Battle of Raab and a giveaway

 

 In June of 1809, about 40 miles from Vienna, while Napoleon's main force and those of Austria's Archduke Charles maneuvered for battle on the Danube, Eugene de Beauharnais commanding French and Italian troops engaged Archduke John near Raab. John had deployed his troops--mostly militia and landwehr with cavalry and artillery--in a defensive position behind the Pancza stream. Beauharnais attacked and after a back and forth battle for the farm at the bridge near the center, concentrated fire from the French guns drove back the Austrian artillery and allowed the French cavalry to ford the river and threaten John's left flank. The French then retook the farm again and John was forced to withdraw.

We replayed this battle, and finally finished it yesterday. In the photo above, taken on the next to last turn, the French are on the left and the Austrians on the right. Our battle differed in the details from the historic conflict. First, I enhanced the quality of a couple of the Austrian brigades to make things more interesting. Second, I deployed the French without much thought, just as I took them from the travel box--this was an away game in a friend's basement pantry. That placed the Severoli's Italian division on the far left and the divisions of Durutte and Seras on the right with Pacthod's division in the center with Grouchy's cavalry in reserve.

An Italian brigade began the fight with and attack across the bridge at the top of the picture; they were repulsed by the defenders, and finally destroyed by artillery fire. The other Italian brigade maneuved farther to the Austian right where they threatened to cross the swamp and stream to attack from the flank. Shortly after that, the Austrian players pulled their troops back from the stream on the French right to strengthen the center and Austrian right. That left the Austrian left wide open. Seras' division and part of Durutte's division waded the Pancza. The Austrians responded with cavalry and artillery. The French withstood both, repulsing the cavalry, and finally taking the farm at the center from the flank. The Austrians reached their break point but successfully inflicted some losses on the French, eliminating both brigades of Seras' division with their grenadiers and an enhanced brigade before ending the game.

We had a good time, but my poor positioning at the start kept me from concentrating my artillery fire, and the French cavalry never did anything more than threaten the Austrian center. It was a delight to open the purple testament of war, push painted men about the field, and roll the bones to determine their fate.

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In honor of the French victory, or for Halloween, perhaps, I've got a giveaway going. Enter to win an autographed book - a choice of either any the Rac Press anthologies featuring one of my stories, or one of the books from the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series.  

I finished going over the edits on my adventure book for boys. I'll get it back to the editor this week after I insert a dedication. Look for it in November in ebook and paperback.

 

Back to the Chateau

 

 I started off the weekend by traveling across the state. I knew I would get hungry along the way, and refuse to compromise when it comes to nutrition. I walked out of the gas station with the priceless gems pictured below. Actually, they were priced at a little over five dollars -- which I thought was a good deal when compared with the package of six of these beauties for which they were asking almost three dollars.

 

 

Of course, I already had a bottle of pop in the car to keep myself properly hydrated. The traffic got worse as the day wore on, but I completed the journey without notable incident. Mowing and replacing a check valve broke the monotony of packing stuff. Fortunately, a good friend was able to give me a hand with one of those tasks. 

I did get two welcome breaks. First, Les Freres Corses came to pick up the feline from which Le Chateau au Chat Gris derives its nomenclature--our place in Byzantium isn't appropriate for her wild nature--and we stopped by the local shake shop for shakes and fries. The second distraction came in the form of a football game that I had to watch as I was too exhausted to do anything else. Although not terribly exciting, I found the 69-0 score completely satisfying. It may be the only time I get to watch that team play this year.

After our return to the eastern empire, I was invited for some gaming fun and passed this afternoon playing the rescue at the ruins scenario three times. The green men came away victorious twice, and the red men successfully rescued the princess and slayed the green men once. Unfortunately, the great white ape didn't make an appearance, so we did not get to experience martian red men being clubbed, rent, and flung against the ruins. I also forgot to take any pictures of the event.

 

The Count's Mansion

As part of the road trip to take care of things at Le Chateau au Chat Gris, we had to play the next installment of the adventure that started with the Cursed Ruins and the Cauldron of Mystery. Le Freres Corses were looking to meet with the Count who hired them to get the flask of fluid from the cauldron. I hadn't prepared anything yet, so I put something together on the fly.

Charo and Gretel arrived back at the Count's mansion and immediately discovered that it wasn't going to be as easy as provided in their Anticipation Proclamation. A mouthy guard at the gate demanded to see some ID and the Wizard Gretel obliged him by zapping the head of a statute beside the doorway. The helpful guard then offered to take the flask to the Count himself. 

Charo nearly gave him the flask--which would've resulted in a locked door and no reward for their efforts. They finally convinced the guard that they had to take it in themselves. The guard then took them inside the mansion and introduced them to Brutus, who took them to the next room and introduced them to Elmo. He took them to the next room and introduced them to Aero who sent them across the bridge over the troubled water to meet with the Count and Spearo, his personal guard.

Now that they were in the Count's chamber, they naively handed over the flask without getting payment. With flask in hand, the Count became highly uncooperative. The verbal struggle transitioned away from words to deeds when the Count ordered Spearo to employ his namesake weapon against the adventurers with extreme prejudice. As one might expect, our heroes reacted badly. In the fracas that followed, the Count proved entirely inept in using the flask against Charo and Gretel, while they proved adept at dealing with Spearo. Charo used the same zap spell he had used on the statute, and it produced permanent results on Spearo. At the latter's death, the Count became congenial and had Aero pay the heroes the promised funds with a little something extra to smooth over the misunderstanding.

Of course, once they were out of range, he rang the bell and ordered room service of the lethal variety be delivered to Charo and Gretel, and disappeared down a secret passage. They ran across the bridge, successfully passing their challenge rolls against finding the collapsing portion of the bridge. Once on the other side, Aero discharged some parting gifts--arrows--but the presence of Spearo's corpse apparently spoiled his aim. 

The adventurers fought their way out of the mansion with their skillful weapon-handling aided by Charo's fire-spraying-ring and Gretel's spells. The wizard was forced down to his last hero point to avoid a serious wound. He did find a mechanical dog, but he couldn't activate it. He also discovered a stuffed gryphon's head and a secret passage. Gretel managed to get himself trapped in the secret passage for two or three turns while Charo loosed his wrath on the wounded Aero and Brutus. Finally, they got out and dispatched the last guard at the gate. However, Charo, never one to let potential loot go unliberated--especially when the owner has tried to kill him--carried out the gryphon head. He doesn't realize it, but selling that item will lead the Count and his new, more powerful minions to the pair of adventurers.

