When Nightmares Come -

[Sterling Moose]

Last Tuesday we played Mission 2 in the The Oldest & Strongest Kind Case file.  Another fun game though not too much of a challenge.  Columbus took a well earned rest after his scare in Mission 1, we found some odd guy called Mork on the Dark Web to replace him for this one.
Narrative: Jay set a neighbouring warehouse on fire, successfully drawing away the police from the crime scene. Yoshi convinced the dock workers that the fire constituted a health violation under the union contract and that everyone was to go home with full pay. The Nightwatch  moves in to the crime scene.  A pentagram is chalked into the middle of what looks like a homeless encampment , with bodies seemingly arranged around them in a loose star shape
Turn 1
Jay sprints over over to the first point of interest and finds a shell hilted dagger. Silent Bob slowly moves towards another point of interest. Mork was shocked and amazed as a tentacle headed abomination moves towards him.
Turn 2
Yoshi finds some soggy clothing at the second POI, then shoots and slays the tentacled headed monster that was threatening Mork. Mork moves to a point of interest and finds some webbed footprints.  Jay sprints towards another monster, smashing his head into mushed Calimari with his trusty bat.
Turn 3
The Nexus is revealed, more Dark Spawn appear on the table, moving slowly.  Yoshi valiantly attempts to milk the Nexus for goop, failing all three attempts.  Mork tried to chuck a snare at a Dark Spawn, missed but there was a mighty explosion.  Jay takes down the closest portal.
Turn 4
Bob unleashes elemental fury, vaporizing 2 Dark Spawn.  Nano Nanu! Exclaims Mork in surprise as two Dark Spawn materialize next to him.  They slowly stumble towards him, getting stuck on a soiled mattress.  Mork lures the Dark Spawn across the table.
Turn 5
Dark Spawn converge on Mork, but stop, confused by the lure.   Yoshi attempts to close the nexus, failing twice. One more failure creates a terror. Jay rushes up to the Nexus and closes it.  Silent Bob labs an arcane bolt, taking out a Dark Spawn.
Turn 6
The team form a semi-circle around the Dark Spawn, who are so confused they cannot move forward.  Mork stuns the remaining darkspawn with an amazing fireworks display using a dazzler. Yoshi took out a Dark Spawn with his MP5K and Bob vaporized the rest with his last bit of mystical energy.
Mission ends, the team disappear into the shadows just before the Police and Dock Security return.

[Sterling Moose]

More pics can be found on the Stalker7 FB Group.

[zemjw]

That looks like a fun game. I never knew there was a Mork figure, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised

I have the figures and scenery, I've read the rules, I really must try to do something about a game. Too many projects, not enough time

[Chairface]

That looks like a fun game. I never knew there was a Mork figure, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised

From the excellent folks at Crooked Dice

I have the figures and scenery, I've read the rules, I really must try to do something about a game. Too many projects, not enough time

I know its hard to make time.  I hope that you can make it happen

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Cool AAR.

Thanks.

[nozza_uk]

Not on Facebook, so good to see this. I must get around to having a game of WNC at some point.

[PullusPuer]

