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Author Topic: Perilous Island 6: Sinister Swamp  (Read 1693 times)

Offline wolfen

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Perilous Island 6: Sinister Swamp
« on: September 21, 2022, 08:51:53 PM »
Set up for this game.

This scenario doesn’t use regular plot points, instead it has 3 areas that can be searched multiple times. I used standing stones to represent these areas.
And now, to the action!

After leaving the beach Guy and his friends regrouped in the jungle. Determined to complete their quest and find something that would tell them where Darrow had gone, they pressed deeper into the Island. Eventually they encountered an area where the stench of death hung heavy in the air, making it difficult to breathe. Fetid pools of water, rolling mists, and clouds of insects only added to the difficultly in traversing this other-worldly swamp. The sucking muds laid claim to their feet and ankles, only reluctantly releasing its hold. Adding to the disturbing air of this sinister swamp was the increased presence of noxious vapors.
The oppressive silence was broken by low moans, possibly emanating from the moisture rich trees, possibly from something far more dangerous... Suddenly a different sound broke the silence, some distance away. It was the sound of someone crashing brashly through the undergrowth. Surely it couldn’t be any of the native population. Members of the Darrow expedition? Possibly. But far more likely it was the Cult of the Emerald Scorpion!

On the other side of the sinister swamp, the cult had indeed arrived. As they broke through the cloying jungle the Scorpion Master peered through the mists and saw a vague shape. He gestured to his underlings and one of them dragged a man forward. It was the native fisherman with whom Molly had tried to communicate on the beach. Apparently his escape had been short lived. He looked terrified and tried to resist his captors but a gun in his face soon made him cooperate. The Master pointed through the mist to the shape he had located and the fisherman nodded.

The cult moved into the mist, drawing closer to the vague object. Eventually they could see that it was a standing stone covered in strange carvings, which pulsed softly with an unearthly light. This would have been enough to stop them in their tracks but they were unable to focus on that phenomenon as they were confronted with a much more terrifying one. A corpse, obvious from the smell and look of rotting flesh, was walking around beside the stone! This must have been why the fisherman was so reluctant to come here. The Scorpion Master, unphased, ordered his minions to deal with it. The fisherman, clearly more afraid of the corpse than the cult, pointed repeatedly at the guns carried by the cultists and then at his head. One of them must have understood what he was trying to say and blew the creature’s head off with his shotgun. What remained of the corpse fell to the ground unmoving. The Master then dragged the fisherman to the stone and demanded that he show him what he was looking for.


The Steeles were faced with a similar scene, vague shapes in the mist which coalesced into stone and corpse as they moved closer.

Finn, the brave beast, immediately rushed forward and clenched his jaws around the creature’s arm. With a sharp tug the arm detached from the walking body, which casually ignored the lost limb. Molly quickly joined the dog and kicked at the shambling monster, which again ignored the damage inflicted upon it. Seeing his friends struggle, Guy joined the fight. An accomplished hand to hand fighter, Guy aimed his blows for the places he knew would quickly disable an opponent. These were also ignored. He gestured for his other friends to stay away from the fight, he didn’t want them in danger. And this thing, whatever it was, was definitely dangerous.


The cultists were also learning how dangerous these things were as they were set upon by a few of them emerging from the mists. One cultist was taken by surprise and was felled. In an effort to prevent being taken by surprise again, one of the mechanical scorpions was sent into patrol mode, and scuttled off to scan the perimeter. The assault from the walking dead meant that the Scorpion Master’s search was delayed as he focused on destroying these new enemies.


Back across the swamp, the Steeles were beginning to have some luck. Finn launched himself at the corpse which had dared to ignore his mighty bite and locked his great teeth around it’s throat. The rotting flesh easily gave way and the entire head came off. The dead thing collapsed. The victory was short lived as the courageous canine dropped to the ground, his breathing shallow and tongue lolling from his mouth. Whatever ichor that existed in the corpse must have had a detrimental effect after being ingested. Penny gathered her beloved pet to her and did what she could to comfort her companion.
Taking advantage of the reprieve they had, Molly and Guy began to search around the standing stone, looking for any sign of the Darrow expedition. Molly found a strange stone idol, similar to the one that Darrow had sent in his package which they recovered in Athens, only much smaller. Guy discovered a strange red flower, it’s vibrant colour contrasting with the drab surroundings. Both items were secreted away for investigation later.
Suddenly there was an electrical explosion, like lightning striking, and Major Mallory was thrown from his feet. The scorpion machine patrolling the jungle had detected movement and opened fire with its electro-ray tail!

Luckily for Mallory the blast had missed him and he had been knocked over by its concussive force. He quickly got to his feet and moved to return fire. He was not alone as Ruairidh followed him. Both men took aim and fired with their guns. The robot answered with another blast of its ray. Ruairidh cried out as he was knocked to the ground. Through a gap in the mist Mallory saw that they had managed to damage the robot in return. Neither side was able to rejoice as the damage was minor. Soon the combatants were up and the fighting resumed.



