(Savage4) Tomb of Serpent 4.5 - The Evil Below

When her only son marched off to fight the king's enemies in Africa, Mama Vinadio was quite proud.  When he returned in a box two years later, she was still proud.  All she could say as they laid him to rest was "He's sleeping with the angels."

The cemetery north of Savigliano is small, walled, and laid out in sensible straight rows. On the surface it appears peaceful and orderly, but madness and chaos lies right below the surface... clawing for the relic! 

After her last dream, Dolores "El Dobbie" Gato compiled her trusted friends and associates and traveled to a Manor House in Scotland to unsuccessfully obtain an artifact.   The night before they departed back to America, Dolores had another dream, cancelled the tickets, and after some research, she and her party were heading to Italy.

Savigliano Cemetary

Dolores "El Dobbie" Gato was already on her third career.  Disgraced nobility, turn rooftop cat burgler, turned South American explorer, she only really trusted her right hand gal, Diana "Dibby" Boyle, a former nightclub singer known to go toe-to-toe with famous boxers who got a bit too frisky after the performance.   "Mango" Tangier was a seaplane pilot who needed to ditch his last plane (and very illegal cargo) into the Carribean, and Aurelio was a former reporter who fell in love with the concept of treasure hunting and adventure, but... just wasn't very good at it. 

"Mango" Tangier, Dolores "El Dobbie" Gato (Wild Card) Diana "Dibby" Boyle (Wild Card) , and Aurelio Farmer

Of, the agents of evil knew their every move, and came in force.

Objective:   Legend had it that the artifact could be found beneath the pedestal of the Wailing Statue.    As the group quickly discovered, the statue was a cursed spirit who moved from pedestal.     The heroes would need to pass two tests in the same turn to capture the statue.  Destroying the other pedestals would limit places the statue could teleport to (it could always stay in the same spot.)

And all in six turns. 

Turn One: While Mango and Dibby snuck through a hole in the wall and dashed to pedestals, El Dobbie and Aurelio quickly hop the wall.   

Dibby swallowed hard and moved to the statue in the center of the cemetery (passed horror check), prepped to seize the entity... and the statue had the audacity to move toward El Dobbie and Aurelio!

Turn Two:  El Dobbie was the target of the Serpent Priest's, but pushed the the troubling thoughts with ease, firing at and killing, one of the cultists.... but unable to focus on the statue.

Aurelio tried to play hero, but was quickly reminded he was just a goon/thug/minion.  The terror of the entity was too much, forcing him to flee, but not so much that he couldn't take a shot at the cultist sneaking around towards Dibby. 

Mango and Dibby quietly pushed over two of the pedestals, but of course, at the of the turn, the statue moved to the farthest pedestal.

Turn Three:  Another cultist killed, another exchange with Dobbie and the Priest.    The statue moves again, still out of touch.

Turn Four:  El Dobbie rushed to the Wailing Statue, in hopes that the others would push over at least one of the remaining pedestals.   They did not, instead getting locked in hand-to-hand combat.  As she looked up from the base of the pedestal she was at, she saw the Wailing Statue disappear, and reform exactly where she had just been at! 

Sonnuva! 

Turn Five:  The rest of the group's stalemate with the cultists seemed to be taking a drastic turn for the worst with the flame-haired Dibby taking a point blank shotgun blast.    With the familiar feeling of the ground rumbling beneath them, El Dobbie knew she needed the Wailing Statue to teleport back the previous pedestal if they had any chance.  

At the end of turn five... The Statue satisfied the her hopes...

Turn Six: And with another cultists killed, and the minions tending to Dibby,  Dolores "El Dobbie" Gato successfully unearthed the artifact, dispatching the tortured spirit.  

In dreams that night, El Dobbie confirmed what they all already knew.

Next destination: Egypt. 

Next: Episode 4.6 - 

(Savage4) Tomb of the Serpent - #4.3 The Haunted Hall

There were more dreamers around the world, who dreamt of Egypt, who dreamt of ancient artifacts.  For one group, their dreams led them to Scottish Borders, through West Linton and Blyth Bridge, past Kirkurd Church and solemn gravestones, then down a narrow, tree-lined path to Fotherington Hall.  They recognized the building immediately.

