Warhammer 40k: Chapter Approved Planetstrike or The Rise of Hammerfall/ Mission 1

Jason from Headwound minis came by with his Nurgle forces and we played the first in the series of Planetstrike missions from Chapter Approved. We talked for a bit beforehand on how to organize games into a narrative campaign of sorts, linking them into a story that should drive both our play and building/painting while at the same time seeing us willing to improvise a few things here and there for the sake of fun play and good stories.

We kicked things off with Jason getting a points credit in the fortification spending I did, on top of my 1500 points of Valhallan garrison. In the end, I took a Firestorm Redoubt, Imperial Bunker and some freshly painted Defense Line (old Forge World pieces.) I also took a mixed list of Valhallan trooper squads with Heavy Weapons/Assault Weapons, Company and Platoon Commanders, Special Weapon Squad with Flamers, Officer of the Fleet, Master of Ordnance, Techpriest, Command squad with rocket launcher and Company Standard, Hardened Vets with Meltas and Heavy Flamer in a Valkyrie, Wyvern, a Hellhound with  Inferno Cannon and 2 Lemans, both Vanquisher and stock.
Somewhere in the driving snows was the Eversor known to local officials as the Ghoul of Hammerfall.

Jason brought a dripping mixed bag of Typhus + zombies, Poxwalkers, Drone, Plague marines, Maulerfiend, Daemon Princes, Nurglings, Cultists, Plague Drones, Blight Hauler and a Nurgle Sorcerer who waited all game to show, but given the game was conceded on Turn 3, it mattered very little. We didn't take elaborate notes or take tons of pics so I'll summarize via words and images.

The opening Chaos bombardment thinned the Valhallans unlucky enough to be caught outside in the open. Vehicles on the move had their suspension rocked, crew shaken, and some minor damage as well.

The fortifications stood fast and once the bombing stopped and the icy winds cleared away the smoke, a hazy image of Typhus emerged from a seething black cloud of flies, which churned around the ancient Nurgle lord. He was close enough to the leading Vanquisher such that the accompanying plague zombies washed over the hull before the driver could skid to a halt and reverse, as the panicking gunners wracked and traversed their weapons towards the surprise threat.

Plague Marines and the Blight Hauler emerged from the ruins near the farthest defenses, and lurched at the passing tank convoy. Fire washed between the forces and the Valhallans sent everything they could from the snow-clad bunker walls, out into the shimmering gale, as Nurgle forces teleported into the fray. Sweeping lines of Icarus lascannon fire swept against the emerging Nurgle forces to little avail, even as Nurglings swarmed in through the Imperial back lines to claim objectives.

Above, the hovering Valkyrie  struggled to keep station in the sheer, as it loosed lascannon and braces of frag rockets into the roiling Poxwalkers, who were suddenly in among the terrified guardsmen, who each wheeled around to receive the charge and abandoned their covering fire into no-mans land.

A violent series of airburst explosions strolled across the battlefield as the Wyvern crew mechanically fired with trained speed at a truly insane field of battle, while men fought for their souls, even as sickness started to overtake them, their weapons defiantly blunted the Nurgle advance.

The Leman convoy slewed about and broke their line of advance as they tried to shake loose the undead and blashemous which clung to hulls and reached in through viewports with sloughing, dead limbs. The Techpriest, incensed at the damage done to the Vanquisher, rushed out of the redoubt, and initiated combat repair protocols on the large battle tank. The Hellhound set the bulheads afire as Poxwalkers, zombies and newly-risen Valhallans twitched and writhed in prometheum. A mix of Orders and Strategems wielded by Captain Gloval of the Valhallan 554th created furious resistance until the calamity.

While Typhus flanked the wounded Vanquisher and slew the Techpriest in single combat, the Maulerfiend and a Daemon Prince thundered through the warzone, straight against the front ports of the redoubt, even as the quad lascannons speared them with thunderous blasts that vaporized the snow fields before them. With surprising speed, the Warp things dug and melted their way to the inner chamber of the fortification and triggered the plasma-furnaces atop the power grid. With a catastrophic chain-detonation, the redoubt exploded and unleashed scything shrapnel and concussive waves, which crushed everything in a wide area of effect (11" radius damn it!!!) Many Valhallans on the ramparts died instantly and not one Valhallan was left unwounded in the blast zone. The Imperial back had been broken.

