(Savage Pulp) #3.12 You Say You Want an Insurrection

Months into the rule of Lt. Col Thaddeus Ovaltine, life had returned to normal the town of Sohai.  Sure, the dear Lt Colonel usually demanded a cut of someone's ill-gotten (or properly gotten) gains, but it was a small percentage.  Plus, Ovaltine's standing order to shoot troublemaker, and particularly anyone firing a gun within the walls of the town, kept the usual riff-raff out, and the tower was beginning to cover.  

Beginning was the key word. As order was restored, complacency fell upon Ovaltine, and ultimately his men.  Corruption and bribery were regular occurrences, and when it affected the locals' business plans, it became an issue.  With a concerted effort by all the other gangs, tribes, and interests, Ovaltine could be removed, or at least the corruption spread amongst all the groups.  They only needed one group, or even one person to incite the town, and a full-blown insurrection should occur within minutes.

Forces:

Lt Colonel Thaddeus Ovaltine and the Rough 'n Ready Riders - 

The Russians - Collusion with Ovaltine was just long enough for Keptin Kaputin to replace his depleted ranks and pose a threat to stability in the region

"Doktor"Klockenspiel and the German Archeologists - With the famed archaeologists/heroes missing, the Germans had found great success in the surrounding ruins. however they tired of Ovaltine taking his cut, and sometimes even stealing early leads outright.  Ovaltine in power was fine, but the business arrangements needed to be re-negotiated, by force, if necessary.

The Valiant Citizens Brigade - The common citizens of Sohai tired of the state-run vice.  They much preferred a bit more danger for more immoral choices.  They may team up with another group, or they might decide that someone from their own ranks deserved to be mayor, perhaps the MIA James J. Jimmerson or the charismatic newcomer, Larry of Arabica

The Sohai Askaris - The police were oddly above most of the corruption and graft, serving the town rather the the personas trying to run things.  Ovaltine's arrival meant guaranteed their unemployment, but one man got them back together... the famed Bob Njano.  With his friends safe on another continent, it was time to correct the wrongs in his adopted home.  He also recruited Kagiso a tribesman from the far south, to help reclaim their rightful place in town.

Of course, other surprises might lay within the back alleys of Sohai.  Only time would tell.

Sohai, at 3:35 in the afternoon

Turn One:  The Germans had snuck behind the stables to the "Mayor's Mansion."  The plan had been for them to bide their time and seize the mansion at the right moment.  Most agreed, save the three stragglers who decided to take pot shots at Ovaltine's men in a tower.  They missed, Ovaltine's men missed their return fire, and with that ineffectualness, the insurrection was begun.

Hey, are those guys actually shooting at us?

Ovaltine's men rush to the commotion.

With the gunshots, most of Ovaltine's crew moved to the sounds, albeit slowly.  This made a great time for Keptin Kaptuin and his crew to slowly wander the streets, and take the advantage wherever they could find it.

It is time to emerge, comrades...

Meanwhile Bob Njano and the Sohai Police had settled in a building equidistant from the marketplace and the police station.   The police were ineffective against Ovaltine's men station, but Njano blew away the lone remaining patrolman in the marketplace.

Shooting gallery in the center of town.

Turn Two:  Kagiso had been brazen in the first few seconds after the gunshots.  He stormed down the steps and tried to waylay one of Ovaltine's men, only to be met by an equal resistance.  Njano needed to come down from his firing position to knock out the guard with the butt of his shotgun.

The butt of the shotgun is far more effective than those flimsy spears.

With that, the Sohai police in hiding finally emerged.

The Askaris emerge to seize what is rightfully theirs.

With only a few remaining men guarding the the station, the askaris/police used mass fire to dislodge the defenders.

The empty police plaza...

TURN THREE:

With most of the action occurring in buildings and back alleys, the Russians casually strolled down the main thoroughfare.  

Bob Njano spies those dastardly Russians.

In the mayor's mansion, Lt Col Ovaltine was surrounded by a squad of heavily armed but exhausted archeologists.  He did what any self-respecting politician/villain would do: 

The out of breath Germans have Thaddeus Ovaltine cornered.

 He took a pot-shot at them and dove down to the street.  He performed both items quite poorly.

...unless he jumps out of a window... poorly.