 

 

 

Cursed Ruins Finale

We had a weekend back at the manor house to battle the green horde and other adversaries. I took the picture above on the ride home. Note I said "ride" rather than "drive." I had to retrieve the steel steed on wheels and take the long way home while my bride, after having breakfast in American, returned in the carriage via the freeway. My route took longer, but I missed the torrential downpour that attacked the unsuspecting caravans on the road more traveled.

In addition to mowing the green horde--but hold on, let me address the defense of the fortress against the horde. The cooperation of the Craftsman Warmachine is a prerequisite, based on the ancient treaty of 2012, for engaging the with the verdant enemy. The warmachine was in dire need of having its blades sharpened. Therein lies a tale. I'll be brief:

In order to sharpen the blades, I needed to remove them. To remove the blades, I needed to raise the front end of the machine to expose the killing mechanisms. To raise the front, I needed to drive it up two planks. To drive it up two planks, I needed something elevated against which I could place the planks. Although I could've carried the planks and driven the warmachine to the tailgate of the pickup, I elected to bring the mountain to Muhammed. However, the mountain wouldn't start after a year or more of sitting rooted to the landscape. Fortunately, I had the box of persuasion to attach to the mountain's battery. After a few tries, and on what I had determined was to be the very last try before Muhammed would have to do the moving, the mountain roared to life. 

There were more complications, but I realize the account of the Cursed Ruins Finale is what you're here for, so I'm leaving out the minor complications.

The sharpening went smoothly, and pursuant to the agreement of 2012 and the various addendums adopted through the years, Warmachine and I waged holy war against the emerald army. I had previously disabled the pickets of the horde with a preemptive strike with the weed eater. Two weed eaters, actually, but therein lies more complicated details involving gas, string, and the mystery of why one whirly-stringy killer thing became a conscientious objector after only five minutes of not-very-stealthy slaughter of the enemy sentries.

Anyway, we smote the green horde hip and thigh and came away with victory

Now, to the Cursed Ruins Finale:

 Behold the guardian of the Cursed Cauldron--also called the Cauldron of Mystery. Hold on, we're not there yet. When we last left our heroes, they faced two doughty foes in the Cursed Ruins and had but begun the battle when bedtime beckoned. We resumed the adventure at that point. After some missteps, Gratell II found himself wounded and attacked by one adversary with the other nearby and ready to join the assault upon his person. The wizard took a serious wound but ignored the hurt to grab his antagonist and hurl him into the other approaching meany. Both of the foes were armed with sharp steel, and in the impact of one with the other, regrettably there was an incident of friendly piercing. That pair of foes never recovered the upper hand in the fray, and Gratell and Charo dispatched these minions within the ruins. They also located a pair of treasures which healed their hurts, restored some of their heroic points, and proved crucial to their endeavor. The lantern lit the right path, revealed traps, and discerned the purpose and use of magic objects, including the ring of fire.

With an abundance of caution, our heroes entered the courtyard before the cauldron chamber. One of the guards at the chamber door spied Charo and ran at him, calling to his foul companion. Charo and Gratell made a tactical retreat, outdistancing they guards who may have been uncertain about leaving their posts at the door. Our adventurers for hire grabbed their rope and positioned themselves at opposite sides of the first doorway. They let the first creature with the spiked club pass through on the run. He bolted through, continuing through the next room. When the second guard burst through the doorway, they snagged his foot by raising the rope with perfect timing. They quickly dispatched the fallen enemy and tried to run the same trick on the other minion when he realized his error and raced back too late to help his comrade. Their timing was off, so he didn't trip, but they succeeded in quickly acquainting him with the hereafter.

Gratell used a spell to bust open the magic lock and reveal the giant smoking cauldron with its armored guardian within.

The guardian met their attack by casting a scoop of mysterious mist from the cauldron in their direction. The resulting horrible scream had Gratell backing out of the room but otherwise unharmed. When they renewed the assault, the guardian repeated the throw, dousing the heroes in darkness, but it dissipated before the guardian could get within striking distance. After a little skirmish and maneuver, Charo remembered that he had this cool new piece of jewelry emblazoned with flames. The fearless adventurers backed away to make sure the magic flames wouldn't rebound to barbecue them as well. The guardian had a chance to close the distance and expound on the wounds they had received, but he was not quick enough, and Charo (an apt name at this point) dispatched a blazing message that entirely bathed the guardian in flame. His armor was no help and the baptism by fire proved fatal.

But wait, there's more. Not only did they fill the flask with some contents of the cauldron as they were hired to do, despite the warnings, Gratell quaffed the contents. Luck was with him, and he received a benefit that I can't recall at the moment, along with a 24 hour curse on his social interactions. Charo decided to follow with a gulp of his own, receiving 3 abilities that included breathing underwater; I forget the other two. The accompanying curse causes him to go berserk for a turn whenever he takes a wound. He was less thrilled about his snootful than was Gratell. 

Next time: Getting the flask to the patron.

 

 

 

Cursed Ruins Restart

 Les Freres Corses were at it again -- the "it" in question being miniatures, dice, and the Cursed Ruins. One may recall that their first attempt at imposing their will on the denizens of the place ended rather poorly for their characters: Gratell and Charo Lefrevre. "Poorly" being, of course, a euphemism for irretrievably clenched in the jaws of defeat, despair, and certain death. The full account of that parade of horrible decisions can be found here. 

It has been a few months since we had first embarked on the adventure, so we had a quick chat about the lessons learned in that prior attempt: Don't leave your wing man, and do march to the sound of guns (or clash of steel, as the case may be).

Charo II began again by roping the ladder/drawbridge. I had added a pursuing menace to the mix and rolled a d6 at each failed attempt of a task required for getting into the ruin. When the total on the d6s exceeded 20, the menace would catch up to them. Fortunately, we only got to 16 before they were safely across the soul sucking marsh and into the sturdy stone of the ruin.

 

Les Freres demonstrated that they had learned from previous experience. They stayed together instead of running about willy-nilly for the next sparkly object. Again, the wooden treasure chest disappointed them with only dust and dead bugs this time. However, they did manage, along with the slaying of 3 goblinesque baddies, to find a healing potion and a 50 mark gem. (They elected to have the currency of the realm be "marks" as opposed to gold pieces, crowns, kroners, ducats, or dried monkey brains. (I may have added that last one; it probably wasn't actually brought up during the game). 

 Things did get pretty bad for them when they met a man on the way to St. Ives skilled creature wielding nasty twin blades. He had one for each of the heroes and served them-- Oh. I forgot. Before they met him, they met a big fighter with a shield and sharp blade with which he had a hankering to hew; and hew he did. He gave the heroes some wounds. There's no specific limit to the number of wounds a character can receive before he dies or goes hors de combat, but wounds do have consequences for movement, skills, and combat. As a practical matter, a wounded character is more likely to get more wounds or be killed in combat. Gratell II decided to consume his healing potion, but it only cured one of his multiple wounds.