I know there are some nice set-ups for Tomb of the Serpent, but my kids are more amused by building it out using Jenga blocks. 

Our Heroes

"Mango" Tangier, Dolores "El Dobbie" Gato (Wild Card) Diana "Dibby" Boyle (Wild Card) , and Aurelio Farmer

Dolores "El Dobbie" Gato was already on her third career.  Disgraced nobility, turn rooftop cat burgler, turned South American explorer, she only really trusted her right hand gal, Diana "Dibby" Boyle, a former nightclub singer known to go toe-to-toe with famous boxers who got a bit too frisky after the performance.   "Mango" Tangier was a seaplane pilot who needed to ditch his last plane (and very illegal cargo) into the Carribean, and Aurelio was a former reporter who fell in love with the concept of treasure hunting and adventure, but... just wasn't very good at it. 

TURN ONE:  Of course, the group split up in three directions.   Mango flew up the center hallway, kicking in doors, looking for anything they would help them find the relic.  

What he encountered was a strange robed individual... with no face! 

That person quickly had no pulse as Mango blasted him with his shotgun.  If anyone else was in the hall, they certainly knew they had visitors.

TURN TWO:  Dibby had a single-minded focus to reach the fireplace for some reason, but she stopped dead in her tracks and turned around when Aurelio's rifle went off.  A different dead cultist, with a giant knife, lay dead.

So far, so good.

More trouble was near, as the cultist with a tommy gun starting making too much noise in the darkness, the sound of metal clicking, and ... a dog barking?

Dolores had gone solo, and started to move a painting in the room... too many safes in walls from a past life.  The visage of a ghost appearing did surprise or hurt her all....  The faceless cultist who attacked her drew blood.   She needed to get rid of both of them, fast! 

Dolores drawing a LOT of attention. 

Mango had found a body of the maid at the end of the hall. Searching her uncovered a key that looked very old and important.    

TURN THREE:  

Mango didn't have much of a chance to think about it, as another cultist (with a hood, face status unknown) ran up and pistol-whipped him! 

Meanwhile, Dibby dodged a rain of bullets to get to the fireplace, and Dolores had her hands full with two cultists and a ghost, but held her own. 

TURN FOUR:   Gunfire was exchanged in the main room, the tommy gun finally silenced by Dibby.   Aurelio moved up carefully to investigate the barking.  

TURN FIVE:  Dibby pulled one of the wall sconces and she could hear a secret passage open... somewhere.  Aurelio found the source of the barking: a very scared old dog, properly belonging to the (probably deceased) master of the house.  He couldn't get the dog calmed down.  

TURN SIX:  Dibby wanted to explore more, but the sight of cultists running OUT of the building, rather than attacking signaled something was very wrong.  She starting moving out of the hall, firing at the escaping cultists.  Her shots were matched with Dolores' who had managed to compliment the faceless cultist with a headless one from her machete.  Grabbing her rifle, she was firing back at the cultists and ghost as she headed to the door.  

Mango couldn't take control the dog.  The rumbling floor gave the old canine a reason to run and it made it out okay.    Mango also grabbed the unlucky and unconscious Aurelio, a nice bump on his head.  

The explosion was deafening and the ensuing fire drove everyone out of the hall.  The cultists serving some evil master escape into the night, probably with the relic. 

When asked what to do now, Dolores answered calmly, "I've had other dreams,  I know where to go to next..."

I am converting the Temple of the Serpent campaign for Pulp Alley, into Savage Showdown (Savage World lite), the system, we've been using for our Pulp "Egypt" games for over a decade.  Episode 4.2 was a nail-biter until the end.  This one made me realized that there should be at least one more character in these crews.  I did find it amusing that the leader of each game thus far has been bogged down for most of the game, allowing the others to try and finish the scenario.  

After a decade of playing with the girls, I've learned to let them do their silly things, and I'll tweak things in the write-ups.  I had originally thought we would get Maja's gang up and running, but I was blessed with a lot more Millie time as I ran them back and forth from friends' houses.  Millie showed off her Gen Alpha energy, adding annoying phrases and number combinations in the names, but a simple request in ChatGPT gave us the names used in the scenario, as well as pretty elaborate back stories I toned down.  

