Holdings of the Zombie Queen

I would love to run a campaign of Encounter Critical!, for money though, and if I am going to charge I should have a decent idea of what the Mighty World of Vanth looks like where the game starts. I think I want to start PCs in the north east of the continent. From the Slaver Kingdoms in the north all the way down to The Forbidden Waste and the Unknown Highway. The names for areas of western Vanth all have a fantasy taint to them. I want to stay more gonzo space fantasy. Steel Warlords, Ape Sultans, and Darth Viraxis feel more in line with Mad Max/Gamma World then does City of Blackhawk and the Silent Glade. Though the City of Bloodhaven may have promise and The Limb Traders is dope as hell.

But my eyes are irresistibly drawn to the Holdings of the Zombie Princess. I envision a cracked, dead land endlessly broken by narrow ravines, carved over millennia by acid-rain storms driven by violent, pale winds. The Princess's Keep, her Holdings themselves, are these same cataracts found everywhere else in the realm repurposed by the gods for who knows what purpose. The Zombie Princess uses them as a vast subterranean prison to cage the living and her hungry horde of Zombie Armies. 

It is very difficulty to travel the land without a knowledgeable guide, someone who knows how to navigate the twisted and blasted landscape without getting hopelessly lost. Unfortunately this leaves only the feral ghouls which haunt the black corners as such people, and they are more interested in eating you then being of service. The numerous cannibal tribes of dead flesh eaters nightly crave live sacrifice for their evil rites spoken in ghastly gibberish. These hungry hordes plague their nearby neighbors with continuous raids and infuriate the Slave Lords the most. Passing the Holdings along the Unknown Highway has become untenable, and the Klengons refuse any entry to their mountain colonies to the east. If the Slaver Kingdoms need to search westward for buyers, the people of the east become the supply of new slaves being sold in the other direction. Viraxis would not want to see their situation reversed, and has agreed to assist in a joint venture to gather intel on the Zombie Princess's power and strength. Enter the PCs who now must travel through the Holdings and seek court with the ruler of the dead. To find out what it will take to curtail ghouls raiding the Unknown Highway. 

I would crib T2-T4 The Temple of Elemental Evil for the underground city of the Zombie Princess. I'll read over the module itself and see if anything else is worth lifting, or just the maps.

British Cavalry Halt the II Corp

Wellington's right flank, and the ridge line it hangs off of, is of critical importance to holding the entire Allied Line across the field of battle. In the game, it seems, just as much as it did historically. It is what I see from current positions in the middle of turn 24. Napoleon's last reserves, the Imperial Guard, attempted to take this section of ridge line late in the day, and failed. This marked the end of the Battle of Waterloo, and the French's chance of winning it.

I'm attempting to take the same section of field much earlier, and with the entire II Corp! My real-life opponent is responding by massing a significant cavalry force to charge down the hill, across the open ground, and crash into II Corp's 9th Division. If successful he would be able to cause a general rout in most of the II Corp. 

In response I massed II Corp artillery batteries, 24 guns in all, and blasted the oncoming horde. The massed allied charge was broken up and repulsed, but at the cost of the artillery crews of all three batteries being trampled and put to the sword.

The good news is the assault is still on! III Cavalry Corp will pass by my silent guns with 9th and 5th IDs following. Skirmish units will be detached to reman the guns, and once on the ridge line the field will be mine!!!!

Copilot for Character Creation

 What the hell, I decided to see if I could get Microsoft Edge to do the work of creating characters for my different games. Here is my first attempt.

roll-up a mercenaries, spies, and private eyes character who is a Portuguese mercenary working as a bouncer in Lisbon Portugal.

Sure thing! Let's create a character for "Mercenaries, Spies, and Private Eyes" who is a Portuguese mercenary working as a bouncer in Lisbon, Portugal. 

Character: João "The Shield" Silva

Background: João Silva, known as "The Shield" in the underground circles, is a seasoned mercenary with a storied past. Born and raised in Lisbon, João grew up in the rough neighborhoods where he learned to fight and survive. After serving in the Portuguese military, he transitioned into mercenary work, taking on various assignments across Europe and Africa. Now, he works as a bouncer at a popular nightclub in Lisbon, using his skills to keep the peace and protect the establishment.

