(Gnome Wars) Runaway Princess? No! Princess! Runaway!

I had planned a fun game afternoon with the girls Thanksgiving weekend, but as always, something happened. This weekend we finally time to have an afternoon with Daddy.  

First we spent Saturday with construction paper, crayons, and shoe boxes, to put together some play buildings to match the milk carton ships we had made earlier.  Who needs Miniature Building Authority when I can teach Maja how to draw the all important windowpane? 

After some glue this morning, we set up, complete with a few Fisher Price Little People Disney Princesses.  Word to those who very worried about scale creep:  the morbidly obese princesses are not meant to be 30mm representations.  As any little girl can tell you, they are larger than life.

BACKGROUND:  This summer we played a game introducing the Chicka Zulu.  To continue that theme we added a "Princess Safari."  While the gnomes of Rorke's Drift were getting slaughtered, the Disney princesses were enjoying a week of roughing it in the African savanna. When runners reached the camp with news of the violence, Cinderella and Rapunzel decided best to return to the port and sail home early.  Belle, with her books and strange entourage, decided to finish observing some wildlife and leave later.  That decision proved deadly to the camp staff as the Chicka Zulu descended upon the camp with wild abandon, killer all the remaining porters.  Belle narrowly escaped, with the help of her publicist and personal assistant.  

Some of the princesses become bigger divas than others.

Cinderella and Rapunzel waiting to leave.  The frog guarded Lady in Waiting ... er... waits for Belle.

Belle and her entourage running to the port, Raiders of the Lost Ark style

RULES:  Standard Gnome Wars rules apply to the gnomes. Belle's group moved six inches max per turn (those ball gowns are a bitch to run in.)  Each stand of Chicka Zulu rolled 2d6 for the number of inches moved and rolled d6 per chick in melee.

The port was defended by three forces.  First, a small section of British Marines would hold the main entrance to the port.  A larger unit of Swiss gnome would try to save Belle's group.  Finally, the wizard of the land would provide pinpoint firepower where needed.  He didn't want any backlash from the fairy godmothers, in case things went wrong.  

British Marines guard the port.  Maja set up the three figures on the building for decoration.

Marines, Wizard, and Swiss.  The chickens were an earlier casualty of  Millie (age 2) destroying a stand

THE GAME:  The Chicka Zulu moved first and another display of the"Feet of the Chicken"  the units close to Belle rolled slow movement,while the flanks raced around.   The Marines were unable to provide support without hitting the princess!  The Swiss spread out and did significant damage to the closest Chicka Zulu unit.

"'No photo ops until after the battle, Daddy."

 Belle's group kept one step ahead of the poor rolling Chicka Zulu.   Maja decided the one faster unit would charge the marines, giving them something to shoot.  Despite devastating volley fire, the remaining Chicka Zulu reached the marines, and had to be slaughtered to the feather in melee.  The lone pink unit was given the specific order of making it to the "castle" building and take a nap.  They executed those orders perfectly.

Military Advisor Millie and her Trix witness the desperate chase.

 The Swiss rifles lined up, but took multiple volleys and the help of the wizard to eliminate just one stand.  The Chicka Zulu, focused on their target, inflicted a few casualties as they met the Swiss line, but essentially ran over them to chase the princess.
The few melee gnomes allowed the entourage to pass and would have the same result with the crazed chickens.

Belle runs past the last line of defense.

With one more turn and a weary 3 1/2 year old, Belle barely made it to the Lady in Waiting.  Her staff was not so lucky.  Their primary target eluding their grasp, the Chicka Zulu pecked at the personal assistant and publicist until driven away by Swiss and British.

Oh the Little People Humanity!

All in all, a success for a Game Day with Daddy, everyone had fun, I got a chance to better pack the gnomes, and only one mini took damage (the random swordsman on the roof that was there for show only.)  

I also realized that Maja was Millie's current age when she first played with the random box of "no-nos" (gnomes).Guess I'm breaking out that box later this week and teaching Millie terms like "orc" and "beholder."