G'day,
Here's something to spring on an unsuspecting friend(s) when you get a spare
SG/FMA moment....
Human extraction force must recover an envoy from a science base in an
off-world colony. The envoy must be extracted live as he has vital
information that will only be believed if communicated in person. You can
paradrop in (quieter), but that means the chopper is D6 turns away when
called. Or you can get dropped off by the chopper (much louder and noticeable)
and it will only be one turn away if you need to call on it.
Problem One: After insertion you get a broken up comms message mentioning that
an alien ship has just cleared the moon and squirted a message to you
location.
Problem Two: There is an eerie silence at the science station and when you
enter it they're are dead, rather cut up bodies.
Problem Three: You keep hearing scuttling noises and seeing movement on your
periphery.
Problem Four: Your EW guy has the tracker signature to help you locate the
envoy, but for security sake it cycles every D4 turns and must be reacquired
(via a successful reaction test).
Problem Five: When you locate the envoy he's in a wine cellar/fortified
room etc, you open the door and a honking great Kra'Vak Warrior shoots at
you...
they forgot to tell you the envoy was Kra'Vak... you have to realise this
BEFORE you shoot him dead.
Problem Six: The Sa'Vasku don't want you to get out with the envoy alive and
start coming out of everywhere to stop you.
To make problem six more surmountable I only had one 25mm GZG bug on the board
(hidden for most of the game, though Derek spotted him once) and this one acts
as the brain bug for the 6mm "ankle biter" bugs that actually do the
attacking. The ankle bitter bugs are treated as being in combat armour, a
wound = dead, and they can either fire as if with a small calibre pistol
(spitting poison) or attack as if they had a knife (terrier sized bugs would
still be pretty scary!).
We did the "scuttling etc", by every time Derek moved past a trigger point
I'd roll a D6, 5-6 it was the brain bug movement he noticed, 2-3 it was
a little guy (close by to where Derek was), on a 1 the bugs held their ground.
The little bugs were exposed if they scuttled by and a squadie spotted them
(via a reaction test), they were exposed by fire/grenades or when the
envoy was found (then they came out of everywhere!).
The first part was tense (in my opinion, Mr Cool (Derek) may not agree though
his cautious approach would suggest he guessed something was up) and there was
a close moment before Derek figured out the Kra'Vak were the envoy. In the end
Derek and the envoy did make it back to the chopper, but his Lt and a squadie
sacrificed themselves (stayed behind to hose off the bugs while the chopper
left) to pull it off.
We found it to be a lot of fun, though you have to have one guy (the human who
is completely in the dark), while the ref has all the cards. If you have
enough spare players who can keep their mouths shut and not let the cat out of
the bag they can play the bugs and even the envoy (he has a message for the
humans, doesn't mean he completely trusts them and his Kra'Vak bodyguard is as
jumpy about the bugs as anyone, seeings this envoy is a member of their clans
royal line).
Cheers
From: <Beth.Fulton@csiro.au>
> Problem Five: When you locate the envoy he's in a wine
Why is the KV warrior shooting first?
And that's rather a large detail to neglect to mention, isn't it? It would be
much more plausible if you say that your half of the mission
made it in, but the other half--including the CO with the sealed
orders--got shot down on the way in.
> At 09:45 28/04/02 -0400, you wrote:
Because he thought my miniature was a bug
> And that's rather a large detail to neglect to mention, isn't it? It
The "Demon Murphy" strikes again;)
Cheers
G'day,
> Why is the KV warrior shooting first?
He was a tad paranoid having seen the work of the bugs... that's why the envoy
is in the wine cellar with his bodyguard;)
> And that's rather a large detail to neglect to mention, isn't it? It
Good thought, though I was working more from the view that high command was a
tad paranoid about anyone latching on to the details of them meeting with a
very high up Kra'Vak and when it did get time for them to be in on the "need
to know" basis there was a glitch along the way... more Sa'Vasku meddling may
be;)
I must admit I was just rather keen at exploiting people's paranoia about
aliens in combination with the fact I like to think of the KV as misunderstood
(i.e. they seem very 1D as we haven't had a chance to get to know them for
what they really are yet... meanwhile back at clan central they're seeing us
as paranoid and uncooperative etc).
