(Savage Showdown) #2 Leaving Tu'Lip... Fast!

When we last left our brave treasure hunters, Millie the Archaeologist and "The Mexican" had uncovered a cache of ancient artifacts, while their friend, Lego the Elf, succumbed to the horrors of the desert.

The surviving duo decided to spend some time in the local watering hole to celebrate.  They paid off their gnomish bodyguards and dismissed them, all the while Millie was looking for some strapping young locals to pack up their finds into the vehicles, so they could leave for the capital city and collect their finder's fee from the the museum.

The Mexican was surprised to run into his old pal, Vasily Negenievich.  a deserter from the Russian Imperial Navy and wandering soldier of fortune.  They spent considerable time telling tales and singing songs outside the bar (My players are 4 and 6.  Any worse activities and I question my parenting).  

Vasily and Fritz "The Mexican" O'Lay shoot the breeze, but not the people, outside the bar.

Millie also met a fellow treasure hunter, Nils Lingonberry, noted Swedish Adventurer.   Nils was willing to use his contacts at the museum to up the finder's fee for only the inclusion of his name to the find.  Millie agreed, and the Swede went up to the roof to work on his tan until the truck was packed and they were ready to go.

Millie did find able-bodied locals, but apparently their command of the English language was non-existent.  Despite putting a full d10 in Spirit (I called it "Heart" for my princess-obsessed girls), she couldn't make a single roll to direct the men to start loading the treasure.  It was quite depressing. 

Millie the Archaeologist fails to inspire the laborers to load her truck...

While Nils was soaking up rays, he spied a group of about a dozen armed men marching on the road from the capital, heading to the bar.  The Swede's shouts didn't only alert the Mexican and Vasily to investigate, but brought the attention of the laborers, who slowly wandered away from the vehicles, much to Millie's chagrin.

Nils Lingonberry sees danger from afar (and it's not the four-year old behind him).

The leader of the group was Lieutenant Colonel Thaddeus Ovaltine (Retired)  famed explorer and personal patron to  his Rough 'n Ready Rangers.    Ovaltine declared that he had jurisdiction from the museum to obtain the artifacts and personally take them back to the capital.  

Millie (the player) did not like this gentleman.  "Daddy, I think he's a bad man.  The sailor shoots him in the leg." 

You do not have jurisdiction, Senor Ovaltine.  I don't see no steenking badges!

Before the Russian could raise his rifle, a dull roar could be heard from behind them....

This doesn't bode well... for everyone else!

Lego the Elf had awoken some undead guardians with his digging, and the necromancer/priest had organized his troops to find the artifacts and return them to their rightful place.  In addition to the skeleton guardians, he had summoned a number of Desert Wolves to help.  

Vasily fired into the Rangers and fell back.  Millie barely managed to corral the workers and got them back to around the vehicles.  Nils fired a shot into the undead from the roof, but hurried down to the second floor to shoot out a window the next round.  

The Mexican?  He hooted and hollered, fired a few shots over the heads of the Rangers, and ran back around to the front of the bar.   Four lucky Rangers followed him in pursuit.  The rest met the assault of the undead.  

The Rangers are no match for the Desert Wolves

Ovaltine barely managed to get his men over the stone wall surrounding the bar, for protection.  Even with a Joker, the gunfire barely phased the creatures.    

The Jokers also brought a group of local bandits on the table.  The group couldn't hit the broad side of a dead camel, but their position forced the girls to move the heroes in different places to stay out of sight.  

Local bandits, peering over a mountain of knowledge

The Mexican pushed his way through the bar and ran up to find Nils on the second story, and they took pot shots at the skeletons.  Vasily continued to work back, killing some Desert Wolves trying to flank the group.  Millie finally decided to show the locals how to load the truck and somehow the act of strength, pantomime, and talking very loudly in English allowed them to catch on.  Very quickly, the truck and roadster were filled with artifacts.

After dispatching the Desert Wolves attacking them, the Ovaltine and Rangers appeared to have the upper hand, but the Priest drew a joker, allowing not only a final assault, but he also turned the wolves into Zombie Desert Wolves to press the attack further.    Luckily, Ovaltine got a Joker on the subsequent turn and killed the animals... again, and sent a third live one scrambling back to the Priest's safe location in some ruins.  

Ovaltine rallies his forces, but it's too late.

With the vehicles loaded, Millie jumped in the front seat of the truck, waiting for Vasily to eliminate the final flanking Desert Wolf.   He failed to do so, and the wolf pounced upon him.  The laborers all fled in terror from the brutality and Millie simply threw the truck in reverse and started driving away.  

For Nils, the sound of the truck backfiring, and the sound of the Rangers' steps finally running up the stairs meant it was time to go. Lingonberry ran out of his room, into another and flew out of the window in an attempt to land on the fleeing truck. 

Nils makes the jump

The Mexican attempted to follow suit.  

The Mexican does not...

At this point, the truck sped down the rough road towards the capital city.  The priest and Ovaltine were both too disheveled to try and stop them, beyond a few curses or a couple of wild shots in desperation.  Both would be soon plotting there revenge... soon!

And what is the fate of Vasily?

For this episode of Savage Showdown, I added a few more rules, most notably, character cards and playing cards for initiative.  We did stop at the FLGS and they were allowed to pick up some new dice for their characters.  The whole dice bin there needs to be exorcised of bad karma dice demons because poor Maja couldn't make any roll for Millie the Archaeologist until near the end, and that's with Bennies!   I did revert to my own T.I.A.R.A. system when the combats started getting big and I needed resolution quickly, but I think with time, the girls will like Savage Showdown.

Next:  The team of Millie and the Swede should make it to the museum without any hiccups, right? Will the Mexican catch up in time?  Is Vasily still alive? And if he is, will his thirst for revenge rival that of the bad guys?   Is Lt. Col Ovaltine really that bad?  We'll have to find out!