As Typhus himself gained the Imperial deckwork, and his ranks of zombies swelled by the minute. The Valkyrie spent all ordnance onto the conflagration that was the base, helpless to stop the violent end to the ragged remains of the ordered Valhallans. The burned hulks of the Maulerfiend and Daemon Price clambered from the electric fires and burning craters as the Imperial Bunker nearby collapsed, the occupants just escaping in time to be dissolved by a looming Daemon Price astride the trenchwork, tall in the soot and snow.

Spent, the ice squall which had covered the battle with freezing sleet seemed to ebb away and be replaced with a miasma of steaming offal pools, fire, and charred Imperial equipment. Those men lucky enough to escape into the forest past the clearing soon fell where they hid, and even as they quickly stiffened in the sub-zero temps, their lungs wheezed and popped with thickening warm ichor as fever burned out their skulls, and the Warp reached for them... one by one.

Stay tuned for more Chaos invasion with Chap App Planetstrike!

Star Wars X Wing: Boba Fett vs. Chewbacca

Ah, Spring Break. I played an awesome 100 point Empire vs Rebels game last night with Pete, who took the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca plus concussion missiles, a bare Red Squadron Pilot and Rookie Pilot. I took Boba Fett (w/Swarm Tactics) in Slave 1 with Heavy Laser Cannon, Proximity Mine and 4 Acadamy Pilots in TIE fighters. The play space was around 4'X4'. This was my first game with "The Big Ships" of SWXW, so I had to be Fett.

I will describe the match from the Empire perspective mostly, because I was so busy wrangling all those TIE's around the board.

Starboard TIE's move straight ahead, port TIE group sets up the rearguard slot. Slave 1, at pilot 8, moves last, right into the slot.

Turn 1-2: Boba Fett lined up with two TIES on both sides, ordering the starboard pair straight ahead to start describing one pincer line. The port TIES flew forward, one staying abreast of Slave 1 and another cutting into its wake, to rearguard. Chewie moved the Falcon forward, shields up, as the X Wings locked X Foils into attack positions.

Chewie's group stabbed around counter-clockwise while Fett matched the move, circling.

Turn 3-4: Both fighter groups tore into the middle of the board, engines blazing, on converging vectors. The Falcon cruised the left side of the board as her escorts engaged ahead, while Slave 1 went straight into the furball.

Ship-to-ship warfare was on in earnest with plenty of hits, crits and evades going around. 2 TIE's were damaged and one TIE pilot was Blinded. The X Wings lost some shields. Slave 1 passed the Falcon to port, then leaned into a tight turn to get behind her. The Falcon's Quad Guns blazed the whole time and tracked ships via Target Lock but Fett drew first blood as he caught a passing X Wing right in the astromech, for an incandescent kill.

http://www.happinessismandatory.com/misc/Models/AMT_Slave_I/Reference_Pictures/Slave_I_Reference_1.jpg

The swarm comes about and tries to run down the Falcon.

Red Squadron pilot (upper right) overshoots the fight and is left behind as Chewbacca evades the incoming Empire.

Turn 5-6: Somehow, the Red Squadron pilot took a vector too steep from the turning dogfight and ended up probably double the distance from the fight than he intended, since the TIE's and Slave could cut hard. The Falcon was now alone.

http://www.dub273.com/RevsFolio/16_TIE_fires_thumb.jpg

The Falcon, now with 4 TIE's intercepting and knocking down her shields for hull damage, also had Slave 1 on her tail, blasting it with the Heavy Laser Cannon. At this point, I tried to keep the TIEs right on Chewie at all cost. At least one TIE rode out a stress token every turn until the end, dancing hard to keep shots on Falcon's armor plating. The Falcon's quads, with Target Lock humming a steady tone, defensively sprayed the TIE's with shots, for hull damage and then another kill.

Turn 7-8: Now Fett was being careful, the Wookie had escaped too many times before. Slave 1 stayed right behind the Falcon and noticed the crowded call-signs of the TIEs on the HUD... they were very close to the edge of the board so it would be sticky here with limited turning space and they could risk gliding off the board if they fly casual.