Next: Episode 4.4 - The Thing in the Well

(Savage4) Tomb of the Serpent - #4.2 The Craft Fair of Chaos

While our normal heroes recover from the Attack on Lake's Wharf, some sleep soundly for the first time in years.... others can't close their eyes at all during the night, staring into the darkness of what they can't see... but they know it's everywhere...

It will be other "heroes" who get the dream, like Alexander Mikoyn.  His hair is turning white.  He saw enough of the horrors of war during the Great War and the Russian Civil War.   He's seen thing men... or comrades were not meant to know, and as a high ranking agent of the SV-8, he's kept the Motherland safe, even as the threat of Stalin's purges keep his head on a swivel.

But he's never dreamt of Egypt before.  Doesn't even remember if he's ever seen more than artist's work of the pyramids, but there, in his dream, he's there, in all its vivid glory.   The old gods of Egypt are there... with a message.

He wakes up, wide-eyed.  The message is distorted and hazy, but the meaning is still clear.  A great evil is returning to the world, and he must assemble his trusted cohort and save humanity.

He must go to this... Indiana....

Alexander (Wild Card), Elani (Wild Card), Viktor, and Myshkin

Greystone, Indiana -  Mr John T Rea has always been a respectable businessman.  Scratch that, he's been a shyster and a con since the day he was born.  But the cons aren't as profitable as they once were.    Event the "Sideshow of the Incredible" hasn't been making money for weeks.  They've been forced to join forces with a popular local community craft fair... with just the flair for pranks and spookiness. 

It's the early morning, and Rea is wandering through town, grabbing a cup of coffee from the folks setting up a kitchenette in the back of a truck, before the craft fair... and his failure of a sideshow opens up.  He worries about how he's going to make payroll this week, especially after spending the last of the money on a number of supposed relics some scoundrel pawned off on him.  Egyptian in look, he's quite certain that law enforcement is going to descend on him.  He just has no idea who's coming for him that morning.  

Greystone, Indiana.  The Objectives are numbered with green dice 

Alexander Mikoyn and his associates don't know exactly what they're looking for... and they don't know the Servants of Apophis are in town for the same mission, but a far more nefarious purpose.  

The Serpent Priest, 4 Militant Cultists (guns), 1 Fierce Cultist (sword)

Turn One:  Alexander walks through the graveyard to the first objective, a broad-shouldered man kneeling in front of a gravestone.    Two-Gun Babbitt is an associate of Rea, his marksmanship and feats of daring-do bring in the nickels to the sideshow.  But he's also the whole reason they're in Greystone, wishing to visit his mother's grave, after his own dreams of Egypt trouble his mind.  

It doesn't help that a crazy old man with a thick Russian accent comes stumbling through the cemetery, barking at him with word he doesn't understand.  And what's up that the pick axe?

(Alexander is a grumpy old Russian man who kills monsters for the Soviet Union.  He gets a -2 to interact with people, plus his limp forced him to run to Mr Babbitt... another -2 modifier, and almost a guaranteed failure.  He should be grateful ol' Two Gun wasn't a perilous objective, or he quite certainly would have been shot in the face. )

Babbitt was  going to be a gentleman and start walking away to avoid a confrontation, if the bullets from the cultists didn't start flying... and missing.  A loud man barking in broken English with a Russian accent seems to attract cultists!  Even the priest tried to throw a serpent curse onto Alexander, but he easily shook it off.  

Alas, poor Mishkyn, he was dim-witted, but had survived some skirmishes with Alexander back in the Soviet Union.  We walked with no impetus towards his objective.  A rifle shot over his head made him turn to his left, and a pistol shot behind him struck his back, dropping him. 

Turn Two: Meanwhile, the only cultist who brought a sword to a gun fight rendezvoused with their contact in town.  The relic they were seeking was somewhere in town, just not with him. 

Another agent for the Servants...

The Serpent Priest was getting dispirited.  He was throwing every type of curse and eldritch blasts his dark gods had granted him at the Russian, and there was no effect, save the old man scaring away some cultists, and the other individual wandering away. 

Victor avenged his friend Miskyn's death, trading shots until the cutist's body his the truck and slumped down onto the cobblestone.   Mr Rea, finally coffee in hand, began to look for an escape from this chaos.  

