Silver Bayonet: Solo Campaign 3 - Troll Hunt

 Here’s a summary of my third game of The Silver Bayonet solo campaign involving my unit of Polish “deserters” in Haiti. 

Captain Milna’s men along with their Haitian allies previously raided a ruined Spanish chapel to recover artifacts that will be useful in the fight against the supernatural.  After a hard couple of fights, they are camped in a clearing in the jungle on the way back to their mountain refuge.

Most of the unit is asleep with only two sentries awake, Sulavi the Mambo and Private Dobusz, when trouble erupts.

Suddenly several lizardmen charge from the jungle.  Note: the scenario calls for goblins and a troll to attack the unit.  Although I used the game stats for these opponents, the names didn’t quite sound right for the Caribbean setting so I used old GW skink lizardmen figures for the goblins, calling them Simbis, named after the guardian spirits of water and marshes.   Instead of a troll, I used a vaguely Cthulhu figure, naming it Bosou after a particularly strong and aggressive loa spirit.

Dobusz fired at one of the Simbi but missed while Sulavi charged it and struck it down. She found a bag of iron nails. (In game terms, she investigated a clue marker finding the iron nails, giving the unit’s shooting attacks to count as using Cold Iron.)

However, three more of the Simbi charged into the sleeping camp.

 

Soroka awoke at the last minute and barely fended off an attacking Simbi.

Bien Amee awoke and charged toward Simbi attacking Soroka, his blades slicing into the lizardman, killing it.

More of the lizardmen emerged from the woods.

Dobusz hastily reloaded his musket and fired, dropping another Simbi.

One of the lizardmen approached Milna who was struggling to awake from a deep slumber.

Milna held off the attacker and struck it with his sword.

Despite the surprise, the unit was holding its own.  They turned to face the three Simbi approaching from the south side of the clearing.

Milna sortied out to investigate a promising object at the edge of the woods, hoping to draw one of the Simbi into attacking him.

The ploy worked.  Milna parried the creature’s attack and struck it down with his blessed sword.

The two remaining Simbi hugged the woods seeking cover from the Poles’ musket fire.

 

Milna made it to the object and found a bundle of kindling wood that would be useful in adding fire to the unit’s melee attack.

Bien Amee ran to an old totem at the edge of the woods, it would prove to be ideal firewood, good for torches.

Suddenly, a horrific giant emerged from the woods behind Sulavi.  It sank its talons into her as its tentacled mouth grasped at her throat.

 

Grievously wounded, she managed to pull away from the horror.  The courageous mambo managed to steel her nerves against the thing of nightmares.  (In game terms, Sulavi took 8 points of damage and the creature had the Soul Shear ability that causes the victim to make  aTerror Check with a penalty equal to the damage inflicted. Sulavi has a +3 Courage and rolled incredible well on this check, suffering no ill effects from the horrific attack.)

Soroka and Dobusz rushed to her aid, interposing themselves between Sulavi and the Bosou.

Meanwhile, the remaining Simbi attacked the sluggish Poles Szymanski and Kowalczyk who were still trying to rouse themselves.

The Simbi exuded an aura that interfered with technology, rendering the two Poles’ muskets inoperable. The pair had to defend themselves with their bayonets.  Ultimately, the Poles were able to prevail against the two creatures.

At the same time, the Bosou struck down Private Dobusz and then turned on Sergeant Soroka. Despite being a veteran monster hunter, when Soroka saw the creature’s claws entering his flesh, his mind reeled and he fell to the ground unconscious. (Mechanically, Soroka suffered 6 points of damage and failed his Terror Check with a “Collapse” result).

Another Simbi joined the fray, adding to the unit’s crisis.

Making up for his earlier sloth, Szymanski put a cold iron bullet through the creature’s head.  (I rolled a critical success on Szymanski’s shot.)

The remaining members of the party rallied around the fire to face the Bosou.

Bien Amee rushed forward and struck a fearsome blow against the creature with his flaming torch.

The creature struck back at the Bien Amee but the scout held it bay with its torches.  Milna now charged and struck at the creature with another flaming brand.  The horror burst into flames.

 

As quiet descended on the clearing, the party  took stock, Sulavi saw the glint of a gold ring, some ancient artifact. (Sulavi investigated the last clue marker.)

 

At the end of the game, the party had earned 6 experience points, for investigating 3 or more clue markers, killing 3 or more Simbi (goblins), killing the Bosou (troll) and have at least four soldiers on the board at the end of the game.  I rolled for the fate of Soroka and Dobusz.  Dobusz roll a 2 on the Injury and Death table, receiving a permanent wound.  He received a result of “the Shakes” meaning he will be at a permanent -1 to his Shoot.  Soroka rolled on the Insanity Table, also receiving a 2 “Episodes of Madness” meaning that in each scenario, there is a possibility that he will activate as a monster for one turn.

