< WARNING SPOILERS FOR 50 FATHOMS AHEAD MATEY!>
SETUP
With Admiral Duckworth in play and Chessie having the Enemy card in play, we determined that she would get an extra card and play this session for her character Unk.
With David showing up, I drew an adventure card due to him having a Pandora's Box cursed Cutlass (It is +2 damage though!).
This week we are using DramaScape's Skull Cove for the large-scale mass combat.
Day 156
PLACE: BRIGANDY BAY
WEATHER: RAINY
TIME OF DAY: NIGHT
The group left the ship and started to warn pirates at the docks of the impending invasion of the British East India Company within days. Runners at the ships ran to the various taverns and bars to tell the news to the carousing pirates. Most of the drunken pirates stumbled towards their ships to escape Brigandy Bay.
The group was approached by a messenger who asked to see La Sanguine bearing a message in a scroll case for him with the wax seal of the Coalition...
Red Pirate Roberts opened the scroll case and read the message inside.
To La Sanguine of the galleon Nightmare Ascendant,
You made a promise to protect Brigandy Bay
even though you are of Earth. It is time for the Coalition to fulfill its duty.
Meet us at the Black Queen to discuss
battle plans.
-Gunari
Guntris
Red Pirate Roberts decided to go to the Black Queen and meet with The Coalition. She met Gunari Guntris of the galley The Rusty Cannon and Bray of the cutter Swift Death. Gunari wanted to know where La Sanguine was at. The group offered proof that La Sanguine was dead with Horventerous showing them his Devil's Eye. Red Pirate Roberts told them she estimated the British East India Company fleet led by Admiral Duckworth on the H.M.S. Justice would arrive in approximately three days. Red Pirate Roberts decided that they would stay and fight with them to save Brigandy Bay. Gunari Guntris outlined the battle plan. The Rusty Cannon and Swift Death would hide their ships in caverns on the left side and the Nightmare Ascendant would hide in a cavern on the right side. The pirates would set up traps on the shoreline and retreat inland away from the British ship cannons while setting up cannons on the high ground. With the battle plan in place, the group caroused with their new friends as if it might be their last few days on Caribdus. Red Pirate Roberts gave the crew 1,250 pieces of eight for carousing.
Unk noticed their pretty server, a redhead, had a black-eye. So he hit on her poorly. She demanded 50 pieces of eight if he would like to stay over. Horventerous and Red Pirate Roberts gave him 25 silver each to pay for it. Unk went to her room.
She told Unk that her name was Annie Mason. Annie confessed she was a slave to the Halu of the Black Queen and was illegally saving money to pay for someone to help her escape. Unk said he would help her escape for free. Annie was overjoyed and made love to Unk.
Day 157
PLACE: BRIGANDY BAY
WEATHER: SUNNY
TIME OF DAY: MORNING
Unk tried to sneak out of the Black Queen with Annie Mason and Suzu. But the bouncers stopped them from leaving the inn. They went back to Annie's room and Unk ransacked the closet coming up with an ill-timed disguise. He disguised all three of them in British East India Company uniforms.
[Chessie played Homemade Flag.]
Unk tried to sneak out again a second time but the bouncers were furious at seeing their uniforms. They pulled out their pistols and shot at Unk and Suzu leaving them both deafened by the shots at close range.
"Stop trying to shoot them and leaving holes in the Black Queen. You could kill the girls. This is blade work boys! Kill him and knock-out those girls."--Halu.
Unk hooked and tripped a human bouncer and slashed a second one with his long sword.
The remaining two bouncers drew their cutlasses.
"Look out behind you!"--Human Bouncer.
But Unk wasn't fooled.
The other human bouncer slashed Unk's belly with his cutlass.
Unk smashed the human bouncer who sliced him with the broad side of his long sword, leaving him dazed.
Annie grabbed a dagger from one of the downed pirates.
Suzu kept holding her ears in pain.
Annie stabbed at the human bouncer with her knife but whiffed badly.
Unk used his cutlass to slash the other human bouncer in the side while he was distracted by Annie.
Suzu grabbed the rails and moved next to her brother, still in shock.
The human bouncer grabbed a tuft of bear skin rug and threw it at Unk's face but he dodged it. Unk blocked his cutlass strike with his hook.
Annie moved in to lunge at the remaining human bouncer but missed.
Suzu recovered from her shell shock and pierced her spear through the last bouncer's heart.
The three of them rushed through the front door of the Black Queen to the streets of Brigandy Bay.
Unk said. "This disguise isn't working!" Then he stripped naked.
Unk told the girls to remove their clothes and they refused. Unk then streaked back to the Nightmare Ascendant.
