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Author Topic: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)  (Read 8373 times)

Offline Patrice

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Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« on: June 30, 2015, 12:15:46 PM »
A skirmish adventure we played a few weeks ago:
"Beer, wagons, and spells (winter 1630-1631)"
Ruleset: « Argad ! »

Winter 1630-1631, in Pomerania.

The players and their missions:

Eric : Game Master (GM) also moving the NPCs.

Ehouarn "Angus Mc Laren", a Scottish mercenary in Swedish service:
– Come out of town to look for beer and good food in the suburbs (although pillage is not permitted by the Swedish governor of the town…)
– Escort judge Schlesier, a specialist of witchcraft who thinks there is satanic activity in the village (the judge is played by this player, unless the GM decides to take control but he didn't).

Patrice "Johann Flammekueche", a German officer from the Rhine valley, in Swedish service:
– Escort a Swedish artillery wagon train to the town of Demmin.
…this character was a Catholic Imperial officer at the beginning of this campaign, but captured and forced tho change side by skirt-wearing Scottish savages in the first game of this campaign he must now do his best to serve the Swedes and not take any risk (and this made me VERY pananoiac!)

Nicolas "Radek Masaryk", a Czech mercenary in Imperial service:
– After doing some brigand activity in previous games, now recruited as Imperial mercenary by general Conti. Ordered to attack a Swedish artillery wagon train going to Demmin.

Bruno "Von Hopfkorb" a protestant nobleman from Mecklembourg:
– After some time in garrison in the town of Demmin, his men wanted something different than the dry fish and biscuits the Swedes gave them, so he went out of town for something better. He now comes back to town with cartloads of food "requisitioned" from farms in the area.

Denis "Barnabas Gersabeck" a retired Imperial officer:
– Retired from the war, he went back to civilian activities in his domains, keeping some of his old soldiers with him. When he hears that one of his farms has been pillaged by cavalry in Swedish service, he runs after them.
– Some of his old soldiers are still living in the village.
– He knows that there is a girl in the village who has special talents to cure wounds and illness and that she is useful to the villagers.
This players also runs the villagers NPCs (under GM supervision) and this makes very difficult for other players to understand the difference between villagers and soldiers living in the village pretending to be village militia but obeying to Gersabeck.

At the beginning of the game there are only "protestant" troops on the table: so the "protestant" players are very suspicious from each other...!

In the background we can see the walls of the city of Demmin (under Swedish control); the wagons of Flammekueche and Hopfkorb must reach it to be safe:







The group of Scottish mercenaries of Angus McLaren (in Swedish service) comes out of the town:



The artillery train led by Johann Flammekueche enters table:



The village of Siebeneichen (town suburbs) and the nearby marshes:



After some thought, Flammekueche and Hopfkorb (although very suspicious from each other) both decide to send their wagon trains through the village rather than in the marshy area; but some of Hopfkorb's cavalry (green flag) ride near the marsh:





Some other troops appear on the table: Masaryk's men. Hopfkorb sents them a cavalry scout to ask who they are. Their answer: they surround this rider and they kill him !



A traffic jam in the village!  Flammekueche cautiously moves his wagons in the street, fearing everyone; followed by the convoy of Hobfkorb. Judge Schlesier wants the whole population to assemble in the church: the Scots run everywhere to gather the people and to look inside the houses. Some men pretending to be the local militia are wandering around…








Offline Patrice

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Re: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2015, 12:18:07 PM »
Flammekueche places his two "galloper guns" in position in a small field just behind a fence, in case someone would want to attack him:



Hopfkorb's cavalry faces Masaryk's infantry:



A new cavalry unit enters table: Croats of the Imperial army! (NPCs) They join with the troop of Masaryk.



Gersabeck's cavalry comes near the village and firmly talk to Hopfkorb's cavalry: they say that what Hopfkorb has "requisitioned" in nearby farms must be given back. Some wagons of Flammekueche are advancing as fast as possible, near the field where his galloper guns are in battery:



At the other end of the village, the (Imperial) Croat cavalry comes dangerously close to Hopfkorb's last wagons:





…while Masaryk's men march towards  the village…



…and more Imperial cavalry enters table!



The last and slower wagon (drawn by oxen) of Flammekueche, now on same level as Hopfkorb's first wagons:



Gersabeck's infantry has joined his cavalry and takes menacing postures:



Some erratic road traffic now passes just BEHIND Flammekueche's guns (AAAaargh and this made me frantic!)




Offline Malamute

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Re: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2015, 12:18:54 PM »
That looks like a lot of fun. I like your castle. :)
"These creatures do not die like the bee after the first sting, but go on age after age, feeding on the blood of the living"  - Abraham Van Helsing

Offline Patrice

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Re: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2015, 12:21:05 PM »
Hopfkorb is angry because "the village militia" (in fact, some old soldiers of Gersabeck living in the village) takes side with Gersabeck who is threatening him; so he shouts that he wants to set fire to the whole village!