 

 

  

 

Silver Bayonet Game: Solo Campaign 2 - The Ruined Chapel

 This is a report of my second solo game of Silver Bayonet, using my unit of Polish “deserters” in Haiti.  Led by Captain Milna, the unit includes veteran hunter Sergeant Soroka, occultist Sulavi, native scout Bien Aimee, and infantrymen Dobusz, Szymanski, and Kowalczyk.  (Szymanski had been reduced to 0 health in scenario 1, his fate roll at the end of that game resulted in a “Slow recovery” meaning that he starts the game at -3 health.)

As in the previous game, the vegetation is from a variety of makers, including cheap floral display materials, and aquarium decorations.  The Styrofoam mountains are scratch-built as are the very large trees that are built on top of an old Star Wars toy.  The ruins of the chapel are from Games Workshop Lord of the Rings line.  The tombstones are from a variety of makers, including Lemax Halloween decorations.  The revenants are Mantic ghouls, the female vampire is from Reaper and the Nosferatu is, old figure, possibly Ral Partha? Our heroes are Trent Miniatures. (I should note that the book calls for there to be only 6 tombstones as spawn points for the revenants.  This didn’t look quite right so I used a lot more tombstones and used the dead trees to mark the spawn points.)

In the first scenario, Capt. Milna and his troop discovered that a French specialist unit that had been wiped out by supernatural forces had been seeking a ruined chapel, built by the original Spanish settlers of the island, that contained a number of relics that would be useful in the fight against the forces of evil.  Milna recovered this unit’s orders and led his troops and their Haitian allies to retrieve the relics themselves.  As they approach the chapel, they see it is swarming with undead revenants. Following on the success they had against the Dark Hounds in scenario 1, the Poles decide to use part of the unit as a fire base to bring down their foes clearing the way for the rest of the party to investigate the four clues in the ruined chapel.   Privates Dobusz, Szamanski, and Kowalczyk fire on one of the revenants lurking in the graveyard, inflicting only a minor wound on the creature. 

As the undead begin to move toward the Poles, Sergeant Soroka uncharacteristically fails to hit his target. 

Milna rushes forward and destroys the revenant wounded by Private Kowalczyk’s shot.

Sulavi and Bien Aimee run towards the chapel, hoping to gather up the relics before the undead can overwhelm them.

On the far end of the graveyard, a dark figures veritably slithers toward them, a vampire!

 

Milna dispatches the revenant that Soroka had missed earlier.

Sulavi and Bien Aimee clamber over one of the ruined chapel walls.

More revenants begin pushing into the chapel from the far graveyard.

 

Another revenant and the vampire also approach through the overgrown yard.

The three privates blast away at another revenant but miss.

Soroka downs another of the revenants at the far end of the chapel while Sulavi and Bien Aimee leapt down and rush toward the first two clues. They uncover a silver knife and a bag of silver shot. 

The three privates charge the revenant and strike it down with their bayonets.

Milna moves forward to protect Sulavi as more revenants and the vampire approach.  Soroka takes careful aim and fires a silver bullet into the vampire’s chest, wounding it severely.

 

As Sulavi rushes to the next clue, finding a jewel-encrusted silver cross, two revenants fall upon Milna.

 

The vampire and another revenant attack Bien Aimee. 

Wounded by the vampire’s attack but still standing, the big Haitian leaps back but is stunned by attack from the fearsome creature of the night.  (Stunned means that he will be at a -1 on all rolls until the end of his next activation.

Meanwhile, one of the revenant has sunk its teeth into Milna’s shoulder but he strikes it down with his sword.  

The remaining revenant slashes at Milna who drops to the ground! (Milna has been brought to 0 health, at the end of the game, he will have to roll on the Injury and Death Table to determine his fate.)

 

The three privates rush to protect their fallen Captain’s body, destroying the revenant that had brought him down.

As the severely wounded Bien Aimee calls for them to fall back, Soroka dispatches another revenant that has clawed its way out of a grave.

Sulavi fends off another revenant and then backs out of the chapel.

As Dobusz and Szymanski drag the lifeless body of Milna away, the vampire rushes toward Kowalczyk. Soroka fires another silver bullet into the horror, ending her unnatural life.

As the vampire falls, she screeches out a horrific cry.  It is answered by her consort who emerges from the jungle seeking vengeance.

Seeing this new horror, Soroka orders the party to retreat.  The vampire charges toward them but the unit had a good head start and manages to evade it, reaching the safety of the jungle.

 

At the end of the game, I rolled for Milna’s fate.  It proved to be merely a flesh wound.  Milna will recovery to lead his unit in the next game…