Horventerous restored Red Pirate Robert's leg with greater healing.
Day 157
PLACE: BRIGANDY BAY
WEATHER: SUNNY
TIME OF DAY: NOON
Horventerous went to the Black Market and bartered for a map to L'Ollonaise's treasure by giving the seller a gold ring and necklace. He sold the stone Masaquani sculpture for 250 pieces of eight.
Red Pirate Roberts sold her Narwhale peg leg for 700 pieces of eight and a gem for 15 pieces of eight.
[Ellen critically failed her Streetwise roll on a diamond, so a Bennie and 15 pieces of eight for something that was probably worth 500+ pieces of eight.]
Cyrus Black grabbed the two double-barreled pistols and loaded them with gunpowder while placing a musket in his quarters on the ship.
Day 157
PLACE: BRIGANDY BAY
WEATHER:SUNNY
TIME OF DAY: AFTERNOON
Cyrus Black looked over Horventerous's map when he returned to the ship. It wasn't a forgery. He also noticed that the landmarks were similar to the forgery they had previously encountered and immediately recognized Monkape Rock on Perck. Whereas the previous map had a turn right and east to the desert at Monkape Rock, this map had a turn left to the west through the mountains and ending up deep in the forest. Getting to the false location was a three day journey and getting to this one would easily take eight or more days over land.
Horventerous healed Unk's gut wound with greater healing.
Day 158
PLACE: BRIGANDY BAY
WEATHER: OVERCAST
The group sailed out of Brigandy Bay harbor and looked for the hidden nook they were to hide inside. The other two Coalition ships sailed out to find the nook on the opposite side. With that, there were no more ships in the harbor.
Day 159
PLACE: BRIGANDY BAY
WEATHER:SUNNY
TIME OF DAY: NOON
Admiral Duckworth landed the H.M.S. Justice, the two galleons, and the one remaining brigantine at the Brigandy Bay docks. The marines disembarked to take over the town.
 |
| The Rusty Cannon and Swift Death on the left as green ships. British East India red ships represent the galleons and brigantine with red soldiers as the marines. The white ship is the H.M.S. Justice. The green soldiers are pirates on the island. The white ship to the far right is the Nightmare Ascendant. The British hold a 10 to 8 token advantage to start. This is due to the group sinking two of their brigantines and the Nightmare Ascendant being here rather than elsewhere and The Coalition staying rather than fleeing. |
[David critically failed the Knowledge (Battle) roll for Gunari Guntris. They had to spend all his Bennies on a reroll. David played Cursed Zone and made Admiral Duckworth lose a Bennie.]
[Ellen played Here Comes The Cavalry to add a brigantine token to their side, meaning it was 9 to 9 at this point.]
The Rusty Cannon and Swift Death sailed around the halfway point on the left arm of the island. The Nightmare Ascendant gained speed and turned around the right arm into the harbor followed by a brigantine with a pirate flag. Horventerous cast blast against the marines along the shore. Cyrus Black fired his cannon and sunk the British brigantine. Unk manned a cannon which was destroyed in an explosion. The cannonball went through the cannon and took Unk's hook with it.
[Chessie played Lucky Break to survive and Unk lost his hook hand.]
The Rusty Cannon and Swift Death sailed around the three quarters point on the left arm of the island. The Nightmare Ascendant rammed the H.M.S. Justice. Horventerous cast blast against the soldiers on the shore. Cyrus Black jumped onto the H.M.S. Justice and fired his two double-barreled pistols and was shocked when they reloaded on their own! But he was quickly out of gunpowder. Unk swung over to the H.M.S. Justice and fought his way to a cannon. The pirate brigantine sunk a British galleon.
The Rusty Cannon and Swift Death sailed around the left arm of the island. Horventerous cast blast against the soldiers on the shore. Natsu Nara had been awakened from down below by the sudden ram and woke up angry. He fired earthen rock cannonballs that sunk the other British galleon. Red Pirate Roberts directed her sailors to make an escape route for Cyrus. Cyrus Black returned to the Nightmare Ascendant to reload. Unk lit a wick and caused a cannon on the H.M.S. Justice to explode next to him as he tried to swing back on board the Nightmare Ascendant. The force of the explosion knocked him all the way back onto the deck of the Nightmare Ascendant.
[Chessie played Second Wind with a Bennie after having to soak a Wound with a Bennie to survive this mass combat round.]
Admiral Duckworth ordered the Marines to retreat. His wind mage cast becalm on the Nightmare Ascendant. A rolling fog descended on Brigandy Bay but then the wind just died. Cyrus Black tried to parley with Admiral Duckworth but he refused to surrender the H.M.S. Justice to pirates.
