Bloodsoaked fields of Flounders (Weird West FfoL rules AAR)

[Legionnaire]

Yesterday, we played game 2 of 4 in my Harrow County Weird West setting. Link to my background fluff, rule tweaks and characters can be found here: https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=147551.0

The Protagonists are:

Sister Theodora- Arcanist
Becky O'Bannion- Shootist
Moses "Big Mo" Monroe- Assault Specialist
Alfred Burger- Support

         BLOODSOAKED FIELDS OF FLOUNDERS

Flounders, Georgia. During the Civil War, an unspeakable atrocity took place here, soaking the soil in innocent's blood. To this day, nothing grows here and they say the ground itself bleeds. Greedy, immoral men and women will do ANYTHING to achive their wants! L.O.A.D. (The League of Absolute Devilry) have kidnapped a local holy woman, and we believe that they are going to sacrifice her on these Unholy Grounds and summon forth some being from the Netherworlds to do a Faustian Deal. This can not be allowed to happen!!! Sunset Watch, Assemble!!!

Time: At the start of Turn 7, roll a D10. 1-7, this is the last Turn, 8-10, that's the number of Turns to be played.

Objective: Free the holy woman before she's sacrificed, if possible. Failing that, stop the summoning by ANY means necessary. If a being is summoned, deal with the threat from Hell.

SPECIAL RULES

Spawn Points: On the table are 6 Spawn Points. At the START of each turn roll 1D6, that Spawn Point will summon forth a Horde (3) of Zombies. A Spawn Point can be rendered inactive for the rest of the game by spending 1 Action and succeeding at a 5+ Task (Occult).

Sacrifice: When/ if the Cultists have brought the Priestess into base-to-base with the Hanging Tree, they have to spend a whole turn executing her. The Priestess can be cut down safely by spending 1 Action and succeeding at a 5+ Task (Mundane).

Summoning: The Head Honcho, providing the sacrifice has been made, will start the ritual the FOLLOWING Turn. At the END of that Turn and subsequent ones, roll 1D10. On 11+, the ritual is complete. Adding +1/ Cultist that is being killed, running tally!

Ritual: IF the ritual is completed, a Terrifying Demon is brought forth (6” Reach, Huge, Fear, God-Like, 6 Wounds, +2 to Hit Shooting but -2 to Wound).

Fanatics: ALL Cultists will act as meatshields for the Head Honcho! ALL damage to the Head Honcho will first be taken by a Cultist, as they gladly and eagerly sacrifice themselves for the Cause.


EXPERIENCE POINTS

Eliminating a Zombie Horde- 2 (because they are so difficult to put down)

Inactivate a Zombie Spawn Point- 1

Each Cultist Horde eliminated- 1

Eliminating the Head Honcho- 2

Saving the Holy Woman- 5

Exorcising the Demon- 10

The Sunset Watch team felt the dimensions shift and change as they stepped through The Roads, bending Time and Space and emerging in a desolate field in the countryside. There was a sliver of an Evil moon hanging in the sky, like the blade of a scythe. A big, burly rough handed man with a bushy beard, hefting a pick-axe greeted them:
“I'm Henry, and I have been asked to assist you folks' with this insane business,” he looked grim.

Sister Theodora took command as usual and it didn't take a genius to spot the hooded figures stalking through the darkness, torches in hand.
“Up yonder, there's a Hanging Tree,” Henry shuddered visibly,
“It's not borne fruit since that terrible night. I reckon that's where they are taking her.”

The cultists were slowly advancing with purpose and the team could hear guttural glubbings coming from the east and a slow but unstoppable shuffling and dragging from many feet. Big Mo and Henry cut across towards the middle, intending to catch up with the cultists, whilst Sister Theodora, Becky and Alfred moved up a hill swiftly to get a better lay of the land and getting into better positions for using their firearms.

Alfred, the shopkeeper touched his impressive moustache for good luck and took aim with the 10-gauge shotgun he had and let loose. The quiet of the Georgia night shattered as three cultists dove for cover, but only two made it, the third was cut nearly in half! The ground itself seemed to shudder and shake with an otherwordly force and drank the blood greedily! Sister Theodora also fired upon the Head Honcho with a shotgun, when a cultists, madly, threw themselves in harms way, rambling something about: “Ia! For the Dark Lord in The Void I give my life!” another one bit the dust and several robes were frayed! Becky O'Bannion unloads with her trusty Winchester, firing until the chamber is empty and the hammer lets out a dry click. For all the lead she puts out, only one measly cultist was caught in the fussilade, shot through like a Swiss cheese!

Meanwhile, Big Mo and Henry are encountering festering abominations, they are a horrific sight to behold, so both men, though strong and tough, are finding them a ghastly sight, being very hesitant to engaging such monstrosities, the stench alone is enough to make the strongest man retch and gag!

At the Hanging Tree, the cultists are fitting a noose around the poor Holy Lady's neck and hoist her up in the air, she's kicking her feet in fear and desperation as she draws closer to Death by each passing second! The Head Honcho takes out a large leatherbound tome and rolls their sleeve up, ready to commence recital when she draws her last breath!

Big Mo steels himself finally and unsheathes his machete. He has had enough! Relentlessly and with deadly purpose, he launches himself at the shambling undead, heads roll left, right and centre and with each swing he draws nearer to the two cultists that had fallen behind. Their eyes widen in fear as his wet blade digs into them like a hot knife through butter, cutting them down as if they were straw! When Big Mo finally stops moving for a moment, three zombies and two cultists lay dead at his feet. Henry nods at him to show appreciation for a job well done!

The Holy Lady is thrashing at the end of the rope, her lungs are on fire, she can't breathe! She eerily hears the lever of a repeater rifle cocking as Becky chambers one round, that's all she needs! She takes aim and squeezes the trigger. A single shot rings out, cutting the rope that The Holy Lady is being hung by! She tumbles to the ground, fills her lungs with life-giving oxygen and runs away, as fast as her legs can carry her! The remaining cultist and the Head Honcho stand in stunned silence, as it dawns on them what has just happened. All that Dark Power they have gathered now have nowhere to go, they have failed to call forth the Daemonic Entity and will now suffer the consequences. The members of the Sunset Watch see how the cultist and the Head Honcho are turned inside out, literally, screaming in agony and their silvery Souls are sucked down to the deepest recessess of Hell in a tiny portal that opens up and closes in the blink of an eye!
“Excellent job team! We have struck a powerful blow at the Forces of Darkness!” Sister Theodora concludes.
“Let's go home and celebrate a job well done!”


Fun game and it came to a very surprising completion by Turn 3 already. The dice worked mostly in the team's favour but it really could've gone sideways. A few bad rolls, a couple of Turns later and there'd be a LOT of zombies on the board.

Best moments: The player of Big Mo rolling incredibly on his melee Flourish attacks, consistently rolling 9+ to wound, as he's got Killer and armed with a Machete (giving +2 to Wound rolls right off the bat). And Becky's player thinking outside of the box! "Can I shoot the rope?" he asked. The answer was: "Yes, but it'll have to be a Task roll, not a Shoot roll at 8+." The player used an Ace as a 6, received the much needed Free Reload AND two actions. The player rolled 10 on the D12 and that shot won them the game! Excellent!