Cheers
> Good thought, though I was working more from the view that high
No worries, the AE already has a KV sovereignity. But forget you read that.
> I must admit I was just rather keen at exploiting people's paranoia
Actually the Sunday morning event at ECC-V was quite interesting,
particularly Stuart's rendition of a rebellious Maternal War Leader. Granted
we don't know much about KV art, music, architecture, etc., but I get the
feeling the KV are more like HM than the other races
are--certainly there are a lot of nations whose internal groups only
stop fighting each other when there's an outside invader to fight.
("But the Phalons..." Yeah, really? Think about what it would be like if you
could *never* trust anyone's promise, everyone was totally focused on "what's
in it for me", and there were no enforceable
Problem 5 would be a non-starter in most of the games I have
played in. I would have to put the bodyguard in an outer chamber (with gun)
and the diplomat in an inner chamber (with no gun) to even give a chance that
the diplomat would not be gunned down with retaliation fire (after the
bodyguard fired
first). The diplomat would also have to be _VERY_ good at
human psychology to convey that he is not a threat (i.e. a KV might not know
to put empty hands up to signal surrender or noncombateness) and be able to
speak some main human
language (with/without translation device).
I can see it now... "Squad A, check the door; squad B, cover." Game Judge
mentions the tracker is picking up a signal from in the room (just as the
order is being given to open the door). The door opens and the judge puts down
another Kra'Vak warrior model on the table and says "You see a large Kra'Vak
with a glave in what appears to be a fighting crouch" (Kra'Vak posture of
honor and respect) "yelling something in a language you don't recongnize"
(Diplomat is yelling "Don't shoot! Don't Shoot!") "you hear a low mechanical
voice saying something, but you can't understand it over the Kra'Vak's
yelling." (translater device's volume is set low for discussion, not for
yelling)...
Otherwise it sounds like a _fun_ scenario!
---
Brian Bell bbell1@insight.rr.com ICQ: 12848051 AIM: Rlyehable YIM: Rlyehable
Cygnus X1.info
http://www.cygnusx1.info/
---
[quoted original message omitted]
> At 07:01 29/04/02 -0400, Brian wrote:
> Otherwise it sounds like a _fun_ scenario!
Yes, the kids made good "Bugs":)
Cheers
Bell, Brian K (Contractor) schrieb:
> The diplomat would also have to be _VERY_ good at
> I can see it now... "Squad A, check the door; squad B,
By this time, the "Diplomat" (or the umpire) would have failed his job on
several counts.
First No-No: you don't meet a stranger with weapons in your hand if you
want to make friends and the situation could be critical - and it's
hard to see how this could be different under alien psychology.
Second error: he met - indeed surprised - the Hu'Man at close quarters.
Too little time to appraise the situation and to take fingers off the trigger.
Better leave lots of space to allow the Humans to think the situation through.
Given the critical situation postulated for the scenario this may have
been unavodable. Certainly a non-threatening attitude, sitting down or
perhaps crouched up in a fetal position, may be his best option.
Greetings
On 29-Apr-02 at 07:33, KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de
(KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de)
wrote:
> Given the critical situation postulated for the scenario this may have
Prime posture for bug bait.
[quoted original message omitted]
G'day,
> Wasn't he in a closed room (without bugs, presumably) ?
Yes, though it was only staying de-bugged due to the actions of the body
guards;)
> On 30-Apr-02 at 00:40, K.H.Ranitzsch (KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de) wrote:
> --- Laserlight <laserlight@quixnet.net> wrote:
> ("But the Phalons..." Yeah, really? Think about
The NRE understands them completely. We use them as scouts, screening forces,
and bait for traps. They are also great vehicles for sending disinformation to
your enemies.
We just never, never, never make them capable of damaging the plan.