Molly and Guy continued their search, finding broken eyeglasses and other detritus that could only have come from the Darrow expedition. Their fears were soon confirmed as they were attacked by more walking corpses, these ones much fresher than the other, and dressed in the remnants of modern clothes. Guy dodged the creature attacking him, jumping back from its outstretched arms. Molly managed to fend off one of them but could not land a blow that would disable it. Seeing her plight Ruairidh rushed from his fight with the mechanical menace to lend a hand, the butt of his Thompson felling the creature.


The cultists finally managed to destroy the creatures holding them up and spread out through the the jungle towards the sounds of battle. The mists were beginning to dissipate, making it easier to see their foes. The exchange of gunfire increased as the extra cultists leant their firepower to their robotic companion. Despite the increased visibility the thick jungle provided plenty of cover and there was little damage done on either side.

The Scorpion Master, freed from the distraction of the walking dead, was able to resume his search. Forcing the fisherman to cooperate, he located a rumpled page in the undergrowth. He smiled under his hood as he read the contents of the paper. His satisfaction was short lived as another living corpse rose up and attempted to pull him from his feet. The evil leader and his followers made short work of it.



The patrolling scorpion had made its way across the swamp, looking for a better firing position. Unfortunately for it, it got too close to the Steeles and Guy quickly dismantled several parts, rendering it useless. Molly and Ruairidh finished off the last of the creatures attacking them and looked around for the next peril to arise.


Suddenly the ground began to heave and quake as hundreds of corpses pulled themselves from their unholy rest. The leagues had no choice but to flee with whatever items they had in their possession. As the ravenous horde drove the living from their unhallowed ground, both sides were left to wonder at the fate of Lord Darrow. They had confirmed that some of the living dead must have been members of Darrow’s Expedition, but what unearthly horrors befell the others?

« Last Edit: October 30, 2022, 05:15:13 PM by wolfen »

Offline aircav

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Re: Pulp Alley: Sinister Swamp
« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2022, 09:43:15 PM »
Another Cracking Episode  8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

Offline wolfen

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 290
Re: Pulp Alley: Sinister Swamp
« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2022, 11:46:21 PM »
Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed these reports so far. The kids and I are having a blast playing these games.
Some additional commentary from a real world perspective. My son used his backup points to hire a level 3 scout this game. I tied it into the narrarive by having it be the native fisherman from the previous scenario, coerced into assisting the cultists. This scenario called for a blank reward card or Red Herring card to be in the stack on every draw and I was lucky that it did because my son drew it the first 2 times he passed his plot point challenges. Even better, I didn't get it once. I passed 3 plot point challenges before he got his first succesful draw, and ended the scenario with a total of 4. Despite my success he still won because the one reward card that he managed to pull was the +1 experience card, which gave him the major plot point and the victory. So now the Cult of the Emerald Scorpion have 4 wins compared to the Steeles 2.

Offline syrinx0

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Re: Pulp Alley: Sinister Swamp
« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2022, 01:31:46 AM »
That looks like it was a fun game.  Thanks for the detailed write up.

Kid luck beats strategy every time - at least it did in my house.  lol
2024: B: 0; P: 148; 2023: B:77; P:37;

Offline wolfen

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Re: Pulp Alley: Sinister Swamp
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2022, 05:31:00 AM »
Kid luck beats strategy every time - at least it did in my house.  lol

Seriously! You should have seen how many times he rolled successful health checks for the zombies attacking me.

Offline Grumpy Gnome

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Re: Pulp Alley: Sinister Swamp
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2022, 09:43:18 AM »
Looks and sounds like a great game!
Home of the Grumpy Gnome

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Offline FramFramson

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Re: Pulp Alley: Sinister Swamp
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2022, 06:50:12 PM »
That looks like it was a fun game.  Thanks for the detailed write up.

Kid luck beats strategy every time - at least it did in my house.  lol
"Better lucky than good", as they say.


I joined my gun with pirate swords, and sailed the seas of cyberspace.

Offline tin shed gamer

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Re: Pulp Alley: Sinister Swamp
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2022, 08:40:12 PM »
Looks and sound like a fun game. Even more so when someone flukes their way through,Your cunning plan.

Offline mikedemana

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Re: Perilous Island: Sinister Swamp
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2022, 02:18:43 AM »
Sounds like a blast! Makes me yearn for our group's Pulp Alley days...  :'(

Mike Demana

Offline Cacique Caribe

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Re: Perilous Island: Sinister Swamp
« Reply #9 on: September 30, 2022, 02:37:43 PM »
Yes, sounds like they had a ton of fun.  I’m jealous.  :)

Dan

 

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