This game was a playtest of the forth coming Scavenge Skirmish Survive rules from Miniature Mojo (
http://www.miniaturemojo.co.uk/) – I’ve used my own background for now, as although Steve’s is great (Supervolcano creates massive climate change leading to a Volcanic winter and possibly a new Ice Age) I want to incorporate bits from the old Babylon’s Burning setting and my own fevered imagination. Apologies for the unfinished/slightly woebegone look of some of the scenery – e.g. the rims still being on some craters and the chips on the floor boards of the tall ruins - this was a slightly short notice game, and one I'm planning to eventually update/renovate my scenery collection to fit with my new basing (as opposed to its current ‘fallout-esque’ sand) [/i]
Shatterlands. That’s what we call the regions which got really torn up by the Rock. Folks are a bit suspicious of them, as the large number of fragments tend to make Geiger counters shout, but it’s usually the last place with any decent sort of pickings as folks stay away for that very reason. On the south-west side of Bristol, down Bedminster way, is a region that got really badly chewed up, and there is a rumour of rich pickings…
Meeting skirmishThis is a ‘straight up’ game, with two approximately equal point forces (other forces generation methods are available and encouraged!) attempting to recover items from the abandoned truck, and then get them off the board.. The game does include rules for searching other ‘obvious’ places – and as such there might be items of value in the other wrecked vehicles and/or the post box and/or some of the intact buildings. The goal is to recover atleast 2 pallets of food. The groups bear no particular animosity to each other, and are more worried about keeping the other gangs ‘thieving mitts’ off ‘their’ stuff rather than actually putting bodies to dirt. Both groups were built with a goal of ~120 pts each; and although I didn’t follow the suggested structure, I tried to keep a reasonable mix of points costs. Items are randomly generated using the search rules – including the ones at the markers at the back of the yellow wheetabix truck.
Force 1: The Staple-Hill Scavs
Male adult; Average Strength & Stamina; Finding and Sneaking skill; Bag; DB shotgun = 21
Male Adult; High Strength & Stamina; Bag; 2 handed club = 15
Female; Average Strength & Stamina; Bag; Revolver = 14
Male youth; Average Strength & Stamina; Building and Breaking skill; Bag; 1 Handed Club = 12
Female; High Strength & Stamina; Bag; HC Rifle = 23
Male Adult; Average Strength & Stamina; Bag; Crossbow = 15
Male Adult; Average Strength & Stamina; Fighting and Shooting skill; Bag; 2 handed club = 17
=117
Force 2: Warren’s Wanderers
Female; Low Strength & Stamina; Leading and Organising skill; Double Barrel Shotgun = 29
Male Child; Average Strength & Stamina; Bag = 6
Male Adult; Average Strength & Stamina; Sniper Rifle = 33
Male Adult; High Strength & Stamina; Bag, 1 handed club = 16
Male Youth; Average Strength & Stamina; Machete (and club) = 16
Male Adult; Low Strength & Stamina; Bag, Pistol = 14
Male Youth; Low Strength & Stamina = 10
=120
The table:
Turn 1: Folks move up, blissfully unaware of the other group in the area. Both sides take precautions though, sending people with long-range weapons towards comparatively controlling positions.
Turn 2: Folks carry on moving – the scav’s guards towards the high-rise, whilst the rest head towards the abandoned truck they’d heard about. The wanderers start poking through and abandoned shop, shilst their stag heads up to the town’s square. Rounding a corner, he spots the scav’s guards in the distance, takes aim down his telescopic sight and drops the one with the rifle, sending the other ducking for cover.
Turn 3: The wanderer’s stag takes 2 more pot shots, but due to the crappy home-loads he’s forced to use he misses twice. Some of the other wanderers move up to the abandoned green open backed truck, finding nothing in the cab, and the youth climbs up onto the back to start searching through the pile of rags. The scav’s crossbow man hopes for vengeance taking a shot at the wandered on the back of the truck, but misses, and decides to move on into cover. The other scavs move up to the lorry, staying hidden.
