The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers presents........

[Ignatieff]

Cappone and Fletcher had realised what no-one else had...that the secret of the idol was actually inside it.  Using military engineering skills honed on the eastern front, Fletcher had managed to blow the idol open.  Inside a secret internal safe was a strange woven metal material (what Lenin was after) as well as a map.  The map was entitled 'Skull Island' and appeared to be situated somewhere in the South China Sea.  Cappone could barely contain his excitement.....

So, with the campaign two-thirds through, Urga had fallen to the Bolsheviks.  The Chinese, so victorious at Chang Chun, fell back to the border towns they had earlier captured, and engaged in a traditional bout of internal civil war as a successor of Hu Jjin Wanger was fought out.  The Urga campaign became known in international circles as the First Partition of Mongolia.  Der Baron was beaten, but not defeated however.  He fled with the Imperial treasury and the remnants to Kashgar, where he set up a government in exile.  

And what of the rest?

Brigadier Linn and Lord Grey were recalled in disgrace (again).  Although they had managed to withdraw the majority of their force, British honour had been sullied.  Smirnoff withdrew to the gaming tables of Biarritz, where agents of the French government approached him to be governor of Syria. His 2IC, Von Ravenstein (guest played by the legend hinself, Steve - The Boss - Dean), concluded that this mobile armoured warfare lark probably had a future and spent the next two decades perfecting the theory - and then the practice - back in Germany.The Japanese licked their wounds and waited, and honoured the spirit of their dead leader Colonel Panasonic.  And The Dalai Soapy was much vexed by the turn of events, and feared for the Ying and Yang of the Universal Order.

However the campaign still had a final twist.......The Return to Skull Island!


Skull Island in all its terrifying glory


What nameless horrors awaited The League???

[Poliorketes]

Great story, and skull island is a marvel to the eye!

[Paul @ Empress Miniatures]

What a hero Cappone is!!!!

What Machiavellian brilliance!!!

Long Live Capone I hear the crowds shout!!!! 

[OSHIROmodels]

Fantastic 

cheers

James

[Patrice]

I'm still reading this wonderful thread again and again, and I've not yet fully understood the whole scenario and what lies behind 

Scenarios - and relation afterwards -  of skirmish wargaming is truly becoming the 10th Art (or the 11th Art ?), and Ignatieff is its prophet
 

[Duke Donald]

The reports of "The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers" are absolutely wonderful and they were one of the main reasons why I eventually decided to register to the Lead Adventure forum. I just hope this one wasn't the last episode.

[Stavros]

Excellent!!!!....Cappone vs Kong, can't wait 

[Wirelizard]

I'm still reading this wonderful thread again and again, and I've not yet fully understood the whole scenario and what lies behind 

Scenarios - and relation afterwards -  of skirmish wargaming is truly becoming the 10th Art (or the 11th Art ?), and Ignatieff is its prophet
 

It'll probably help if you go back and read Ignatieff's many previous posts on his League of Extraordinary Kreigspielers game universe, which took a sharp turn away from boring old "real" history sometime just after (or possibly turning) the Great War and has become increasingly bizarre and awesome!

Now I'm wondering how Tibetan zeppelin air pirates are equipped, and picturing leather flying helmets, except with crests on them like that awesome hat the Dalai Soapy is sporting!

[Patrice]

It'll probably help if you go back and read Ignatieff's many previous posts

I've read many of them …and it's always wonderful

which took a sharp turn away from boring old "real" history sometime just after (or possibly turning) the Great War

Well… in my opinion the trick is not to turn away from real history (and in fact, I am a lover of "boring old real history"!)

Turn away from history is easy, but does not bring anything more in itself. The genius in Ignatieff's scenarios - as I can see it - is that he did stick to real history as much as he could, then he diverted from real history when his bunch of players was mature enough to play their roles in an organised way outside history.

History is the guideline. As in any artistic creation, you must know and respect the traditional guideline to be able to get free from it with good effect. That's what he is doing.

[Traveler Man]

I think those are what every wargames table wants to be when it grows up.    Outstanding!

[Ignatieff]

Cappone had heard of the legend of Skull Island, but until he found the map had never believed it.  Rumour was that several years before Von Stauffenberg had landed there and claimed to shot several 40' tall monkeys.  Complete bollocks of course, but what was interesting to him was the other story: that Von Stauffenberg had discovered some new metal alloy which he had incorporated into his multiple barrel mortar (cf Chang Chun).  At least this is what Trotsky had told him at his odd briefing in the Moscow bathhouse.  Whatever the truth, Cappone and Fletcher were determined to go to Skull Island and find out for themselves.......read on dear reader....


Cappone's men headed straight for the massive carved skull monument, safety catches off and hand grenades primed


As they approached the entrance they became aware in the dim light of a monsterous Mongolian Liche standing stationary in the gateway, wearing what appeared to be a Der Baron tribute outfit...


A hail of automatic gunfire soon proved that it was dead. Very dead.  However some of the more superstitious Italians were getting distinctly nervy....

[Ignatieff]

The adventurers had left their ship, The Maltese Knight, in a small harbour many miles from the statue of the monkeys head.


A cautious examination of the monkey skull had proved fruitless, and the party started heading back to the ship, when they began to notice strange yellow glows coming from the numerous decorative arches scattered around the terrain


'Christ on a pedelo!' exclaimed Cappone, as out of one of the arches appeared what looked like a dinosaur.   Not a huge one mind you, but something that was meant to have died out millions of years before.  A quick squirt from the flamethrower crew soon had the beast screaming in agony

[Ignatieff]

As if from nowhere the party was suddenly attacked by three young raptors, eager to avenge their mothers singeing...men started to go down and the party began to lose its cohesion as men ran for cover.


It was then that Fletcher spotted what looked like an unmanned monoplane coming towards them...


hotly pursued by what looked like German pilots of flying dinausaurs..."I will never touch another pipe of opium ever again..." promised Cappone to himself.."on my mothers grave.."

[Stavros]

Outrageously entertaining  ....Please Dad, can i have another story before bed 

[Ignatieff]

Before turning their machine guns and 30mm canons on Cappone & Fletchers now terrified crew...


Their enemies looked German, but Fletcher did not recognise the uniforms


But worse, much worse, was to follow. This little chap had the ability to make men's minds explode. Literally.  All over their uniforms.  Here one brave Alpini does his best to face up to the floating horror, seconds before his face explodes....