A Lustrian Dawn

COOL PHOTOS! The terrain looks MORE AMAZING with every viewing. GREAT STUFF!

Week 14.5--The End Game

The last Thursday (12/17) was even more sparsely attended as everyone but Smalls and myself had conflicts. We decided forgo terrain entirely and fight ship battles.

"Duel on the High Seas" See the fluff on page 5. The Gutrippas win and return to port with much treasure. Ripper Fill was killed as well as a goblin chukka crew. The Trulls lost several henchwomen and suffered a miss a game result with the crazy doxie (Monkey Woman).

"The Lustrian Treasure Ship" The Seahog's crew was bolstered by the stop in port. An Orc Pirate and Goblin Swabbie were recruited and several casualties replaced including the dead Chukka crew. The Mermaid had less to spend but did what they could. There were fewer doxies on the ship that challenged the Seahog for the crippled treasure ship. Be that as it may, Grootka fell with his good leg smashed to the first crossbow bolt Black Belladonna fired! Nameless became a drooling non-combatant and 'Eadtaker wasn't much better. He continued to hinder his 'good buddywuddies' da Chukka crew so that they never fired a shot in the battle. Grootka had felled the starboard swivel gunner on the treasure ship with his only shot. The larboard gun scored a damaging hit on the Mermaid, but the Trulls sailed on. The Seahog maneuvered to board the larboard side of the treasure ship in order to place the merchant between her and the Mermaid but a lucky change of wind direction gave the Mermaid enough sail to close with the Seahog's stern. Ganger Sot met the boarders at the rail but fell to Mad Sasha.
The merchant took advantage of the attack on the orcs, cut loose and gave the Seahog a barrel of grape shot from the larboard swivel gun. With predictable inevitability the shot hit and several of the orcs who had been lining the rails went down screaming and bleeding.
Mad 'Eadtaker the Loon dodged the grape shot and bulled into the Trull's boarding party. He easily swept the only Trull on board off the stern and over the side. She landed with a splash and almost immediately fins appeared as sharks rose to feed. This inspired Black Belladonna to abandon her own ship and hack gleefully at defenseless sharks!
The melee between the Seahog's crew and the Mermaid's hung on the battle between Sasha and 'Eadtaker. Both were frenzied, toughened fighters. 'Eadtaker had the best skill at arms, but even in his madness Sasha could strike 2 blows where he struck one! The crazy doxie survived the maddened orc's attacks and began to make him bleed.
As the heroes fought other warriors joined the fray and the opportunistic merchant crew peppered both of their enemies with pistol and grape shot. Even though the Mermaid's crew suffered the most from this (the merchants hit with both grapeshot attempts in the game) Belladonna's leadership kept them at their posts as she butchered even more sharks.
Eventually 'Eadtaker fell at the rail and the doxies pressed the shattered crew of the Seahog. Without their Kaptain or their mad Quartermaster the Seahog struck her colors and withdrew from the fray. The Mermaid had lost too many crew as well so the doxies collected their shark killing captain and withdrew from the fight in the opposite direction.
Sheets and Backstabba Two-finga were killed in the fight. Grootka was truly da Lame as he was now with out one leg and gimped in the other. Belladonna cut up 3 shark swarms and took no wounds. (Stoopid over-powered sharks!)

Smalls and I shook hands and The Quest for the Well of Time faded into history and legend...
[Cue sunset and swelling dramatic music.]

A little over 3 months ago Playtable and I began the campaign by play testing a new scenario with new warbands. As it worked out we never actually played it during the campaign so we got together today to give it a shot with our veteran bands:

"The Sea Wolves"
A tale of battle wherein Grootka raids the Pale Moons

"Shhhhh!" 'Eadtaker admonished a nearby bush as he stumbled along in Nameless' wake.

Grootka stumped on ahead of them. His pins were giving no end of trouble on this narrow jungle track. Even if they had only covered a mile from the landing site it had taken him too long to reach the enemy camp. Dawn could not be far off. Yo'and had better have held the ship well off the coast.

The shore party had spread out amid the jungle about 50 cable lengths back. Grootka could see none of them and they had better hope he heard none of them as well. Ahead he saw the glow of a dying fire. The wind carried the smell of the doxies' camp to him. He smiled as he realized that the wind would be against Da Gutbucket. Yo'and should be making about the same headway as the shore party. Sorted.

"Wass weez gonna do Boss?" "Eadtaker's attempted whisper rumbled like distant thunder in Grootka's left ear.

"Shut it, ya git!" Grootka all but roared. "Yuz gonna stick da burnin arrras ins da doxie huts an Ize gonna toss sum bolts inta da doxie whens dey runz outta da hutz! Den weez gonna rush em!"

"Oh ja! Hur! Dat beez cunnin' Boss!"

"Where Nameless at?" Grootka peered back along the gloomy trail. "Ye wuz s'posed prod 'im along."

"Oh 'e beez 'long. 'E wuz purty inta da droolin' Boss, ya ken?"