Suddenly, the Falcon pulls a Kiogran turn! Chewie powers up and over the TIE pack and is now coming nose-to-nose with Fett, the Falcon's chittering alarm complaining about laser impacts, collisions and a now-disconnected Hyperdrive. A hatch slams open on the Slave 1 and a Proximity mine tumbles out behind her, as the Heavy Laser Cannons open up once again.

I wanted to force Pete into a hard starboard turn to avoid the board edge and Proximity mine. The TIE's needed room to regroup, now that the Falcon just barreled right through them, leaving a bunch of action-less Empire pilots fighting controls to regain formation. He was probably going to do that anyway but it was fun to drop a bomb in his glidepath.

Final Turn: The closing X Wing could only watch helplessly as the Falcon roared past the firing Slave 1. As they crossed and the Slave banked, her primary weapons swiveled from firing forward to backwards as Chewbacca passed, removing the final hull points with 2 hits. Critically wounded and powerless, the Falcon is crippled as Fett prepares to board. Chewbacca grabs his bowcaster and readies to defend his ship as the airlock blasts open...

Just kick-ass models, who cares if we didn't paint them.

Empire Wins! I don't think I've had that much fun with a miniature game in some time. We played late, so we had no blaring soundtracks and our yelps were hushed for those sleeping in the house but I swear I was 10 again, playing with Kenner figures at a sleepover.  Just awesome. Final tally: 2 TIEs vaporized, 1 X Wing destroyed. Falcon down (but NEVER out). Red Squadron pilot shields disabled (I think, not sure). Slave 1 100%. Just under 2 hours of play.

Game Notes

Bumping: Yeah, lots of TIE's lost their actions due to bumping other ships... coordinating the flight paths was a fun challenge and I got it more wrong than right... but that wasn't debilitating. They still got their shots and as importantly, threatened to get shots onto the limping Falcon. Losing actions did factor though, as not having an Evade or Focus on meant that the straight dice roll can kill you, which it did for one defending TIE.

Swarm Tactics: Trying to keep a friendly TIE within Range 1 for Swarm Tactics proved to be really tricky.  Range 1 is really close space for a TIE, Slave 1 and any possible target to occupy at once... my guess is Swarm Tactics may work better for elite TIE pilots, who can better capitalize on the space the fighting affords (and small bases) or simply as opportunity arises, which wasn't much. It is good to watch out for but shouldn't dominate your tactics when you have a ship that really fills up Range 1 on its own.
  

Heavy Laser Cannon: I debated on taking the heavy weapon, since it was 7 points. I didn't realize it at the time but it was going to be worth it. The Heavy Laser Cannon, which only shoots at Range 2-3, has you throwing 4 red dice, though all Crits turn to regular hits. Any targets at range 1 though, you still have your primary weapon, which at Range one, adds an extra red die on attacks (4 total) and you keep your Crits. You could also throw 3 dice at Range 2 with your primary and keep your Crits or 3 dice at Range 3 keeping Crits too (but the defender gets extra green die). So, the 7 points just makes sure you roll 4 red dice at all 3 Ranges with Crits as a variable. My point is, however you cut it, what you give up in Crits you probably make back in raw stripping power. 4 dice is really powerful, Crits or no, especially against high Shield/Hull counts like the Falcon and Y Wing.



Fett's Ability in Slave 1: Fett can order banking turns to one direction and after revealing it on the dial, change it to the same banking turn in the opposite direction, if he wants. While it didn't come in handy every turn, it did allow him to squeeze through the dogfight and stay open for his Action at least once. If that works once a game you'll be grateful you have that.

Memoir '44: Hill 112

After "Capturing the Crossing", Patrick and I continued along the first leg of the Memoir '44 Campaign chapter, The Battle of Normandy, which spans from June 25th through July 11th. To date, my Allies have not won any of the 4 missions in this chapter.

The 3rd mission of the 4 was Withdrawing from Hill 112, which we played a few months ago. I didn't bother with a write-up since it was a total drubbing, the Allies being trounced and routed before Patrick's Germans in short order. I'd like to say that our fight could've gone both ways but it just seems like Patrick's Axis had some strategy and paired tactics in mind that were executable, while I did not. Thus ends 3/4 of the chapter and the end to Operation Epsom.

