IHMN: "The Legion does not surrender!" Part 2

When we left off Part 1, a small detachment of the French Foreign Legion was protecting a "waypoint"; literally a door that gives instantaneous travel from on point to another.  The Legion is attempting to prevent the escape of the Witch King of Sokur from entering the waypoint in order for overwhelming help to arrive and capture him.

 Amelie's mesmerism (and I lucky die roll for initiative) forces the Destroyer to once again fight his master the Witch King.  The Mobieus' and Chef Sergeant Baptiste form a firing line while the other legionnaires deal with the troglodyte that penetrated the perimeter.

 The Ruga-Ruga sniper continues to harass the defenses.

 The bayonets of the Legion deal with the last remaining troglodyte.

 With the initiative again,  Lieutenant-Colonel Jacques Duchesne places a well aimed shot with his arc pistol killing the Destroyer.  He didn't earn his Expert Pistol Marksmanship badge not to use it.

 "Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy."

 Baptiste is hit by rifle fire while Amelie (with the Medic talent) rushes to his aid.

 Who knew Professor Moebius was so good with a pistol?

 "Feel the wrath of my anger!"(the cursed sword doesn't hurt either!)

  Lieutenant-Colonel Duchesne engages the Witch King.

 Continuous fire from the Ruga-Ruga guard.

 Searching for a target.

 The Witch King is knocked down in hand to hand while Amelie is grazed by a bullet.  Fortunately the Medic talent will bring her back.

 Chef Sergeant Baptiste charges in anger . . .

 . . . while the Witch King recovers.

  Legionnaire Jean Genet engages the Witch King with bayonet.

 Chef Sergeant Baptiste takes out the Ruga-Ruga.

 Amelie and the Chef Sergeant move to a better position to deal with the sniper.

 Battle continues between Genet and the Witch King . . .  

 Legionnaire Genet knocks the Witch King down!

 Baptiste and Amelie volley fire against the sniper . . . 

  . . . with fatal results for the sniper.

On the last turn the Witch King fails his pluck roll to get back up and is captured.  Now what we do with him?

The final score was French Foreign Legion 36 and Witch King 6.  The superior fire power and bayonet drill (plus with some good die rolls) did in the troglodytes which have been usually deadly in Fights.  The other big difference in this game was the use of the Mesmerism talent to keep the Witch King out of most of the game and having two figures with the Medic talent to keep the Legion in the fight.

With the Witch King in Legion Custody, what next?

"Well, well, what do we have here?" muses the Napoleon of Crime.

IHMN: "The Legion does not surrender!" Part 1

From the private journal of Dr. John Watson, MD:  Through a series of contacts Mr. Mycroft Holmes had discovered that there were waypoints, or doors to put it plainly, that allowed the Witch King to move around our fair land and others with ease.  With the enemy stopped from entering Oz, it was imperative that the portal leading back from the Burning Desert be discovered and hopefully, hope beyond hope, the Witch King would be trapped.  My good friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, was away with the mysterious "Doctor"  so it was with some surprise, therefore, that I saw him walk into my consulting room upon the evening of April 24th. It struck me that he was looking even paler and thinner than usual.

 “Yes, I have been using myself up rather too freely,” he remarked, in answer to my look rather than to my words; “I have been a little pressed of late. Have you any objection to my closing your shutters?”
The only light in the room came from the lamp upon the table at which I had been reading. Holmes edged his way round the wall, and, flinging the shutters together, he bolted them securely.
“You are afraid of something?” I asked.
“Well, I am.”
"What is it?" 
“You have probably never heard of Professor Moriarty?” said he.
“Never.”
 “Ay, there’s the genius and the wonder of the thing!” he cried. “The man pervades London, and no one has heard of him.  My dear Watson, only that man could mathematically discover where the way point is and I am afraid I have made a deal with the devil himself.  Be as it may, the portal is in Algeria and I sent an urgent telegram to Lieutenant Colonel Jacques Duchesne to secure the way point and prevent the Witch King from entering."
"What was his answer?"
"The Legion does not surrender."
 

   The Witch King emerges from one portal with his company only to see the French Foreign Legion defending the other portal.

 

The hastily constructed defenses around the other portal.

 

The Witch King deploys for Battle. 

 In a surprise move, Amelie Moebius uses her power of Mesmerism to force the Destroyer to attack the Witch King.  She would be successful several times with this tactic keeping the Witch King out of the fight.