Game 3 in the ongoing series.
Walk in the park, like Banksy but Twisted.
Our intrepid hunters overhear strange stories of roughhewn stone statues that are etched with crude symbols appearing in the local park. The Nightwatch team arrives on scene as twilight fades and the world is embraced by the cool of nighttime darkness. Overhead, decorative lampposts hum and flicker, illuminating the unwashed masses, the usual denizens of the park, searching for a quiet bench to lay their head for some rest. Squeaky wheels of shopping carts filled with earthly possessions break the sounds of silence. “Everyone needs to leave the area immediately!” Mork blurts out in his loud voice, garnering sour glares from beneath newspapers and makeshift cardboard cubbies. Jay and Silent Bob give each other a wry smirk and wink, as Bob pulls a large bag of Devil’s Lettuce from his trench coat. “Yo, homies! Y’all can hot box this b!tch up, but only if y’all scram!!” he bellows. Eagerly shuffling past Bob, the crowd of vagrants are handed a spliff as they leave the park.
Venturing further into the gloom the crew stumble across a gang of young punks tagging the historic Pissoirs. Silent Bob strides forward, puffing up his chest, dismissively motioning the ne’er-do-wells to leave. He is met with raucous laughter until the rest of the crew emerge from the gloom brandishing their weapons. The punks, realizing they are outmatched, beat a hasty retreat.
(So ends the narrative phase - Bribe for the homeless = Net pass, and Threaten for the Punks, also a Net Pass, so overall a Net Win. The Hunters get to choose entry points and get a free move to start the game.) Advancing into the gloom Mork sends up a drone to capture a bird’s eye view of the well-lit park centre to determine their best course of attack.
T1
Yoshi and Mork sweep around and enter from the West, with Jay and Silent Bob entering from the opposite side. Silent Bob splits off and moves towards the first dark obelisk. Closing in, Bob recognizes arcane markings from his studies, in 3 lines hewed into the base of the crude idol. A sense of unease and queasiness engulfs him. “Next time, let’s skip the Taco Bell on the way to the case” he muses silently to himself, patting his rotundness and letting out a large belch. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a lamppost that “just doesn’t look quite right” around the bandstand and heads towards it.
Opposite the park centre, Yoshi scans the area with his keen eyes and spots a statue in the gazebo. Quickly mounting the stairs, he too is overcome with queasiness and unease. A similar thought crosses his mind regarding their choice of eateries, and he makes a small vow to stick to the gas station sushi next time. Yoshi notices a lamppost faintly glowing with an unearthly light and moves around the gazebo to investigate.
Mork pauses, trying to understand the human quest to build and create, yet also contain small spaces of “nature” within their cities. Realizing he has work to do, he moves to the crude sculpture nearest him and is also overcome with a wave of dread and nausea as he approaches. He is then distracted by all the pretty animals, all standing perfectly still and neatly arranged in a circle.
Jay blankly stares into space, lost in the music he believes he hears within the hum of the park’s fluorescent lights, before looking around and finally saunters towards the closest strange obelisk.
A foul stench materializes from nowhere, permeating every breath; like rotting garbage left in a hot swamp, or Aunt Karen’s Seafood Surprise jambalaya. Suddenly, “things” emerge from the portals closest to Jay and Mork. Grotesque cousins of Kermit, and certainly abusing steroids, their sickly moist skin reflects the park’s overhead lights. The first frogman’s tongue lashes out at Jay, landing a solid hit and knocking the wind out of him. Mork lets out a barely audible “Nanu, Nanu!” as the creature lumbers towards him.
T2 -
Jay flourishes his bat in a stunning display of martial prowess, like all those badly dubbed action flicks he watched as a child; all the while hurling obscenities (not fit to print), before finally caving the poor creature’s head in. He moves closer to where the creature emerged and is struck dumbfounded at the beautiful swirling colours surrounding the lamppost.
Meanwhile, Mork stands paralyzed by fear at the hideous thing looming before him. Regaining his nerve, he wildly swings his helmet, which the creature easily avoids.
Yoshi closes in on the shimmering portal, scoops a sample of the foul ooze dripping down its length, and then recites an incantation of banishment before the portal winks out of existence leaving a large black gem in its wake. The gem is large and opaque, yet seems to suck in all light from around it like Jay and Bob hitting that last toke on the bong. He quickly pockets the gem and turns to survey how the rest of the team is doing.
Bob also closes in on the enchanted lamppost, snapping a few quick photos of the scene with his cell phone for posterity and later study. Then, inspired by his favourite space captain, Bob launches into a drop-kick at the lamppost. With a mighty thud and crack, the lamppost shudders, as the light above him explodes in a shower of sparks.
The remaining park lights begin to flicker and falter, seeming to flash out some strange esoteric SOS distress call. A blinding flash erupts close to Yoshi, as a swirling sphere begins to expand from the earth. It appears to be covered in unblinking eyes, pulsating and dripping blood; it swells to an enormous size before him. At that same moment, 2 more frogmen materialize from the lamppost nearest Mork and half hop, half crawl towards him. The froggy already locked in hand to hand lands a solid blow, sending Mork reeling backwards.
