HEX Campaign, The Ruins Part one

Jenny was having the time of her life snapping off pictures of the ruins, when all of a sudden she stopped dead & let out a small scream for on the walls of one of the ruined buildings looking down on them were what she could only call Beastmen, no sooner had the scream left Jenny's mouth when 3 guns where pointing at the strange beings.

Roald"Please don't shot they mean use no harm." & with that he called up to them in a what could only be described as a guff kind of language to which the Beastmen replied in the same tone.
Turning to the party Roald"Its seems that the Germans are still here & are removing stuff from what these people think of as a hollowed place, they are now preparing to attack the Gemans in order to stop them as when they tried to approach them the Germans opened fire killing two of their kind"
Grace" That's terrible, ask them is there anything we can do to help?"
Before Roald could answer, Gregory"May I remind you Tom that this is not a military operation, I don't think we should be getting involved in other folks battles"
Seen the anger starting to rise in Grace,Tom replied quickly"Your right Gregory up to a point, part of the reason for this expedition was to see what the German interest in this place is so tagging along might not be a bad idea, but I've no intention to put any of you in danger, so when we get near to where the Germans are the four of you will stay put while Bob, Roald & I lend a hand to these folk"

Roald spoke again to the Beastmen & then explained to the party how the ruins were built by the Beastmens ancestors & how they considered themselves guardians of it, the party then followed the Beastmen until they came to a broad boulevard at the end of which  the Germans had set up camp beside what seemed to be some kind of entrance into a cave.
At this point they made a plan, with the Beastmen going over to the right hand side to work their way closer while the party took the left side.

The game, the Germans have 12 turns to get a crate off the table a the end where the party & the beastmen are, the crate needs to be carried by two people.

Tom"Right the four of you stay here while we work our way closer"
Grace"I've got an idea that might draw their attention & help you get closer unseen by the guards" & before anyone could stop her she walk out into the boulevard & spotting Helga at the mouth of the cave called out" Helga"

For Grace to move out into the open & call Helga required her to pass a guts test.

This had the effect she'd hoped with the German guards now focused on her.
Helga surprised to here her name called out looked down the boulevard & was amazed to see a person she'd last seen leaving a ship some month before, but always quick witted Helga over came the surprise of seen Grace & called out tauntingly  "Grace is that you ? so you finally worked out what might have happened to your friends, cleaver girl I didn't thing you had it in you"
Grace could feel her anger rising but manged to keep it in check & called back" These's a lot to me you wouldn't know about Helga & I see your still keeping the same bad company as when we last meet"
Laughing Helga replied" Ah dear sweet Grace I can't tell you how much I've missed your naivety

As long as Grace could stay talking to Helga (needing to past a brains test after each insult) the party & the beastmen would get free moves, as in a stand up shoot out they be totally out gunned so need to get close.

Von Barlow"Helga who is this woman & whats she doing here?"
Helga answering loud enough to make sure Grace could hear"She's Grace Simms the last member of the Society of the Blue Blooded, who's best ability is self preservation"
This was the last straw for Grace as her anger got the better of her "Bitch" she yelled as she pulled out her pistol & started shooting, but in her anger all she manged was to jam the gun. 

No plan survives contact with the enemy as the saying goes & so it turned out to be, with only Bob getting to make a move before Grace's anger boiled over, the 12 turns for the game stat now

As Grace's shots rang out it was like it marked the start of a race as people started running all over the place

The German force is Helga (Grade 3), Von Barlow (G3), A sergeant (G2),  2 (G1) soldiers carrying the crate, 2 (G1) soldiers as guards, & 2  (G1) five man squads, 1 in the large tent & the other the far side of the wall behind the 2 men with the crate.

The Party force is Grace (G3) Tom, Bob & Roald (G2) & 2 (G1) squads of Beastmen, the plan at this stage is for Jenny, Bill & Gregory to have no part in things.

As the Beastmen started to run forward,

one of the German guards opened fire.

This costed the squad to take a guts test which luckily they passed. 

killing one of them.

End of turn 1

Grace who has unjammed her gun heads for cover & spotting a German fires,

this time the shot is more controlled & the German drops dead.

From a doorway a German fires on the Beastmen but is off target.

End of turn 2

Helga moves close to the pyramid & fires at the approaching Beastmen,

her aim is true but only inflicts a wound but its seem to rattle them as they holt their charge.
Grace takes out one of the of the squad members.

