Winter and Chill - Another Fortunes AAR

Continuing with my horror-themed games, I recently watched The Ghost and the Darkness about two lions who terrorized an expedition in Africa to build a long-distance railway.  The film is loosely based on real-life events that were written in the novel, The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, by John Patterson.  In the novel, the two (yes, only two) lions mangled and devoured nearly 100 men.  Whether this number is 100% accurate is up to speculation, but the events did occur, along with Patterson eventually killing the lions.

In my game, in which I'm again using Fortunes Won and Lost rules, a railway in Lemuria is now the location terrorized.

So let's get started.

August 13, 1903.

The expedition to build the first cross-continental railway across Lemuria has thus been a success.  With workers starting on opposite coasts and working inward, the rail is expected to be completed by the end of the year.  Investors see no problems in the foreseeable future as all work continues on schedule.

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He stepped off the train and into the compound.  Throwing his sack over his shoulder, Wayne stepped inside the building.

"Col. Sharpe!"  A shorter, barrel-chested man covered in sweat rushed forward.  "I'm Miguel Owen.  I sent you the letter.  Thank goodness you've arrived."

"You said your people were attacked by lions?" Sharpe said, skipping any small talk.

Owen nodded.  "Two of them slaughtered over a dozen workers in just under a week.  My men fear leaving the camp now."

Sharpe's eyes grew wide.  "Only two?"

"We named them Winter and Chill, for they attack like a blizzard, without warning and without remorse."  Owen shuddered.  "They evaded all our traps and even pulled men right out of their tents."

Owen led him out of the compound and pointed.  "You see there, we set up barbed bamboo walls to protect us.  And there, we added bear traps."

They walked up to the bear traps, and Sharpe noted that none of them were set off.  "So this worked recently."

Leading the hunter to a tent, Owen pulled back the the tent's edge but refused to look in.  "We found this in the morning."

Sharpe stepped forward and saw a trail of blood leading from the bedrolls to outside.  Under one bedroll, he could still see the shape of a lower body and legs.

Returning outside, the hunter's expression never changed.  "We better get to work."

This will be a Defend encounter from Fortunes, but with a few changes.  First, I'm using the board shown below to represent the came.

Sharpe and anyone he is able to recruit start in Sections 7-9.  Each turn, I can choose which section to place them.

The two lions will appear each turn as a PEF randomly placed in Sections 1-6.

Each turn that they resolve, the lions attack if they are in a section adjacent to Sharpe or his group.

Otherwise, I'll make a Challenge roll (Easy if 1 lion, Normal if 2) to see if the lions attack any workers, for each lion.  

Following each attack, I'll roll 3d6 and look for Successes.

1 success = injury to worker, 2 successes = death, 3 successes = a rather gory death.

After attacking workers, the lions might (1-3) flee.

If shot at and a Duck Back is scored, the lion flees automatically.

Sharpe gets 3 Increasing d6 for each lion killed by himself or his group.

However, he gains 1 Decreasing d6 each time both lions score kills.

Sharpe is a Rep 5 European Soldier with a Rifle.

Owen is a Rep 4 European Civilian with a Pistol (I misread the table and didn't realize until after the adventure was over.  Oh well, leave the dice where they lie.)

Gordon Trent is a Rep 3 European Civilian with a Rifle.

The lions are Rep 5 and count as using Melee weapons.  I also gave them 1 Star Power each and treat them as always having the Advantage to represent their guile.

Finally, anything outside a character's section counts as in Cover.

Let's get started.

For the opening turn, I placed each character in Section 8.  The first PEF starts in Section 4.  Only Owen can see it if it gets close enough.

1 lion appears.  Winning on the Action table, it moves to Section 9 and performs a challenge to snatch a worker.  Passing, it drags the terrified worker.  Owen opens fire and scores a Duck back.

The lion flees.

Time to check the damage.  3 successes.

It's not a pretty sight!

For the next turn, I placed a character in each section.  The PEF appears in 1 but with a Pass 1d6.

Hearing a rustling in the brush, Sharpe aimed his rifle and waited, but nothing appeared.  Still, no need to drop his guard yet, he kept his weapon pointed forward.

