The Breakout! (Pulp Alley: China Station)

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

The Breakout!
Hanamura Case Files No. 5

Tsuruyama Houdai (Tsuruyama Battery)
Abunakajima, East China Sea
1932 (Showa 7)

Our last story ended with an UNEXPECTED TWIST! Natsuko discovered Tsubaki had left an ofuda talisman on the temple, used as a rough note. The sailors wouldn't have seen it but to her eyes it had a faint glow.
"If you're reading this I have been captured," Natsuko read aloud. "These sailors are based at Tsuruyama Battery. I think that's where they'll take me."
Yuri appeared beside her and pulled a rumpled island map from her bag. "I borrowed this from their truck."
With a mischievous smile, she held up a strange metallic item in her other hand. "And this."
"What's that?"
"No idea!" She proudly proclaimed, lobbing the distributor cap deep into the jungle.


Our intrepid adventurers have picked out four possible locations/leads within the military compound for Yuri's whereabouts.  First, is the motor garage which is strongly built and could used as a cell. Second, are the officer's quarters as it?s within its own compound and likely where she's being questioned. Third is by the galley and enlisted men's well, as it's where some drunkard destroyed on cellar-aged awamori is sleeping it off and may let something slip. Finally, is the fortified gun pit itself. Fun-sized Tsubaki would easily fit in a dark ammunition locker. Currently, two sentries are on guard as the other troops are out searching and have only just discovered their truck won't start.
Finishing their reconnaissance, Yuri got her first good look at one of the sentries.
 "For Japanese sailors, they look kind of... thuggish."
Natsuko told her Tsubaki had said the same thing.
"Probably what Tokyo people think about us inakamono. Right, city girl?" She teased. It was her way of dealing with stress, like Natsuko's internal panicking.
The gentle barb calmed Natsuko's frayed nerves and she agreed. Tokyoites thought themselves to superior to all other Japanese, who they regarded as inakamono or "country bumpkins." As an actual country bumpkin, Natsuko thought Tokyoites were full of themselves and she couldn?t take their silly accent seriously.
Anger welled up in Yuri, "They better not have-"
"They didn't," Natsuko interjected. "We don't die alone."
With that, they helped each other over the coral and limestone perimeter wall to begin their infiltration.




Natsuko & Yuri's starting point; garage search point


Officer's Quarters search point and sentry; the coral and limestone walls are 5' tall so block line of site and require a peril check to cross.


Coastal defense battery and search point


Galley and enlisted men's well search point


The second sentry patrolling the grinder between the galley, enlisted barracks and coastal defense battery

ERRATA
Like everywhere else in the world, regional prejudices and stereotypes in Japan were rather strong during the early 20th century and to a lesser extent still exist today. That's why Yuri assumes the rough sailors are how Tokyoites view other Japanese and Natsuko thinks Tokyoites are all arrogant and dislikes their accent. That?s based on what multiple friends, coworkers and family (wife's side) have told me about how they see Tokyo folk and think Tokyo folk see them.

 "Right, city girl" is a callback to their last adventure. Natsuko speaks the "refined" Kyoto dialect, but is from the countryside not the Imperial city itself.

Awamori is the original Okinawan liquor and Japan?s first spirit. The distillation techniques were brought from Siam to the Ryukyu Kingdom in the 15th century. Later, Japan's shochu evolved from awamori.

[Vagabond]

An excellent start, carry on as soon as you like. 

"What's that?"
"No idea!" She proudly proclaimed, lobbing the distributor cap deep into the jungle". a very nice line.

'cellar-aged awamori', now this sounds more like the firewater that C Flight like, 60% alcohol content leave no room for doubt that it will cure insomnia. 
Cheers

[mikedemana]

Great start to a new adventure!

Mike Demana

[Vagabond]

Oh and the Costal defence battery and the garage are particularly nice terrain pieces, did you build the barrel on the gun or is it a commercial piece?

The cellar-aged awamori is now also in my next game report, thanks for that.
Cheers

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

Oh and the Costal defence battery and the garage are particularly nice terrain pieces, did you build the barrel on the gun or is it a commercial piece?

The cellar-aged awamori is now also in my next game report, thanks for that.
Cheers

The entire battery and its gun is a 3D print off Etsy; I can't remember which seller made it though.

Glad you like the awamori, hope you can try it someday.

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

An excellent start, carry on as soon as you like. 

"What's that?"
"No idea!" She proudly proclaimed, lobbing the distributor cap deep into the jungle". a very nice line.

'cellar-aged awamori', now this sounds more like the firewater that C Flight like, 60% alcohol content leave no room for doubt that it will cure insomnia. 
Cheers

That's my favorite Yuri line too! It's so... her.