Gratell II then remembered that he was a wizard and hit the big hewer with a sleep spell. The attempt met with complete success, and they delivered the coup de grace to the sleeper. It was then that they met the creature with the twin blades, and that one demonstrated his courtesy by giving each hero a hefty helping of his steel. No sluggards in the courtesy department, Charo and Gratell gave him samples of their own. However, things were looking bad for our protagonists, especially when Gratell II's dice betrayed him like a wily Shetland pony, leaving him with bite marks and hoof prints on his back. If the dice remained as rolled, he would be on his way to assuming room temperature. Fortunately, the master of this little set-to had provided our heroes with points to spend in such dire situations. Gratell II cashed in those chips to avoid cashing in his chips and saved himself from death. He was still badly wounded, but managed to stay on his feet and keep all his appendages attached.

After finally overcoming the double-stabbing dude, they ransacked the room for loot. They found a huge sapphire which glowed with a mysterious light. Gratell II had taken the first two treasures and had promised this third to Charo II--it's always a good idea to keep the guy with the shield and big sword happy and alive; both useful qualities in a meatshield when one is deep in a monster infested ruin. They had some discussion and Charo II picked it up. He found himself not only tickled, but healed of all his wounds. He was gracious enough to allow the wizard to handle the gem, and he too received the total health restoration. It looks like the gem may even have one more such restoration dose left in it if the glow is any indication.

Les Freres  sensed that they were nearing the end of the adventure (in fact, they have 3 areas left to clear) and were keen to finish, but the clock spoke with a voice of warning and we had to put it away. The final push will have to wait until we can get together again to visit the cursed cauldron and see what mysteries it may hold. (The last two areas remain hidden under the dark green cover, and the heroes are facing two enemies in the discovered-but-unentered room. Those enemies were alerted when Charo fumbled his metal mirror when looking around the doorway into the corners, and it went clanking against the stone floor).

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In the war against unwritten stories, I anticipate sending in a victory tomorrow for a publisher's consideration, and I've started a new battle in the campaign. I've also looked at logistics and decided on two or three future clashes. It's a target rich environment.

Wyrd Warfare is getting some great reviews. Pick it up while you can.

 

 

 

Cursed Ruins - beginning

 It's a tragic tale of youthful exuberance and avarice tainted by overconfidence unburdened with the requisite competence. It was the beginning of the quest for the Mysterious Cauldron within the Cursed Ruins. Our two young heroes were to find the cauldron and fill a flask from its contents. A substantial reward awaited them at the completion of the task. They won't be collecting that reward any time soon. Les Freres Corses may have learned something from the adventure. We'll see what happens next time.

Charo Lefevre or Le Favor, or something similar to that--I never got to see the spelling--teamed up with Gratell the budding wizard. Outfitted with swords, a shield, rope, and other supplies, along with 3 magic spells, the adventures passed from the village through the dark forest to the cursed ruins without incident. In order to avoid being swallowed by the treacherous mud and quicksand-like dangers of the pale green marsh, they used their rope to lasso and draw down the ladder/bridge and crossed safely into the mist-obscured ruins. They passed through room 2 into room 3 where a potion and goblin waited for them. Gratell took the potion while Charo engaged the goblin. 

Charo and goblin traded blows against one another's shields and baptized their blades in blood as well. Meanwhile, Gratell, not keen on assisting Charo in his tete-a-tete with the goblin, dashed into room 5 (below room 2) to loot the chest that was visible from the doorway. Instead of opening the treasure, the wizard found himself attacked by another goblin. In his surprise, he lopped off the goblin's head at the first pass. Charo found holes in his goblin's guard, wounding him again while Gratell discovered nothing but old rags and a dead rodent in the chest. 

Crestfallen at the results of his treasure dash, Gratell doubled down by running to room 3, passing through it into room 6 (below room 4). During this time, Charo continued his scrimmage with the first goblin. He wounded the little fiend, causing minor wounds without ever being able to dispatch his antagonist.

Gratell soon realized that he had made a grave error in racing away from his comrade to grasp at treasure and magic items. The guardian of room 6 leaped from a dark corner to engage Gratell while his cohort from room 3 rushed the wizard from behind. Set upon by two formidable opponents, one of whom wielded two deadly blades, Gratell revealed the color of his blood to both antagonists. He did manage to knock down the double-weaponed foe and put him hors de combat, but he couldn't squeeze by the enemy with the the shield who blocked the doorway. He lost more blood before finally dashing past to run back to room 2 toward his comrade in room 3.

Unfortunately for Gratell, although Charo was besting his enemy, when the goblin fled from the warrior to room 5, Charo followed, bent on ascertaining the depth of the goblin's chest with the measure of his blade. The goblin continued to forestall the deathblow, and Gratell's remaining opponent soon caught him and delivered a serious wound to the already weakened wizard that left him unconscious on the sod of the Cursed Ruins.

Charo continued his attacks on the wounded goblin, only to have Gratell's enemy charge into him with shield and sword. Although he defended himself as best he could, avoiding death by turning the fatal cuts with his own shield, cuts and gashes opened where the foe penetrated his defenses.

With the wizard down and unable to fight, cast a spell, or quaff his potion, and Charo suffering from multiple wounds and caught between two foes, Les Freres Corses hit the reset button. We closed it down and reviewed the imprudent choices they had made. Charo's player pointed out that Gratell had left Charo engaged with an enemy to race madly from room to room, bringing more monsters into the fight. Gratell's player suggested with some vehemence that Charo should've come to help Gratell rather than attempting to chase down and execute a goblin who was trying to escape. I agreed with both of them. It was a win-win--they were both right--or a lose-lose; they had both made poor decisions. Never leave your wing man, and always march to the sound of the guns or clash of swords, as the case may be.

Did they learn something? I think so. Will they implement those lessons when they next play? I'm skeptical. A couple years ago while playing Hero Quest, these same choices led to the same results. There's still hope. Some lessons must be learned multiple times before they're remembered and a change of behavior results. I should know. I'm always getting the same lessons.

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Book Reviews: Lord Byron's The Corsair and Frederic Brown's The Fabulous Clipjoint.

 The Corsair is a tale in verse about the pirate Conrad. While it has many memorable lines, the tale is predictable and the lengthy poem goes on too long. Reading it was like one of those conversations with a friend that begins with energy and laughter but ends in weary fatigue because it continued well beyond its best-by date. That concludes what I have to say on that topic.