On the next turn, both lions appeared in Section 5, dangerously close to Owen.

Chill, passing on a sneak challenge, lunged forward and attacked Owen.  Passing 3d6 more than the man, the lion tore the poor guy to pieces before anyone could react.

Winter tried to sneak but failed.  Spinning around, Sharpe and Trent both opened fire.

Direct hit!  The bullet struck Winter right between the eyes, and the beast fell.

Next, Trent fired, but Chill's Star Power saved it.  At the end of the turn, both sides passed Will to fight, though Chill vanished into the brush for the turn.

For the next turn, I tried to position the two men so they covered each other's backs.  Chill appeared in Section 2 and Passed on the Action table.

Succeeding with a Sneak challenge, the beast leaped out of the brush and tackled Trent, biting right into the man's leg and thrashing about, tossing the man like a rag doll.  And like a rag doll, he came apart, spreading 'stuffing' everywhere.

This left Sharpe by himself, so, positioning himself in a tree, he waited.

Hearing a growl behind him, Sharpe turned but saw nothing.

That's when Chill attacked!  As the man turned, the lion slipped out of the brush and leaped up, slicing Sharpe's leg, and causing him to tumble out of the tree.

The two engaged in melee, with Chill passing 1 more, dropping Sharpe's Rep to 4.  The two continued to brawl, and I kept passing the same for them.  Eventually, both Reps dropped to 0, so I just continued until one scored a kill.

I also made an impromptu roll (resolving a new PEF) to see if any workers came to the rescue.  I passed 0d6 the first round and 1d6 the second.  Despite screams being heard, no one came to Sharpe's rescue.

Tough luck, and OOF!  Sharpe even failed with his Star Power.

Rolling to one knee, Sharpe stabbed with his bayonet at the creature and caught it in the shoulder.  Rearing back for a moment, it glanced at the wound on its shoulder and then licked it before turning its glare back to the hunter.  It lunged again, but Sharpe dodged out of the way.  

Rolling on the ground, he tried to aim his rifle but his hands were shaking too much.  Stumbling to the tree, he attempted to steady himself when the monster leaped again.  Colliding with him, it knocked Sharpe's head against the tree.  

Dropping his rifle, he fell to the ground.  The last thing he heard was a sickening crunch.  The last thing he felt was horrific pain as Chill sunk its teeth into his abdomen.  The next thing Wayne Sharpe knew, was nothing.

The next morning, railway workers found the remains of the three men and sent them on the next train back to the nearest city.  Workers then fled the compound, and all work halted for the time being.  Business backers rushed to send an army to the compound, but they found no trace of the beast.  Until they could locate the lion, no one would agree to return to work.

And worse yet, upon studying the blood on the ground, workers learned Chill was a female, which means it could bear young just a sadistic in the future.


A complete failure in terms of game events but a fun experiment to try anyway.  Oh well, I don't mind when horror-themed games end like this.  It just adds to the story!

Revenge of the Wicker Man

Being a huge horror fan, this is my favorite time of the year.  And while I was originally going to play a Lovecraft's Revenge game, I then watched an older horror movie called The Wicker Man (1973 version) and thought, "What if the guy escaped?  What if he wasn't so nice after all?  What if he wanted revenge?"

I decided Fortunes Won and Lost from Two Hour Wargames fit the setting the best.  And while I usually side with natives, savages, etc., in my games, I had a little problem with their sacrificing animals.  Don't get me wrong, I love burgers, steaks, and meat-filled Italian food.  I also support killing animals for food, self-defense, mercy (like putting down a sick pet), etc.  However, I draw the line at brutally immolating animals as sacrifices for a good harvest.  This led to my game.

Although I'm using Fortune rules, I'm using a version of the Larger Than Life map rules.  Instead of measuring distances, I have characters move 1 section per turn or 2 sections if they Fast Travel.  If combat occurs, I switch to the Battle Board.  And since the only range weapons are bows or pistols, ranges are limited to the section only.  In Addition, the closest I have for figures are a Cowboy for Jim and Indians for the natives.