At the time in 1944 when Hill 112 happened, Monty was trudging through Operation Epsom, The British 11th Armored division meeting the German 9th as well as 2 SS formations of the 10th and Das Reich. In real life this battle and the following were gains of attrition over real estate, that swapped land owners more times than can be told and saw thousands upon thousands of casualties (which recreates itself in our fight, given that figures are percentages of unit strength at map scale).

While my Allies never won a mission so far, and ended up low on the medal counts as proof, the feeling of expensive victory came through; my performance was certainly the example of how bad things could have went for the Allies as they fought inland.

 After Withdrawing from Hill 112 we were set for a return to the Cornwall Wood, Hill 112 and the opening fight of Operation Jupiter, a 6 medal game.

So, following the campaign tree, the Allies have one more chance to shore up their French countryside before the next chapter in the campaign. On to Hill 112...

Board at game start

Victory Event Rolls: PG 6 of Memoir '44 Campaign Book 1

·         Axis Results: Remove 2 Allied figures of Axis choice, Pat took one tank and an artillery unit from my British units.

·         Allied Results: I removed 1 figure from the 102nd heavy panzer battalion at Maltot, one less Axis command card to start.

 Play Reserve Tokens:

·         Axis player results: Special Reserve Rolls, Star and Tank=Elite Panzer unit for Reserves.

·         Allied player results: Make one unit an Elite British unit.

Allied Turn 1: Played Barrage card, took out half artillery unit

Axis Turn 1: Played Dig In card. Added 3 Sandbags, 3 infantry and 1 tank. Draw two cards after play.

Allied Turn 2: Played Recon in Force card. Tanks advanced, attacked Fontaine, Hill 112, no casualties

Axis Turn 2: Played Attack card, 3 units his right flank. Infantry close assaults tanks, down to 2. Artillery takes out remainder.

Axis Armored Assault

Allied Turn 3: Played Assault card, all units Allied Right flank. Armored attack up onto Hill 112, take Temporary Objective medal, ¼ of Axis infantry unit KO’d

Axis Turn 3: Played Armored Assault card. Attacking uphill 112 minus die for hill, gained die back for Armored assault, Shermans safe. Allied Shermans Left flank totally destroyed.

Allies: Probe, elite Panzergrenadiers redueced to half strength, retreat.

Allied Turn 4: Played Probe card, 2 units Allied left flank. Infantry flanked West, Armor East. Attacked Elite Panzer grenadier unit, reduced from 4 to two, German retreat.

Axis turn 4: Played Close Assault card. Axis Right flank infantry assaulted, destroyed Sherman, rest fled, one flag.

Axis Turn 4: Dug-in German infantry repel Sherman attack on Hill 112, 1/3 Shermans retreat, lose Medal objective

MEDAL COUNT: Axis 2, Allied 0

Board view turn 5

Allied Turn 5: Played Attack card, 3 units center, envelop Panzer unit, destroyed for medal.

Axis Turn 5: Played Attack card, 3 units center. Panzer unit sweeps up remaining Sherman unit, armor overruns into infantry for 1 hit.

Axis: Panzers overrun Sherman unit and attack field infantry. The Allies tried for the Hill objective medal many times and drove the Axis medal count up as a result.

Allies advance, combined arms attack and destroy a Panzer unit in one go. Infantry hesitate to leave the safety of the treeline and fail to advance towards Hill 112.

Allied Turn 6: Played Attack card, 2 units center, tank from woods and infantry unit. Infantry advances up the hill, tanks roll from woods. Eliminated panzers for point. Forgot to take ground with troops into vacant square towards Hill 112.

Axis Turn 6: Played Counter Attack card, 2 units center. Panzer Corp eliminates Sherm unit, Armored overrun, 2 hits on Allied infantry. Panzers center reduce Shermans by 1 on three dice. Whew.

Axis Turn 6: German armor advances against Allies across center

Allied turn 7: Played Recon card, 1 unit left flank. Infantry flanked Panzers, one hit, 1 flag. Drew two cards and then discarded Armor Assault since I have 1 tank on board, kept Probe 2 Center.

Axis Turn 7: Played Recon card, 3 dice on sole Sherman, retreat. Panzers armored advanced, attacked again, gained medal.

Allied Turn 8: YO JOE!!!!

