Friday, June 30, 2017

Fistful of Lead: Gold and Gunfire

With the passing of our good friend and fellow Basement General, Bill McHarg, we decided it was only appropriate to play one of his favorite games in his honor. After an irreverent toast with Kentucky Bourbon, the game began.
The Law
Baby Face Fenster, leader and sole survivor of the Finnigan-Fenster gang is sitting in the Lesterville county jail. He and he alone knows the location of last payroll his gang buried out in the desert. He has sent word out through the criminal underworld he will share its location if somebody will break him out before his transfer to the notorious Yucca prison tomorrow.
Also at at state is a rather large gold nugget sitting, mostly unguarded in the First National Bank across the street. Marshal Bill Bastardsen and his group of mostly deputized townsfolk are all that stand between the Badguys and their goals. His only hope is a small detachment of US Cavalry camped just outside of town, and possibly a mysterious stranger arriving on the noon stage....
 The Cav
 The Dixons
 The Left-Overs
El Guappo
Facing the Marshal are the worst the territory has. El Guappo has once again slunk across the border in search of plunder, while the filthy Dixon Gang road their flea-bitten nags into town under of darkness the night before. Joining the fray were the so-called Society of Gentlemen Gunfighters, a high-faluting name for a group hired guns. Finally, the Left-Over gang, possibly the lowest of the low, a gang of scoundrels banded together because nobody else would take them. Led by Johnny One-Leg, Confederate soldier who just won't give up the Cause.
 Cover that back door!
"Hey everybody! I'm up here!"
As usual, the first few turns saw the various factions maneuvering around town, skulking in alleys and staying behind cover. The Marshal (played by son, Marshal) spotted Johnny One-Leg creeping down the street and unleashed a hail of poorly aimed gunfire from atop the hotel. He was quickly met by return fire that forced him, pinned, to the roof top. All this shooting attracted the attention of the Cavalry. Bugles were tooted, gear assembled and off they went to investigate.
The Gentle Gunfighter broke into the bank, guns ready, only to find it deserted and no way to open the safe without either a bank manager or some TNT. I frightened citizen informed them that the Bank manager was across the street have "lunch" at the saloon, but the Mining company was next door..
The Mining company was quickly taken over by the Cavalry.
 The Dixons skulking about
 Shot right out of the winders!
Blasting away in the jail
Meanwhile, El Guappo and his bandits had come under considerable fire from both the Left-Overs and the Law. Half his gang was down. Seeking cover in the second floor of the bathhouse proved a bad idea when the Left-Overs charged in a down two of his men.
The dirty Dioxins had been making their way down back alleys and were in position to rush the jail. They lost a couple of men getting there, but they busted into the jail about the time the stage arrived.
Out stepped the gunslinger turned law man, and brother to the Marshal, Matt Bastardsen. Under blistering gunfire, he assessed the situation and entered the jail.
The Jail. like the yard behind the bank, had become a bloodbath. Bodies littered the ground. The Gentlemen Gunfighters had tried a break-out after the Bank Manager arrived and had been forced to open the vault. The Cavalry gunned them down as they emerged.
In the jail and on rooftops, the Marshal's men battled it out at close range. Most ended up at Boot Hill. The Marshal himself bled out on the roof he started at, while his brother lay dying in the jail.
Blood Alley. There's always one.
The Dixons escaped with Fenster, while the Cavalry "liberated" the gold.
A great game with, as usual a "Blood Alley", a hilarious storyline that wrote itself and fitting game to dedicate to a lost friend. In honor of Bill, the Lesterville Post Office and Telegraph station will be renamed the McHarg Post Office in honor of Bill's many years as a mailman.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

The General's Flag will hang at half mast....

It is with great sorrow I announce the passing of one of the founding members of the Basement General's, Bill McHarg. Bill was taken from us suddenly in rafting accident near his home in Colorado: LINK
Bill was a veteran and life long government employee, great person to game with and straight up decent human being. The wargaming community and rest of the world has suffered a great loss.
Bill had just retired a few years ago with his wife Zori to a beautiful spot in Colorado.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Tonight's game is for you, Bill. May the Valkyries guide you home...



Tuesday, June 27, 2017

The Cosmic Junkyard!: A Super Battle

Rumors have surfaced that important components of the Gauntlet of Infinity are hidden amongst the the refuse of the Cosmic Junkyard, guarded by Junkman and his Henchbots.
With Emperor Ape exiled in Null Space, leadership of the Crime Sin-dicate falls to the Monarch of Crime. Unable to summon enough members, the Monarch is forced to call upon members of the All Southern Squadron: Whistling' Dixie, Johnny Reb, Texas Twister and Hillbilly.
The other side found most of their rank depleted also. With most of the Galant Guardians fighting an Elder God on Island X, the Crimson Cowl  and Goldar, along with Dober-Man had to hitch a ride to the Cosmic Junkyard withe New Olympians: Heracles, Cyclops, Warhawk.
Arriving at the Cosmic Junkyard, a moon covered in discarded tech from a thousand worlds, the heroes find their evil counterparts already digging through the junk.
Sober-Man immediately left into action, only to be pummeled by a tornado punch from Texas Twister. Lucky for him, he can regenerate.