Attributes:

• Strength (ST): 15

• Intelligence (IQ): 12

• Luck (LK): 10

• Constitution (CON): 14

• Dexterity (DEX): 13

• Charisma (CHR): 11

• Speed (SP): 12

Skills:

• Hand-to-Hand Combat (HTH): 3

• Firearms (Pistol): 2

• Observation: 2

• Streetwise: 3

• Intimidation: 4

• First Aid: 1

• Driving: 1

• Languages: Portuguese (native), English (fluent), Spanish (conversational)

Equipment:

• Weapon: Glock 17 (Pistol)

• Armor: Kevlar Vest

• Gear: Tactical flashlight, handcuffs, first aid kit, radio

Personality: João is tough and no-nonsense, with a strong sense of duty and loyalty. He is fiercely protective of those he cares about and has a soft spot for the underdog. Despite his rough exterior, he is known for his fairness and integrity.

Appearance: João is a tall, muscular man with a rugged appearance. He has short, dark hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and piercing blue eyes. He often wears a black leather jacket and jeans, blending in with the nightclub's clientele while remaining ready for action.

Backstory: João's military career was marked by bravery and skill, earning him several commendations. However, the horrors of war left him disillusioned, leading him to leave the military and seek a new path. His mercenary work took him to conflict zones where he honed his combat skills and developed a network of contacts. Now, as a bouncer, he uses his experience to maintain order and protect the club's patrons from trouble.

I hope you enjoy playing as João "The Shield" Silva in your game! If you need any more details or adjustments, feel free to ask.

SPI's Wellington's Victory Actual Play - with someone else!

 I forget the movie, but the Lead asks the crowd "How many of you have had sex?" After several raise their hands, the Lead clarifies, "Other than with yourselves!" What hands were raised now descend.

I'm reminded of this scene anytime I talk about playing wargames. Ask me if I play, arm shoots straight up with second-hand support and bouncing in my seat up and down. Let the other shoe drop, though, and my hand will meekly come down. Yes, most of my wargaming is a solo enterprise. I was in the Bonnie Brae (now defunct) game store one day buying GMT's The Battle for North Africa and the clerk comes up to me to ask whether I plan on playing the game or was I just a "collector"? Ouch dude, thanks for reminding me I have no friends. I don't want to be a game "collector", but only playing solo games with Vassal (before it was set up the game one afternoon and have it taken down four hours later, un-played, because there is no room for it to stay up) makes my physical copies of some great games just that. A collection. I prefer to be a player of games, not a collector. 

But the amount of time I have been able to play with someone else any of these table-top board wargames tells me if it was not for the collectors I would not, as a player, have an industry to shop. 

And desperately groping for a physical gaming connection did get me to post some solo play online. Which led to a fine gaming enthusiast reaching out to me suggesting a play of SPI's monster wargame Wellington's Victory. 

You could not pick a game I am more willing to play than Wellington's Victory. We agreed to use Tabletop Simulator for the gaming software, and Steam for the gaming platform. I have never used TTS before, but it is a better choice for live face-to-face play than Vassal. This is because the software goes out of its way to simulate leaning over an actual game board, shuffling pieces, and rolling die. 

We are playing RAW, the Historical Scenario, and have played a total of 13 turns. As the French I decided to implement an En Echelon attack, beginning with a historical opening assault on the Chateaux Hougomont. To my surprise, my opponent backed off of this "hardpoint" and has left my divisions of the II Corp free to isolate and surround the farmhouse. 

In the center I push forward two divisions from D'elorn's I Corp and as much artillery as I can muster and begin my attack on La Hay Sant-whatever. Holding this farmhouse in the center and free-reign over Hougomont I should be able to push the Allied forces off the top of the ridge.

Here is a link to a great review of this game by a blogger, really worth the read. Maps & Counters