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

Yuri put on the sailor cap she "borrowed" last adventure and casually strolled over to the first plot point.
Wonder who the girl is? She though. Putting it on, she noticed the photo of a farm girl in a nice kimono tucked inside. Come to think of it, her eyes look kind of like his. Before I blackened them, anyway.
Attempting the garage minor plot point, Yuri accidentally dropped the truck hood onto her hand creating a bit of noise, both human and metallic. It looks like this distributor cap is not going anywhere and she is not a talented performer.



Natsuko was able to Connect the Pieces and handily pass the plot point while Yuri failed to disable the enemy?s means of chasing them. The unlocked garage door opened with a plaintive metallic squeal far too loud for her taste. Entering, she nearly bumped into a figure carrying a heft burlap sack; she looked like a local girl with large eyes and a tanned complexion. Both panicked and Natsuko hushed her.



"I'm not stealing distributor caps," the girl claimed.
"...me too," Natsuko said honestly. "We're looking for our friend; we think she was brought here not long ago."
"Oh, if I was here stealing distributor caps, I think they brought her in for questioning about 30 minutes ago."
"Thanks. And um, we were never here."
"Me too." With that she closed the garage door and continued on her way. In passing, she let Yuri know the distributor cap was already taken and she hurt herself for nothing.


A wild prisoner appears at the barracks!

For being so smooth, (and gaining the minor plot point) Natsuko gets +1 finesse! (As if she needed more finesse)
The world is full of peril, but Yuri had a lucky find- Tsubaki's ugly cellulose acetate-rimmed glasses were on the ground and still intact. Good, because she's pretty useless without them. She used her cunning on the barracks door and inside she found...
"Great Gonga!" Yuri ejaculated!
...the bound and beaten form of Capt. Redding, if that's his real name. It would appear our princess is in another castle.
"Glad to see you're not dead too."
"Have you seen my sister?" Yuri demanded.
"No, but I heard some sailors mentioning a girl. I bet she's around."
"That or stealing distributor caps," Yuri muttered.

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

There was no way to approach the next area of interest (plot point) without crossing a sentry's line of sight. Natsuko gestured to Yuri, patted her head and made a beckoning gesture. Yuri Frisbee-tossed the sailor cap to Natsuko, who put it on. A slip flitted out of the cap midflight, not that anyone here noticed the future Sakura Sakura's image fall to the ground like sakura.
Imitating Yuri's earlier walk, she crossed the grinder.
"Oi." Petty Officer Honda barked.
He was on guard the moment a diminutive sailor came into view, but from the stumbling, unshaky movement he figured it was a lush headed to the well.
"Don't throw up in the well or it's your hide."
The sailor grunted a closed-mouth reply and wobbled on.
Natsuko is still in disguise!



Yuri crept to the side of the building, watching the sentry's interaction with Natsuko. It seems he bought it and for the moment, she wasn't willing to try her luck. She jumped when the captain coughed hoarsely behind her, spitting out blood. No, there wasn't no time to wait if this is what was happening to Tsubaki. Besides, if it came to it, she preferred a standup fight to all this sneaking around.
She and Redding darted between from the barracks to the administrative building, the sentry didn't even notice.



Before parting, Yuri gave Natsuko some puzzling advice. "To be really cunning, you have to fall at least once; otherwise they'll know you're sober." Natsuko has never been good at prat falls, but unfortunately knows how to real fall all too well and landed on her face.
"Ow."
What does Yuri know about alcoholism anyway?
Luckily, she's used to face plants and passes her health check.

Stupid drunk, thought the sentry as he watched the sailor fall. Her disguise was clearly still working.
The other sentry noticed a pair of guys walking about but thought nothing of it.

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

Natsuko caught a lucky break as the sentry turned heel and headed for the artillery battery, its long barrel slowly being illuminated by warm coming of dawn. They had to pick up the pace.

The drunk cook (minor plot point) she found by the well was well and truly sloshed, an empty awamori put beside him. He spoke in a mysterious code she lacked the cunning to decipher.

Yuri's luck ran out when she hopped the wall around the officer?s quarters compound.
"HALT!" The sentry shouted with leveled rifle.



Natsuko nearly jumped from her skin at the rifle shot. An armed, half-dressed sailor threw open the galley door and looked around. Ignoring the drunk cook passed out in his usual place and the short guy squatting beside him.

"I'm sorry," she began apologizing to the cook. "I need you tell me where my friend is or I'm going to curse you!" She pulled out a cursed object, an ugly frog-man metal statue thing from Kawaguchi-ko Port and using all her might threatened to beat him with it. The drunk popped her in the forehead with a meaty fist and passed out. She landed on her butt in the mud.
"Ow."
This time it really hurt!