Finally, I'm using Ed's UTC rules for challenges and interactions.  You can find the rules here:

http://site.twohourwargames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=3355

The only difference is that I have a Confrontation possibly occur after a number of interactions and challenges instead of just interactions.  In addition, if I'm stuck for Difficulty, I simply roll 1d6:  1= Easy, 6=Difficult.

Now, onto the adventure!


October 13, 1903

Jim awoke inside a large straw cage, a rather bizarre cage as its bars were above, below, and around him, and in a large, rounded shape.  Less than a week earlier, the British merchant ship Searunner thathe worked on was contacted by Septombrus, leader of a group of natives of an island off the coast of Wales.  According to Septombrus, the recent drought had ruined their crops, and he was hoping the crew of the Searunner for help before his people starved.  Learning the island's inhabitants numbered in only a couple dozen, Captain Grant, always the kind soul, agreed to ship food to help the natives until their next harvest.

When they had arrived, Septombrus' people held a festival to honor the crew, and that's the last thing Jim remembered.

"Ah, you're finally awake," came a voice from below.

Jim looked outside the bars, realizing he was nearly a hundred feet above the ground.  Below stood Septombrus, while his people stood far in the distance.

"What's going on?" Jim asked.  "You asked for our help and we did."

"That you have," Septombrus agreed.  "Your sacrifice shall bring about a wondrous harvest in our future."

"Sacrifice?"  Jim didn't like where this was going.

"Correct."  Septombrus seemed more proud than concerned about this.  "Every few decades, we must sacrifice outsiders to ensure a perfect harvest.  I regret that you couldn't join your friends earlier but the drug we used seemed to have knocked you out for far longer.  And sacrifices must be aware as they meet their fate."

"Others?"  Jim then turned and noticed several smoking piles of debris nearby.

"And now," Septombrus continued, "you too shall be sacrificed inside the Wicker Man."  With a slight bow, lifted a torch and set fire to the base of the wicker statue which imprisoned Jim and turned to leave, joining his people in the distance.

Hearing panicked screeches, Jim spun around and notices doves within the wicker arms.  Looking down, he saw goats, pigs, and dogs inside the statue's base.  As the statue quickly caught fire, Jim knew he had to act fast.

Jim is a Rep 5 European Adventurer.  However, at the moment, he is unarmed.  For the natives, I'm using Tribal Natives.  Septombrus is Rep 5 while the rest are determined at random.

Escaping requires a Difficult Challenge roll.

Pass 1d6.  Not good.  Definitely have to reroll that.

Pass 2d6.  Success!  (Breathes a sigh of relief)

Breaking the cage open, Jim began to climb down.  But, remember the birds in the statue's arms, he decided to free them as well.

This would be a normal challenge.

Success!

Keeping the statue between himself and the natives, Jim climbed down.  But the frantic screeches of the animals dangerously close to the flames caught his attention.  He couldn't leave just yet.

Freeing the remaining animals was a Difficult challenge as the base had already caught fire.

Pass 1d6.

Jim pried at the wicker bars of the base but they wouldn't budge.

Retry.

Success!

With all his might, Jim tugged on the bars.  Finally, they came loose, and the animals bolted out of the structure and down the hill.

Note that this was Challenge #3.  2 more and I'll have to check for a Confrontation.

Jim followed the beasts and reached the beach below.  Noticing the Searunner berthed just off the beach, Jim discovered it was damaged.  The natives really didn't want them to leave!  But maybe they missed where the crew had set up camp with supplies.

I'm checking to see if Jim can find any firearms in the camp.  I chose to make this Difficult because I felt the natives most likely took anything useful.

Pass 0d6.  No guns at all!

Jim decided to see if there was anything he could use as a weapon.  I made this Normal as anything could pass a a melee weapon.

Pass 2d6!

Searching through the camp, Jim took a metal post used for the tent.  It should be heavy enough to hurt anyone in his path.

Since that was Challenge #5, I had to check next for a Confrontation.  This would probably be natives patrolling the area, or maybe someone noticed he had escaped.

Nope, all clear!  This ends the encounter but not the game.


Now Jim as safe, but his friends were gone and the Searunner was damaged.  Even if he could repair it, that could take some time, making it easier for the natives to find him.  No, first he would return to the village, track down Septombrus, and make them all pay dearly!

