Chapter IV: A Newbie Hope

You just never know what's going to happen in a Two Hour Wargame (THW) game.  Played with the 5150:New Beginnings ruleset with PEF movement courtesy of Colonial Adventures.

Notes on the game:

The rules used were 5150: New Beginings.

The first PEF (Possible Enemy Force) was just nerves -- a peaceful herbivore having a snack. 

Biclighter is sent ahead to scout the sacred circle of the Old Ones.  He approaches cautiously and peeks around the corner, weapon drawn -- aah! a guard!   (Note: at this point I discovered it was a really, really, really bad idea to send a single figure out scouting in a THW game.  The PEF resolved as an equal group -- there was an entire congregation at worship in the sacred circle!  I decided most of the supplicants would be bowed down to their moist god, but there would be at least one tribescreature at the entrance handing out hymnals and asking for donations and such.  So the insight was between Biclighter and the Usher)

Biclighter gets the drop on the usher and I decide rather than Fire he will attempt a People challenge.  A Major Success will result in him being taken to the leader peacefully.  Anything else will be bad news -- after all, he's just desecrated a sacred site. 

Biclighter passes 1d6 -- not a total failure so: 
The usher just points and stammers.  The congregation turns to shush him but their annoyance quickly turns to alarm.  And two of the supplicants are off duty police with their pistols on them  (Congregation randomly generated from the Ganger table.) 

Seconds later both police were down and out of the fight.  And I realized that the unarmed congregants should have charged so they do so now.  The first is gunned down OD.  The second makes it into combat but ends up knocked down stunned.

All of that from just one in-sight test.  (I think I would do this differently now but for this time I had one Insight for Biclighter and the usher and then let the congregation turn around and roll a second Insight against Biclighter with the usher out of it.  But this worked too so...)

[Ed: I wonder what the dread god will make of this innocent blood being spilled in his holy circle....]

Since the Rebels were still active I let them move up and take the two live churchgoers into custody.  (I forgot to do Man Down tests for them! dang!)

With two PEFs resolved and the last in cover in the town (so it's not going to be moving), the Rebels prepare to cross the ford -- just as another PEF shoed up in the middle of the river (doubles on activation).  Luckily this turned out to be another beast who lumbered off into the jungle (there was a clear LOS up the river to where the PEF was generated). 

At this point I made the executive decision that the the last PEF was going to be the main body, so the Rebels advanced cautiously into the village.  I'd learned from the first fight and sent 2 ahead this time -- Luc and Biclighter -- with the other group covering. 

So Biclighter pushes around a hut and spots a tribesman with a SMG!  Luc advances two inches bringing the SMG into sight along with a regular ganger.  Luc fires and spectacularly misses the SMG gunner.  Biclighter splits his fire, missing the SMG but taking the other down OOF.  The SMG opens up, also splitting fire -- Biclighter goes OOF and Luc goes down Stunned! At this point it looks bad for the Rebels! But...the tribal elder activates his stealth suit and orders his warriors to charge into battle -- one is forced to duck back but  in a scene out of a John Woo film ALL the rest of the combatants on both sides go down -- the last two with simultaneous OD results!  Awesome! 

So the final scene is set.  Luc shakes his head and sits up groggily.  Biclighter is down and moaning out in the open to his right.  A quick glance behind shows the two other Rebel troopers dead.  In front of him he can sense a warrior.  And to his left a massive dark presence lurks in the Force -- the tribal elder.  Luc moves first and dashes around the hut to active fire the elder (Grath stats) from behind.  Snake eyes -- ones on both shots! 

Activation passes to the tribesmen -- the Jackal activates first and charges Luc from the flank.  Luc desperately knocks him to the ground as the Arbiter charges around the hut.  Luc and the Arbiter face off -- and it isn't pretty.  The Arbiter grunts in satisfaction as his sword claw goes straight through Luc's chest.

Miraculously Luc is simply OOF -- which means that the tribesmen take him and Biclighter hostage -- along with the droid...