 Allied turn 8: Played Behind Enemy Lines card, flanked Panzers, eliminated 2 on hit and flag (no retreat) Advanced again to Hill 112, took temporary objective medal. 2^nd time in game.

Axis turn 8: Played Recon card, 1 center… 1 hit, flag, Allied retreat off hill. Panzers take hill regain temp objective medal again.

Axis Turn 8: Hill 112 is ours... again.

Allied Turn 9: Played Probe card, 2 in center. Messed up activation. Artillery fired on Hill 112 panzer retreat. Sole infantry 2 flags on panzers.

Axis Turn 9: Played Recon in Force card, 1-1-1. Sole infantry wiped out for Axis win.

Allied Turn 9: Damn it. That understrength British infantry unit valiantly repels the Panzers amidst a danger-close Allied barrage on their position (which drove back the elite Panzergrenadiers too) but their fate was inevitable. Axis win.

End of Chapter: Decisive Victory, Allied surrender.

Grand Campaign Results: Move on to The Breakout mission in next chapter, encompassing Battle for Saint Lo, Operation Cobra & Unternehemen Luttich (pg. 24 of Campaign Book Volume 1).

Well, the Allies didn't win one game (of 4) through the "Flanking Caen" chapter. Although the Reserves and Victory Events rolls coupled with the Grand Campaign rules really added some depth to the standard Memoir '44 game, it still came down to execution, as is true for all things.

As the Allied player I am comforted by the fact that historically, Allied victories over this historical time period (which I missed repeating here) saw victory on a knife's edge for both sides. While Pat essentially floored the Allies, he didn't roll over me. A combo of bad Allied luck offset by good Allied strategy (but bad tactics) plus German determination (Degermanation?) resulted with the both of us empathizing with the slog both sides saw in Europe over the summer of '44, which I think is a goal with this game. All-in-all, great games so far!

Stay tuned for the next chapter, the Allied push to Saint Lo, July 11th 1944!

Pat takes the spent M1 Garand brass as a trophy. Jerk.

Strange Aeons: Game 3, "Left Holding the Bag"

This is the third battle report for a Strange Aeons campaign that I played with my group. This was a 16BP start on both sides, with my team still sore from the last game that saw civilian William Forsythe die to a Night Gaunt and Agent Connery developing Ballistophobia. Agent Petri lost his tommygun to the Night Gaunt via Destroy Weapon. Still with a Map Piece, the team looks to stay on the cooling trail of  the Church of Dagon, gain some XP and skills though they aren’t sure if they are the hunters or the hunted…

The mission was “The Bagman” with me going first as Threshold, who had to exit the far corner of the graveyard with the secret carrier, "Monk" McGuinn, surviving to get perks. We used a 2’x2’ terrain board I had built a long time ago that has a graveyard, stream with humpback bridge, ruined Church and catacombs below. There were no special rules here, just standard rules for difficult/impassible terrain and the usual cover modifiers. The entire footprint of the ruined Church was half-movement Difficult Terrain and the water half movement no cover save. Everything else is WYSIWYG. The condensed results are the picture captions and there are more pics of the terrain board at the end of the thread.  

Threshold and terrain board built/painted by Yeti, Lurkers built/painted by Pete Ceretti.

16 BP Threshold & Lurker Lists

Yeti: Threshold (rebooted from last game’s loss):

Agent Connery (Character, Command, Heroic, Two Fisted, twin .45’s, Bowie Knife, Ballistophobia)

Agent Petri (Heroic, Tommy gun, .45, Bowie Knife)

Civilian “Monk” McGuinn (.22 and knife). Additionally, Monk is carrying the bag in this scenario.

Pete:  Lurkers List
Cult Leader (.45 and knife)

Cultist (knife)

Cultist (Shotgun)

Hybrid

Hybrid

Lurkers deploy in the graveyard across from the church, advancing in a picket and listening for the burglers they knew were there...