Elani's mission was the snake charmers tent, trading shots with a cultists before diving into booth... full on snakes.  The snakes managed to do what the cultist couldn't:  wound her. 

Turn Three:  With the gunfire and explosion, Two-Gun put some pep in his step, turning around, only to be met with the business end of the cultist's sword. Two objectives secured for the Servants of Apophis!

(Our fierce cultist drew a Joker, allowing him initiative, a +2 to rolls , a +2 to damage and a Bennie [reroll]. His measly minion dice exploded, seizing the objective [Two-Gun].  It just made sense that he killed the gunslinger on the spot.)

Back at the gravesite, things had gone from bad to worse for Alexander.  His mouth agape from watching the outright murder of Two-Gun, the graveyard exploded with a blast, sending the Russian flying, wounded, bleeding, but otherwise intact. 

Alexander Mikoyn might be in trouble.... 

Elani had managed to get the information she need from the snake charmer, then fired a burst from her SMG at the cultist creeping up to the booth.  

Viktor might just be a spy living in the States, an untested asset for Alexander, but he was proving his worth with each moment.  Viktor reached Mr Rea.  Despite the broken English, the gunfire and other fellows wearing robes within eyesight convinced the sideshow owner than Viktor was one of the good guys.   

Soviets: 2 objectives, Servants: 2 objectives. 

Turn Four:   A shot rang out between Viktor and Mr Rea.  Viktor pushed Mr Rea back behind the truck  with his hand to the face, before rolling to the cover of the water fountain and kills the cultist across the square! 

Elani walked towards the chaos in the cemetery, unleashing her SMG on the sword wielding cultists.  

(She needed a single wound to kill them.  She got five!)

Under threats of torture or sacrifice from the Serpent Priest the one cowardly cultists finally got to nerve to hop of the cemetery wall and go after Alexander, shooting him with a pistol  The Russian was in a bad spot, still on the ground, crawling to the far wall from where he came from...

But he wasn't ready to die quite yet.

Meanwhile, the Serpent Priest finally moved, turning the corner to confront Elani! 

Turn Five:  The cultist standing over Alexander's head was covered, but there obviously a smile of sadistic glee on his face as he simply kept pace with the crawling Russian, putting a few more rounds into him as they neared the wall. Alexander had somehow regained some of his composure to futilely swing his pick axed at the cultist's ankles. 

(Alexander had finally recovered from being shaken, but chose to attack from the ground for cinematic purposes.  The same cinematic purposes that made the point-blank shots look painful, but in reality, the minion kept missing!   Let's chalk that up to the world-renowned Soviet seamstresses that made his uniform!)

Viktor dashed across the town square to the booth with the last objective, reaching it but unable to roll for it. The Serpent priest turned all his attention to Elani, casting dark and ancient Egyptian curses at her.  She laughed and spouted off something back at him, her own curse, not in Russian.  Finnish?  Or something older?  

(She needed a 4 to avoid the curse on a d6, with exploding dice with got a 19).  

The priest threw an eldritch bolt at her... she sidestepped it.  

(He used the last of his Bennies to finally get a hit and a wound on her, she used her last Bennie to soak the wound...)

Turn Six:  Viktor spoke with the gentle behemoth inside the booth.   Two objectives, two dead cultists.  Not bad for a mere minion.  Three objectives for the Soviets. 

Elani just lowered her SMG and said... "Minun vuroroni" 

And Alexander, the human target for this encounter?   He finally managed to get up on one knee and swing his pick-axe properly....

And that's how the Soviets acquired The Wand of Destiny from some sideshow barker in Indiana....

I've been playing "The Egypt Game" with my girls on and off for the last ten years.  My plan for "Season Four"  was a big send-off for our original heroes (Episode 4.1) followed by new groups/gangs/leagues, to use Pulp Alley, and run Tomb of the Serpent.

Beside a near lifetime to finally get the Zulus painted up for Episode 4.1, the girls have moved away and I'll be perfectly honest:  I love Pulp Alley, I love the cards, I love the feel... but we've been playing a version of Savage Showdown since my oldest, Maja, was three... and she drives now!    It works, we adapt.  