Yuri should have been careful what she wished for. She wanted a straight fight and got it. Charging the nearest sentry, he tagged her with rifle fire before she could get into range, leaving the flailing, screaming assailant clumsily missing every attack. The second sentry joined, careful not to get his fellow (who also owed him koi-koi winnings) with a clean, downward butt stroke. It connected with her shoulder but she dropped and let the momentum carry over her. These were but flesh wound and she fought on unhindered and madder than ever.
Tsubaki was right- shooting Yuri just makes her angrier.



Natsuko continued fighting with the drunken plot point until she was taken down!



"Shoryuken!"
Yuri takes out a sentry with a move she's been meaning to try out, which left her open to the second opponent whose attack connected but failed to bring her down. Breathing ragged and bloodied, neither was willing to quit but in the end Yuri emerged victorious.

Natsuko recovered thanks to her strange luck and Yuri tried her best to overcome a sophisticated device: a locked door. The ubiquitous locked door was her forever foe and she kicked it something fierce to no avail even as a poorly aimed rifle shot erupted on the wall beside her.
"This is some rescue," the captain muttered.
Out of options and having dropped her cursed doodad down the well, Natsuko succeeded at strong-arming the drunken plot point with her meager might and he finally yielded. Or got bored of her love taps and threats. Not sure which.
"The girl is in the kura (storehouse) in the officer's compound, now leave me alone."
Refined Kyoto girl that she was, Natsuko bowed fully and thanked him for his help!




The prisoner's location has been revealed, but the alarm has been raised and armed troops begin swarming the area!

Yuri heard a banging from the kura and Tsubaki?s voice shouting from behind it's locked door!



Her sister is released from the locked door's treachery, seemingly unharmed but red-faced and reeking of awamori. No time to ask questions she grabbed her to flee as guards began pouring into the compound!

Natsuko used her weak spiritual energy to blast at a guard, blowing her cover but taking some of the heat off Yuri. Being equally poor shots, both missed each other.



Yuri took cover behind the officer's quarters to avoid pot shots; these sentries were marksmen, not brawlers, so they would choose to take her out at a distance over a fun, I mean "fair," fight. Splinters sprayed the side of her face from a near miss.





Natsuko took out a sentry but at a cost to her own health. She made  mental note to get a red kimono next time, to better hide the blood stains.
Taro-come-lately sentry got off a lucky shot at range Yuri couldn't dodge nor "shake off."



How does an Unkempt Bush decide fate yet again?! Thanks to an umkempt bush, Yuri stumbled as she tried to get over the wall to freedom (her board edge).
Even in her weakened state, Natsuko comes through and takes out Yuri's sniper!




Under fire, the trio got over the wall just as the first rays of dawn illuminated the sky.



That was wild; both girls pulled their weight and took a few blows. Natsuko seems particularly good at getting knocked down and picking herself back up. This game went over the seven turn limit, but I had to see how it ended. Yuri's "hero" health (d10) allowed her to bounce back a few times; since none of these characters are true "heroes" I assigned her "acting leader" with d10 health but otherwise mere d8 sidekick stats. Once it got kicked down to d8 near the end, if she hadn't gotten over the wall I think she may have been worn down.
I tried being smart about the sentries; they could have technically tried to hop the wall like our protagonists but with 1d6 might, finesse, and cunning, I doubt they could have made the peril checks. I had them fight like marksmen, keeping themselves close enough to fire even defensively if charged. This frustrates using someone like Yuri who's good at brawling but can only get off a single shoot dice. Also, unlike previous games, fighting regular humans means she doesn't get her bonus attack dice like she does against the supernatural.

ERRATA
Koi-koi is a game played with small hanafuda cards, which was popular despite the ban on gambling. The cards our sentry played with would have been made by Kyoto-based card manufacturer, Marufuku Nintendo Card Co. Nintendo started as a hanafuda-making company in 1889 and would eventually branch out into electronic video games.

"Taro" is a generic man's name, the equivalent of "John"

[Michi]

Distributor caps and sand paper, those were the times?
Great reports, very good story an dun to read. Thank you!

[mikedemana]

Those plucky girls win again! True, Pulpy goodness -- thanks for the game report!

Mike Demana

[Khusru2]

The ladies deserve a pulp magazine series of their own. Splendid.

[FramFramson]

Another rip-snorter!

[Triarii]

These scenarios and terrain are giving me ideas for my generic 'far east' PA adventures. Keep it up!

[Vagabond]

Great fun,  a typical good pulp game and another enjoyable read. Hopefully you can keep this momentum going because the girls are on a roll and I'm enjoying reading off their escapades.

The buildings you are using,  wood frame and thatched roofs with battens holding the thatch down. Are they typical for a period and or region or fairly generic in Japan over a period covering hundreds of years. I ask because they don't have chimneys and was wondering when and if they started to be used.
I'm assuming they are thatch but I suppose they could be thin sips of wood!
Cheers