More VSF in the Balkans with Game Report

 We played our third VSF Sellswords and Spellslingers game and this time I remembered to take some pictures.

The Setting

You are agents of Her Imperial Majesty, Queen of Great Britain, Empress of India etc., carrying out clandestine operations on behalf of HM Government.  Be aware that other government departments may have agents operating in your vicinity. This can be an inconvenience at times as these agents may get in the way of your operations. However, please note that it is not permitted to engage fellow Imperial agents in combat, no matter how annoying they may be. It is also frowned upon to allow fellow Englishmen (or even Colonials) to come to harm if you could reasonably prevent it. You have been sent to retrieve Doctor Simple-Smythe, a scientist whose research into lighter than air technology is of great interest to Her Imperial Majesty’s government. In this game my ARSS team have been joined by a team from the Home Office, Lord Farquhar Bufton-Tufton with is wife Lady Amelia and faithful servant Singh.

Into the Balkans Scenario 3

 Having rescued Doctor Simple-Smyth, the party must now rendezvous with a Royal Navy vessel that will carry the good doctor back to England. The ship is anchored off a nearby harbour and arrangements have been made for a steam launch to pick up Doctor Simple-Smyth at noon. Unfortunately, the Doctor suffer an injury during the escape, which has left him partially incapacitated. He can either use 1 activation to move independently (he activates at the start of each turn if no PC is in base to base contact), or if assisted by a PC (in base to base contact) he can use the same number of actions as the PC. He will not voluntarily contact a foe, but if attacked will defend himself (due to his injuries he fights as a Sword +0) and has 3HP.

 Set Up: Harbour side and surrounding streets.

Foes: There are 9 Bandits, plus 3 Bandit Thugs, the Bandits must be deployed as 3 hordes of 3.

 Deployment: The Bandits are deployed in random locations. PCs are deployed on the southern table edge, AFTER all Bandits have been deployed, but at least 4” from any Bandit.

 Wandering Monster: A Bandit Thug appears on a random table edge.

 Complication: The first time this is drawn an impressive meteor shower draws everyone attention PC roll 10+ on a Smart test, if they pass they can take one free action whilst their opponents are distracted. The second time it is drawn, the Bandit Chieftain arrives on a random table edge.

 Traps: There are no traps.

 Scenario event: An Iron Man activates at a random point on the table (it was previous hidden until activated). Leave the card in the deck, the Iron Man acts as a normal foe for drawn cards, except it also activates if the Scenario Event card is drawn. It will always move towards the Doctor and ignore PCs unless they are between it and the Doctor.

 Clues: The bodies of fallen foes may be searched in an attempt to find “clues” which may be of use in future adventures.

 When searching a foes roll 1d6: Minions: find a clue on a roll of 6, loners/henchmen etc: find a clue on a roll of 4+, Boss/Mastermind/Evil Genius etc: automatically find a clue

 Clues may be cashed in at any point before or during a game. In order to obtain some form of advantage.

For example

3 clues would allow a PC to take an addition item of important equipment (such as an Inventor taking an extra device for this adventure or a PC taking an additional weapon), or allow a PC to disable a mechanical device that they are in base to base contact with (by successfully hitting it in close combat).

The Game

The table viewed from the East. The party are deployed on the Southern table edge and must get the Doctor to the steam launch in the opposite corner. It was decided that the Home office team would escort Doctor Simple-Smythe to the steam launch, whist the ARSS team would advance more centrally towards the dock and try to draw the attention of the bandits away from the Doctor.

Numerous dastardly Balkan brigands are lying in wait for them. A sudden and spectacular meteor shower fills the sky, drawing the bandits' attention, allowing Jack and Maisie to move forward unnoticed (unfortunately the Professor was equally captivated by the lights in the sky).

Jack and the Professor move further forward, while Maisie covers the flank by gunning down a bandit thug creeping up on them. She moves over to search the body and finds a clue! In the meantime the Professor notices a group of bandits in the next street, threatening the advance of the Bufton-Tuftons with Dr Simple-Smythe.

The Professor primes and throws one of his exploding globes (a mixture of volatile chemicals) and removes the threat with a bang.

Meanwhile Jack exchanges fire, killing a thug....

...and pinning down another three bandits.

Who take cover behind a large crate. After a brief firefight all three are eliminated.

A couple of failed activations produced two more groups of bandits on the dockside, who merged together a one great horde in their rush to get down the steps.

Singh spots a thug sneaking up on Lord Bufton-Tufton and deals with the impudent fellow.

Jack and the |Professor draw the larger part of the bandits in play towards them, trying to leave a clear route for the Bufton-Tuftons and the Doctor.

Maisie climbs up the side of a building onto the rooftop, to get a better view for a long range shot with her telescopic sighting device. She then starts picking off some of the bandit horde bearing down on her uncle.

On the other side of the table the Bufton-Tuftons slowly advance taking down any bandits who get in their way, Lady Amelia's shotgun proves especially useful at removing "obstacles". Already wounded, Singh engages in hand to hand with a particularly strong thug. The fight is intense and Singh suffers another wound before he dispatches his opponent. At this moment another 4 bandits enter the table and rush upon him, and the brave Sikh/Indian/Nepalese warrior (he is very vague about his origin) falls to the onslaught.

At this point a Iron Man activates and advances towards the Doctor (and Lady Amelia).

Now wounded himself, Jack guns down the last thug on that side of the table. as the horde advance they are blasted by another of the Professor's exploding globes, then the survivors are caught in a crossfire between Maisie's rifle and Jack's revolver and cut down. The Professor gives Jack a reviving dose of Mrs Pinkman's Compound, before Maisie rejoins them, using the stairs this time. Once outside she quickly checks the thug that Jack had shot and finds another clue.
 

By now the Bufton-Tuftons and reached the steam launch. Lord Farquhar casts off as Lady Amelia hustles the Doctor onto the craft.

A bandit thug rushes forward to stop them but Lady Amelia lets the rascal have both barrels of her shotgun.

Lord Farquhar fires up the engine and guides the craft to the far end of the dock....

...where the Professor, Maisie and Jack hop aboard. The party have completed their mission at the cost of the faithful Singh and Maisie has found 2 clues that may be of use in the future.

The final scene, as the camera pans through the streets, across the heaps of bodies. It pauses when it reaches Singh's corpse, then zooms in to a close-up on his battered face. Suddenly one eye flickers open and looks around....END