Connery swept his flashlight across the murky dark of the catacomb. The wet yet warm smell of damp minerals rose to head-height, the heady aroma of loamy grit in the air and something else, like old cinnamon and grease… the team seemed to wade through the vapor more than walk through it. “Monk” McGuinn, the town’s professional antiquarian they had drafted this morning, stood before one of many alcoves and shifted feet as he held the grotesque ceramic urn in his large, professional hands. His grip trembled in the dank chamber and the moving flashlight beams silhouetted the group crazily, like a mob of photographers flashing away in slow motion. He looked at Connery and cleared his throat. “This is… extraordinary. Just magnificent. If Dr. Forsythe was here, he’d of course be happy to see this… the glyphs are… unprecedented but authentically real and the fetish stored inside is... amazing.”

 Connery lifted his foot from a stagnant pool of water on the catacomb floor and shaking it out, unleashed his annoyance of… well, everything over the last 36 hours, through his retort, “I don’t think ‘happy’ is the word he would have used to describe that thing. And he’s dead, as sure as we’ll be if we don’t step on it. Secure the piece and let’s get going. We have little time before the owners come home.” He ignored the extra splashes he thought he heard and how the reflected flashlight seemed to show wriggling in the black pool.

Threshold advance up and out of the catacombs with the stolen relic.

“Correction. We’re out of time Connery,” said Agent Petri, who stood in the greenish light at the bottom of the passageway, looking at the daylight above, “I hear voices.” Connery imagined Petri’s ruined half face watching the stairwell, the mass of scars from the Night Gaunt still suppurating and salving as it tried to heal. That face resembled the craggy natural rock formations of this tomb which they had discovered. Unlike Petri, who wore his good heart on his sleeve, this place was evil and it strained to keep its secrets out of the light of their torches. Connery learned long ago, the hard way, that like people, the earth can be good or bad. This earth was god damned devilish and he was happy to leave, silently promising it a return visit from Petri with a cask of blasting powder for the troubles.

“Tick-tock boss, gotta go.” Petri started up the cavernous stairwell, not checking to see if they followed him up, the tunnel amplifying and hopefully transforming the distant voices he heard into what sounded like strange croaks and barks.

A shotgun wielding Cultist and Hybrid cross the road and make for the Church entrance.

 When they reached the surface, they were back in what had been a garden path set into the foot of the cliff face. They had entered the ruins of the Church from the other side through holes in the cracked foundation, into a debris clogged cellar and down the crypt stairwell. Connery signaled Petri to cross the old cellar and gain the first floor above them, to help McGuinn and guard the high ground. If anybody was around, they’d have to make a racket to get to them or come through the doorway of the Church, which smiled, open, like a jack o’ lantern's missing tooth. He spun suddenly as he thought he heard a shuffle in the back of the chamber. He wasn’t sure they were alone. He noticed Petri staring back past him too, flashlight steady and .45 ready.

Only a day before, Connery, Petri and young Forsythe had flushed the Dagonite Cultists from their now-ruined lair in the suburb West of town, pursuing them East out to a farmstead known for bootlegging and human trafficking. What they hadn’t expected in their haste to run the cult leader to ground was the damned Night Gaunt, whose horrifically slender frame housed the terrible power and great silence which accompanied a murderous rampage. It is possible the creature was only delayed in fully materializing by the Threshold’s interruption of the Church’s rites before yesterday, only delaying the complete summoning of the beast that darted through the pine trees into their midst, a dim shadow of murder that left Forsythe dead and the desperate agents evading the pursuing cultists all night long. Connery and Petri probably survived because the beast was then considered pre-emergent. 

Now they were adrift, midweek, a day ahead of a monstrous daemon and a day behind the criminals that summoned it.

2 Cultists hear the Threshold team clattering through the open cellar so they flank around while the Hybrids and Cult Leader watch the front door... The Threshold are trapped!

Petri looked back at Connery and whispered, “This doorway funnels us too, boss.” Connery had moved them towards the door anyway and nodded, his .45’s out. He felt something… something like electricity in his fillings or cold air in his sinuses. His pistols felt heavier, less reassuring and something troubled him at the thought of how loud they will be… too loud. The voices were getting closer. Crouching among the fallen walls and timbers he peered down the great stairs of the Church, across the courtyard and the nearby road to the graveyard beyond. Risking a longer gaze, he counted. Several purple robed cultists and 2 brutish, ugly men with a pallor he didn’t like. His palms sweated. Were the ugly men civilians? Why did they look familiar? Were they in a dossier he has seen before? Or on a distant street? He was thinking too much about their squashed muzzles and the too-round orbitals.

