Episode Eight - A Walk in the Park - A Solar Travels Post

 Captain James T Cook and the HMSS Endeavour - VSF 1770

“Space the new frontier.  These are the voyages of the Her Majesty’s Star Ship Endeavour.  Its five year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilisations; to boldly go where no Englishman has gone before.”- Captain James T Cook

"Captain Cook! Ethergram from the Admiralty" shouted Cheerful Rodgers. "What now" thought Cook despondently.

 

"Well Cheerful, another rescue mission. Back to Venus to save the bacon of some of Her Maj's Disreputable Gentlemen whose ship's TriLithium Crystal has broken. We have a couple we can spare so off we go. Should be a walk in the park!"

See Episode 4 for our last Venus adventure posted in October 2018.

https://miniwarsyoumayhavemissed.blogspot.com/2018/10/episode-four-venus-lost-lands-and.html

With no room to land next to the Disreputable Gentlemen's ship the Endeavour's shuttle had to land on the opposite side of a short strip of jungle.

The Disreputable Gentlemen have been negotiating with a tribe of small green men. They were about to sign a one sided trade agreement when they realised their TriLithium Crystal had shattered and they would not be able to make a quick get away! They urgently called for backup before the green men realised what they were about to sign.

"Alright men! this doesn't look too bad!" said Cheerful

Two squads move into one bit of jungle and discover a Plant Eater! The Captain's team plus another squad move into the jungle and nothing is there.

The Plant Eater does not eat plants! "How interesting" says Dr Banks the Science Officer. Screams and gunfire inform everyone else that it is dangerous as well! Two Crew and two Marines are killed while they inflict a few wounds and shock on the Plant Eater

The Plant Eater is finished off by the Sargent and his Mini Gatling Gun. The Captain and his Marine squad move forward.

The Captain is blocked by impenetrable bamboo stands. They will need to go another way.

The Marines and remaining crew lead the way. There is a rustle in the underbrush and a Chomper appears!

"Fascinating!" says Dr Banks.  "Fire!" says the Marine Sargent. But too late and the Chomper chomps three red shirted marines before it is brought down. 

The crew bravely lead the way into another section of jungle. Luckily it is empty!

In the last section of jungle there is movement and everyone is about to fire when the Captain says "Cease fire! They are Lizard men!"  The Lizard men wave to the Captain, remembering that he and the crew of the Endeavour saved their village in Episode 4. They show the crew the way to the edge of the clearing.

The Captain and remaining crew make it through to the Disreputable Gentlemen with the replacement TriLithium Crystal. Except for one marine who was lost in the jungle. See if you can find him!

The Captain and crew gratefully accept a lift in the repaired ship back to the Endeavour's shuttle. They have gone off the jungle walk.

 

Well another successful mission for the Captain. As long as you don't count the seven dead crew and marines.

A fun game played over a couple of nights using Galactic Heroes and a made up encounter table.

Spelt Chomper wrong :(

The next mission is going to be exploring. No more rescues. 

Episode Seven- Asteroid Base in Peril - A solar travels post

 Captain James T Cook and the HMSS Endeavour - VSF 1770

“Space the new frontier.  These are the voyages of the Her Majesty’s Star Ship Endeavour.  Its five year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilisations; to boldly go where no Englishman has gone before.”- Captain James T Cook

Well, one or two of you may remember two years ago when Episode Six was recorded. 

https://miniwarsyoumayhavemissed.blogspot.com/2019/10/episode-six-mad-mary-and-her-mechanical.html#comment-form

Finally Episode Seven is complete.

Captain’s Log: 15 July 1895 – The Asteroid Belt!

Cook on the Endeavour woke to the usual shouts from Cheerful Rodgers, "Orders from the Admiralty. A base has been over run by alien monsters and we have to go and save them!"

The Endeavour closed in on the asteroid base but there was no room to land, even for the shuttle craft. An away team of eight men was chosen from willing volunteers (aka - those who couldn't hide well enough from the Sargent and Cheerful Rodgers and would be led by Captain Cook and Science Officer Banks. Cheerful and the Sargent would be armed with portable Gatlings while the rest would have pistols.

They had to wear their EtherSuits to make the journey from the Endeavour's shuttle to the base. The base's shuttle bay was blocked.

The base has been over run by alien creatures. Skeletons litter the corridors while two survivors hide in the bathroom (bottom left)

Intrepid survivors

The away team move cautiously into the base, stopping at the first set of skeletons

An alien charges them and attacks!

The Sarge kills the first alien but two more attack the group entering the main passage way. Two other aliens are sneaking around behind!

More aliens come from the left killing one crew member. Cheerful Rodgers kills one and forces the other one back! But the aliens from behind have attacked and killed two crew members!

On the left a crew member is wounded and one alien killed, Cheerful Rodgers kills a second alien but runs out of ammo! On the right Science office Banks is wounded, but one alien is killed and the crew come to his rescue. "what about me" says Cheerful "I have run out of ammo!".

The final alien is killed top left and the crew start backing away. The intrepid survivors have made a run for it but some alien face huggers are on their tail!