Flammekueche is not happy to hear that. Burning the suburbs of a town controlled by the Swedes (his new masters in this campaign) is certainly not included in his mission! He sends a messenger to the (Swedish, NPC) town Governor, to inform him about what Hopfkorb said.

(Um, do you think that it was unkind from me to inform a superior military authority of the bad conduct of a fellow officer… and that I did it only because I seek favour and promotion? …do you really think that I could do this? Um… …YES!)


Hopfkorb's men set fire to a barn, which begins to burn.
However, a sudden wind extincts the fire!
The GM says it's probably natural… but everyone understands that the witch is hidden in the barn (in fact she is in the neighbouring house).
But judge Schelsier and his escort of Scots cannot come close to the barn to catch her:

The Scots have stood for a while in the graveyard (a precognition?)



Then they move further in the village …but they are caught between Masaryk's men and the Croat cavalry. They try to resist in a building:





Masaryk's men take burning material in the nearby forge to set fire to this house.





The Scots surrender to the Croats!
...who, having suffered many casualties, cannot guard all these prisoners and give them to Masaryk.
Masaryk decides to kill them all except their leader McLaren (player character himself)!


…The wagons of Flammekueche's wagon train reach the town:





Now that his wagons are safe, Flammekueche is relieved him from his fears of ambush and defeat, and he wants to ride through the village to attack the Imperials. But Gersabeck is uncertain of these intentions, is unwilling to let him pass and he blocks the road, ready to fight:



Having received the message from Flammekueche, the Swedish Governor (NPC) comes out of town to see what all the fuss is about:
 


Having no interest in a conflict against Gersabeck, Flammekueche rides round the village to fight the Imperial troops. On the other bank of the marsh he sees Hopfkorb wounded and pursued by some Imperial cavalrymen (NPC)…



"Vorwärts Flammekueche!!!" (Um, did I really shout this silly battlecry a few times on top of my voice while moving my little toy soldiers? My friends say that I did)… The Imperial cavalry (NPC) retreats out of table.

[/quote]


Players achievements:


— Masaryk failed to stop the artillery wagon train, but he destroyed a whole enemy unit (the Scots), he suffered very few casualties and he freely leaves the table with McLaren prisoner.

— McLaren lost all his men (except those who were escorting the judge); he is sent to general Conti who will probably question him (the hard way).

The other players have to explain their story to the Governor (in role-play).

— Gersabeck tells the Governor that he helped to fight the Imperials (this is not true but there is no proof against it) and is quite convincing. He regains most of the stolen goods.
He also succeeded in protecting the village (and saving the witch: he sent her out of table with Masaryk).

— Von Hopfkorb blames the village militia …which does not really exist! He is reprimanded by the Governor for pillaging, and is confined to town. Most of the stolen goods in his wagons are given back to Gersabeck.

— Johann Flammekueche saved his own wagons from the foes who wanted to take them, saved the village from Hopfkorb's men who wanted to burn it; saved Hopfkorb from the Imperial cavalry, saved the toooown, saved the country, saved  the woooorld!!! (um, sorry).

— Judge Schlesier (still same player as McLaren) has found proof of satanic activity in the house of the witch but has been unable to catch her. He is allowed by the Governor to continue his enquiries but he must not raise  trouble with the local people.


The Game Master map (in French):



French version (with more text and players' comments…) here:
http://argad.forumculture.net/t1248-biere-convois-et-malefices-hiver-1630-1631#11605
« Last Edit: June 30, 2015, 09:25:20 PM by Patrice »

Offline rumacara

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Re: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2015, 10:18:29 AM »
Very nice. :-* :-*
And indeed that castle is good.

Offline M.P.

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Re: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2015, 10:11:03 PM »
Looks simply awesome  :-* :-* :-* :-*
My roleplaying/wargaming blog: barbaricfrontier.blogspot.com

Offline Alcide Nikopol

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Re: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2015, 12:17:02 AM »
Wonderful!
A.Nik-

Offline Patrice

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Re: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2015, 01:18:12 PM »
Yes it was good fun :) and when all players bring their terrain that's quite a lot of houses etc.

The castle walls and towers have been made from cast plaster "stones".

Offline Atheling

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Re: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« Reply #8 on: July 07, 2015, 03:16:52 PM »
The castle walls and towers have been made from cast plaster "stones".

Do you know the name of the company that does the plaster bricks Patrice?

Darrell.

Offline Patrice

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Re: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2015, 10:47:34 AM »
Do you know the name of the company that does the plaster bricks Patrice?

Yes this player did cast all these bricks in plaster, in moulds he got from Hirst Arts Fantasy Architecture
http://www.hirstarts.com/

Offline Atheling

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Re: Beer, wagons, and spells (TYW Argad AAR)
« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2015, 01:12:30 PM »
Yes this player did cast all these bricks in plaster, in moulds he got from Hirst Arts Fantasy Architecture
http://www.hirstarts.com/

Thanks, that was the company I was thinking of.... who's name was escaping me :)

Darrell.

 

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