Turn 4: Poor weapon maintenance bites both sides, and the fire-fight which was brewing doesn’t happen. Both sides make the most of the opportunity to scavenge what they can. The wanderer’s kid on the back of the truck finds a pallet of tinned food amidst the rags; whilst the scavs have hit the mother load – finding fuel in the petrol tank, a pallet of canned drinks and a gas canister. A couple of the melee armed guys start flanking through the ruined church in an attempt to get closer to the Wanderers stag. The crossbow armed scav takes a snap shot at a wanderer who was making a break for the high rise, but misses.
Turn 5: With the tension heightening, the Wanderers start feeling the effects of illness and malnutrition. The wanderer carries on heading towards the highrise and makes it through the windows. The wanderer in the front of the shop finds an ammo box. The matriarch and pistol guy move around front of truck to respond to the sounds of searching and breaking boxes. A blast from her shotgun makes the searching scav scamper away, dropping the fuel canister he had been holding, only for it to smash on the ground. The scav with the crossbow pins the wanderer in the high rise to the wall as he tries to scramble through the window, whilst the other wanderers consolidate their finds in the church ruins.
Turn 6: The scavs get a burst of adrenaline, presumably fired up by all of their loot. The Crossbowman fires 2 bolts at bossy shotgun toting wanderer woman – 1 misses, 1 hits to no effect, then hides. In the ruins of the church, the big scav group breaks up – the fire-arm toting guys move into position to cover back of wheetys lorry, others move towards store, still trying to outflank the wanderers stag. The wanderer stag fires twice at lead scav, clips him to no effect. The woman opens up on the scavs in the church, to no effect, keeping the scav’s heads down whilst the rest of the wanderers dash for the wheetys lorry.
Turn 7: The wanderers get a stoppage due to their poor weapons maintainance. The guys at the wheetys lorry do well - finding a sledge, tinned drinks and a
medical kit. Still not enough food! Their stag repositions to try and get a better view. The scav crossbowman moves and fires at one of the wanderer by the lorrys, sending a bolt thunking into the sledge! The scav with the DB shotgun in the church ruins fires at the Wanderer woman with both barrels, missing.
[Forgot groups can run! Durrh!]
Turn 8:With the last two shotgun shots, the Scavs run out of ammo for their fire-arms! The wanderers by truck bug out with their loot; swhilst their stag downs the lead flanking wanderer. The scav flankers run towards the sniper; the pistol girl breaks for home with some of the loot. Seeing the wanderers getting away with the much needed supplies, the scav shotgunner jumps down from the church ruins and runs after the unarmed youth in the hoody, beating him down with the now useless shotgun. Kid didn’t stand a chance
Turn 9: The Wanderers run out of ammo too. Oh dear, this is going to get mediaeval! The wanderer with the pistol attacks the shotgun wielding scav, putting him down fairly easily despite despite the odds, and then starts gathering up the dropped loot. The shotgun toting older woman comes across to lend a hand, whilst the kid with the machete makes for home. With ½ their number down, it’s morale check time for the Scavs – 1 of them legs it for the hills, and the other two decide that discretion is the better part of valour and decide to fade away.
Wrap-up
Total loot retrieved by the Staplehill Scavs – 1x pallet of canned drinks for 3 casualties and using the last of their ammo.
Total loot retrieved by Warren’s Wanderers – 1x crate of tinned food, 1xpallet of canned drinks, 2x fuel canisters, 1x medic kit and a sledge to drag it all away on; for 2 casualties.
Neither faction found all the food they needed, but the Scavs did far worse than the wanderers!
The rules played well, and I’ll definitely be using them again. A few queries came up during the game, and I’ve had some good feedback from Steve on how they will be addressed/clarified in the next draft.
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April 27, 2024, 07:05:01 AM
February 05, 2013, 03:53:14 AM
