Monday, June 25, 2012

GANGBUSTERS in the Lion's Den

The long black touring car entered the farm lot from state highway F with a long smooth left hand turn.  The bump onto the gravel and dirt punctuated the long trip from Chicago and the dust began to play in the swell of the cars wash as it trundled down the quiet country lane.  The rest of the organization was waiting at the first farm house on the left ahead.  Splitting the money from the heist was to be an easy but punctilious affair.
Waiting on the side road was the State Police.  Illinois' finest were out in ambush.  Now the "cat had hit the fan."
An aggressive chase leads the gang into nervous rancorous shouting inside the black gangster car.  "What do I do?!"  "Cut through the damn yard!"

And with a shudder and the loud cracking of white farm fence the giant black car crashes to a halt half way through the fence and partially into the yard of the gang's "safe house."  The squeal of police rubber on gravel shrieks behind as the state boys slam physically into the gangsters car!

Federal agents arrive on the scene as well. They too take the impetuous crash route to the scene.
Shots echo out as the cops unload a shotgun into the cab of the Chi town cruiser.  Return fire from a Thompson Sub machine gun rattles the front end of the police cruiser and blow out it's front windshield. Blood, glass, and anger fly about in a melee of gunfire.

The Feds take the house under cover and fire their revolvers at the structure.  The gang in the house fire back with a Thompson and shotgun - ratifying the gangs heavy firepower advantage.
What the gang lacks is an easy way out and numbers.  The cops just keep arriving.  This had to be a tip off of some sort.

The melee continues as the gang tries to consolidate and get the hell off the table!

And another squad of state police cover the back entrance.


Mistakes would be made and a lot of lives needlessly lost as inexperience of the state police and impetuous nature of the gang had each side run pell mell into a hail of gunfire in the open farm yard.


After the guns have quit firing we see a front yard littered with both sides casualties.  The gang was subdued but alive.  The cops were bloodied but they too would recover.  You just aren't supposed to run into the open when a Thompson sub machine gun is playing across the yard.
The very bottom of this scene shows an unaccounted for gang member push a brief case under the farm fence and then crawl under after it himself.  The valise is smeared with his blood and he rolls over into the high grass and stairs at the sky.  Will he survive and make it to the road and freedom....Tune in next time for Gangbusters!!

The game was played on a 6x8 table using 54mm MARX Untouchables and knock-off police figures.  The  rules system was Bleeding Kansas by Ken Van Pelt.  A skirmish set of game rules using 1D10.  Move, shoot, saving throw, and after action wound results that play into long campaign style gaming.  Light rpg qualities also abound. 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

HOTT Wargame in the Lion's Den

The Secondhand Lions gathered to play a Hordes of the Things scenario created using Battlemasters figures and some Games Workshop items thrown in.  The story begins in the decline of the Empire and the overrun western reaches of the kingdom that have fallen to the "unclean"ones.  The Beastman bellows on the rutting field where once the choirs of the western wall performed in the great hall.
The host of beastmen assemble to go into the marsh and attack the empire.

The crumbling towers of the once beautiful empire city of the western wall.  A beastman herd stone can be seen erected in the distance.  Deployed within the ruins is a herd of beastman and their magi leader on the parapet of the gate.

The Empire has assembled a host of knights errant to combat the great gathering.


Grunting and bellowing.

The beasts look into the distance as the empire assembles it's knights.

The beasts try and hide in the marshy bad going and wait out the attack.  It must come mustn't it?

Noone said there'd be birds.  The Empire host has called on help from the heavens in the pressence of an aerial hero.  Scratch one magician.

The empire attack does come.  The hammer and anvil begin to ring out!

Hordes of the Things in it's glory.  This game featured two 70+ point armies.  We used 3D6 to roll for AP and the two generals of the side would share one common die.  Gave some good results and some command friction.

This horrible shot is the only one I got of the sub-general minotaur being attacked by two aerial heros from the empire. This was the game ender move by the empire and they won very easily with 40AP to about 16AP.

Thanks for looking in.