A Hybrid sniffs the air, croaks and waits as footsteps come down the stairway...

McGuinn hugged the swaddled ceremonial vase like an ancient sleeping toddler, his bug-eyes peering over the bundle as he tread through the moldering cellar’s debris. Connery urged him towards the doorway above as Petri, already on the first floor over them, offered an arm up. Connery held the vase as McGuinn flailed his way over, via an avalanche of mortar, dust and flooring.

Voices. Shouts. Footsteps. They were made.

The Threshold see they are surrounded and prepare to make a break for it. Connery orders McGuinn down the front stairway first and says, "Run for the car across the graveyard when I start firing." This was a critical blunder on the part of the Threshold. Yeti had meant to have Connery go down and out first, to start shooting Lurkers out of McGuinn's way but due to Command, Connery sent McGuinn down the stairwell first, followed by Connery. There was not enough space for bases to pass each other. McGuinn would have to run the gauntlet outside first with Connery hopefully killing intercepting Hybrids and Cultists after the rabbit ran, with three sets of pistol shots, due to Heroic.

The second Hybrid stalks the doorway...

McGuinn tears out of the doorway. Connery fails both of his tests to shoot due to Ballistophobia. McGuinn is charged by the one-legged Hybrid but McGuinn guts him instead! The other Hybrid fails his check from seeing his brood brother killed and suffers Stupification. The Cultist with knife on right side of doorway Frenzies and attacks Connery. Agent Petri and the Cultist with a shotgun open up on each other, sending spall and wickering debris into the air.

Hybrid #2 recovers from Stupification and attacks McGuinn, who then lands a clumsy but effective knife jab into the hybrid's neck. The hybrid collapses in a welter of black blood as he paws at the swaddled vase containing the apocryphal architeuthis tooth, which the hybrid dies saying that fast three times. Agent Petri trades shots with the cultist on the side of the house, cover saving both men from grievous gunshot wounds.

The Cult leader smiles beneath his silk hood as he pumps a critical pistol shot through Forsythe's waistcoat, for a Major Injury and KO. The Cult Leader picks up the tooth in front of Connery. Connery stabs the screeching cultist to death in the doorway with a wet thud. As the dead cultist slumps down the wall, Connery trains both .45's on the Cult Leader from the doorway as a last ditch effort to save the game. If the Cult Leader survives Connery's fire he can use both moves to get almost off the board for the win. But Ballistophobia strikes again and Agent Connery hesitates, overcome by panic and fear and fails all attempts at shooting his pistols. The Cult Leader smirks and backs away as shots spak against the doorway, covering fire from the remaining Cultist. Connery decides not to pursue, since the other cultist has now moved to block Connery from pursuing and has him zeroed. Agent Petri fires on the Cult Leader from the side of the ruins, hitting him with a crit hit but he fails to wound. The day is lost to the Lurkers and the Cult Leader escapes with his artifact.

BALLISTOPHOBIA!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 Agent Connery looked in the rear view mirror as a bloom of fire and smoke geysered up from the front of yet another church. Debris pattered on the roof of his speeding car, one which he had hidden nearby. He didn’t see if Petri made it out but the resourceful Italian obviously had time to tripwire the Dagonite’s car; once a Mob man, always a Mob man. Connery had faith he’d see him at the safe house tonight. McGuinn was still back there, sprawled out on the overgrown lawn of the church entrance piled with those strange, dead... men? And also left holding the empty bag they had fled with, a feint. It would have have been great to bring that cursed vase and retched squid tooth back to HQ for study but as things were, plans change, sometimes on the fly, and sometimes, like now, it was for the better. Hopefully, it would take the Dagon cultists awhile before they realized that the relic they just rescued from McGuinn wasn’t the only thing taken from the alcoves of their unholy crypt, the death of the antiquarian a currency in the purchase of time via an elaborate ruse. Connery would be back and next time things would be different. He patted his bulging pocket and wisps of grey-blue vapor puffed out of the mouth-like pocket, like a smoking monkey he once saw at a carnival. He laughed at that, a strained, more exasperated-than-merry chortle and imagined the Cult Leader, wide-eyed, throttled in Connery's bare hands. 

He drove East towards the safe house.“Next time... it will be different. Everything will be different.”