 

 Members of the Ruga-Ruga outflank the French defenses.

 The troglodytes charge right down the wadi toward the fort while other Ruga-Ruga guardsmen take up position to use their firepower against the legionnaires.

 An effective position overlooking the French.

 The Legion opens with volley fire against the running troglodytes and the target is taken out.

 The forces of evil descend on the defenders.

 

 "Two can play that game," thunders the Witch King as he uses is Helm of Making you do things against your Will against Sergeant Chef Baptiste to attack Amelie.  The Colonel fires his arc pistol at the Destroyer and misses.

 Troglodytes are dropping like sand fleas as the superior fire power and training of the legion takes its toll.

 

 And in a duel of sword and shield against bayonet, the trog is knocked down!

 Professor Moebius, in addition to passing out his serums (which were pretty much useless throughout the engagement) uses his medical skills to save Senior Corporal O'Rourke from the long range sniper fire.

 

 Once again the Destroyer is forced to fight the Witch King.

 Bullets richochet and screams are heard during the furious fighting.

 Ameilie Moebius.

 

 Honneur et Fidélité!

 "Dang it. If I have to fight my own minion one more time . . ."

 O'Rourke is hit again, this time fatally . . . 

 

  . . . while Legionnaire 1st Class Hub Mcann falls to a vicious sword cut.

 The perimeter is penetrated! (Note the Arc generator for the Colonel's arc pistol I finally remembered to place in the game.)  The Witch King forces the best marksman to attack Amelie again keeping them both occupied.

 

 Bang!  One less Ruga-Ruga guard to worry about.

 (Large crackling lightning like zap noise)  So, the arc pistol does work.

 The Chef Sergeant smacks Amelie across the head . . .

 . . . while the other troglodyte takes a bayonet thrust in a gap through the armor.

 

 The Destroyer enters the make shift fort as the Colonel holds his ground.

 The professor heals his daughter but the Chef Sergeant is still mesmerized.

 Six turns over and six to go.

In the conclusion we learn:  That the French Foreign Legion really doesn't like cursed swords, not to count your Destroyers before they destroy, when will someone take out that Ruga-Ruga sniper, and is their another enemy in the shadows?

IHMN: A crew without a ship

The Albatross

Following the destruction of the Weldon Institutes dirigible Go-Ahead by Robur the Conqueror and his airship the Albatross, the small aerial fleet of the United States engaged the Albatross near Philadelphia, PA.  Though the Albatross was defeated and severely damaged, it escaped and the ship responsible for the victory was the American privateer USS Audacity, under letters of marque, commanded my Captain J. T. Kirk of Iowa.  The Audacity itself was severely damaged and Kirk now lacks the financial means to repair his ship.

 The HMS Thunderer, an Aphid class ship with the design of the USS Audacity is based.

 The grounded crew of the USS Audacity.

 Captain J. T. Kirk

James Tiberius Kirk was born in Riverside, Iowa where he was raised by his parents, George and Winona Kirk. Although born on Earth, Kirk lived for a time on Mars under the tutelage of his second cousin John Carter.  After graduating from the United States Naval Academy he received his first command, an airship roughly equivalent to a destroyer during the first infamous encounter with Robur the the Conqueror while still quite young. Kirk was now the youngest airship captain in the fleet.  A former officer of Kirk's describes him  "a hard-driving leader who pushes himself and his crew beyond human limits".  Kirk also had a "tendency to ignore U.S. Naval regulations when he feels the end justifies the means"; he is "the quintessential officer, a man among men and a hero for the ages".  Although Kirk was considered a rising star, his run ins with the Naval Board and other bureaucrats in the US government forced his hand to resign and become a privateer with the US Navy with full letters of marque. Kirk is not afraid of being fallible, but rather is afraid of the consequences to his ship and crew should he make an error in judgment.  His loss of the USS Audacity has hit him hard and he is trying to raise the funds to repair her or purchase another ship.

Captain J. T. Kirk

Pluck: 2+
Fighting Value: +4
Shooting Value: +3
Speed: +0
Talents: Leadership +3, Inspirational, Tough, Erudite Wit, Fearless
Basic Equipment: Brigadine, radium pistol* and sword
Cost: 69 points

*Radium pistols and rifles have the same stats as arc weapons however a radium pistol can be used in Shooting if in base to base contact with a figure that is being fought.  The radium technology and weapons are jealously guarded as they were a gift from John Carter.

