LOST CITY PULP WITH THE MEN WHO WOULD BE KINGS

We recently played a 3-player game at the skirmish level with TMWWBK, although the scenario would work with up to 5 or 6 players.

The three factions were German, Belgian and Mercenaries. They each had three units, 2 regular infantry and 1 veteran regular infantry, command and leader abilities were rolled as usual.

Background
Following the map stolen from the renowned British archaeologist, Professor Mortimer-Whining, you have discovered the mysterious lost city he was excavating. You are not interested in the scientific value of this ancient site, just how much loot you can get away with.

A minor obstacle to your path to riches is that the local tribes are still up in arms over the Professor’s defilement of their sacred site. They are determined to kill any outsiders that dare to enter the city. You need to grab as much loot as possible and escape before the natives arrive in force. Preferably leaving your rivals empty handed to face the wrath of the outraged tribesmen.

Markers
Each of the 8 markers represents a possible piece of valuable loot. In order to search the marker a unit must spend a whole turn using a Stand To action. Having searched a marker, the player draws a chit from the pot and the treasure marker is removed.

1= Success, an item of value! Roll 1d6 loot at the end of the game. (4 Markers)
2 = Ambush. Place a unit of tribesmen up to 6” away from the searching unit, with a LOS (must be closer to the target unit than any other). (3 Markers)
3= The Lion’s Den. A disturbed lion immediately attacks the searching unit.
Attack 3d6 4+, 6 wounds. Auto action is Attack. Unless killed, the lion will remain in place and automatically attack any unit that moves within 4” of it’s den. (1 Marker)

Loot
Treasure can be carried by a unit at no penalty (a unit cannot carry more loot markers than it has figures). If a pinned unit retreats or routs off table it will drop the loot before moving.
At the end of the game roll 1d6 for each loot in the player’s possession (+1 for each loot removed from the table). The highest score is the winner!

Tribesmen
An unengaged unit of tribesmen will move towards the nearest enemy unit in sight, using cover if possible. If it is within 8” of an enemy, it will attempt to Attack.


We had great fun playing this, especially as the Belgian player managed to trigger all 3 of the ambushes on his own troops!

Some in-game pictures.

Lost City for Pulp and Frostgrave

I have a reasonable collection of assorted ruins that I've used for all kinds of things from Stargate to Middle Earth, much of which have been collecting dust in the loft for a few years. In the past year or so I've been getting good use out of them for Frostgrave set-ups on a 3x3 board.

Recently I've also been playing The Men Who Would Be Kings quite a bit and that's made me want to play some pulp-inspired games in a mysterious Lost City environment. TMWWBK works very well for these types of  games using the "skirmish level" in the rules, basically half sized units.

So I dug all my ruined terrain out to see what I could put together on the tabletop. I've also been inspired by MalcyBogaten's amazing Lost Jaffa City on the Lead Adventure Forum. I need for more ceremonial entrances and arches, plus some more imposing grand stairways.

The whole city

                                              Intrepid explorers discover the Lost City

                                   The native porters fall silent as they move through the ruins

What will they discover?

                                                      What's that by the river?

They are not alone!

Winter War 192......? Part 8

Some more scenery just in! I was thinking of making some fences for Canada, but then I saw that Emperor Toad's Emporium  did snowy rail fences for just £7 for 4 pieces, so I ordered a couple of sets. They took a while to arrive, but then they are handmade to order, and now they are here I'm really pleased with them. The website is http://emperortoadsemporium.com/

I can't wait to use them in a game and a bargain for 14 quid for the lot!

Winter War 192......? Part 7

Got my first game with these figures (well two games actually) at Tring Club on Friday. Great fun, The Men Who Would Be Kings is an excellent set and work well for games like this. Each game took less than an hour to play, we could have managed a third game but Bill had an early start as he was running a game at Salute the next day.

The Scenario

The RCMP have picked up a convoy load of American bootleggers they had been tracking, but all the trucks were empty. A local farmer reported seeing a group of vehicles parked up by a river crossing, so they must have hidden the booze somewhere nearby. Perhaps they had realised that they were being followed. A group of Mounties have been dispatched to collect the evidence so that the gangsters can be charged accordingly. The area is close to the border and frequented by American patrols, so a military escort has been provided.

The Americans are making a routine patrol across the border when a scout returns to report seeing a group of men burying the contents of four trucks along a stream bank. Presumably they are bootleggers hiding illicit booze. Standing orders are clear, any bootleg liquor is to be destroyed, so the patrol set off to destroy the stash.