The Fabulous Clipjoint was recommended as a great example of pulp fiction. A young man's father is murdered after a night out drinking. The wife, young man's step mom, is a heavy drinker and a something of a scold. Her daughter also resembles bad medicine in a pretty bottle. Young man finds his uncle, a carnival worker, and they set out to catch the murderer. I picked the killer early and was not deceived. However, the whole motive and method weren't revealed until the end.

Clipjoint reads like a noir without the personality and conventions that make noir detective stories so fun to read. This pulp novel is like fried chicken and mashed potatoes without anything to go with them. It's tasty and filling but needs another side and a dessert. All the components are impressive: a murder mystery, young man with some competence but lacking experience with a mentor to guide him, a few suspects, some mob connections, the wife with a motive and her potentially poisonous daughter, an attractive woman to strike the young man's fancy, a bank robbery, a police detective with malleable scruples, seedy bars, and a string of clues that direct and misdirect. Nevertheless, there remains a lacuna I cannot place. It earned the four stars I gave it, but I had hoped to be able to give it 5.

 

 

Whim of the White Wizard

 

 We traveled back to the homestead on the other side of the state. Les Freres Corses were expecting me. They had dice. They had plans. After the writing (I finished the motorcycle travel story and got it to my team), mowing, weeding, watering, eating, and watching The Lego Movie, we got down to business.

 

 Behold the business. It took a little while to decide on a time period. One chose western, another chose medieval. The western figures were not on site, so we went medieval, sort of. With some orcs, men of Gondor, a white wizard, and some Star Trek figures and sets, we began. Oh, and there was the symbiote. With a body of red wax and legs of black plastic, it had a short move but was powerful in combat; if it struck a blow in combat the recipient had to make a roll against a new symbiote sprouting from his blood. 

McCoy, Scotty, Chekov, and a redshirt had been chased through a portal by klingons or other would-be assailants. They arrived in this land of orcs, warriors, and a wizard. How the symbiote got there, only the K-man knows. It began with Scotty trying to communicate with an orc figure, which represented a simple but armed medieval human, about the predicament and whether he could direct them to a device that might help them in their quest to return. The armed citizen was nonplussed, refraining from all mathematical actions. So Scotty got nowhere.

Meanwhile, the symbiote made its way to another armed citizen and attacked, seriously wounding its target. The citizen passed his hors de combat check as well as his morale check, not being infected by the attacker.

While the boys from the Federation continued to solicit help from the natives, the symbiote struck again. It would be its last strike. The citizen dealt the strange creature, who was no man born of woman, a fell and fatal blow. K-man joined me by taking over Scotty and Chekov. 

The great moment of truth came when the redshirt encountered the white wizard and sought his help. Of course, Star Fleet men couldn't know that the white wizard was the most powerful figure in the mix, having three dire powers contained within his staff: levitate, lightning, and enchant with super strength or super speed. When questioned, the wizard played coy, delaying his response. Would he help the space men and convince the natives to cooperate in the quest? After sufficient delay to build dramatic tension, RC decided the white wizard would lend his abilities to helping the federation's finest rather than thwarting their efforts. 

McCoy's tricorder located the device that would program the portal to allow them to return to the proper place and time about the same time that the wizard declared the location to the redshirt. The problem came when they tried to approach the device. Even though the wizard had endowed McCoy and the redshirt with super speed, all was not well. Plot complication. The device was located on holy ground. The native citizens, all of whom were armed, could not allow the strangers to intrude on the sacred turf. The natives remained calm but protective, and the Star Fleet men resisted the urge to stun them all into submission and do as they pleased. 

The white wizard had neither personal qualms nor prime directive to restrict him. He had powers and RC wanted to use them. He thought levitating one of the locals and tossing him into the teleportation platform would convince the rest of them to cooperate. I don't know what a pair of teleportation platforms were doing in a medieval setting; I asked but didn't get a comprehensible answer. Anyway, with one citizen teleported to the far corner of the board, the natives still remained determinedly undecided--if that's possible. Every challenge roll they did came up to maintain their protective position, neither advancing nor retreating.

Scotty and McCoy had an epiphany. One of the natives had been terribly wounded, a pool of blood forming at his feet. They approached to offer him aid. He accepted the offer, and McCoy's dice came up roses, or an eight and two sevens, or something like that, resulting in a complete and miraculous recovery by the native. 

Strangely enough, the healing softened the citizens' attitude a little, which was fortunate, because McCoy's tricorder indicated that time was running out. They had only 8 minutes to get to the machine, reprogram it, and get back through the portal before it was everlastingly too late. The natives had not yet parted a path for the Federation when the white wizard flexed his magical muscle by levitating McCoy over their heads to the device. 

The good doctor must have been packing Spock's Katra, or perhaps he had a timely logic attack, because he successfully reprogrammed the device on the first try. In true TOS fashion, they raced for the portal and got through with only seven seconds to spare before the credits rolled. Even the redshirt survived! The Star Fleet weapons remained unused the entire time. Had the white wizard chosen differently, who can tell how it might have ended?

As the space men escaped through the portal, the wizard levitated and shocked a few citizens just to remind them of how lucky they were to have him among them.

 

Miniature Wrestling

 There were two items of note this week. First, regarding this picture:

Somebody gave my wife some of these candies a while back. I ate them. I wanted more. When I suggested that she get back in touch with the friend who gave them to her, she went and bought me some. I think these are my new favorite candy: dark chocolate and what looks and tastes like real peanut butter (not the grainy sugar and peanut butter substitute found in America's most popular candy). These are a real treat--in spite of what the writing on the wrapper might lead you to believe. I give them 5 stars and would recommend them to a friend, but only if I were opening a new bag. If I were down to the last few, I would keep them for myself and not say a word about them.

Next was the miniature wrestling tournament. By miniature, I don't mean Hobbits, Dwarves, Munchkins, or the little people among us. This is what I'm talking about:

 Over a few days, I assembled ten of these American Militia miniatures. They're supposed to be 28mm, but they may be slightly smaller, or the ones with which I'm comparing them are slightly larger than 28mm. I'm putting them together for use in a campaign with my skirmish/RPG rules with Les Freres Corses and perhaps another guest set in my Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Universe. Anyway, some assembly required is a euphemism for the combination of gladiatorial combat and mud wrestling it takes to put these plastic chaps together.

Cutting out the body and gluing it to a base is deceptively simple and easy--no real problems, apart from the accident with the knife and the blood drops. It's everything after that becomes a death match in the mud--except the mud is glue. The head, both arms, and some weapons have to be cut free from the sprue and attached to the body. While the heads provided can be attached to any of the figures, the arms and some weapons match only particular figures; it's not a mix-and-match at will operation. Every part has to be properly matched.

