Biggles and the Castle of Terror

I put together a couple of Pulp Alley scenarios for the last club meeting.  These saw four players duking it out to investigate a secret Nazi weapons facility in the period before the war.

The four leagues were British, American, Soviet and Italian and were competing to secure or destroy the secret weapons (but had no idea what they actually were!).  The table was split into three with the two main areas being outside and inside the facility with the third being the interior locations for the latter (as the buildings I was using did not have removable roofs.

The briefs given to the players were all variants of the following:

You have been contacted by [insert name of intelligence agency*] to undertake a covert mission for them.  

Intelligence has been received that the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RHSA) have had their Sonderkommando H set up an operation at Schloß Wiedergänger in the Bavarian mountains in order to develop new special weapons for the growing Nazi war machine.

Your mission is to infiltrate the castle, determine the nature of the weapons, steal any useful materials and, if possible, disrupt their operations. If you or any of your team are killed or captured the British Government will deny any connection with you.

It is understood that the castle is best approached from the south. Security at the rear gate is said to be light and there are also rumours of a secret passage giving access to the barbican assuming you can find the entrance. A local operative will attempt to answer any questions you may have. They will also guide you to the castle grounds but from there you are on your own!

*Strictly speaking the Italian faction were actually working for the remains of the Cosa Nostra rather than the Fascist regime so their brief was a little different.

An overview of the table

Scenario 1: Approaching the Castle

The four leagues arrived at the edge of the Castle grounds in the dead of night, so visibility was limited.  

Count Casamir's Russian League

Carson Smith and his Americans

Biggles and friends

Captain Valentina's Italian league were the first to encounter guards from the castle. Fortunately the first was having a quiet drink and Valentina used her feminine wiles to secure his Security Pass.  This helped her enormously when she then encountered a patrol. Her men were somewhat less fortunate!

Captain Valentina and her mafiosi

Captain Valentina approaches the gate with her stolen pass

Count Casamir encountered a priest near the ruins of the chapel.  After surprising him and getting bashed on the head with his bible the Count placated him and he shared some of the castle's history.  Key amongst his information was that information giving the location of the secret passage into the castle was encoded on one of the head stones.  The Count and his league started searching the graveyard for the relevant tombstone.

Count Casimir's league advances through the cemetery

Meanwhile Biggles and his companions had encountered a somewhat distressed woman. Initially they frightened her and she set about them with her rolling pin.  Fortunately Ginger arrived and placated the woman, after which she told them her sad tale.  Her daughter, Ilsa, had gone missing in the middle of the night and couldn't be found; but she was certain that Ilsa had been taken to the Castle as tales of dark deeds there abounded.

Biggles and friends advance on the other side of the chapel

Meanwhile Carson Smith and friends were making heavy weather of moving through the cemetery with some of his team falling into an open grave in the dark (at least one of them more than once!).  Having made some much noise they attracted the attention of both Biggles and Count Casamir with the former opening fire on the hapless Americans.

Captain Valentina's crew encounter a patrol

Captain Valentina managed to get into the Castle easily using her stolen pass.  She then distracted the guards long enough to allow some of her men to sneak in behind them.

After a skirmish the British, Russian and American teams found the secret passage and made their own way into the Castle.

Scenario 2: Inside the Castle

Once inside the Castle all the leagues moved quickly to investigate the nearest buildings.

The unlucky Yanks opened the door to the nearest building and discovered the Beta test versions of the Tötentruppen who were most eager to meet them (tear them limb from limb and eat their brains too!)

Dan O'Bannon wishes he hadn't opened that door!

Biggles' team forced their way into the central building and discovered Stahl Mask and his personal Tötentruppen guards (the production versions).  After a brief firefight, Biggles threw a smoke grenade in to blind the opposition and then rushed in.

Biggles throws a smoke grenade

Captain Valentina and her crew investigated the Castle keep.  On the first floor her first mate Stefano opened the door to discover Dr Metzger and his latest creation, the Unmensch!

Stefano Ricci is in for a surprise!

Stefano encounters the Unmensch

The Russians meanwhile thought they were in for an easy time as their building only seemed to contain human opposition.  To their surprise, however, when engaging one of the guards he transformed into an actual Werwolf!

Count Casamir faces the Werwolf

Leaving Stefano to hold the Unmensch on the first floor, Captain Valentina advanced up to the second where she encountered Count Orlok and his companions along with young Ilsa who was about to be sacrificed!  On engaging the Count the Captain was shocked when he and his companions suddenly morphed into their true forms - vampires!  They flew at the Captain and her crewmates and desperate fight ensued.