The next encounter is a Raid.  Jim must reach Section 1 and burn down the main house where Septombrus resides.  I chose 3 PEFs as that's the average number for an encounter.

The PEFs are represented by the d6.  I placed them in sections 4 and 6 at random.

First turn:  Jim activates first and moves to Section 8.  One PEF moves directly toward Jim, while the second doesn't move, and third moves and the away.  The PEF that moves into his section resolves as Contact, but luckily only 1 contact is made.

A lone guard walked along one of the buildings.  Keeping in the shadows, Jim attempt to sneak up on him.  

Jim wins on the Action table so I decide to perform a Challenge.  If Jim wins, then he treats a tie in melee as Pass 1d6.  If he fails, he treats it as the guard passing 1d6 instead.

Success!  Now for melee.  Jim passed 3d6.  The Rep 4 guard passed 0d6.

Sneaking up behind the guard, Jim swung the pipe.  It slammed into the guard's skull with a crack, and the guard fell face-first to the ground.

Slipping past the other two PEFs, Jim ended up in a building.  I chose to use this turn to search for guns.

Unfortunately, another Pass 0d6 and 2 challenges down.  Time to instead go after Septombrus.

Winning again on the Action table, I chose to attempt another challenge, this time to sneak up on the leader.  I made this challenge Difficult because Jim has to sneak into the building and sneak up on the leader.  I passed 1d6 and tried a reroll but failed.  Melee began, and Septombrus has the advantage.

Jim slipped through the doorway and noticed the leader of the natives staring out the window.  He took a few steps then he stepped on a broken piece of the floor.  

"What are you doing here?" the leader demanded, spinning around.  Picking up his staff, he lunged forward.

Jim passed 2d6 in Melee while Septombrus passed 0d6.

Septombrus swung his staff, but Jim ducked and smashed the pipe into his opponent's ribs.  With a gurgle, the leader doubled over, and Jim brought the pipe over the man's head for good measure.

Jim won the fight against the leader, but two more PEFs remain on the board, and it's now their turn to move.

One PEF moves directly into the section.  And what luck!  Not only did it resolve, but as 2 Contacts; a Rep 4 native with an ax and a Rep 3 with a bow.

Winning on the Action table, Jim charges the native with the bow.  The native opens fire but passes 1d6, missing.  Entering melee, Jim Passes 2d6 more and kills his opponent.

As Jim smashed his pipe between his opponent's eyes, the other lunged toward him.

Jim passed 2d6; the native passed 1d6.  Jim renders the native OOF.

With the opponents on the ground, Jim got to work setting fire to Septombrus' hut.  After a few minutes, the building caught fire.  Barring the door and trapping the leader inside, Jim snuck away.

Entering the nearby vacant hut, Jim decided to look again for guns.  His first sweep turned up nothing.

This challenge, by the way, I chose to make Normal as I know the natives had taken the crew's weapons.  This time, I passed 2d6.

After another sweep, Jim found a pistol and some ammo in a basket.  Loading the weapon, he slipped out of the hut and looked for a way out of the village.

Reaching the edge of the village, Jim decided to set fire to one more building; the three huts burning would eventually engulf the entire village.  He managed to get the hut aflame and slipped out, but froze in his tracks as he heard footprints.

This was the 5th challenge for this encounter so I rolled but no confrontation.  However, the final PEF resolved as a Rep 5 Contact.

A lone guard, towering over Jim, stepped out.  Lifting his club over his head, he lunged forward.

Since Jim now has a pistol, he was able to shoot at the charging guard.  Passing 2d6, he scored a hit.  Rolling on the Damage table resulted in an OOF result.

Lifting the pistol, Jim fired and caught the monstrous man in the chest.  Double over, the guard fell to the ground.  With the entire village now in flames, Jim ignored the screams and followed the path back to the beach, where he would repair the Searunner as best as he could and leave this accursed place once and for all.


As this was a one-off adventure, I didn't roll to improve Jim.  I also left out certain events because I had forgotten about them, like one melee resulting in both men losing points to Rep and another attempt to burn down some huts.

Overall it was a fun little game, and I might try another using these rules with another horror movie I just recently watched.