An Allied Venusian Expeditionary Force (AVEF) patrol is returning to their base at Fort La Fin du Monde.
Unbeknownst to them, the lizard folk have been watching their movements and have laid a trap.
With the tantalizing flank of the patrol exposed to them, the lizard warriors erupt from the jungle!
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| Sacre bleu! |
The situation goes from bad to worse
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| For those who dislike knocked over soldiers, eventually I removed them as they were getting in the way of subsequent combats. |
The AVEF at first gave better than they got, but soon find themselves outnumbered by waves of the fierce jungle fighters.
Singing their disconcerting chorus of hisses and rumbling growls, they fade back into the tangled jungle.
Soon, scavenging dinosaurs will descend on the scene to claim their share and it is best not to stick around too long in celebration.
*****
Rules used were based more or less on In Good Company
What a massacre! Was this a one-off or part of a larger story?
ReplyDeleteWell there's sort of a developing story in my head, but it's nebulous at best. So, on the one hand, it's a one-off, on the other hand it's a slice of life (short as it is) for the AVEF.
DeleteGood battle report on a short massacre. Did you play it Solo? If so, does your rules have any solo-mechanics for 'opponents'? I usually just play 'both sides', and even if I do it as 'best as possible' for both, I usualy have one side in favor.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Roger. 99% of my gaming is solo. I usually run both sides, dicing between options when one isn't obvious to me. I freely root for one side or the other though - like I root for the lizard folk, always.
DeleteIn this case, though, it was poor scenario design on my part. I had decided the ambush would take place when the die roll was equal to or less than the turn, and it happened on turn 2. At that point, the AVEF was barely on the table. I then diced for random location of the ambushers and they appeared to the immediate left. Realistic as that felt, the result was the AVEF never advanced futher. I even used a rule, borrowed from another old Lone Warrior article, where an ambushing unit would disappear on a failed morale check and reappear later - but there were too many lizard units to make that meaningful.
This was actually the second go at this scenario - the first one, the AVEF never got more than the cavalry on the table. I think I misjudged value of rifles given the short line of sight in the terrain. If I run another patrol with In Good Company, I will make the sides closer to equal.
Thanks! I don't think your scenario was poor. - It is actually something that's happens in combat and it gives the ambushers the advantage of surprise and being prepared. Even if we have our roots, sometimes things just don't go as planned, which again influences the tide of war.
DeleteOh dear! Another Lost Patrol!
ReplyDelete(and knocked over is the traditional pose for wounded and dead toy soldiers, as long as they're not in the way!)
I totally agree on knocked over figures. I recently happened upon some criticisms in various forums online from wargamers who dislike the aesthetic effect and in the moment recalled them. Thus, I felt that I should temper any potential pearl clutching.
DeleteKnocked over figures left where they were killed has always added to the excitement for me since I was 6 years old. I'm now 67 and still like to see the carnage of the dead strewn about as the battle unfolds. Ya they get in the way so I just push them aside, sorta spread em out to make room for the 'yet to be killed guys/vehicles'. None of my figures are based so there's less clutter. Nobody complains because I game 100 percent solo. Ok enough rambling.
DeleteThank you for commenting, Spearhead! There is indeed something about the dead littering the field that ratchets up the intensity of the fight. I have long considered relying only on the integrated stands, but alas the tall lizard warriors (the ones in black - turquoise - red) have less than inadequate integrated bases and fall over with just an exhale without them.
DeleteAn excellent battle John, I love the figures and your terrain is just right! I never knew that the lizard folk were so cunning and devious! Obviously, the AVEF didn't realize it either! I hope that a retribution column is sent out by what's left of the AVEF to exact some revenge on those lizards!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brad! I think some kind of punitive expedition may be in order. Although the AVEF should exercise caution as the lizards have a rather large number of rather larger dinosaurs under their command!
DeleteFor a wild moment I thought I might have been seeing a 'Space 1889' project in the making. I don't do Fantasy myself (for given values of 'don't', 'do' and 'Fantasy') but I have always rather liked the general concept.
ReplyDeleteThe jungle ambush scenario can be quite fun. One way I balanced it was to dice for a number of small groups. The result was this action...
https://archdukepiccolo.blogspot.com/2020/02/expedition-on-limpopo-trail.html
On the leaving the fallen where they fell, I incline in favour. For one thing, it adds to the drama of the action, and of the pictures.
https://archdukepiccolo.blogspot.com/2022/07/war-of-imperial-succession-battle-of.html
Of course, at times the clutter can become inconvenient. But if one can leave them until the end of the action, one can track from the dead and dying where the main actions were.
Cheers,
Ion
I would be lying if I said I wasn't influenced by Space: 1889. I'm not a huge fan of how the lizard folk are portrayed in that setting, but the Soldier's Companion is among my treasured references for the "period". I have most of the books in PDF form, but that one is a print edition.
DeleteI read the first post of the Expedition on the Limpopo Trail and I'm quite inspired. Such a fantastic start! I should have gone with fractions of each lizard unit arriving rather than the entirety of each unit arriving. It might not have changed the outcome but the AVEF might have advanced to the second half of the table (I think that was the most frustrating bit is that I set up a four foot long table, and the AVEF never made it to even the 2' mark!)