fellow officers lying dead in the street, both patrol jeeps all shot to hell, and the 6th officer badly wounded lying next to his vehicle. The leader of the local gang was also lying in the plaza, dead.  It was not a good day for local law enforcement, and there would be hell to pay for this.

And that was it.  The game was over.  My 2 players had decided to go ahead with the swap, and take on the cops together.   First time that happened.  But they had fun, and now I think it's time to put together a follow-on scenario where the national police get involved, and seek retribution.  Maybe they round up the local gangers and find out what the hell happened.  Maybe they raid the HQ of that out-of-town gang to take revenge for those fallen officers.  We'll have to wait and see.  In any event, I'm sure they will erect a memorial in that plaza, telling the story of what happened on that fateful day, in a small town somewhere in Europe, around 1990... 

[mikedemana]

That's so awesome that Kirk stuck around after manning his booth solo all day to play in your game, Jim. Surely, you didn't tempt him with libations of a malted variety? 

I bet you were wondering how to be fair to both players with yourself playing the cops when they turned the tables on you...haha!  Serves you right for shooting my guys in the last game...! 

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

That's so awesome that Kirk stuck around after manning his booth solo all day to play in your game, Jim. Surely, you didn't tempt him with libations of a malted variety? 

What?  Who?  Me?  Why, I'm the model of temperance....

I bet you were wondering how to be fair to both players with yourself playing the cops when they turned the tables on you...haha!  Serves you right for shooting my guys in the last game...! 

Well, things did work out, in terms of who's side the local constabulary would be on....and Karma is a fickle mistress, isn't she?

[CapnJim]

OK.  I got my copy of Osprey's new Pulp! rules.  While my initial read-throughs didn't particularly impress me, I think we're gonna play a game with them this coming Wednesday.  It'll involve US 1920s gangsters robbing (or trying to rob...) a US Mail truck guarded by US Marines.  I'll post an illustrated battle report, along with any thoughts we have on the rules, after we play.  I reserve the right to final judgement until after we actually play them...

[pistolpete]

OK.  I got my copy of Osprey's new Pulp! rules.  While my initial read-throughs didn't particularly impress me, I think we're gonna play a game with them this coming Wednesday.  It'll involve US 1920s gangsters robbing (or trying to rob...) a US Mail truck guarded by US Marines.  I'll post an illustrated battle report, along with any thoughts we have on the rules, after we play.  I reserve the right to final judgement until after we actually play them...

Looking forward to seeing an actual play through

[CapnJim]

Well, we did indeed play our US Mail truck robbery scenario today, using Osprey's new Pulp! rules.  I'll do the AAR in 3 parts.  This is the first part - the scenario set-up.

The first 3 pics below are the US Mail scenario information, the Gangster Information, and scenario rules for vehicles and civilians.  One of my biggest complaints about the rules is the lack of rules for either...

All the US Mail figures and Marines start out in the Mail truck (I actually have a suitable period diecast US Mail truck...).  The Gangsters start out riding in 2 cars.

The 2nd 3 pics show the field of battle from various angles (it was about a 3'x4' board).

I'll do the battle report next (hopefully later this evening).  Then I'll post our thoughts on the rules, likely tomorrow.

By the way, this scenario can be easily adapted to other rules.  In fact, we plan to play it after the first of the year using Fistful of Lead, to see how it plays out with other rules.  It's helpful if the Gangster player doesn't know about the Marines... 

Stay tuned...

[mikedemana]

Looks like an interesting game. Just you and Ted playing it out? Or are you rolling solo?

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Okay.  Now the battle story.  As Mike alluded to, Ted was indeed there.  He played the US Mail truck and the Marines.  Gene played the Gangsters.  I GM'd.  And away we go...

The US Mail truck, with the driver and Postal Inspector riding in the cab and the 5 Marines in the back, came down the road from the north.  The Gang Boss and his crew came up the road from the southwest, while the Gang Lieutenant and his crew drove on from the southeast.  The US Mail truck and the Gang Boss' car headed right for each other, while the Gang Lieutenant's car took the long way around the get behind the US Mail truck.

As the US Mail truck tried to pass the Gang Boss' car on the narrow road, the Gang Boss (who was driving) cut right in front of the US Mail truck, and they collided, damaging both vehicles.  The Postal Inspector and the Marines piled out of the US Mail truck to see what was going on (the Gangsters were chagrined to see Marines again...).  The Gang Boss and the Gangster in the left passenger seat (who had a Tommy Gun) opened up.  They didn't hit anybody.  Meanwhile, the Gang Lieutenant's car continued along to get behind the US Mail truck.

The Marines returned fire, wounding the Gang Boss in his car. 

The Gang Boss Fired on the Marines near the back right of the US Mail truck, dropping one.  The Gangsters got out of their car to continue the fight.  Another marine went down.  Then the Gangster with the pistol tried to get around the left side of the US Mail truck, but the Marines their put him down.

The Gang Lieutenant's car came in and blocked the road behind the US Mail truck.  The Gangster with the shotgun got out, but the Marines shot down the Gangster in the Gang Lieutenant's back seat before he really had a chance to do anything.  This took his Tommy Gun out of the fight.

Then things got really messy.  The Postal Inspector approached the Gang Boss' car, trading shots with the Gang Boss still inside.  The Gang Boss lost, but not before wounding the Postal Inspector.  Then the Marines shot down the Gang Lieutenant in his car.  Things started out bad for the US Mail truck and the Marines.  Now, it wasn't looking too good for the Gangsters.

The Marine Gunny hunted down the Gangster with the shotgun by the Gang Lieutenant's car, killing him with a close range shot from his .45.  But he took a shotgun blast in doing so, wounding him.  And the 2 surviving Marine riflemen ganged up on the Tommy Gunner behind the Gang Boss' car, dropping him there, ending the fight. 

The US Mail would get through, but at the expense of 2 dead Marines, 2 wounded Marines, a wounded Postal Inspector, and a damaged US Mail truck.

During the whole gunfight, the US Mail truck driver hunkered down in the cab of his truck, trying not to get shot.

This was a good fight, but the Marines' training won out in the end.  Which is why they put Marines on US Mail trucks and trains in 1921 and 1926...

As I mentioned, I'll post our thoughts on the rules in the next day or 2.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this report!