"If you continue to fight you doom yourself and three hundred men to their deaths."--Cyrus Black
"Better to die than to let the H.M.S. Justice fall into the hands of pirate scum. I am an Admiral. I am prepared to go down with my ship if need be."--Admiral Duckworth
"So be it."--Cyrus Black
[Ellen played Inside Knowledge with a Bennie.]
Red Pirate Roberts suddenly remembered that Admiral Duckworth was sensitive to his last name and didn't like insults that involved ducks. She told Unk and he swung on a rope saying, "Quack, quack!" This infuriated Duckworth and he shot at Unk with his pistol but missed him. Natsu Nara and Horventerous brought their magical bolts to bear against the H.M.S. Justice. Cyrus Black manned a cannon and fired at the H.M.S. Justice.
[I played Rolling Fog from the Pandora's Box Curse Card. David countered with a Bennie + Becalmed. Only The Rusty Cannon, a galley, could move this mass-combat round.]
The H.M.S. Justice sank to the bottom of Brigandy Bay with Admiral Duckworth and over 160 British sailors and marines. Over 140 marines were killed on the shore trying to return to the H.M.S. Justice from pirate traps and cannon fire. The British East India Company's entire invasion force had been massacred at Brigandy Bay.
Horventerous tried to swim after the sinking treasure of the ship and found a sword. But when he reached out to grab it, it glew green, and wounded him. He let the sword go and returned to the surface.
The group found a blunderbuss that had washed onto the shore and gained 4,000 pieces of eight in found plunder.
The Coalition was pleased with the group for saving Brigandy Bay except for Unk. They warned him to never show his face at the Black Queen ever again or he would be killed on sight. They told him he could keep Annie if that would keep him away from the Black Queen. They also implied he should be careful on strolls around Brigandy Bay.
[The Coalition had seen what kind of firepower the Nightmare Ascendant could bring to bear in the battle and didn't want to fight Red Pirate Roberts over three dead pirate bodies (one of them survived) and a piece of stolen property when they had saved the entire island and their inn.]
Ricardo Montagne was also pleased and delivered a proposal to the Coalition.
To the Coalition,
The Spanish Guild proposes a
non-aggression pact with Brigandy Bay. The Coalition members are free to work
as privateers for the Spanish Guild except against Spanish ships. Coalition
members may use their Coalition membership charter as papers when confronted by
Spanish Guild ships. Attacking a Spanish Guild ship voids a member from this
contract and they will be treated as pirates again by the Spanish Guild. In
exchange, I ask that the Coalition cooperate with the Spanish Guild in
attacking Baltimus and the British East India Company.
-Ricardo
Montagne
The Coalition and Red Pirate Roberts agreed to the deal and to head to New Madrid. Cyrus Black helped Red Pirate Roberts get gunpowder and cannonballs to resupply the Nightmare Ascendant at the Black Market.
Then everyone caroused to celebrate their victory!
Day 160-163
PLACE: THE PIRATE SEA
The Coalition and the Nightmare Ascendant traveled towards New Madrid. Horventerous regrew Unk's upper arm and hand with greater healing.
Day 164
PLACE: THE PIRATE SEA
WEATHER: OVERCAST
TIME OF DAY: AFTERNOON
A swarm of razor wings appeared but Ricardo used zephyr to disperse the swarm.
Day 165
PLACE: THE PIRATE SEA
WEATHER: FOGGY
TIME OF DAY: DUSK
When the ghostly visage of Redbeard Rufus appeared, the group's Coalition allies fled. Captain Brays and the Swift Death didn't return. The sight of the Incinerator's fiery cannonballs had triggered pyrophobia in him and a remembrance of the volcanic ocean where his Doreen people were slaughtered by the Kehana. He fled back towards Brigandy Bay. The Rusty Cannon and Captain Guntris turned around after getting over their initial panic. Horventerous tried using the Devil's Eye against Redbeard Rufus but it didn't work. Unk hid below decks afraid of the dead bodies that walk and fire. Cyrus manned a cannon but the shots kept going through the Incinerator.
Red Pirate Roberts tried ramming the Incinerator, but it phased out of existence. Horventerous hit the Incinerator with a water bolt that struck the rudder.
The Rusty Cannon crossed the T against the Incinerator as the Incinerator crossed the T against the Nightmare Ascendant. The Rusty Cannon's cannonballs phased right through the Incinerator. The Incinerator's fiery cannonballs set the Nightmare Ascendant's port aflame, but Horventerous used elemental manipulation to pull water from the ocean and put out the fire.
