(Savage Showdown) #3 The Treasure of the Millie Maja

For our third family game of Savage Showdown, we broke out the freshly painted mules, and two year old shoebox buildings to continue the saga of the yet-again renamed Millie Maja, Archaeologist.

In our last two episodes, Millie Maja uncovered some priceless Egyptian artifacts and escaped the evil clutches of some ne'er do wells, living and dead.  Only Millie and her friend, Swedish adventurer Nils Lingonberry had escaped the roadside stop near the dig site, with a truck full of antiquities.

Between sessions, the truck broke down, forcing the duo to find the nearest village and buy mules to transport the artifacts to the capital city (another vehicle was just too convenient to use).   They also coordinated the safe haven of the local constable in the next town with a telegraph. 

Unfortunately, some corrupt soldiers have heard of the constable's deal with the pair and plan on seizing the illegally obtained items outside the constable's jurisdiction.

Also hot on the tail of the treasure is famed soldier and explorer Lieutenant Colonel Thaddeus Ovaltine and his Rough and Ready Riders.  Millie had narrowly eluded his clutches at the roadside stop, but their disabled vehicle and stop at the village enable him and his men to catch up.

Our players:

Maja Millie, Nils Lingonberry, and 3 porters/mule handlers (run by Millie, age 4)
Objective:  Get the five mules full of treasure (and Oreo cookies) to town boundary and the safe protection of the Constable and his men. 

So close, yet so far

The Greedy Soldiers (run by Daddy, age too damn old)
Objective: Steal as many mules as possible.  May not enter town (they're corrupt and greedy, but do follow certain laws.)

Lt. Colonel Thaddeus Ovaltine and his Rough and Ready Riders (run by Maja age 6)
Objective: (1) Steal as many mules as possible (2) exact as much revenge on our heroes as possible.

Constable Pierre Plastique and his deputies (run by Dad.. again)
Objective: (1) Defend the town if attacked (2) Provide safety to our heroes if they make it into town. They may not leave the town, but may fire out of it.

Turn 1: Nils set-up the caravan in a close knit single-file line "for safety" and the other groups got into position.

"Vait, I zink dere's a trap oop ahead..."

Turn two:  The Constable drew a Joker, earning him an extra Bennie, but also unleashing the destructive force of... the Chupacabra!

Turn Three:  The figures in the town may have been cowboys, but the shoot 'me up belonged to Ovaltines men.   Maja had one charge the constable, two towards the soldiers, and the Lt Col and one approached the heroes.   I'm not sure how everyone else missed them, but the Rough and Ready Riders wounded the constable and set two of mules scattering off the table!   Lucky for the constable, he burned he's Bennies to keep breathing.

Millie's tactic for the heroes?

Scatter!!! They can't catch all of us!

Turn four 

The soldiers held form from the Rider's improvised charge and dispatched them easily, yet it was Nils Lingonberry who dove into combat with the two other soldiers.  The subsequent melee could only be described as a weak-wristed slapfest.

Turn five:  I finally remembered to draw a card for the Chupacabra and it seized the initiative.  It dove at one of the handlers, thinking it had surprised him, yet the handler easily sidestepped the attacked and countered with exploding dice and 39 points of damage!

Lowly Mexican beast of myth, you are no match for... a hired mule handler???

I have not seen such impressive dice rolling since I ran Hackmaster a decade ago.  Millie, rolling from a dice cup, could do no wrong, and even though the Chupacabra had Bennies to soak damage, it wasn't enough to survive. 

Turn Six:  Millie's Maja's plans began to completely unravel.  

First off: Ovaltine draws a Joker, which permanently increased his fighting from D6 to D8!  He wisely dashed towards a loose mule and led him away from the fighting.  (1 Treasure - Ovaltine)

Ovaltine leads his spoils away

Then the soldiers rounded up Nils, two handlers, and a mule and arrested them.  (1 Treasure - Soldiers)

Millie manage to work her mule away from the melee, and I called that she made it into town (1 Treasure - Millie)

For the constable?  No treasures, but Ovaltine's man finally ran away. If the deputies hate anything more than their leader getting shot, it's a coward.  They shot the running man exactly like they were the firing line for his execution.

Next:  Nils & Company are arrested!  What will Millie do to get them out of jail?

Perhaps it's time for the return of the Mexican!