She-wolf, unable to control her berserker rage, made quick work of the Junkman's defense drones. She then turned her attention to the master of the Junk world himself.
Warhawk took to the skies and immediately took fire from multiple baddies. Hellbilly, the undead hulking redneck, got blasted from the powerful Shock. Meanwhile Shock's brother, Awe, bounded across the battlefield grabbing one objective and to tried to grab a second, only to be beat back by Whistlin' Dixie.
Across the junk strewn moon, the battle raged, heroes and villains falling. Soon, the Junkman himself was downed by the relentless onslaught of She-Wolf, Hell Billy and The Monarch. With three of the five objectives in tow, the villains scrambled back to their ship and blasted away.
The heroes, with only two pieces, took stock of their losses. They found a beaten and bruised Junkman in the rubble. In a raspy voice, he told them how they could get their revenge....

Monday, June 19, 2017

Dragon Rampant: Everybody hates the Undead

In our last game, the Forces of Chaos and Darkness triumphed and moved ever forward into the lands of the Good Peoples.
Thursday saw a Next-to-Last Stand by the Horse Barons and a small contingent of the Children of the Forest (quickly renamed the Dumpster Panda Brigade) led by a Stone Titan.
The Forces of Darkness went first. I say "went first" because "move first" would be wrong. Only a few green skins on the Evil Left moved. Borak the Despoiler and his Chaos Legions must have stopped to make a sacrifice to their dark masters, while Kronos the Undying must have been building his necronic powers to move his undead troops.
When it came time for the Good Guys to move, they did with gusto, surging forward to defend their lands.


It's here where some of the troops with a history in this game fall back to their old habits. In the past, the Ogres just wouldn't move. Same thing. Are the prospects of a good meal not good enough. Borak had recently been replaced by a newer, more imposing miniature. I guess the newness hadn't wore off, because he too had a hard time getting moving.
One thing was different, though. The nameless hill giant that follows the orcs around has a history of getting killed early on, or just wandering off. Not so this time. He relentlessly hurled rocks into the Horse Barons, right flank. More than on unit ran off rather than be squished.
About a half a dozen turns into the fight, the Undead finally got in the game. Kronos unleashed a Deathblow that sent a unit of archers reeling. But when his vaunted Wraiths attacked some lowly foot  soldiers they were not on;y repulsed but quickly dispatched back to the Netherworld. They would return a few turns later, summoned by their Necromancer, only to be struck down again!


The Stone Titan squished a unit of hobgoblin Prickers so thoroughly, his own allies seemed shocked by it and refused to activate.
Orcs once again had no stomach for a fight and ran off, while despite Borak single handed holding off  all comers, his Chaos minions steadily dwindled.
A great victory for the forces of Good, with a great many howls of laughter mixed in.

Friday, June 2, 2017

Pulp Alley: Perilous Island Chapter I

"In the dense rainforests of South America, 6 Leagues descend on the dig site of famed archeologist Lady Elaine Darrow. Each League has their own motives, but all involve the location of the mysterious Perilous island..."
We've played Pulp Alley enough times I felt it was time to start an actual campaign. Each player controlled one of my pre created Leagues:
Pecos Pete and the Giddy Up Gang: Matinee Idols, or Secret Agents in disguise?
Danger Incorporated: Led by the Dashing Virginia Dare. No job to big, no fee too big.
The Royal Society of Archeology and Magical Studies: Led by Connolly and his wife Lady Dora Standpipe
The Nefarious Wu Fang: Mysterious Underworld Leader and his horde of henchmen.
The Iron Legion: Disgraced Noble, leading and army of technological wonders (that seem to break down a lot)
and finally, the Red Raptor: Hero of the Skies.
With 6 Leagues and 5 plot Points, it was gonna be a slugfest. With this many players, I find it helpful to have a marker, or Totem if you will, to show who holds the initiative.
Wu Fang grabbed one for the Plot Points, Lady Darrow's luggage, with help of faithful man servant, Ping.
The Royal Society grabbed the Idol, while Pecos Pete raided Darrow's tent (despite those pesky snakes).
And the fourth Plot point, Lady Darrow's maid/body guard was "persuaded" by Virginia Dare to join their cause.
All the while, of course, bullets and Fortune Cards were flying. Followers dropped like flies, Allies tussled with each other until turn 4 when mysterious explosions rocked the dig site.
Ace, faithful dog sidekick to the Red Raptor (a holy terror as some have come to know him) stalked the jungle taking out League members left and right.

Quite the scuffle start around the final, and most important Plot Point, Lady Darrow herself. It finally took the persuasion of Dare and Darrow's bodyguard to win her over.
Night was falling or the dig site turned battlefield, and the Leagues disappeared into dark, plotting their next move in Chapter II.