Cook orders a withdrawal. This rock is uninhabitable. The crew are backing away. One survivor has made it, leaving his mate as meat for the face huggers! 

The face huggers are shot to bits by some of the crew as they cover the withdrawal. the intrepid survivor finds a nasty surprise in his shuttle. I don't think he is going to make it!

As the crew retreat the aliens let them go. The Queen is safe and has some fresh bodies to lay eggs in. Soon the colony will grow!

Captain James T Cook and his remaining crew make it back to the Endeavour exhausted.

Three crew dead, three wounded - including Science Officer Banks, a difficult mission. 

The Admiralty was informed that the base was no longer viable due to alien creature infestation. Only one thing to do, leak its position to the Prussians as a gold mine.

Another Episode that the Captain would like to forget but that will haunt his dreams. Cheerful Rodgers on the other hand had great fun, blasting away with his Gatling gun, smashing aliens!

What next for the crew. I wont say anything because it might take me another two years to sort out the terrain.

The asteroid base came from the Wargamesvault. I should have printed it out on thicker paper but in any event it worked well with the 2D map and some 3D scatter terrain to add some depth.

I used Galactic Heroes for the rules but with random activation using playing cards. It works well and gives some different twists as activations vary.

Episode Six - Mad Mary and her Mechanical Minions

Captain James T Cook and the HMSS Endeavour - VSF 1770

“Space the new frontier.  These are the voyages of the Her Majesty’s Star Ship Endeavour.  Its five year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilisations; to boldly go where no Englishman has gone before.”- Captain James T Cook

Captain’s Log: 15 June 1895 – Europa - moon of Jupiter!

After leaving Mars Cook received new orders from the Admiralty by aethergram "The daughter of Lord Backstabber has been reported missing. You are to look for her on the moons of Jupiter. We believe she is on Europa setting up some sort of weird suffragette community against her fathers wishes. Nonetheless, her father has lost contact with her and is yelling at the PM to find her. So act promptly."

"What do you think Captain" said my trusty man Cheerful Rodgers.

"Well, the Lord Backstabber is famous for being a complete idiot and I certainly would get as far as away as possible if I was related to him. Nonetheless, we have our orders. Ship Commander Robert Molyneux, please set course for Europa, moon of Jupiter."

Just as they reach Europa a further signal was received from the Admiralty. "We have received information that the Prussians will be looking for her as well. Apparently she has made some mad mechanical minions using some Martian Technology that the Prussians want for soldiers. You must find her first and secure any valuable mechanical items. We know it is unlikely that a woman can invent anything but she is British so you never know. Watch out for the Prussians!"

After searching Europa for a while the Endeavour found the settlement, unfortunately there was also a Prussian ship landing at the same time. It was Kapitan Jacob T Koch of the KISS Bemühen.

The landing ship of the Endeavour has landed closer to the settlement but the Prussians are already on their way.

The opening situation. Mad Mary's settlement to the bottom left, Prussians from the bottom right and our British hero's at the top left. Across the board, infestations of mushroom forests and giant carnivorous lady beetles. 

The Prussian column

The Endeavour's landing team. 

Lady Mary's Settlement. Well organised with power supplied by wind generators. Her Factories and staff have been busy and she has already produced a number of her mechanical servants. Some she has armed to keep the beetles away but her main project is her butlers. 

The Prussian column comes under attack from some beetles from the nearby Mushroom forests.

The Endeavour's crew moves out but the beetles also come out to attack them.

Prussians lose some men but kill the beetles

Cook's men also blast the beetles and lose some men

The Prussian column comes under further attack! Beetles to the left, beetles to the right.

Cook sends the Marines into the mushroom forest to clean out the beetles while he and the crew march forward through the gap destroying beetles as they go. When the marines get through they will be able to protect his flank from the Prussians.

Lady Mary moves her mechanical soldiers towards the gun fire she hears in the distance.

The Prussian column is under heavy attack but destroys all but one beetle for the loss of two men.

The British marines have cleared the mushroom forest for the loss of two men while the crew have forced through the gap for the loss of two men. A further marine squad comes up in support.

An over view of the battlefield. Cook is closer but Koch is not far away and has more men.

Cook meets Mary while holding off the beetles. No beetles dare attack Mary and her mechanical soldiers.

Koch and his Prussians suffer a further attack and lose two more men, slowing their advance.

Eventually the Prussians make it through and Mary addresses both companies.

Mary made it quite clear that she had no interest in helping either of them. "You and your commanders are all fools. There is no money in mechanical soldiers! I am going to give every housewife her own mechanical butler, mechanical maid and gardener. Women will finally be free of tedious house work!"

But said Koch "we will pay you plenty for your mechanical soldiers, and then the husbands can stay home and help with the house work."

Cook looked concerned and said "Well the husbands can stay home, I am not sure about house work!" His men nodded in agreement, as did some of the Prussian soldiers.

Mary just sighed and said "Go away. Tell my father that he is an idiot. A revolution is coming!"

Just before Cook and Koch wandered back to their respective space ships with their crews they held a short discussion. "We could try and take them by force but those mechanical men looked nasty! And of course it is rude to attack a woman." "I think we should just say we found her and she was safe but there was nothing else here, the mechanical men are clumsy and only do women's work." "Good idea!".

