WHEN NIGHTMARES COME - Balkans Case 1920s Game 6 CASE CLOSED

 Scenario Six: Inside the Venetian Palazzo

 The Hunters located the hidden entrance to the Werewolf pack’s lair. After descending a long, winding stairwell they found a damp tunnel, rough-hewn from the rock that ran under the lagoon. Eventually the emerged at the end of the tunnel, finding themselves in a old long-abandoned Palazzo on the edge of the city.

 

Location: Inside an ancient Palazzo. Many of the windows are blocked or boarded up.

Time: Evening, Visibility is Gloomy.

Deployment: As the party have arrived together, deploy all Hunters on same edge, by the entrance.

 

Atrocity: When the Nexus is revealed the Alpha Werewolf will appear next to it.

 

DARK SPAWN DEPLOYMENT

Turn 1: 2 Reanimated Corpses

Turn 2: 2 Reanimated Corpses

Turn 3: 4 Reanimated Corpses

Turn 4: 1 Werewolf and 1 Reanimated Corpse

Turn 5 1 Werewolf and 2 Reanimated Corpses

Turn 6 2 Werewolves 

The entire layout of the Palazzo, the red flashes are POIs and the yellow/green flames are portals.

A walk through some of the rooms.

Turn One: Pip and Penfold rush across the hall to the closest POI, which Pip searched successfully and found a clue. Roberto and Sophia moved through the right-hand door into the corridor beyond. Then ran down the corridor to the next POI, but were unable to search it this time. Two reanimated corpses appeared and lumbered forward, blocking either end of the corridor that Roberto and Sophia were in. This triggered a Terror test for the two Hunters and between them they lost 3 action dice off of their next turn.

Turn Two: Pip moved through the double doors to the next POI in the corridor beyond and successfully searched that, finding the second clue. After tripping over his shoelaces, Penfold moved up to join him. Sophia zapped the closed corpse with a spell, then searched the POI next to her finding the third clue and revealing the Nexus. Roberto could not see the reanimated corpse behind him because of the pillar, so moved across to join Sophia and took a shot, but missed the creature. 

As the Nexus appeared the Alpha Werewolf emerged next to it! Fortunately the creature seemed to trip over it's own claws as it rushed out of the room towards Pip, getting into contact with him but not having an opportunity to attack.

Also two more reanimated corpses came through portals and rushed towards the Hunters. The corpse in the corridor charged into Roberto and swung at him, but Roberto blocked the attack with his rifle butt.

Turn Three: Roberto spent the turn locked in combat with the reanimated corpse, he hit the creatue twice, but each time it dodged his blows. Whilst Roberto kept the creature distracted, Sophia moved into the next room and crossed to the Nexus, to begin shutting it down. Penfold threw a Dazzler at the Alpha Werewolf, knocking the monster to the ground, then shot it in the chest. Pip then stepped forward to stand over the furry fiend and emptied his revolver into it's skull! One dead Atrocity!!! 

Four more reanimated corpses entered through portals and the undead closed in on the Hunters. Roberto now found himself fighting off two attackers and was wounded twice by the monsters, but used his Granite's Fealty to shrug off one of the wounds.

                                                  

Turn Four: Roberto broke off from the melee and threw his molotov cocktail at the two corpses, setting them ablaze, them moved into the next room to join Sophia by the Nexus. Sophia closed the Nexus down, then administered to Roberto using her first aid kit. Penfold moved back to the main hall and, spotting the copse shuffling across the flagstones, blew the monster to bits with a grenade. Pip dithered, before rejoining him in the hall. The remaining corpse kept advancing, three now broke into the room with Roberto and Sophia, while two more moved into the mail hall and closed in on Pip and Penfold.

Technically the Hunters had won at this point, The Atrocity was dead and the Nexus, and therefore the portals, were closed down. But with five undead between the hunters and their escape route, we decided to carry on.

Turn Five: Sophia drew on all the remaining magical energy and unleashed a powerful Elemental Fury spell from her outstretched hands, blasting the walking corpses to dust. She then passed into the corridor, moving towards the main hall. Roberto dashed past her, into the hall. Seeing the two corpses advancing on Pip and Penfold, he paused to aim, then blew the top of the skull of the closest. A well placed grenade destroyed the last of the creatures, leaving the escape route free for the Hunters.

Another great game and a lot of fun. There were several close calls and we were very lucky, especially with the Alpha Werewolf. It only passed one activation roll and failed every dodge/defend roll, with better dice it might have shredded Pip before Penfold could use his Dazzler, which would have made for a very different game.

We have enjoyed using these rules (although we do not utilise the Narrative Scenes) and will definitely be playing more cases.

I have also introduced these rules to another gaming friend,  Kirsty, who also expressed interest in playing them again. Perhaps I will have to organise an all-day multi-player case some time soon!