Grootka ground his tusks. He started to turn back up the trail when a loud crack from the south was followed by a startled goblin's squeal. From the west a strained human voice began to call an alarm. Answering cries from the dim shapes of the huts ahead told him it was all snotling leavings if they didn't hit hard now.

"WAAAGH!" Grootka bellowed, "Cut 'em down! Stick 'em! Bash 'em! On ye lubbers!"

The jungle dawn rang with battle cries as the boyz picked up the call to arms. The first doxie's alarm turned to screams of pain and then choked off. 'Eadtaker sent some flaming arrows arcing toward the huts. The poxed things didn't light!

Nameless loomed into view. The troll was humming vacantly while sniffing a large blossom.

Dawn broke on a scene of chaos. Doxies spilled out of the huts (even if they weren't burning). Some carried bows, others waved sword and spear. Arrows, javelins and energy beams flew toward the attacking orcs. One of the huts disintegrated as a round shot took it square, but the damned ball buried itself in the debris instead of plowing into the milling crowd of war painted doxies beyond.

'Eadtaker threw down his bow and rushed a doxie. The plucky girl met him at a barricade of crates and cut the big orc down. Oh this pile of snotling droppings was getting pretty high thought Grootka. He watched the first doxie he had shot painfully stand back up and launch an arrow back at him. He fired at her again but his shot went wide as Nameless batted the feather on his Kaptain's hat, blinding him.

Grootka roared and shoved Nameless at the doxie standing over 'Eadtaker's body. He cranked the ratchet on his own looted crossbow and shot into the mass by the huts. A doxie went down but Grootka had no faith she would have the sense to stay there. Grootka chanced a look around to check on da boyz. Not good. Several were down although they all showed signs of life. As his gaze touched them the boyz crawled on toward their tormentors even as more missiles sought them.

A round shot bounced harmlessly through the camp. It came gently to rest against the side of a hut.

Granny Trollkin was being pressed back by 2 mean looking doxies. She mumbled curses and screamed hexes but Gork answered her not.

Grootka stumped toward the melee bawling nonsense orders just to hear his own voice. Nameless had torn the plucky doxie apart. Sorted that. The doxies' ship was on fire down by the ramshackle dock. Better. The mean doxies had hacked Granny down and rushed on to engage the rest of the shore party. Not so good.

Grootka cuffed Nameless to stop him from playing with the pieces of the dead doxie. He shoved the bewildered troll toward the scrap by the dock even as Yo'and's scatter gun roared amid the fiery melee on the ships. A wail went up from the surviving doxies and Grootka began to hope that what had looked like snot piss might just be something a bit finer...

Win for the Orcs! And that's a wrap, although some photos might appear...

Sea Wolves
Orcs sneak towards the Amazon camp.
One if by land, two if by sea. Wait, light up all three. (American humor)




I signed up to crew a cannon, not pull sentry duty.
Wait, what's that in the woods? "ORCS !!!"


"What's going on?"
"What's for breakfast?"
"Where did that short-lived scream come from?"
"It was one of those weak man-things."
"Everybody up and out."


"We're being attacked!"


The Amazons start heading towards their ship.


Most are too far away and so some decide to take the fight to the Orcs.


For a little while the Amazons look as though they have the upper hand.


But just for a little while.
The cannon crew and a totem warrior head for the ship.
The Serpent Priestes gets double charged but holds on.


Thankfully, the troll is stupid a lot on this raid.
The missile battle starts to go badly for the Amazons.


Meanwhile, as the cannon crew try to put out 3 fires on deck, the Orc ship grapples on and the 2nd unlucky cannon crew gets charged and killed.


The Serpent Priestes gets help and the orcs start falling away.
Everyone else makes for the ship, shooting as they go.


The Orcs keep the pressure on and follow them down to the docks.




Not many Amazons left on their feet.


With too many losses, the Pale Moon Tribe abandon their camp and ship and slip off into the jungle.

MORE COOL PHOTOS...OH BABY! You Guys are using Geo Hex...I didn't realize the were still in business.

@ DeafNala
I don't think they are.
I'd use the GeoHex more often but it takes such a long time to set the stuff up.

How do you made the small huts?

playtable wrote:

@ DeafNala
I don't think they are.
I'd use the GeoHex more often but it takes such a long time to set the stuff up.

That's a shame...they pioneered some REALLY imaginative approaches to War Gaming terrain. I, at one time, had several of their boxed sets. They were originally going to be used to introduce my AD&D group to sceniced gaming boards. They lost the battle for table space to the onion dip, & I wound up giving them to my buddy, John, who uses them quite abit. C'est la vie, eh?!

@ Yitu
I cheated and did not make them. They came in a box of 10, all strung up with lights for $10. I just took off the light string and presto, 10 huts.

I can't seem to go shopping without looking at everything that MIGHT work for some kind of terrain. My wife and I enjoy junk and 2nd hand stores, Goodwill, Savation Army, etc. so when I do find something it is cheap. I mean inexpensive.

@ DeafNala
Yes, GeoHex made some awsome sets. The 2" cliffs and hill sets are cool too. The only problem is that it takes too long to figure out how to set it up right. I think that was a contributing factor why they never sold enough to stay in business. Sad.