A lifetime ago... playing TIARA, which I created, but realized it was kid friendly Savage Worlds/Showdown. 

I was also not going to invest in circus tents and sideshow minis for a one-off game, so I made due with what I had.  My only regret is I do have three different types of cultist minis for each type in the scenario, and the proper "fierce" ones were right behind me the entire time.  

Next:  #4.3 - The Hall of Horrors

I got some of the inspiration for the board from a Pulp Alley game at The Land of Counterpane. 

(Painting) Some Women of Pulp

Yesterday I noted a bunch of new figures that magically appeared onto my painting bench.  To further insult the poor figures that are eternally in the queue, only to be pushed back, I got two more of the new ones finished.  

Our eye-patch clad gal is actually a villain, Minvera, from the Pulp Alley line.  The figure is also included in the Pulp Alley Starter Set, which I had happened to pick up through the Kickstarter.  

The other figure, if she was sold individually, would normally go by "Elina."  She's part of the Female Armed Civilians 1 pack from Brigade Games' WW2 line.   I do have all six from both packs, patterned after a certain popular Finnish war movie. This one just happened to be ready for wash and detailing first.  

(Kickstarter) Pulp Alley: Character Cards Collection

Pulp Alley, collaborating with Pulp Figures, is producing a Pulp Alley: Character Cards Collection on Kickstarter.

From the Kickstarter:

Our new Character Cards Collection includes 8 new decks of cards -- with over 400 characters to use in your Pulp Alley scenarios. The collection is available as digital files and printed cards. 

• Character Cards Collection: Digital Files -- This pledge level includes eight digital files.
• Character Cards Collection: Printed Cards -- This pledge level includes the eight digital files, plus eight decks of premium full color printed cards.

The campaign has minor stretch goals to add to the set, and the only add-on is a special discount for the Pulp Alley webstore for its duration.   Check out the Kickstarter for specifics.

The 2022 RPG Dream List

I don't foresee another Social Media project endeavor, such as the #CharacterCreationChallenge or #ZineMonth2022, so it's back to one-off posts about RPGs.  

The recent lull in the Star Wars online game has forced some interesting one shots, and a collective review of what else we (re: I) would like to play.  

Of course, the significant drop-off in COVID infections and hospitalizations mean that the world is getting a bit back to normal and we could possibly resume/resurrect some face to face gaming. 

Finally, with the captive audience at home no longer captive 24/7 about basketball, I should probably try to sink my gaming hooks into them one more time.

Face-to-Face Gaming

Call of Cthulhu  - During a recent "chat only" Monday night session, my friend /college roommate / regular player Steve let it out of the bag that while he enjoys most RPGs systems, he enjoys classic Call of Cthulhu the most.  That's a pretty strong vote to consider CoC with the return to actual tabletop sessions.  A resumption of our now classic 1920's CoC Campaign would be the end goal, regardless of how we get there. 

Call of Cthulhu Invictus - But even I know that diving head-first into that old campaign would not be beneficial to anyone, so a few sessions of Cthulhu Invictus would satiate my desire to play Cthulhu, and use some of the material I've acquired over the years.  

Basic D&D - "Home" -  My permanent placeholder on these lists for at least a decade now, my Polynesian D&D game covering the fact that the PCs are natives on the Isle of Dread would change styles of play as the game progressed.

Twilight: 2000 - One of my long-awaited Kickstarters was for the Free League Twilight: 2000 Boxed Set.  I'd love to run it, but with my group of players *cough* civilians *cough*, I believe face-to-face gaming would almost be required to get them acclimated to the darker setting.  It would also expand my ongoing Challenge Challenge project, where I try to exhaust as much GDW and other material out of Challenge Magazine that I can. 

GI Joe - Almost a complete 180 degree swing from Twilight: 2000, the upcoming RPG about the popular TV series/toy line might work for both online and face-to-face.   First I need to get the rules to make sure they're as decent as I hope they are.

At-Home Options
Savage Mouslings - I've already done some gaming with the girls using Reaper Mouslings and other similar figures.  The first four significant games were using Savage Showdown, but I would like to go from skirmish level to actual role-playing, with a rotating cast of support NPCs.