Cyrus missed the Incinerator and directed a cannonball over the head of The Rusty Cannon.
The Rusty Cannon and Nightmare Ascendant escaped as the wounded Incinerator couldn't keep up with them.
Day 166-167
PLACE: THE PIRATE SEA
The Rusty Cannon and the Nightmare Ascendant continued traveling towards New Madrid following the Whip Islands chain.
Day 168
PLACE: THE PIRATE SEA
WEATHER: FOGGY
TIME OF DAY: DUSK
Redbeard Rufus returned! Horventerous cast a bolt that hit the bulwark of the Incinerator.
Ricardo cast a burst of wind that cleared a landing spot on the Incinerator. Horventerous and Cyrus Black boarded the Incinerator. Cyrus fired both his double-barreled pistols at Redbeard Rufus but he wasn't affected. Horventerous cast a bolt from his scepter of fire at Redbeard Rufus and he just laughed. Zombies moved towards them.
The Nightmare Ascendant and The Rusty Cannon veered to miss a rocky shoal that the Incinerator simply went through. Cyrus and Horventerous rushed Redbeard Rufus. His screaming scimitar was swung against both of them but missed. Cyrus drew a cutlass and it went right through Redbeard Rufus. Horventerous drew his bone sword and managed to at least temporarily wipe that smirking grin from Redbeard Rufus as he nearly felt it pierce him. Zombies crept closer to them.
The Rusty Cannon crossed the T but missed the Incinerator.
An angered Natsu Nara cast an earthen cannonball that sunk the Incinerator! Redbeard Rufus swiped his ethereal hands over Horventerous trying to grab the golden triangles but went through him instead. Horventerous and Cyrus Black jumped off the vanishing ship and swam until they could be rescued.
[The chances of pulling the King of Diamonds and King of Hearts in four encounter cards seems very unlikely, but it happened!]
Day 169-173
PLACE: THE PIRATE SEA
The Rusty Cannon and the Nightmare Ascendant continued traveling towards New Madrid.
Day 174
PLACE: THE PIRATE SEA
WEATHER: OVERCAST
TIME OF DAY: AFTERNOON
Red Pirate Roberts spied a galleon in between them and New Madrid. They approached the galleon and it pulled up a pirate flag. It approached and unloaded all its cannons after crossing the T and missed!
 |
| I cross the T with the pirate galleon and need only a 4 or better to hit on 8 cannon shots with a Joker negating a lack of Steady Hands penalties. And not a 4 + was rolled. |
[David got a 17 on Persuasion to convince the pirates to join them!]
[End of Session]
XP: 3; Veteran (4; Seasoned)
MINIMUM XP: 35
LOOT: 4,000 pieces of eight, Blunderbuss (x2 range)
MINIATURES
Tri-folds used are from the 50 Fathoms Figure Flat Pack PDF and the metal Kraken miniature made by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Kongo (Unk) is from Grey Matter Games Deadly Missions Mercenaries and Kitha (Suzu) is from Grey Matter Games Deadly Missions Third Edition.
Ships used are from Letters of Marque by Fantasy Flight Games and a sailing porcelain ship from Red Rose Tea. The soldier tokens are from the board game Terra Nova, a game that has some similarities with GO that we purchased at Con of the Cob's auction. I chose these figures because they have red and green pieces that matched the ship colors. It seemed like a more interesting way to display tokens.
MAPS
For the Black Queen, I used Battle Map: The Bottoms Up Tavern by Middle Kingdoms Adventure & Trading Co.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/248698/Battle-Map---The-Bottoms-Up-Tavern?affiliate_id=12615
For the mass battle, I used DramaScape's Skull Cove as a proxy for Brigandy Bay. Skull Cove is a large-scale battle map that is useful for these kinds of battles or as a map where you can plan a city for downtime sorts of sessions on the tabletop.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/123198/Skull-Cove?affiliate_id=12615
This was otherwise an unusual for this group theater of the mind sort of session with three chase style ship battles.
GM Notes
This was definitely a cool session, as every character just had moments where they shined. For Unk, he saved Annie. For Horventerous, he restored Unk's hand and Red Pirate Robert's leg with Greater Healing. For Cyrus Black, he used persuasion to add a wounded galleon to The Coalition. For Natsu Nara, he made the Incinerator phase out and saved Horventerous and Cyrus from certain death (The next round was going to be a brutal 5 zombies attacking each with +6 to fighting against them (Gang-Up +4 and Wild Attack +2). Red Pirate Roberts got to use her new Ramming Speed edge to full effect and pin the H.M.S. Justice in the mass combat.
No comments:
Post a Comment