Both Captains made similar reports, and as Victoria and Wilhelm both agreed, Mary was left alone.

Cook on the Endeavour woke to the usual shouts from Cheerful Rodgers, "Orders from the Admiralty. A base has been over run by alien monsters and we have to go and save them!"

"Oh great" thought Cook, "another adventure".

Episode Five Mars- Rescue Mission May 1895

Captain James T Cook and the HMSS Endeavour - VSF 1770

“Space the new frontier.  These are the voyages of the Her Majesty’s Star Ship Endeavour.  Its five year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilisations; to boldly go where no Englishman has gone before.”- Captain James T Cook

Captain’s Log: 15 May 1895 – Mars!

After leaving Venus we received an S.O.S. on the Aethergram. "This is Earl Codpiece. My daughters and I are stranded in the city of Coccyx on Mars. Our colonisation mission has failed as all our civilian colonists have gone mad and are attacking us. They bite each other and then rise from the dead. We are surrounded in a building near the edge of the city. Our company of regular infantry are low on ammunition. Please help us!"

"What do you think Captain" said my trusty man Cheerful Rodgers.

"Well, the Earl Codpiece is famous for being a complete idiot and I certainly would start biting people if I was near him for anytime. But with the chance to pick up a company of redcoats we are going! Ship Commander Robert Molyneux, please set course for Coccyx on Mars."

We have landed on Mars again. The green rectangles are possible mad colonists.

Passing over the city we saw the Earl and his surviving crew members huddled on the roof of a building.

We can only deploy one Gatling gun after the debacle with the dinosaurs.

We cautiously deploy and already some dogs race towards us.

We fire at the dogs and kill one but one makes it to our lines and kills a crew man. 

Note:    The black skull marker shows where a crewman died. These stay here until they turn into a zombie. The red fire markers show where zombies were shot at/killed this turn and are then removed.

We kill the remaining dog and press onwards.

As we come closer to the city more crazy colonists (aren't they all though) appear and charge towards us.

Just then, the crewman killed by the dog comes back to life and charges the Gatling gun!. Cheerful Rodgers says "That is typical zombie behaviour Sir!. I saw that in Cuba in 85!"

I call out to the men "They are zombies not colonists! Load rifles. Shoot to kill!!"

Zombie dogs attack the Marines but they shoot down two 

Zombies come at the crew in the middle.

On the right the crew blast away at the zombies approaching them and kill four.

On the left the Marines finish off the last of the dogs.

We blast the oncoming zombies and kill two but lose two crewmen

The Gatling gun crew blasts the zombie attacking them.

On the right the zombie hordes advance menacingly.

Overview of the current situation.

In the middle we finish off the remaining zombies but lose another crewman. The Marines come to our aid.

On the right the crew kill three zombies but the rest advance.

The Senior Leadership Team bravely moves forward against minimal opposition. The Marines move up in support.

On the right the crew bravely blast away at the zombie horde killing five but losing two of their own.

In the middle the zombies assault but are destroyed. Luckily the Marines get there in time but two of them die. Behind us one the the dead crew re-animates as a zombie.

On the right the zombie assault continues. Another zombie goes down but the horde gets closer.

We push forward in the middle. Killing a zombie that reanimated from a Marine. The Earl has seen us and brings his force towards us. They must be completely out of ammunition as they form a square to defend all round with their bayonets.

On the right the zombie assault grows in strength as the crewmen retreat.

The zombies reanimate in the middle and attack

More Marines die while the Earl, his family and soldiers slowly move towards us and rescue

On the right the crew seem about to get overwhelmed by the zombie hordes. They kill many and then their own casualties come back to attack them.

In the middle the final zombies are killed off but on the right they have won and killed all the crewmen. These dead crewmen will now join the zombies.

The Gatling Gun blasts the zombies killing three. The rest of the crew retreat with the surviving colonists.

The zombies have been destroyed with no further losses.The colonists have been saved. A medal or two for the men no doubt and rewards, recognition and promotions for the officers.

Another successful mission, 14 crew and marines killed but they are replaced by 23 soldiers happily joining my command. The soldiers declined Earl Codpiece's suggestion to start a new colony saying that they wanted to repay their debt to the crew of the Endeavour. Cheerful later told me the men would happily join the devil if it meant they did not have to see or hear the Earl ever again. A backhanded compliment but I take what I can get.

Some of the ladies said they would like to join the crew but the Earl forbade it.

"Cheerful, send an aethergram to the Admiralty. Earl Codpiece and family saved. Soldier shortage sorted. Next mission please."

In the Admiralty Admiral Burns read the aethergram. "Excellent, excellent, the Earl will owe me big time now! Tell Cook he has another rescue mission. The daughter of Lord Backstabber has been reported missing. He is to look for her on the moons of Jupiter. We believe she is on Europa setting up some sort of weird suffragette community against her fathers wishes. Nonetheless, her father has lost contact with her and is yelling at the PM to find her. So act promptly."

Some notes. The zombies are not really identifiable in photos so I will add some blood to their bases.