Gamma World - All the stuff Thom Wilson has written for post-apocalyptic gaming has made me realize that Gamma World with the girls might be a fun exercise, a mixture of beat 'em up combat and riddles as the PCs try to decipher the secrets of the Ancients.  I'd use the 4th Edition of the rules (Proto-d20 almost a decade early).  

Pulp Alley: Tomb of the Serpent - After three season of the Savage Saga of Maja Millie, season 4 is taking a sudden turn.  Savage Worlds/Showdown is moving to Pulp Alley and with the option for multiple leagues, it's time to turn to the Tomb of the Serpent for a long-term campaign.   Just reading the intro scenarios, this is a bit more intense than we're used to, and we'll need to convert/kitbash some terrain.

My Little Pony - I stand by the fact that River Horse's My Little Pony RPG is one of the greatest role-playing games of all time.  Yep, I'm that enamored with it.  The girls are almost too old to play it enthusiastically, but getting things together is, as always, the toughest part.

Online Options

Hackmaster - Burning Trogs Redux... Continued.  Longtime readers may tire of my longtime pipe dream:  getting all my old Hackmaster players back together to have their characters exact the very sweet justice and revenge on the despicable Slavers of Roark  

Espionage RPG - I've compiled a good assortment of spy/espionage material and I'd like to try it out.  Initially I was thinking a Spice Girls RPG using Top Secret, but Top Secret is simply too crunchy.  It may take awhile, but I think I found a system I can hack for the lighter mechanic but heavy planning required, but time will tell.

Canadian Call of Cthulhu - My 90's based horror/paranormal game based in Medicine Hat, Alberta needs more love.  The scenarios are outlined, I just need a steadier rate of game to go further.  A two or three session arc each time there's a Star Wars lull might do it.

Star Wars D6 - This remains the old stand-by.  We recently restarted after an extended holiday hiatus, and the sheer joy everyone had resolving the cliffhanger we paused at warmed my heart.  This could end with a bang, I could cover the mid-game and end-game ideas I've had from session 1, or I could continue to peruse decades of materials (and Traveller articles in the Challenge Challenge) and keep this going indefinitely.

IOU a la Risus - It's quite simple, I need to use Risus for one-shots a LOT more, and Illuminati University (IOU) continues to provide the freedom to run with the crazier ideas, concepts, and puns. 

The Mandatory Christmas Swag Haul for 2021

 Or, as the internet bots call it, a chance to inflate my page views.... Seriously, no matter how else I format it "Christmas" and "Swag" generates some additional traffic, not all of it from live people.  

There was no formal list, and a reduced budget between the spouses, so we kept it simple.

• Kids Against Maturity - an Apples to Apples/Cards Against Humanity variant where the humor is more kid/tween/teen giggling than CAH depravity.  The cards start in alphabetical order and have a number of options involving butts and poop.  
• Gnoming A Round - Probably my personal favorite from the wife for the past few Christmases.  Gnomes, Miniature Golf, and basic math that sometimes hurts my head (negative numbers?  Of course it's golf!)
• An LED lighted magnifying glass for the painting bench!   I'm finally scheduled for an eye appointment for new glasses this week, but this will help with painting and possibly quick pics of projects
• Pulp Alley Starter Set - This is actually my Kickstarter reward that I received, but since I had no time to look at it, it made sense to have the kids wrap it up.  It was worth the wait.
• Star Schlock Astroguard Minis - Another Kickstarter that arrived on the 23rd, we never got to wrap it up, but it was a happy arrival.

• Millie also got be some adorably derpy squishy dinosaur, with the intent of seeing in in play.  Hopefully he'll make an appearance in a battle report in the near future.

My second favorite gift, beyond Gnoming A Round?  TWO full packs of Gold Toe Socks.  I am a dad after all.  

(Kickstarter) Pulp Alley - Starter Set

Pulp Alley has launched a Kickstarter for not only a Starter Set for their like-titled game, but two new Pulp Alley expansion books and and new miniatures releases!