 Round one of the contest involves scanning the schematic to find compatible limbs for the selected body. 

Round two is cutting them free and trimming the little nodules of sprue remnant from the parts. 

Round three is where things get sticky--literally: Fit the limbs to the body and remember how they go; add a dab of superglue to the precise position; attempt to fit the first limb to the figure as determined by the earlier test; smear glue hither and yon as the limb slips into every position except the one way it fit earlier--adjust, adjust, and readjust; hold the limb against the body while the glue dries; remove fingers from the figure--only to have the arm come away (glued to one hand) and the body come away (glued to the other hand); peel the miniature parts from finger along with top layer of skin; repeat previous phase; glue finger to table and drop miniature limb; find the lost limb glued to the back or base of a different miniature or to the front of your shirt; finally get one limb attached; repeat the previous phases for the second limb and note that if both hands are supposed to be on the weapon, the second hand won't reach it because one or both arms were not glued into the proper position; decide that's good enough even better because it gives the illusion of movement to the miniature.

Anyway, I got ten of the 30 figures completed, and I'm happy to note that there were no casualties or grotesque deformities, and the glue holds extremely well. (I know because I dropped some of them from an altitude of five feet to a concrete floor with no breakage or loss of limb. Also, there are left over muskets and tomahawks that can be left separate for game purposes, or added to some of my other miniatures. I already have some metal British Infantry (that are at least partially painted) for the campaign, along with some wolves, and natives. I'm not sure what I'll use for the stone cats and dragonlings, but I know those will be integral to the campaign. The first episode will involve the blowing of a bridge before the British Regulars can cross.

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Editing continues on Book 6 -- Crisis in Fire and Snow -- in the Tomhawks and Dragon Fire Series. It will be ready just in time for Christmas!

Glitches and Dragons

 

The picture is of the new terrain/beasts Les Freres Corses have established as the next level of their game. Perhaps some additional information is in order. The pale blue strip with the black things in it is a river full of black leeches. It's in the bottom of a canyon (as represented by the brownish sides. The green in the upper left hand corner is the fertile ground where one glitch (a new creature represented by a miniature from the Army of the Dead from LotR), a few goblins, and a transparent with some young reside. Most of the action happens in the pink zone, which also has a glitch, dingos (represented by warg figures), goblins, 2 trolls, longrads (represented by the pens), and two dragons (smaller dinosaur figures with duct tape for wings--and not to be confused with the enormous T-Rex figure partially visible on the right). The T-Rex is an NPC recruited by one of the freres from 2 levels back. During the most recent turn, T-Rex was slain by that dragon among the longrads (but I suspect the frere will get it resurrected on the next level). In other casualties, Derek McCau took a goblin arrow through the throat and crossed over the transient threshold of mortality (he'll probably be back next level as well), and Darth Vader failed a morale check and ran all the way back to the DeLorean to find his courage and heal his wounds.

The small white paper tank at the very top is actually the DeLorean in which the gang travels from level to level. In the previous level it was fueled by longrad eggs to make the jump. The protagonists--Darth Vader and friends (in addition to T-Rex and the late Mr. McCau), who include Steel McCat (yes, we keep making that joke), Eldon Zyrax, along with a transparent and its offspring (the latter two both still in the DeLorean)--are tasked with slaying a dragon and all the goblins to complete the level. There may also be a side quest that I don't recall. I'm only there to provide occasional sound effects, roll dice for monsters, and assure that there's some semblance of regularity to the play. In fact, the big accomplishment for this level was getting one frere to limit his free move to an objectively measurable distance--previously the free move ability had completely swallowed the movement rule and allowed him to move Darth Vader as far as he wanted while he counted out seven seconds; in other words, he could move pretty much wherever he wanted. We're making progress in small increments and having fun along the way.

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In writing news: Today I received notice of acceptance on an another short story--this time in an anthology. You may depend on me to talk more about it when the publication comes out in the very near future. I still have another story out there that I believe has been accepted (if so, it would make 3 for the year), but nothing definitive has been provided, and the publication for which it was submitted has been delayed at least twice.

I didn't get as much writing done as I had hoped on book 6 of the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series because of other responsibilities, but what I did write was great. These last chapters are full of tension and action involving fire, ice, tomahawks, knives, spears, and gunpowder--to name some particular elements. It's only the title that eludes me. I came very close to adopting one, but it just didn't seem right. I also just finished Richard III, and there were some quotes I liked, but I had already decided that only the first three books would have titles taken from Shakespeare quotes, so I'm looking to Thomas Paine, John Adams, or some other founder or character in the series to speak the appropriate title.

Here's a clue about the short story:

No Lie

 

 "I liked that. I'm not gonna lie. That was pretty fun."

That was the verdict of one of Les Freres Corses after we played the Rescue from the Hangman's Noose scenario from my skirmish game. Of course he had a great time. What's not fun about King's Musketeers and Cardinal's Guards exchanging shots with flintlock pistols, rushing through the clouds of acrid smoke to trade cross words, cross swords, and wound, wound, wound, and slay the enemy? He fired pistols, threw knives, stabbed, slashed, and swashbuckled his team to victory. Two of his musketeers made running leaps to the scaffold just in time to stop the hangman from completing the execution. They overcame superior numbers by superior ability to slay four guardsmen and send the wounded fifth running with his bloody tabard between his legs.

For the record, it looked nothing like the picture above, or this picture below:

 I'm going to label the venture a success, even though I was running the losing side. It was proof that the system is simple and fun. The next step is to include the role-play aspect and do a tavern fight and rescue. Although, he did express an interest in the King George's Bust scenario set during the Revolutionary War. I'll see which he decides to try.

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In the battle that rages (or ebbs and flows) in getting book 6 completed, I've crossed the midpoint, and the path to completion is becoming clear. I had an epiphany regarding a couple characters who need to make an appearance soon for maximum impact at the conclusion of the book. Book 6 will not complete the series, but it does get us closer than we've ever been before.

I finished Jeff Wheeler's Doomsday Match yesterday--in between mowing, trimming, spraying, and motorcycle riding. It's a fun read. I may say more about it later if I remember.

I was up late watching a Star Trek movie marathon. I caught part of The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home. Of course, Wrath is the best of all the ST movies and Galaxy Quest takes second place. Search for Spock may get third, and Voyage is a flawed beauty whose fun factor almost makes one forget the flaws. 