T3
With a loud pop, all the lights in the park glow brightly for a moment, than extinguish, plunging the area into almost total blackness.
Yoshi approaches the ever-expanding ball of goo, his foot snagging in the darkness on an unseen root. Flailing wildly, he careens headfirst into the sphere. Another blinding flash accompanied by a deafening twang of a banjo, and the Nexus winks out of existence, leaving in its place a mighty horror. “What the hell is that!” he blurts out. “This must be the twisted Papa Frog of those things attacking Jay and Mork. What an ugly mouth!” thinks Yoshi as he readies his weapons.
Silent Bob sees the monstrosity confronting Yoshi, and runs towards the pair, as fast as his little legs will carry him. Mumbling under his panting breath and flailing his arms around like he’s defending against a swarm of angry gnats, Bob unleashes a powerful bolt of arcane energy that slams square into the back of Kermit’s backwoods country cousin. A detonation of eldritch power consumes the frog, leaving poor Yoshi covered in slightly steaming chunks of grenouille and au jus.
Jay realizes Mork is in trouble, as he is now surrounded by 3 of these frog men and parkours towards the last melee, screaming “Save that tongue action for your boyfriends, you bunch of freak’n weirdos!” in an attempt to distract them and buy Mork some time.
Mork fumbles at his belt for a can of his homebrew repellant and manages to simultaneously both set it off and drop it at his feet. Disgusted by the funk spewing forth from the can, the green skins let out a chorus of unearthly croaks and flee from Mork. He readies a glass vial, attractant this time, and attempts to pitch it into the open area between the party members. Not known for his athletic ability, the concoction spins away, smashing against and knocking over some garbage cans. The sudden upset unleashes a swarm of insects from their nightly repast. The frogmen are distracted by the sudden appearance of a smorgasbord of flies, and entirely forgetting Mork, they hop towards the easier feast, like a fat kid left alone in a candy store.
T4
The park lights flicker to life once again and slowly spread their yellowish glow upon the carnage.
Jay slaps a bandage on his small wound, and scampers onto the roof of the carrousel ticket stand, where a frogman is hiding. Thinking he is in the major leagues; he swings with all his might and knocks the head clean off the frogman.
Mork, emboldened by Jay’s home run, takes aim with his ray gun and pulls the trigger. Nothing happens, apart from a ball of frog snot starting to ooze from the barrel. A second pull of the trigger and the ray gun coughs out another ball of phlegm.
Yoshi attempts to close with the remaining two frogmen as they are busy gorging themselves, however, ends up performing a bizarre dance routine as he slips and slides across the ground that is still covered in smoldering blobs of giant frog. Pausing his interpretative dance of an electrocuted chicken, he raises his SMG, only to realize his erratic movements have left him without a clear shot.
Bob is crouched over with his hands on his knees, wheezing like Uncle Bernie after the cigar festival. Finally catching his breath, he also begins to close the distance with the remaining foes.
The frogmen finish raiding the garbage cans, with one drawn off towards the labored panting of the fat man and the repeated expletives coming during Yoshi’s impromptu dance recital. The second deviant spots a giant red fruit fly (Mork) hiding behind the carrousel, and closes the distance intent on harm.
T5
The battlefield suddenly plunges into darkness as the park lights flicker and fail once more.
Jay, screaming like a madman and channeling his inner Jackie Chan, performs a beautiful swan dive off the roof, into a gold medal-winning tuck and roll, and comes up, sprinting to Silent Bob’s aid.
Silent Bob smirkingly shoots the reptilian menace the finger, musing “Hmm, BBQ frog's legs” before unleashing a bolt of eldritch energy that leaves a charred and smoking mass on the ground. With a shrug, he thinks” Well, maybe next time.”
Mork continues to flail about with his helmet against the foe before him. Each time a blow lands, the slimy skin of the lizard skirts the helmet aside, leaving no damage.
Yoshi, finally on solid ground again, takes aim and unleashes a hail of bullets into the back of the frog attacking Mork, all shots fail to land true. With a grunt of disgust, a single well-placed shot explodes from the face of the enemy, spattering Mork with his own serving of grenouille.
After a quick clean-up with some baby wipes, the crew strike a pose for a victory picture before fleeing the park, just as the early rays of dawn creep above the horizon.
Another successful outing with 8 goop collected, 4 POI investigated, and 4 regular size and 1 jumbo-sized servings of frog’s legs (with a side of eldritch calamari) prepared. A total of 13 XP gained, garnering our two Wardens a reroll and banking the remaining xp point. Jay and Yoshi also benefit from increased damage for their chosen combat style. Yoshi has secured a supply of blessed ammunition, while Jay has studded his murder bat with broken hopes and dreams.
(more pictures on the Stalker 7 Facebook page).

[PullusPuer]

sorry, first time posting with photos, which didn't show up properly.