Directly from the Kickstarter:

The Pulp Alley - Starter Set Box: Includes everything two players need to start their Pulp Alley adventures -- Core Rules Book (softcover), Quick Start Guide, Fortune Deck, Rewards, Scenario Markers, League Cards, Character Figures, Dice, and more! It also includes metal figures and cards for the Dundee Scholars (Lucky Dundee, Elaine, & Milligan) and Minerva's Mercenaries (Minerva, Ramjeet, Ujarak, Kadeem, & Toklo).   Not bad for $85 plus S&H!

Pulp Alley - Characters Book: This expansion book for Pulp Alley includes new abilities, new bursts, hundreds of pre-made characters, and more. These ready-made characters may be used as colleagues, backup, minions, NPCs, denizens and so on. Over 130 pages.

Pulp Alley - China Station Book: This expansion book for Pulp Alley includes 12 thrilling scenarios to play as stand-alone games or as part of an ongoing narrative campaign. Can you survive the wartime intrigue and perils of China Station, and solve the mystery of "code 327". Over 80 pages.

A Case for More Gnomish Space Marines.... and Other Figures

 With no convention to plan for, and our potential cruise paid off now for two years, my normal plan of doing the taxes and waiting dutifully this week for the refund to be direct deposited is unecessary.  I'll complete the taxes this weekend and casually look at the Virtual Vendor's Hall that is the internet to fill in a few items.  

I fell upon a quick sale over at Battle Valor and will be getting yet another wave of Space Dwarves and other humorous figures, but my high point yesterday was the arrival of a new 80-figure Chessex Carrying Case.  

It's been a long time since I've purchased a new Chessex case.  Sure I've owned GW cases when they were only moderately ridiculous, I've appreciated the Armoury and Global Games "gun cases," and my current set-up for Gnome Wars and Pulp figures involves hardware/fishing tackle containers ($7 at the local shop), but the Chessex containers feel... professional, and far sturdier.  

The 80-figure case hasn't changed much.  Two tiers of forty spaces, the foam is far more rigid until you start taking pieces out, but I did discover that the plastic latches are a little bigger and a lot sturdier.  Once this one is full of Gnomish Space Marines, I'll move onto a second, identical case.  At $26-30 on Amazon (they're almost never at a FLGS), it's an online order I'm willing to make.  

The Virtual Shopping List

Before COVID, Cold Wars was my usual restock convention, prepping all the supplies and projects for the remainder of the year.    For 2021, it's far more focused.

This year, my change of pace is deciding to run Pulp Alley's Tomb of the Serpent campaign, once we ever get time and motivation to finish up Season 3 of our pulp game. For a 44-page digest sized book, it is dense, and should provide myself and my girls plenty of gaming for quite awhile.  While I'm not setting up the Sally 4th buildings, I am making sure I have a good variety of figures so visits to Pulp Alley, Dark Fable, and maybe even a Reaper order might be due. 

The much overdue purchase might be the Spanish/Caribbean style building set from Brigade Games.  While the MBA Spanish buildings are pre-built, pre-painted, and back in stock, some of them are almost double the price of a few years ago.  I know I didn't pay $200 for the Customs House back in the day...  although Jepson's Hideway is still $124.95, I should grab that before it skyrockets.  I do need that for another future project.

For an even longer-term project I need to pick up some African huts, and even further still, a revisit to the Colonial and Great War Africa AND the Back of Beyond might fare better next year, with early tax returns... and pre-order con pick-ups.  

For now, there's Gnomish Space Marines to fill in a case!

Lady Rathbone's Raiders Special from Pulp Figures

The figures from Pulp Figures Dangerous Dames Kickstarter are available for sale on the website.

However, a few sculpts didn't make it onto the Kickstarter, so they're part of a new promo:

Introducing Lady Rathbone's Raiders:

From the website:

This month, August 2020, they will go out free with any and all Pulp Figures orders of 4 or more sets. All regular deals still apply. Limit 1 per customer. Shipping begins August 15th.

You don't need to do anything special to get them. Just place your order for 4 or more packs as per usual and Lady Rathbone will be included and shipped.

The Pulp Alley 4-Minute Demo

(Pulp Alley) #3.8 An Unorthodox Egg Hunt

As COVID, mandatory work from home, and the cancellation of the kids' extracariculars has allowed me a bit more time to paint, it's getting through the backlog of games I've wanted to play since late Summer 2019 that's proving trying.  