Count Orlok reveals his true nature

In the end, with the Unmensch trapped in their room, Stahl Mask and Count Orlok defeated, it was Biggles who took home the most spoils - back to Blighty for tea and medals!

Clone Alley

I popped over to see an old friend for a couple of days and we played a few games.  I thought I would showcase one he put on using his 3D printed Clone Wars era figures using the Pulp Alley rules.

The scenario involved a Jedi Knight and his Padawan facing off against a substantial Separatist droid force.

The game really highlighted how flexible the Pulp Alley rules are and their ability to be used for a wide variety of periods.

Here are a few photos from the game:

Gaming in Lockdown: Pulp Alley - Arctic Adventure

 My next trial of gaming with Zoom was using Pulp Alley (and thus a smaller table) but with a slightly different webcam set up and a different opponent.  As he also owned a copy of the cards he drew from his deck for his hand and any perils etc. for me whilst I did the same at my end.

I deployed a team of Nazis (“I hate these guy’s…”) under the sinister Dr. Stalhelm accompanied by a team of Gebirgsjaeger.  My opponent fielded a team of “stiff upper lip” Brits from the Long Range Arctic Survey Group (LRASG). This had a couple of unusually tough academics, the Leader, Professor MacInnes accompanied by Dr. Kennedy with two military types and a couple of Inuit guides.  Our tale continues from their perspective...

Scenario 1: The Crash Site

Some unusual rumours of strange lights in the sky have been emanating from sources in the arctic circle. The LRASG have been dispatched to investigate. Aided by two local guides, Kallik and Allatok, the team approach a site of possible significance...

MacInnes reaches one wreckage site but slips and tumbles into a crevasse. However, he managed a soft landing so no damage done. Meanwhile the first Nazi minions reach some wreckage, but can’t seem to explore without experiencing serious hazards which prevent the search.

Dragging himself from the crevasse, MacInnes successfully negotiates the wreckage and locates something of interest a short distance away. The Inuits move toward the Nazis while the rest of the LRASG spread out between the two closest wreckage sites. The Nazis continue a very unsuccessful search and Stalhelm has to jump away from some falling wreckage.  The Inuits move in on them. One of the Nazis, Weber, exchanges fire with Allatok.

MacInnes moves towards the item he identified in the snow and ice. He successfully negotiates the treacherous ground and shifting visibility. He is loosening it from the ice… 

At another site, Dr. Kennedy gets a bit disorientated in the swirling snow. Nearby while the Nazis continue with a frustrating search, Allatok and Weber exchange fire again and both are hit and injured. Another Nazi, Schneider, opens fire on one of the LRASG’s military types, Lt. Baylis.

MacInnes keeps working to free the item from the ice. Suddenly, he takes a hit from Nazi gunfire and is stunned. Baylis fires back to no effect. Meanwhile Dr. Kennedy finds his way back to the wreckage, makes a search and the ice shifts under the wreckage which is in danger of falling through into the lake below. However, Lt. Booth, (the Brits’ other military type) successfully locates another item of interest himself. Another of the Nazis, Muller, shoots Kallik who fires back, but he goes down too. Baylis shoots Schneider, but he dodges.

MacInnes finally frees the item from the ice. It’s a cache of “Top Secret” documents! But the Nazis also have some luck with Schmidt successfully discovering an injured crewman. Booth and one of the Gebirgsjaeger, Fischer, exchange fire. Baylis brings down Schneider while MacInnes and Stahlhelm exchange fire. Elsewhere, Kennedy successfully discovers an experimental bomb sight. Booth closes with Muller and gets into a punch up, but Booth gets knocked out cold (quite literally).

At this point the two sides disengage as the wreckage shifts and slips below the icy surface the frozen lake. A success for the Brits who recover two key sources of information but the Nazis leave with the injured crewman.

Having retired to safety the LRASG review the material they recovered and discover something interesting...

Scenario 2: A Secret Nazi Base…Where Else?

The recovered documents lead to the LRASG being tasked with recovering the aircraft’s inventor and destroying the Nazi base testing the new aircraft.

Approaching from some woods the Brits use the trees to mask their approach and their smoke grenades in order to reach the gate, allowing them to despatch the sentry. Miraculously, the remainder of the base remains oblivious. However, it all kicks off when MacInnes is forced to shoot a guard dog which attacks them and Baylis shoots his sentry/handler. They move toward a group of huts while Booth and Dr. Kennedy move along the fence to discover something interesting. The alerted Nazis get out of a truck and move toward the nearby huts.

Kennedy and Booth successfully locate a wire cut hole in the perimeter fence. Someone else has already broken in! Then both the LRASG teams converge on a stack of supply crates. 