What makes Wrath the best? Mostly it's Khan. I've said it before, Ricardo Montalban is the best Khan. He is Khan. Sure, Dr. Marcus and David are annoying, but it's a small price to pay for the poignant reunion of the main cast after the snooze-fest that was ST The Motion Picture. Wrath begins the trilogy that is pretty decent overall. I should go into greater detail on my thoughts on Wrath, but that will have to wait for another time when I've made an effort to organize my thoughts--perhaps in the the 6 point pattern as set forth in The Tyranny of Public Discourse, which I recently finished. However, (let me ramble a bit) I will mention that the plethora of quotable lines, especially from Khan help. Also, the battle in the Mutara is fantastic. It's the sea battle (and TOS was in many ways a Hornblower adventure in space) from of Hornblower v. El Supremo combined with Ahab's obsession with the whale. The crippled ships fighting it out in low visibility conditions with no shields is the piece de resistance in this magnificent tour de force (and I'm not just stacking foreign phrases for the fun of it). Tension and suspense are key ingredients for a great story and they are plastered all over this baby. The battle, the trading of hits, the maneuvers, crippled Defiant hobbling away with the mere stub of a leg, and Spock's self sacrifice to save the Enterprise and crew in the nick of time as the Genesis wave threatens to engulf them all--and don't forget Khan's venomous invective with a little help from Melville--combine to provide fans with the rich payoff they had waited more than a decade to receive. My three required elements for a great story: the trauma, the drama, and the dream are all there. (I should write about that sometime using Wrath as an example). Don't forget the cost. Spock dies. He's dead, dead, dead--but we who watched it when it was brand new knew about the Genesis thingy--and we hoped.

Search is nestled in between the two that get all the attention--Wrath, because it's outstanding, and Voyage because some people are completely and unreasonably enamored with it--and is thus overlooked or underrated. Search is a celebration of friendship and more. If Wrath brought Kirk's old sins to the surface, Kirk and crew go the extra mile, kellicam, solar system, or galaxy to do the right thing and do the darn near impossible to help redeem Kirk all on the mere chance that it will help bring back their friend. McCoy, addled by Spock's consciousness banging away inside his head, gets some great moments and funny scenes. The way the team pulls together to do the right thing in the face of official resistance and imbecility is inspiring. Sure, the movie makes every other Star Fleet captain look like a supercilious cliche or cowardly idiot in uniform, but Dr. Emmett Brown as the cunning Klingon villain adds another dimension to a simple search and possible rescue story that makes us overlook the problem with the other captains. He is merciless, motivated, and has revenge on his mind when Kirk kills most of his crew. The fight between Kirk and his Klingon adversary in the ships and then on the ground mirrors the Kirk-Khan conflict of Wrath. So what if there's some heavy-handed writing and bothersome statements, mostly from Saavik, which usually begin with, "So like your father..." to make obvious points that should've been left to the viewers to realize on their own or mentioned once and never harped on again. The Klingon's 2nd hand murder of David, and the fabulous sacrifice of the Enterprise (and remember, this was the first time that the true star of the old series had been destroyed--not to be confused with the seemingly mandatory multiple and less impactful destructions of later iterations), all while a planet goes into self-destruct mode, promising to take the resurrected Spock with it, carries us to the payoff confrontation on the wreck and ruin of a surface in the process of internal demolition (again mirroring the clash with Khan but on the ground instead of in space behind the masks of stars ships). That is some good action/adventure--and Kirk can only save Spock by defeating his adversary and tricking Maltz to beam them both to safety. The completion of the Spock's resurrection is the final touch on this hearty and satisfying meal.

I've rambled too long. I'm out of time, so I can't discuss Voyage, but I'm sure there is no shortage of discussion and opinions on the topic. Perhaps another time.

 

Tussle in the Tavern and off to Land of the Dinosaurs

 The tavern after the first meteor strike:

 You may recall from this entry that Les Freres Corses had commandeered my tavern set for their game. The photo above is how things looked when we ended after the first meteor strike. I say "first" meteor strike, because when we resumed play the time was again set and a second meteor crashed into the board. The tavern comprises one-quarter of the board. The first meteor struck the quarter by the front door and the associated devastation was thoroughly disclosed in that previous post. 

The second meteor crashed to earth next to the north side of the tavern (to the right of the picture). The building took some serious damage with part of the north wall, including the stairway, collapsing. A section of the roof also fell into the tavern. It was havoc amok and a torrent of saving throws. Ultimately, the Darth Vader figure sprang to the back of the large healer bird beneath the chandelier, swung from the chandelier to the balcony, and punched in the code to open the door that would release them all to the next level. However, the damage to the building had jammed the door. Eventually he got the door open and the quickening to the next level occurred. 

The next level: Land of the Dinosaurs

 The emphasis is on dinosaurs. After we had about eight or ten dinos and the small forest with the giant spiders, I suggested that would be plenty for them to deal with--especially when the combat ability of each dinosaur far exceeded that of the characters. As usual, my wisdom was ignored or rather translated in their minds as, "We need way more dinosaurs. Let's use them all." They would have used them all, but they ran out of space on the board. So Eldon Zyrax, Derek McCau, Darth Vader, and somebody Corro (pronounced like sorrow) must search the savage lands for the key to the DeLorean so that they can go "Back to the future," as RC says dramatically with a pointing finger.

The characters are outlined in blue in the photo. Now that we've played an hour or more, each one of them has been killed by a dino and they've had to make saving throws and do pushups or dips to get a new life at the cost of some of the abilities the character had acquired. Now the K-man is suggesting that they may have chosen too many dinosaurs. Experience teaches more completely than wise guidance.

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In Book 6 of the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series, I've just completed chapter 11. One side in the battle has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, and it remains to be seen whether the defeated side may save the remainder of its bacon--figuratively speaking. It was great fun. There are few feelings nicer than having written an exciting chapter filled with character insights with the fog of battle thinning here and there to reveal individual struggles amid the carnage.

Before you can read book 6, you'll want to read Book 5, Truth in Flames. Click on the image to get it.

Is There No Hope?

The Patriot Cause is in jeopardy. The commander’s minions and King George’s troops are victorious on all fronts.

Can Lucette save Washington and his army? Will Alex be able to stand against Roberts’ devastating new weapon? Iago and Atu confront old enemies and encounter new ones. Rip and Antonio must help in a crucial mission to save the Cause.

Join them in the fight for a new nation.

Tumble in the Tavern

 

 

 “Now we’ll start this band of robbers and call it Tom Sawyer’s gang. Everybody that wants to join has got to take an oath, and write his name in blood.” -- Mark Twain -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

We didn't write our names in blood--not our own, that is--but we did have a dangerous band, an unruly gang who lived and died by the roll of the dice.