• Mousling Game?  Got it set up and run beautifully.
• Easter Game?  Together, but haven't gotten the kids to the table.
• Medieval Games with Maja and while everything is out...
• Medieval Zombies using Last Days
• The Maja Millie Pulp Egypt Game?  With the cliffhanger last episode, I'm still finalizing the details for 3.8.

So, to kill two birds with one stone, the Easter Game with become Episode #3.8 of the Pulp Game, as we attempt a Lost Worlds version of an Easter Egg Hunt, using Pulp Alley again!

Maja and Millie made up two new "leagues" earlier in the month (Cultists vs Explorers), and we put them aside until we finally had a chance to play.  Some of the figures got misplaced somewhere in the dining, so we've adapted and overcome.

Set-Up:  Six Potential plot points were set up on the board as potential dinosaur nests.  Each figure could pass a challenge to search, but eggs were only found on a 4+ on d6 on a subsequent roll.  Only one egg per location, and only three eggs could be found.   Hills with Easter Island heads were Perilous Terrain to move into, as well as the monolithic stones and the nearby volcano.

Turn One: The girls gingerly moved most of the figures.

Cult Leader Bartholomew was the first to encounter (and pass) a terrain peril.

Prehistoric allergies?  Not this guy!

"The Cheetah" from the explorers dashed madly into the fray, reaching the nearest egg nest, but being unable to search yet.

Turn Two:

But he did find an egg.

The cultists tried a different technique,.  Starting with their second-in-command, Cap'n Snake, they all risked the perilous hill with the strange heads.

And in a bucket brigade style, kept handing off the egg to the next cultist. ..

They were walking, and everyone walked up and passed their peril checks, so I allowed it.

Rose, leader of the explorers, passed two peril checks to scale a volcano for a better view/shot.

In the first round, the dinosaurs paid little attention to the small mammals scurrying around, but when they started stealing eggs, all the reptiles got worried.

This might be a problem.

Lady Meow-Meow of the Explores (not pictured) was caught unaware by a Brontosaurus and luckily only got knocked around for one hit.

Turn Three:  Deciding that Cheetah could use his speediness to get to another nest, Bob Franks dashed over to him, and like a halfback taking a hand-off from the quarterback, took the egg.

In the background, Doc Bush spotted the Cult Leader and fired, to no effect, and then realized he was stranded in the open ground.  The Cult Leader lowered his staff and with a mighty *ZOT*, Doc was a charred corpse.

The other cultists had conducted their egg brigade perfectly.  The last cultist narrowly avoided one of the heads falling on top of him (Millie played a Fortune card requiring yet another Peril.  These cultists are good, even the minions).

The dinosaurs were fooled for a moment by the egg handoff, but Bob had bigger issues.  He could hear the cracking in his arms!!! Moments later, he was holding an adorable baby dinosaur!

.... and the adult dinos went berserk!

Turn Four: Deciding one egg was enough for their nefarious plans, the cultists retreated.  This left the explorers with some free time to search nests unmolested (by humans at least).

Bob exited the board with the baby dino.

Turn Five:  Cheetah had reached another nest, but failed the initial test before he could search for anything... and those dinos' roars sounded like they were getting closer.

Turn Six:  Lady Meow-Meow had failed at her first attempt to search and had finally reached a second location.  Unfortunately the next around the deadly Wafflesaurus was treacherous, and she was injured... ultimately succumbing to her wounds.

RIP Lady Meow-Meow

With Millie's lucky egg roll, the bady dino netted the explorers enough points to win the scenario, only losing two teammates in the process.

When Episode #3.9 is finally run, I'll be running it with Savage Showdown/Worlds.   Everything that Showdown is missing, Pulp has in spades, but I prefer the Showdown base mechanics, initiative, die rolls, bennies.  Perhaps everyone just rolled well, but even the minions had no problems with the challenges and perils.  They succeeded even easier than the Savage Showdown characters. After two games now, I see the appeal, and I think after we finally complete this season of the Pulp campaign, I can see going into Season 4 running Perilous Island, Adventures in Lemuria, or Tomb of the Serpent.

This was inspired by "Egg Hunt" from Thoughts of a Depressive Diplomatist.. Outside of thinking up dinosaur stats on the fly, it was great resource.