TURN FOUR:

In the biggest surprise of evening the Valiant Citizens Brigade (VCB), bid their time inside their headquarters, drew a Joker, and unleashed their new special guest.   Larry of Arabica gave order to attack the Russian stragglers, but the last person to come out the door was non other than Haley O'Killery, former mayor, and bitter rival to the despicable (and dead) Roland Tower, but Keptin Kaputin!

The VCB, with O'Killery, jump the Russians.

Despite having tactical and motivational advantage that would be laughable in fiction, the four failed to even land a glancing blow on the Russians, and Keptin Kaputin was now aware and moving closer.

The Germans, shooting from all directions, couldn't hit the ground, much less Ovaltine.

More incompetence can from Ovaltine's men and the Germans.  The men in the tower killed two of the Germans firing at them, but the rest of the action was in or behind buildings.  The Germans chasing Lt Col Ovaltine, fired down from the second story, but nothing hit, by then his men had arrived to make covering fire, and to pull him to safety.  

Reinforcements for Ovaltine arrive from another neighborhood.

As his forces from the police station and mayor's mansion prepared to board trucks and withdraw from the city, reinforcements came from another part of town.  This crew was indiscriminate, shooting any civilians that could pose as a threat.  

Turn FIVE: 

Keptin Kaputin and his Russian 'bot turned around to face Haley,  Kaputin encountered Larry first and within seconds the VCB member had his brains splattered across the walls in the neighborhood.  

Ovaltine was dragged to the safety of a truck, and with gunfire in all directions, it was decided a retreat was in order. 

Ovaltine is loaded into the truck, and most of the Rough 'n Ready Riders make a hasty retreat.

... except for the reinforcements who fired through the marketplace to hit the brawl beyond it.  Haley was worried.  Despite her grand entrance, she had yet to successfully strike her foe.  

Ovaltine's reinforcements, firing through the marketplace crowd.

TURN SIX:  Kaptuin possibly shot, fazed, staggered away from melee and into Bob Njano's shotgun.

Kaputin staggers in front of Bob Njano

Bob levelled his shotgun, but the Russian's erratic movement proved too much to score a point blank hit.  

For his police friends, things were going much smoother.  They seized the police station with limited casualties to any side.  

TURN SEVEN: 

Another Joker for the VCB, and that allowed Haley O'Killery to take out the Russian 'bot with power and precision!

The VCB finish the fight with fists and katanas.

In Kaputin's daze he got within melee range of Bob Njano and began relentlessly beating him with his bat.  It was a viscous display that stopped most people in their tracks. Bob put up no defense of any sort, and the Russian was covered in his blood and he ended the assault.

RIP Bob Njano

The VCB's victories were quite short-lived as the only folks not interested in the brutal murder of Bob Njano were Ovaltine's merciless reinforcements.  The hired guns slaughtered the surviving VCB in the street, leaving only Haley O'Killery. 

Ovaltine's men don't fancy the VCB and they are gunned down. 

Turn Eight/Nine:  While Bob Njano's death drew a crowd, Haley O'Killery's attack on Keptin Kaputin drew a sizable audience, and the pair did not disappoint.  Dipping, jumping, and parrying blows,  each got a shot in on the over before Haley ran her Katana through the Russian.  

A crowd forms to see Hillary finish Kaptuin.

With that, the violence in the streets ended.  

Bob Njano's death provided the Sohai police no reason to keep the hot-headed Kasigo around.  He left the town with a few trophies, but cursing at every inhabitant left in the town. 

The Askaris are back at home in the police, and no longer need some primitive's help.

"Doktor" Klockenspiel had no time to worry the affairs of a governed people, so with the weight of his militia of archeologists behind him, threw in his lot with Haley O'Killery.  The returning Sohai police agreed, and with that, a corrupt peace fell upon the desert town once again.  

So about revising those outrageous "digging fees..."

With eleven episodes in the bag, and three rough storylines, it was time to put some things to bed.   I decided early that it would be a free-for-all for all the power in Sohai.  It just took awhile to set up the forces and finally run the game.  

Savage Worlds/Showdown is known for some exciting dice rolls, but many of the "mooks" couldn't hit the broad side of a pyramid... and the few heroes on the board weren't much better.  

When the dice warmed up, they got way too hot.   Kaputin's death blow to Njano and O'Killery's on Kaputin were so explosive, there were simply not enough bennies (re-rolls/wound soaking) to offset the ferocity.  

Like a show switching networks, anticipate some changes for Season 4.  Start date: TBD.