Les Freres Corses made a visit. We began with getting some skills for their man cards. We began with learning to pop the hood. They had a difficult time finding the hood release, but located the dipstick (the one under the hood) and the oil-fill easily. They each got to check the oil on a vehicle and add a little of the lubricant. RC also got to add some water to the radiator. They should get bonus points for the quick lesson on making a funnel.

With the man card punched for the day, we convened around the kitchen table to resume the rip-roaring showdown between figures from Star Wars, Barsoom, Middle-earth, and common household items endowed with sentience and particular powers. When we started this level of the adventure, I introduced them to saving throws and chandelier swinging--the chandelier being an element of the tavern layout.

We played a short while with nothing beyond the usual movement and combat. Then RC moved the Darth Vader figure up the stairs in a retreat from the transparent. The latter is a fairly powerful creature they developed and which is represented on the board by the translucent plastic piece from inside the cover of Old Spice deodorant. Two other adventurers, Eldon Zyrax and Derek McCau (or is it McCow?) (both Middle-earth elf figures) soon joined the dark lord on the stairs. It was at this point that the game took a turn into the chaotic fun zone. 

RC didn't think the golden turtle (a turtle key chain) should attack his Darth Vader figure; he thought it should attack the goblins guarding the doors on the balcony. After some delay and some debate, we settled it with a die roll -- because letting the dice decide is always more exciting than simply getting what you want. K-man has bought into the die-roll-decision paradigm, but RC has been resistant to the concept. RC took the dice in hand and cast them into the hallowed hollow were all dice rolls must occur to be valid. It couldn't have gone worse for RC The result was that the golden turtle attacked DV. RC took it like a man.

When DV lost the combat so badly that the cold grip of death enclosed him--what with the golden turtle being the boss beast and most powerful on the board, with the possible exception of the blinders (who don't even have a figure or object to represent them), I reminded them of saving throws in this extraordinary situation. K-Man wanted to know what was extraordinary about it. The imminent death of a player character satisfied him. DV didn't quite make the saving throw, but his life was spared. He tumbled down the stairs with a wound or two and bounced off the transparent who was battling blinders or something there. Once we had the sith lord on his back, we realized he would have smashed into Eldon Zyrax and Derek McCau. They had to make saving throws and one of then also went head-over-heels down the stairs, taking an injury in the process. 

As soon as we had the rumble and tumble on the stairs resolved, the meteor hit. K-man had me set the time for 30 minutes when we started play. The timer went off and they made a saving throw to see if the meteor struck, or went on by. It struck. We rolled to see which quadrant of the board was absolutely devastated by the impact. The meteor crashed just outside the tavern, destroying a separate building there, blocking the other quadrants from access to the tavern, flinging a hunk of the edifice into the tavern and up to the balcony, and completely blocking the entrance to the tavern with debris and earth. But wait, there's more. 

 A tremendous shock wave burst from the meteor impact. Every figure, except those already prone at ground level had to make a saving throw or be flung to the ground with an injury. Most of them did pretty well. K-man rolled for most of them--with one of his figures being among those who failed the throw. Additionally, everyone on the balcony had to save against the huge hunk of building that had been flung there. Finally, the tavern itself was in peril but it made its saving throws so that no part of the establishment came crashing down to bury the occupants.

Following the explosive havoc of the meteor crash, some goblins leaped from the balcony to swing from the chandelier. One of them carried a long spear and failed his first, second, and third rolls, falling from the chandelier, tossing his spear up into the air in the process, and having the sharp pointy follow him down to nail him to the hardwood like a bug in a display case. It was fabulous.

All the player characters were down and wounded, but we were out of time and will have to hope to play out the conclusion another day.

 

 

 

 

I may have to work this into a cover for book 6 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series. It captures some of the excitement in chapter 5. I'm still in chapter 6, but the cataclysm that is chapter 5 reminded me of some important turning points in the series.

The tower fight chapter of Threading the Rude Eye changed everything that followed. It led to Lucette's increased importance and set up the sequel to that fight in Clamorous Harbingers. Another critical point that profoundly influenced the rest of the story was a struggle in the snow involving Akira, Alex, and Roberts. The Awesome Train blew its whistle and pounded right through what I had planned, bringing terrible consequences for the central characters. I think Power to Hurt and Truth in Flames were free of violent, story-transforming events in that the events and characters adhered to the main plan--which was already at def=con level Phenomenal. Oh, I almost forgot. The whole Iago thread in Promise of Carnage and Flame was supposed to be a much smaller part of the whole story. The tone of that thread also dramatically changed from conception to words on the page. I had actually pictured the Wanadaga as much more malicious. The whole thread became a starring role for the little man with a deep dive into his backstory and setting him up for the crucial role he would play in Truth in Flames. 

Let me just say that I am utterly gobsmacked by the way the story has come together so far. Writing chapter six has been fabulously stimulating too--even though all the characters are conforming to the behavior I had planned for them.

There are a couple reasons that I'm still writing chapter six at a time when I should be on chapter 12. First, I had to write/edit a couple short stories for consideration in anthologies. Second, I've been inducted into the cast of a play at the local theater. Play practice slices right through my established writing time. 

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Today I got a call two hours before church started. A Sunday School teacher had fallen ill and couldn't teach her class. I snapped into action and called another teacher who had wanted a chance to teach again. She was prepared--but was already teaching the other class for a teacher who was out of town. I was reluctant to call someone else without more notice, so I tapped myself for the job. It was another great experience. I'm sure the throng of class members with pitchforks and torches at the end was purely done in jest.

The Corsican Brothers came by Saturday. They commandeered the tavern with the balcony, stairs, rail, and chandelier, which I had created for a musketeers scenario, and filled it with goblins, leeches, eagles, a white ape, a few other figures from Middle Earth, Star Wars, and Barsoom for use as the next level in their ever evolving game. One of the brothers has succeeded in co-opting the spells from HeroQuest for his character's use and abuse.I did introduce them to the idea of a saving throw. I expect that concept to come up again for abuse the next time they play. The important thing is that they're having a good time, using their imaginations, and applying themselves to a modicum of reading and writing to keep the adventure going and the numerous characters and monsters straight.

 

 

Clash of Scouts

 

I won't give a full after action report from the game I played a couple weeks ago. The photos below convey the gist of the skirmish in which three mounted Nahorn scouts met six Kru dog faces on foot. The Kru's objective was to get someone on the high ground to observe the Nahorn outpost and return off their own board edge with the information. The Nahorn objective was to prevent the Kru from returning with intelligence that the outpost was inadequately defended.