Two Gebirgsjaeger, Fischer and Muller, push toward a plane on the airfield while Schmidt and Booth exchange fire in the location of the huts and crates. Both shrug off the near misses.

MacInnes discovers explosives already on the crates and lighting the fuse, sprints away.

Then the LRASG spot something interesting in a hut near the gate whilst the Nazi, Fischer, attempts to deal with a bomb on the fuel drums near the plane, but fails.

Fischer is electrocuted as he tries, inexpertly, to deal with the booby-trapped explosives on the plane. Fischer goes down! Meanwhile MacInnes and the remaining Nazis exchange furious fire. Muller is trying to disarm another bomb in the far corner of the airfield, at a fuel dump. About to attempt it he suffers misfortune and Muller falls injured.

Fischer recovers to disarm the bomb on the plane, but unfortunately for the Nazis Muller again fails. Fischer however gets up and removes the explosives from the plane. MacInnes blazes away at Schmidt, who goes down and joins Bush and Kennedy in cover close to the gate. Kennedy moves to a position near the gate to get a better view and sees the inventor! Dr. Stalhelm lurks in the proximity…but Booth engages him in fisticuffs.

Finally Booth manages to land a blow on Dr. Stalhelm and rushes to the gate. Both MacInnes and Dr. Kennedy both open-up on Dr. Stalhelm and also escape. While the Nazis try in vain to deal with the explosives, they detonate, destroying most of the secret Nazi lair!

Perilous Island - Chapter 6: The Forbidden City

The insurmountable walls of the ancient Enochean city loom high over the mutated jungle plants. Amazingly advanced for an ancient civilization, the obvious influence of technology beyond their time, adding more to the mystery.  

Our adventurers have the inescapable and unsettling feeling of being watched.  An inhuman cry ripped through the  silence, shattering hardened nerves like glass. What manner of creature could make such a savage sound?  

Having put together the clues and pages of Darrow's journal they had discovered our heroes see that he described a weird ritual for unlocking the cyclopean gates. If in fact he made it this far, Lord Darrow must now be inside the city... 

Having completed the ritual a pale greenish-blue light is emitted from what our explorers had thought was simply a statue.  With a terrible creaking and grinding this apparent Guardian begins to move and our heroes must defeat it or evade it in order to get beyond the gate.

Slipping past the Guardian Dick O’Donnell is first through the gate with his companions swiftly followed by Biggles and his friends leaving General Zorn at the hands of the Guardian and their shouts and screams fade behind our heroes as the great gate slams shut. The once majestic city lies in ruins. At the end of the grand thoroughfare an unholy temple pulses with an evil glow.  Reading the journal reveals that this must be the Temple of Ba’al Enoch! 

Suddenly Lord Darrow stumbles from the entrance of the Temple. In his arms, he clutches a glowing orb.  It must be the substance used and worshipped by the ancient Enocheans, the stone glows and pulses with unimaginable power. 

Strange ghostly vapors lash out from the stone and are absorbed into Lord Darrow's being, each wracking his body with crackling energy.  Once a man of proud stature and reputation, the twisted form that staggers towards you is a mocking parody of Darrow's human existence. The air swirls about him crackling and gaining substance, whilst it remains visible, his face contorts with rage, fear, and pain as he screams. 

“You should not have come. It is too late for me.   Go now! You all shall be destroyed...” With each word Darrow's body gradually dissolves into the swirling form. In mere seconds, the horrific transformation is complete. “I am the Thrice-Damned Wanderer!”, he bellows in a strangely ethereal but deafening voice. 

Everywhere around our heroes the very elements of nature are being torn asunder, as they bend to the Wanderer's will. Now is the time to act and there is not a second to spare... 

With most of our heroes being showered in a veritable deluge of flying masonry or being struck by bolt of strange lightning from the heart of the Wanderer only a couple managed to struggle to the top of the Temple to confront the horror.

In the end Biggles manages to wrench the orb from the heart of the maelstrom, the reverse-transformation is almost instantaneous. Lord Darrow collapses into a heap, crippled by the ordeal. The sight of his daughter, Elaine, brings a human quality back to his eyes as he breathes his final breath. 

With Lord Darrow's passing, the orb ceases to glow and within seconds crumbles to dust. As if the crumbling orb were a death rattle, the island shakes violently, and ashen smoke billowed from the volcano! Our heroes flee for the shore and finally sail for safety as the island disappears beneath a rain of flaming rock into a boiling sea.

And so ends the Perilous Island - will our heroes have a taste for more adventure? Only time will tell...