 First Officer "Number One"

Number One is the First Officer of the Audacity and her real name is only known to Captain Kirk and unbeknownst to her Special Agent George Curtis.  She is the intellectual, problem-solving second-in-command and is driven by personal demons that are not best revealed at this time.

Number 1

Pluck: 3+
Fighting Value: +2
Shooting Value: +3
Speed: +0
Talents: Leadership +1, Meticulous Planning, Fanatic, Lightning Draw
Basic Equipment: Brigadine, automatic pistol, sword
Cost: 55 points

Special Agent George Curtis, US Secret Service

Typical of the breed of modern Special Agents for the United States, Special Agent George Curtis was responsible for the investigation that led to the capture of the evil mastermind Dr. Fu Manchu.  SA Curtis has been placed with Captain Kirk at the bequest of the US Navy to ensure that Kirk continues to act in the best interests against the imperial enemies and master criminals that seek to do harm to the United States.  It is rumored that he has a romantic relationship with Fia O'Sullivan the helmsman of the out of commission ship Audacity.

Special Agent George Curtis

Pluck: 3+
Fighting Value: +4
Shooting Value: +4
Speed: +1
Talents: Leadership +2, Marksman (pistol), Gunslinger
 Basic Equipment: Brigadine, two pistols and fighting knife
Cost: 51 points

 Engineer Jack "The Kid" Prescott

Engineer Prescott

Pluck: 5+
Fighting Value: +1
Shooting Value: +1
Speed: +0
Talents: Engineer, Mechanic,  "I cannot change the law of physics captain!  A've got to have 30 minutes!" (re-rolls one failed pluck roll per game involving engineering or any mechanical issue)
Basic Equipment: Brigadine, radium pistol and sword
Cost: 30 points

 Aviatrix (Helmsman) Fia O'Sullivan

Describe by Kirk as the best Helmsman in the world, Kirk hired her and her brother Aiden O'Sullivan when he resigned from the US Navy.

Fia O'Sullivan

Pluck: 4+
Fighting Value: +1
Shooting Value: +2
Speed: +0
Talents: Pilot
Basic Equipment: Brigadine, radium pistol*, sword and 2x explosive grenades
Cost:  30 points

 Lieutenant Rupert Scrivner, late of Her Majesty's Imperial Marines, Master of Arms

Lieutenant Rupert Scrivner

Pluck: 3+
Fighting Value: +3
Shooting Value: +3
Speed: +1
Talents: Leadership +1, Tough, Marksman
Basic Equipment: Brigadine, radium rifle and sword
Cost: 47 points

 Crewman Aiden O'Sullivan

A former Fenian and Irish Revolutionary, Aiden was saved by the hangman's noose by the intervention of Special Agent.  No on knows why though it is rumored that Special Agent George Curtis may have romantic feelings toward his sister Fia.

 

Crewman Aiden O'Sullivan

Pluck: 5+
Fighting Value: +1
Shooting Value: +3
Speed: +1
Talents: Marksman, Fanatic
Basic Equipment: Brigadine, radium rifle* and sword
Cost: 24 points

 The Muscle.

 Crewman Felicity Gimble

Crewman Felicity Gimble 

Pluck: 5+
Fighting Value: +1
Shooting Value: +1
Speed: +1
Talents: Lightning Draw, Duelist
Basic Equipment: Brigadine, radium pistol* and sword
Cost: 29 points

 Gunner Joachim Ziemssan

Gunner Joachim Ziemssan

Pluck: 5+
Fighting Value: +1
Shooting Value: +2
Speed: +0
Talents: Marksman
Basic Equipment: Brigadine, radium rifle*, radium pistol*, moncular target array, combat knife
Cost: 29 points

Crewman Giles "If it was good enough for my pappy it's good enough for me" Oldershaw Smith.

Crewman Giles Oldershaw Smith

Pluck: 5+
Fighting Value: +1
Shooting Value: +1
Speed: +1
Talents: Grumbling (Back in my day these Ton-truppen zombies were 7 feet tall and trained by Frederick the Great himself - counts as Erudite Wit.)
Basic Equipment: Brigadine, pistol, sword
Cost: 18 points

Currently the crew of the Audacity were spotted in Scandinavia moving toward London for a "special" assignment requested by the British Admiralty.