In similar scenarios I've played, the Kru always split up and every dog face fends for himself--leaving them to face the riders alone. This time, the Kru leader kept his warriors together. However, the line formation he used was vulnerable at each end, which is where the horse scouts targeted their attacks. The Nahorn men waited for the Kru to clear the rough and brushy ground before striking. The mounted spearman above took out two Kru in one pass--slaying them both.

One of the dog faces did get to the high ground and howled the intelligence back to the leader, who almost escaped with it. The Kru captain couldn't outrun the horses, and, on 4th and goal, a Nahorn blade put him down permanently only inches shy of the end zone.

Two riders were pulled from their mounts, but they survived. The dismounted riders chased the last dog face into the brush and treated him to multiple rounds of that popular game "Spear point, axe head, who's got the wound." The Kru refused to go down easily. He succeeded in catching wound after wound until he finally lost consciousness

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I'm on chapter 20 of the final edit of Truth in Flames. I would promise that it will be available in ebook this week, but the cover may take me a little longer because my artist is away on a cruise. Of course, the paperback will take an additional week to format. In fact, the paperback may not go up until January.

 AAR of Wreck at the Ruins

Sing, O Muse, of the race among the ruins, when the princess fled from her crashed flyer to fall insensible as she hid from the green men of Mars. Rehearse for us the exploits of those noble red warriors of Melihum as they spilled their blood over the golden ochre of the dead city where the princess lay. Tell their names and the weapons they bore. Describe the mighty foe and lament the warriors they laid low.

The warriors were true and brave. Nantos Nan (NN), veteran of many battles and sound in mind and deed, did lead them. He bore the bright sword given him by the Jeddak of Melihum, with his short sword and pistol he faced the enemy. He had with him Han Tadron (HT1), who slew many green enemies in his day and wore a warriors metal. Dav Ravo (DR) of the straight-shooting pistol and gleaming sword came to make his name known. Mardos Tors (MT) the fearless and valiant completed their number, bearing his gleaming blade and shortsword with a shooting weapon on his hip. Han Tadron the second (HT2) had lagged behind, but joined the warriors when Han Tadron was slain.

Their foes were arrayed in the metal of warriors slain, and casting long shadows--for they were three times the height of a man--their four arms were quick with sword and pistol. First came Vak Voka (VV), renowned among the green Zarhoons for his prowess and cruelty. He was the one who had fired the shot that disabled the princess' flyer. At his side marched Bak Badja (BB), the bold attacker. 

Tell us who drew first blood? It was the green man Bak Badja who drew first blood. His radium pistol shot true, taking Han Tadron at the base of throat, in the little divot where the clavicles join the sternum. The exploding shell left him no chance at life and his blood first stained the ochre moss.

Nantos Nan took aim to repay BB for the deadly shot but his bullet exploded against the wall upon which the ancients had written, "Nutritional Facts."

BB, unfazed by NN's shot, returned fire to graze NN's shoulder and caused him to take shelter behind the wall. Vak Voka looked also for the princess. In a ruin with pink upon the walls, he found a trap which dropped him to the pits. He spent many long efforts in trying to escape from the trap.

Sing, O Muse, of Dav Ravos's fate. Tell how he hurried in his search. He thrust his golden helm within a ruin's walls only to meet a great pale simian. DR, swift of hand and mind, drew his pistol and fired in surprise. His bullet went true, but the white monster shrugged off the wound and came on the attack.

The pale brute of savage will and brutal power struck him a blow that crushed one shoulder. DR fled from the ruin with the speed of the zephyr but the angry ape bounded after, bent on pounding the intruder into dust. NN and HT2 traded shots with BB. The fierce fire drove the green man into an ornately decorated building, but not before he had wounded NN once more. Inside, BB found the unconscious princess. He threw her over a shoulder and ran out, knowing that the Melihum warriors would not dare to fire for fear of injuring the princess.

HT2, a flame of chaste and loyal passion burning in his heart for the princess, rushed to BB as though on a chariot of the gods. With sword drawn he engaged the verdant giant.

BB released the insensible princess and raised his flashing blades. His steel clove HT2's shoulder, the blade cutting down into the upper ribs. HT2 dropped to his knees, and BB pulled the sword from the wound, which gushed with the warrior's fresh dark blood. Although not slain, HT2 fell to the side, blackest night enveloping his consciousness. BB lifted the princess from the ochre moss as MT drew near.

But what of DR and his unlucky fate? He turned to fight the mighty ape, and dealt it another wound, his quick blade darting between the beast's four deadly arms. The wound did not stay the white simian. With thews rippling like an angry sea, the pale ape crashed a massive paw against DR's golden helm. The brave warrior fell, not dead, but unable to move.

 How did MT bring honor to his name? The valiant warrior MT was set upon by VV, mightiest of the two green men, and who had finally escaped the pit. MT gave as good as he got, wounding the green man and taking a small hurt of his own. When he saw that BB had taken up the princess again, he broke away from VV and leaped the wall to rush upon BB like a banth defending its kill. MT brought up his best trick of swordplay to drive his blade through BB's dark heart. At last, the life fluid of a green man dampened the golden ochre not far from HT2's unconscious form.

How did MT meet his end? VV bounded over the wall in a single stride, like a nimble thoat clearing a low fence. The cruel green man struck from behind. MT turned to meet the attack. NN, twice wounded by BB's bullets, surged forward to aid MT and to rescue his princess.

MT had exhausted all of his tricks of swordplay, and NN, slowed by his wounds, could but watch as VV's whirling blades cut down his comrade. MT dropped upon the ochre yet wet with BB's warm blood. As the warrior expired, he rolled to place his body between VV and the princess. 

Did DR recover from the blow that sent him low, with darkness closing in? DR could not escape his fate. Clobbered to the turf by the hand of the pale ape, DR's living body could not respond to his danger. The white simian dragged the miserable man back to his lair to feast upon the human flesh.

What of NN? Did he succeed in saving the princess? O how the sorrow of Melihum was magnified on that day. NN, last of the Melihum warriors still treading upon the ochre, sprang forward as VV took up the beautiful princess. Cover your ears and steel your hearts for the sad end draws near. Without even lowering the princess once more, VV parried NN's desperate blow, and drove his sword through the red man's core. Weep, Melihum, weep for sorrow and remorse. The cruel VV carried away the princess to shriek beneath the tortures that would make the green men laugh with delight.

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Was the play test fabulous? Indeed it was. Combat, shooting, movement, etc went tremendously well. I believe it's time to move on to a scenario from the Kru War. I doubt that Homer will be joining us for that report.