Steamship Troopers - 'Nef Down

[fastolfrus]

As we reach the end of Christmas term each year we always have a final game that is different to our normal games.
Rules have to be simple and fairly fast, suitable for multi-player, and suitable for mixed ages (10-17).
Previous Christmas games have included mammoth hunting, Carry on Screaming, Boxer rebellion, Predator, Gladiators.
This year we have played quite a few Victorian games (Empire of the Dead) so keeping a Victorian theme we opted for a crashed ship on an expedition to Mars.
Each player started with three figures, they needed to cross the board (5 feet long) to escape to safety. Players get 2 actions per turn. Actions are move, shoot, fight, search/pick up things. Movement was 6" for one action, 9" for 2 actions.
The board was largely featureless, apart from a wide swathe of rough ground across the centre including several crashed ship sections.

[fastolfrus]

Initiative was a simple dice roll (d6) for each player, then a card was turned from a deck of 6 red cards (A - 6) plus 2 jokers.
As the first joker was turned 2 tokens appeared on board. Next joker and the "blips" moved 6" towards the nearest player.
3 "blips" were added in subsequent turns.
As the "blips" reached players (or if players passed over them) they were swapped over for holes, and 1d6 bugs appeared from them.
Bugs moved 12" and black cards were added to the initiative deck for them.

Shooting was a d10 roll per shot needing 8 or more to remove a bug.
Close combat was a d6 per man vs a d10 per bug.

Searching the ship wreckage turned up something useful on a high roll (6-10 on d10). First search find was an officer, second was another survivor (ship's chaplain, doctor, captain, etc), 3rd was explosives (useful to seal bug holes). Blips could not move under wreckage markers (bit like tremors).

[fastolfrus]

So how did the game go?

Surprisingly well.
8 players who gradually got overwhelmed as they ran towards safety.
One group valiantly took out 3 bugs in close combat before numbers proved just too much, two groups (Gurkhas and Marines) got within a move from the safe edge before being caught by bugs, and one group, hugging the table edge got to 3" from safety with a group of bugs 6" behind him. Final turn initiative, he rolled a one and the first card was.... the red ace.
The bell for the school bus was the deciding factor on time.
Choir practice for the school carol concert was a limiting factor on our numbers, but even so, the ones we had with us managed to get through 80 sausage rolls, 40 cocktail sausages, a dozen bags of crisps, and a kilo of chocolate biscuits (Final game is always a healthy one :~}). Now I have 11 months to plan the next one.

[thebinmann]

Glad it went well

Did you take any snaps?

[fastolfrus]

Unfortunately not - time was very limited, setup to finish in under an hour. Although it's not a very photogenic game, but I might take a pic over the Christmas holiday whilst all the pieces are still to hand.
I might even write the rules dowm instead of just fudging them as we go along :~}

[OSHIROmodels]

That sounds like a fun game for BLAM next year 

cheers

James

[The_Beast]

Unfortunately not - time was very limited, setup to finish in under an hour. Although it's not a very photogenic game, but I might take a pic over the Christmas holiday whilst all the pieces are still to hand.
I might even write the rules dowm instead of just fudging them as we go along :~}

Will be delighted to see, though it will miss the glee and pain in the participants eyes. We LOVE that! 

That sounds like a fun game for BLAM next year 

I think he's more interested in someone lugging in that much in goodies... 

Thanks so much for sharing!

Doug

[fastolfrus]

I think he's more interested in someone lugging in that much in goodies... 

BLAM would need a lot more sausage rolls :~}

[Dr. The Viking]

My idea of amalgating vsf and starship troopers seems to be popular. 

This is the second time I see someone co-opting it. Hope you had fun.