On a 6x4 table, the two forces enter along the short edges. The table has a stream running across the middle of it, 4 markers are placed approx 6" from the stream, 2 on either side of it. Roll 1d6, the highest scorer is the attacker, the defender deploys first and the attacker takes the first move.

In order to recover/destroy evidence a unit must spend a Stand To action in contact with the marker. Once this happens the marker is removed and the player draws a chit (we used a set of 6 chits marked from 1-6). This is the value of the evidence gained/destroyed. At the end of the game the winner is the player with the highest score of evidence.

The Forces

Canadian
Army Infantry - Regular Infantry + Veteran
RCMP - Regular Infantry
Naval ratings - Regular Infantry + Unenthusiastic
Lewis Team - Crewed weapon +  Well handled

American
Army Infantry - Regular Infantry
BAR Team - Crewed Weapon + Poorly Handled
3 x Militia - Irregular Infantry + Modern Rifle

I am using the Skirmish Level of TMWWBK, which does not usually allow for crewed weapons, but I am allowing lmgs. These are as per the rules for machineguns, with a 2-man crew, but I do allow them to Skirmish and move At The Double

We played the scenario twice, swapping sides for the second game. Both were great fun. Both games finished when one player conceded and said that he would withdraw because he had too few men left to achieve anything useful. In the first game the Canadians withdrew after searching two stashes, but won on victory points 8 to 4. In the second game the Americans withdrew when they were down to 6 men, but only destroyed one stash so lost on victory points by 10 to 1.

                                          American Infantry advance supported by the BAR

                                                                 American Militia

                                                Canadian Lewis gun team

                           Canadian Sailors take a pounding from US militia, down to half strength

                      Canadians attempt to cross the stream under covering fire from the Lewis gun

                                                                                           
Kudos to Bill for taking the character of the RCMP to heart. As his unit of Mounties splashed across the stream, the BAR team rushed up the other side of a rocky mound and took position right in front of them. With a cry of "A Mountie always gets his man!" he charged up the slope into melee.
It should have been a walkover, 6 men against 2, the Mounties fight on 5+ to hit, the BAR team need a 6. Both sides lost one man so the Mounties went tumbling back down the slope and the surviving BAR man cut down 2 more of the redcoats when he activated!
The Mounties passed their Pin Test, so decided it was safer to just shoot the Yank in the head, which they did in the next turn.

                               The Mounties prepare to charge (the second BAR crewman is hiding in the rocks).

                                          And the view from the American perspective

Winter War 192......? Part 6

Just in time for tonight's first game, I've painted up some naval ratings and all-important RCMP in red tunics. Yes, it's not the most practical dress for fighting in the Canadian winter, but they look good. Plus Mounties are tough!

The sailors are from Tiger Miniatures' Ice Station Lima range, unfortunately no officers are available yet. I debated which colour to paint their hats. Painting them white look right, but marked them as Americans. I went for blue in the end for two reasons. I wanted them as Canadians for this game and I plan on mixing them in with some civilians as a bootlegging ship's crew for a future game and blue looked more generic. I could always repaint them if I needed to, or, once the officers are released have a unit of each.

The postman's just delivered a largish box, Huzzah! The snowy hills and rocky outcrops I ordered from Products For Wargamers, just in time for tonight's game.

Winter War 192......? Part 5

I've now got the Canadian and US Regular Army figures all finished. I also managed to get to the local fabric shop and pick up some white fleece fabric for a table cover. I quite like the effect, so the latest figures are pictures in their "natural habitat" as it were.

                                                                Canadian Army

                                                                       US Army

                                                         The entire cast to date

I now have enough for a game of TMWWBK at the skirmish level, although not a full 24 points on each side. I can muster 18 points of Canadians and 20 points of Americans. For the time being I can upgrade a unit of Canadian army to elites and balance it out for now. I've ordered some more British Infantry and Mounties to allow a variety of choice on the Canadian side, plus some sailors in winter gear to boost the American side.

Winter War 192......? Part 4

The next batch of figures are finished, some regular army types this time. I've still got a whole bunch to finish basing, but hopefully I'll get some done today (although looking at the glorious blue skies this morning, real life may get in the way a bit).

I have set myself the task of having a game's worth of this project table-ready for 2 weeks time, when I'm running an "Introduction to The Men Who Would Be Kings" game for one of the guys at the Tring Wargames Club.

                                          Some Canadian Army officers (with faithful dog)

                                                           US Army BAR team

I have also bought some ready-made terrain pieces, the Frozen Ponds from the Battlefield in a Box range. They are intended for 10mm to 15mm, but fit quite wells as smaller areas of bad going, or even impassable terrain (depending on how thin I treat the ice as being).