WHEN NIGHTMARES COME - Balkans Case 1920s Game 5

 Scenario Five: He's Fallen in the Water!!!

The clues gathered in the previous encounter indicate that there is a hidden entrance to the Werewolf pack’s lair on one of the small, uninhabited islands on the edge of the lagoon. The island is partially man-made dating to the 1300s but was abandoned in the 17^th century after it had repeatedly flooded.

 

Location: A collection of buildings, ruins and jetties, partially submerged in water.

Time: Evening, Visibility is Gloomy for turns 1-4, Dark for turns 5-6.

Deployment: As the party have arrived together, deploy all Hunters on same edge, by the boat.

 

Scenario Special rules

Jumping a gap of 1” is as per the rules (-1” from movement). Hunters, Cultists and Werewolves can jump gaps between jetties/boats of up to half their move distance (reducing their movement accordingly), but need to pass a die roll. Dark Spawn roll 1d6, Hunters use their Body Primal Attribute. If they fail, they slip and fall in the water. Resurrected Corpses cannot jump!

Climbing out of the water requires a successful action. Figures can use their free move, but still need to pass a die roll. Dark Spawn roll 1d6, Hunters use their Body Primal Attribute.

The water is waist to chest deep, so it can be waded through at half normal speed.

 

 DARK SPAWN DEPLOYMENT

Turn 1: 2 Reanimated Corpses

Turn 2: 2 Reanimated Corpses

Turn 3: 4 Reanimated Corpses

Turn 4: 1 Werewolf and 1 Reanimated Corpse

Turn 5 1 Werewolf and 2 Reanimated Corpses

Turn 6 2 Werewolves

 

The initial table layout, the hunters enter from the gondola on the left hand side.

Turn One; Roberto rushes up to the closest POI and finds a clue, whilst Sophia runs past him heading for the portal. Pip and Penfold head along a wooden jetty towards the POI on the opposite side of the table. Tow resurrected corpses enter the table, unfortunately one form the portal just in front of Sophia. The corpse lumbers towards her but fails to attack on this occasion!

Turn Two: Penfold jumps across to the portal and mines it for arcarna, then closes it down, while Pip moves along the jetty towards the POI. Roberto charges into combat with the resurrected corpse attacking Sophia, but it dodges his attack. Sophia slips out of the melee without harm, then casts a Barrier spell, forcing Roberto and the corpse apart. Two more resurrected corpses appear, one of them behind the magical barrier, the others close in on the hunters.

Turn Three: Sophia successfully casts an Elemental Fury, destroying both the corpses in front of her, then moves up to the portal and extracts arcana before shutting it down. Roberto aims and blows the pursuing corpse's head off, then runs towards the next POI. Pip and Penfold stumble around a bit (due to failed Terror tests). Four more resurrected corpses enter the table and the two already present close in on the hunters, one contacting Pip, but missing with it's attack.

Turn Four: Penfold forced the corpse attacking to retreat using a Repellent, then threw an improvised grenade destroying the two closest to the POI. Pip then raced up to the POI and searched it, finding another clue. Roberto aimed and shot the resurrected corpse crossing the bridge, then ran to the next POI, followed by Sophia. The corpse previous forced back lumbered up and attacked Pip, but failed to hit him. A Werewolf and another resurrected corpse entered from the last two portals and rushed towards the Hunters.

Turn Five:  then ran Roberto searched the POI, finding a clue a revealing the nexus, fired at the werewolf and missed, then moved back towards the nexus. Sophia rushed along the quayside towards the nexus, whilst  Roberto acted as rearguard. Penfold trapped the corpse attacking Pip with a snare, then rushed towards the nexus. Pip slipped out of combat with his foe, running after Penfold. The werewolf caught up with Roberto and slashed at him twice. Roberto avoided the first strike, but the second caught him, causing a wound. At this point Roberto's nerve failed him and he dropped to the floor (failed Dread roll!). Two more resurrected corpses and a second werewolf entered the fray, all closing in towards the nexus.

Turn Six: Penfold destroyed another corpse with an improvised grenade, then moved to guard the bridge leading towards the nexus from the oncoming walking corpses. Pip ran to the water's edge, took careful aim and shot the werewolf attacking Roberto, then moved back to join Penfold. Sophia used her arcane skill to close the nexus down (avoid the arrival of two more werewolves!). The surviving Dark Spawn rushed forward, one of then attacking Pip, but he dodged their attack.

Technically we had won at this point, but with two resurrected corpses (one in melee with a Hunter) and a werewolf still in play, we decided to continue. With Roberto's help, Pip despatched the corpse attacking him, Sophia zapped the werewolf with her last spell and Penfold took out the final corpse with another grenade. Job done!!!!

Another close thing, things had look decidedly dodgy at times, but all the Hunters survived to fight on another day.