5 Li from the (Soviet) Border

[marianas_gamer]

When you live on a remote tropical island it can be difficult to find opponents for tabletop wargaming. So, I have been particularly taken with both the 5 Leagues from the Border and 5 Parsecs from Home solo campaigns that I have seen on both LAF and YouTube. I popped for the rules and they seem like that they can be easily converted to a fast paced romp in my favorite period of Warlord Era China. That being the case, I have most of the minis (at least in the pile of shame) and terrain that I will need. Of course, I immediately had to acquire more…….but most have been painted, I swear! I must caution all that there will be elements that will offend true historians of the period – probably from the very beginning of this campaign but this is an adventure and not a history in any way.
I welcome you to 5 Li from the (Soviet) Border

Captain Chow had had it up to his neck with Warlord Zheng, bad pay, worse food, and rags to wear. All the time Warlord Zheng continued to add to his large wardrobe of bejeweled uniforms, collection of concubines, and gambling debts. Why bother oppressing the peasants if one felt and looked like the oppressed? Staff School had taught Chow to seize the initiative and make things happen.  Dr. Wu, a lifelong companion and dabbler in esoteric arts, was clearly going to be one of Chow’s greatest assets in this enterprise. The captain also knew of a sergeant and a couple of senior privates that were steady and would be game to go in seizing a Xian (region) for their own.
Chow and Wu had identified Yinyan Dao, a town up by the Soviet border that was currently semi-independent. The region had a distinctly…odd reputation. There were Bolshevik and Chinese Communist factions rumored to be active in the region, a lamasery with unknown affiliations, and the Japanese were building a rail line to the town. It was ripe for plucking by the daring man, right? Sure, it was risky but no danger no chop!
The night came to make the break from Warlord Zheng. Plans had been made, provisions, rifles and ammunition hidden away, and a truck prepared for a long expedition. The escape was anticlimactic and the journey begun. Halfway through the trip things began to go sour. The truck had clearly not been well maintained and began to act up. Every few hours a stop needed to be made because of overheating. The radiator was leaking and Chow’s crew did not include a mechanic nor were spare parts at hand.  Resorting to wrapping leaks with ripped up cloth strips allowed the truck to limp a further 30 li until the engine finally seized.
Upon unloading the truck and distributing weapons, ammunition, and provisions further problems made their natures known. The carton of rifles had clearly been mislabeled or substituted by corrupt contractors or officers in the past. There were not 5 rifles in the carton but 3 and they were the product of a substandard local Chinese armory. At least the ammunition was of the correct caliber and usable with the rifles. That is assuming that it had been correctly manufactured and stored. Much of the provisions showed evidence of improper storage and had gone bad, though, at least the rice was good and would last.  It seemed clear that the small reserve of Mexican silver dollars would not stretch as far as had been expected. Aggressive measures were needed!
Where the action will occur.


Captain Chow


Dr. Wu


Sgt Wang


Senior Private Chen


Senior Private Liu

[Kourtchatovium104]

A detailed introduction to a very interesting scenario. I'm a solo gamer too and can't wait to see your report (in a certain extent, the historical accuracy is not so important). 

[Captain Darling]

Good premise M_G, looking forward to seeing your campaign develop!
BTW what is the weapon Senior Private Liu is armed with?

[marianas_gamer]

Captain Darling,
All of the pictures are AI generated. In my experience weapons are one of the things that AI struggles with (along with adding extra limbs to people of course) in pictures. So, the rifle is not a real thing. It is one of the reasons that I mentioned that the rifles were the product of a substandard local Chinese armory in the backstory.
Lon

[Captain Darling]

Thanks for the reply thought it looked weird you've confirmed why, cheers!

[Khusru2]

A nice start. Is combat going to be decided by Five Leagues/Parsecs or Back of Beyond or similar?

[marianas_gamer]

Khusru2,
Yes, I am going to use the 5 Leagues combat system, slightly modified.
Lon

[marianas_gamer]

[BeneathALeadMountain]

This looks great, looking forward to seeing how they do (although I’m not feeling super positive or optimistic). The AI images are really interesting - so believable (only the gun made me dubious ), shows how useful (and potentially dangerous) such things could be.

Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain

[traveller]

Wow! those pictures are amazing! I will follow your project with interest 

[madman]

The image of the "gun" reminded me of the home made weapons encountered throughout Africa. Also, to an extent, Khyber Pass weapons.

I am not real familiar with 5 leagues so look forward to how suitable this may be for a project or two of mine. I used google translate and Li came up as plum. Interesting unit of distance measurement. Curious about the "characters", why does Chow have no skills other than with his weapon? I understand the idea of acquiring subordinates with needed skills. Are all skills random rolls when characters are generated?

Looking forward to this.

[marianas_gamer]

Hi madman. Yes skills are the results of rolls in character set up. So some get them and others don't. They can be acquired through the game. I love that li translate as plums in google translate!

[marianas_gamer]

Turns 1-3
Hard traveling and blistered feet eventually led Chow’s band of adventurers to the gateway of Yinyan Dao Xian. Following too many dust eating miles and muttered curses, the ragged crew stumbled into the ruins and ancient standing tower at Jiu Ta. After a quick reconnaissance, Chow, Wu and Sergeant Wang set up camp. The two Senior Privates quickly ranged out to make sure that there were no nearby threats and to set snares for small game. All of this sounds much more professional than the actual fact of dirty exhausted men with dust caked faces stumbling through the ruins with weapons clutched in white knuckled hands. Luckily, any local threats were temporarily in abeyance. The tent was set, a small fire was started to cook the rice and grill a couple of unaware hares, and a hastily stacked rock wall provided protection.



Next day with hot food in their bellies and a solid night of sleep Captain Chow’s crew rested and further explored the ruins. The tower beckoned but a thorough search revealed neither dangers or hidden treasures, only a harsh breeze whistling through the windows and ramparts. The sharp eyes of Senior Private Liu spotted some unusual terrain and movement far to the south (An Unexplored Location discovered) but that would have to wait for another day.



A week of rest went by quickly with everyone recovering from the long road march. The Sergeant and the Senior Privates provided provisions and Chow and Wu planned the company’s next move. Senior Private Liu foraged for medicinal herbs but was unsuccessful. The nights were clear with spectacular stars (A star-lit night where the faeries sing. Captain Chow received the benefit of being Blessed in the next battle).

Having dented the population of the local hares and washed some of the roadway dust from their bodies and gear, Chow’s band shouldered their packs and headed on to Duan Shan. As the company approached the town they encountered a mendicant holy man. They provided him some of their cold rice and received his blessing (Profound life advice - add +1 Story Point). Entering the town they took advantage of the town well and checked the posted notices. (Contract - Locate item – No time limit). There was also local news that a band of hardy local hunters had swept the near region and driven out both bandits and dangerous predators (+2 Adventure Points)

Captain Chow and Dr Wu began to size up the town of Duan Shan for future work and allies. Prospects looked bright for a band of trained and disciplined hard men. Chow quickly found some warehouses and shops that needed security and were willing to pay, if poorly. It was enough to feed and shelter the men and keep their meager store of Mex dollars from further depleting. Meanwhile, the search for more lucrative contracts went on. Nights were spent drinking rice wine with the locals to see if they could find out more about the town power structure and the more disreputable possibilities available (Add +1 Story Point). A sandwich-board man acting as a town crier eventually led to the first real contract and chance to prove the crew to the town.
A middling merchant met with Chow and Wu to discuss the retrieval of some important documents that had gone missing when a caravan was ambushed north of Duan Shan in the foothills of the Hui Shan.  Although most of the cargo was lost to bandits, the all-important records and letters of credit were secreted in a cave by one of the merchant’s trusted servants (Location #2).

Newly supplied and rested, Chow’s company began the trek to the north. The Captain was pleased by how the men moved and their level of awareness. Perhaps they were finally going to catch a break.  Several li from where the cave was thought to be located, the sharp eyes of Senior Private Liu again proved their worth. Calling Dr Wu to his side Liu pointed out some oddly stacked rock formations to the west that were probably ancient ruins (an Unexplored Location discovered- #3).



The next day the company got down to the serious business of searching for the cave and determining whether there would be any problems retrieving the merchant’s documents. Both Senior Privates wormed their way into the underbrush as silently as they could to continue the search. Around mid-day both returned looking worried and white of face. “It’s a bear” began Liu, “and big” interjected Chen, “and damn mad!”
To be continued….when I have completed painting my large bear.