Silver Bayonet Solo Campaign 4: The Last Mile

 

I finally got around to finishing the fourth scenario of the solo campaign in the main Silver Bayonet rulebook, using my unit of Polish “deserters” in Haiti.  The unit is led by Captain Andrzej Milna, aided by Sergeant Staszek Soroka, a Veteran Hunter, native Occultist Sulavi Coidavid, Native Scout Bien Aimee, and three infantrymen, Privates Dobusz, Szymanski, and Kowalczyk.

The unit had obtained several artifacts from a ruined chapel and is now seeking to return to the safety of the rebel camp in the mountains.  They need to cross one last stream to make good their escape.  However, the crossing is guarded by a detail from the French army.  (In the rule book, the opponents are listed as bandits but I thought it more thematic to have them as French troops.  I did keep the lesser bandit stats, justifying it as due to disease and fatigue among the Europeans.)

There were two crossing points, a bridge and a nearby ford.  

Both were guarded

Milna’s unit decided to approach through the jungle cover, hoping to eliminate the guard at the ford before they could be reinforced by the bridge guards. 

The unit opens fire on the French piquets.

Sergeant Soroka and Kowalczyk get lucky shots on two the French soldiers, killing them with their first shots.

However, the French sergeant returns fire, seriously wounded Kowalczyk

The French sentries on the bridge rush to the sound of the guns.

Milna and the rest of the unit rush towards the road, hoping to encircle the French gathering at the ford.

The gunfire has attracted French sentry from further down river.  (The scenario calls for a roll each turn to determine if a reinforcement arrives.  My rolls resulted in an extra French soldier appearing each turn!)

 Bien Ami discovers a magic ring lying in the brush.  All of his melee attacks will now count as being enchanted.

Milna rushes the French sergeant and cuts him down.

Sulavi discovers a tarnished military medal, giving them an extra Power or Skill die to their pool.

The bridge guards fire at Milna and one shot wounds the courageous leader.

 

Dobusz and Szymanski take cover behind some rocks near the road.  Soroka moves to support them.

The noise has called forth a ferocious Black Dog, the mystical creature manifesting under the bridge.  It rush out snarling.

Another French piquet approaches from down river.

Dobusz and Szymanski drop the French sentry who had been overlooking the bridge.

Sulavi finds a tattered prayer book.  Her melee attacks will count as being Blessed.

Firing from cover, the two wounded Poles, Kowalczyk and Milna fire at the two French guards on their side of the river, killing them both.  All six of the original guards at the bridge are now dead.

Another French soldier arrives.  The reinforcements rush to hold the bridge.

However, the Black Dog rushes toward Szymanski but is unable to reach him this turn. 

Sulavi rushes forward and places a curse on the creature.  It will be at a -1 on its attack rolls.

Milna charges and hacks at the creature with his holy sword, wounding it.  The creature snaps back at Milna but does not catch the wounded Captain.

Kowalczyk fires at the French trying to cross the bridge.

Hoping to distract the creature from his wounded Captain, Szymanski charges the creature and is wounded for his efforts.

Another French soldier appears from up river.

Bien Ami finally dispatches the foul beast.  It was fortunate that he had found the magic ring at the outset.

Kowalczyk is effective in keeping the French from crossing the bridge.

Milna approaches the bridge and discovers an old rune-covered dagger.

And yet another French soldier runs to the sound of the fight.

Sulavi follows after Milna, discovering a bag of moldy bread, no wonder the French are ill.

The unit has shot down the French soldiers closest to the bridge and now rush to cross.

Another French soldier appears.  The Poles must have been expected to cross near this spot.

Before crossing the unit engages in some long range fire.  The Poles have the better of it.

They finally make it across.  The remaining French do not close but snipe at the Poles.

The French fire at Sulavi but the shot misses the mambo.

Another French soldiers arrives from down river.  He is the only one close enough to block the road to the mountains. The Frenchman proves no match for the frustrated Bien Ami who gets a critical hit on him. 

The scattered French soldiers take some last pot shots at the retreating Poles.

Tragedy strikes at the last minute.  A lucky shot downs Private Dobusz.

Dragging the unconscious body of their comrade, the rest of the unit reaches the cover of the hills.  The battered French do not pursue.

Dobusz soon revives.  He has suffered only a flesh wound!  The unit proceed safely to their refuge in the mountains for a well deserved rest.

 

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.