Lestrade finds Cinderalla. Lets her slipper through his fingers.

[Silbuster]

Inspector Lestrade and Cinderella.

The message was brief and to the point. We were to rescue agent Cinderella down at the old tree and brush between Old Crumbling and New Crumbling. I went out to gather the finest bunch of men known to law enforcement and came back with the usual suspects. Never mind, they would have to do.

We split up on the outskirts of Old Crumbling and sauntered towards Cinders. And then started legging it as Diamond Annie and her cast of Music Hall rejects ran out from New Crumbling! I’d give good money to know how she gets to know, you know. Come to think of it, it’s probably by using good money to buy bad bobbies. Hell’s teeth, there’ll be a reckoning one of these days! Mr Holmes long legs took the lead as we sprinted for the trees.

And then what? It suddenly struck us that if Diamond’s band saw us carting off the dwarfs’ favourite then they were likely to open up and convert her into a colander. It looked like the same idea had occurred to that gaggle of strumpets too. Everybody started thoughtfully drawing out truncheons, pins and pistols and polishing them meaningfully. This looked like being one big punch up.

Correct. As DC Ginger positioned himself to direct the traffic from a ruined window, various mannequins in various stages of dress ran up with various ideas of where to shove his whistle. We thought we’d better assist before he started to whistle as he walked. In a trice, the place was a heaving mass of struggling humanity. Well, I use the term in its broadest sense…

Our flank march was brought to a halt by the imposing figure of Tentpole Trish. Joined shortly by Miss Blue and the Hill sisters, they started immediately discussing Sergeant Tough’s boys’ promotion prospects. Well, you’ve got to survive to be promoted! Behind us all, WPC Sniper Sue and the carbine boys traded bullets with Diamond Annie and her best shots. There wasn’t going to be a lot of strategy in this!

It started well as Miss Orange was felled by a peeler but then it all started to go pear shaped. Sue creased Diamond Annie, but it wasn’t enough. London’s Bitch-in-Chief laid her low with her next shot together with Sergeant Strange and his strange rifle. Another shattering blow came as Sherlock’s concentration slipped and Miss Purple slipped him a stiletto. The area around him was carpeted in recumbent forms. Most of them, ours. It wasn’t going any better up near New Crumbling. Dollie Hill might have a headache but Sergeant Tough and his team were seeing stars. As that arch villainess, the hard stone, closed in on agent Cinderella, I sounded the recall. It was time to tidy up and tow the toppled back to base for repairs.

Inspector Lestrade of the Yard,
We’ll be back. Don’t you fret. We ain’t finished yet. London’s safe in our hands. Just as soon as they sew them back on.

This is the first game played with 350 rather than 250 points. One immediate observation is that there’s not really anywhere to hide on the standard 3’ x 3’ board. Somebody is always vulnerable. Consequently the best plan in usually to get stuck in. It makes it a more decisive game. The extra 100 points did not slow the game down appreciably because the casualty rate was far higher. The intention is to try this agaiin with a military outfit vs a pistol and hand weapon company to see how that works out and then try a 500 pointer.