Its not enough though, as von Barlow barks out an order for them to open fire on the Beastmen

Taking aim they unleash a hail of bullets,

dropping all but one of them.

Roald hurls his spear which buries itself deep into one of the Germans.

Tom fires at Helga but at this range his pistol is in actuate, a lucky ricochet however catches Helga in the leg

Muller opens fire with his machine gun  & even though its at long range,

he takes out the last Beastman of the gang.

von Barlow spots the heads of some Beastmen on the pyramid but his shots hit nothing but stone.

End of act 2

Tom & Grace watch in amazement as Roald draws out his knife & charges a squad of Germans,

hacking down one of them.

They haven't got time to admire his handy work though as the bullets are flying thick & fast

& another of the Beastmen fall.

This had an unsettling effect on the group.
Grace lets off another few rounds

& drops another of the Germans.

Helga moves along the first level of the pyramid & fires at Tom hitting him in the gut.

This makes Tom take a guts test as any wound to the head or body of a level 3 or 2 character means they've to test.

Bob nu-slings his rifle & fires at a German through the archway but is off target.

Muller opens up with his machine gun on the Beastmen

driving them back.

A squad taking a wound or a member been killed has to take a guts test, the Beastmen failed so had to fall back.

Roald is in the tick of it as the German squad close around him, but he puts his shield to good use avoiding their blows.

While the Germans with the crate push on, Tom & Grace can't but admire Roald bravery.

End of act 3

Grace & von Barlow exchange lead with both of them taking a hit to the body.

This force both of them to take a guts test, Grace passes von Barlow fails.

Helga ducks around the comer & fires at Tom only to hear a click as she's out of ammo.

Any role of a 1 when firing a weapon means its jammed or out of ammo, which are the same thing & has to be fixed before it can shot again.

Tom fires at one of the guys carrying the crate as Roald battles on,

taking him out.

Remember it take two to move the crate

Seen one of them fall Muller rushes in to lend a hand.

Bob is in a fire fight with the German in the archway having missed him earlier,

but comes out on top.

The other German who was carrying the crate now fires on Bob but only hits the corner of the wall.

Roalds takes out another one of the squad,

as the Beastmen find their nerve.

End of act 4

Intermission, you folk might want to grab some refreshments
As the two Germans with the crate advance Grace fires on them hitting one & while he stumbles a bit carries on.

Grace had fired on the guy on the left who's a G1 character, when a G1 takes a hit you roll a D10 1-5 he dead 6-10 he takes a wound, any other hit after that will then kill him

Helga doesn't like the way things seem to be going & works her way around to the back of the pyramid reloading her gun as she goes.

Tom notices his pistol is empty so draws his combat knife & charges the guys with the crate,

killing the out Grace had wounded.

But now he's looking down the barrel of Muller's machine gun.

von Barlow orders two of his men to fire on Tom as

he retreats away from the action.

Remember he'd failed a guts test earlier, so when he activated he'd to take another which he also failed so had to fall back. 

Bob with his knife drawn makes his way towards the action.

Just as Tom though his game was up the Beastmen come to his rescue, charging Muller from behind

End of act 5

Grace even at long range with her pistol,

prove her skill with a pistol & takes out yet another German.

For Helga its most definitely time to get out of Dodge & she makes her way off the pyramid & behind some of the advancing  jungle unseen.

Bob rushes from the archway & drives his blade deep into the German.

Meanwhile Muller is giving all he's got to hold off the Beastmen do are raining blow after blow down on him,

but there nothing he can do as Tom attacks him from behind slashing him across the back of his thigh.

End of act 6

Von Barlow has also decided it time to make for the exit.

in case your finding it hard to see him, he's in in the bottom left comer

With the sound of gunfire coming to an end Grace moves out of cover hoping to find Helga

Muller is proving that you should never give in no matter the odds.

Bob puts another German to the sword.

End of act 8

Grace climbs on the pyramid calling out Helga's name,

but Helga has no intention for answering the call & heads into the jungle.

But while Helga is nowhere to be seen Grace does notice out of the corner of her eye von Barlow sneaking behind a wall,

& turning fires hitting him in the shoulder.

Roald now joined by Bob finish off the last man of the squad.

Which means Muller is on his own,

but hes no push over & downs one of the beast men.

With the blood pouring from his wounds von Barlow climbs a wall & starts running across it,

only for Grace to send another round into his gut, sending tumbling off the wall.

this hit is enough to take von Barlow out of the action, but unlike G1 characters G2 & 3 can't be killed only ko'd

As von Barlow crawls into the cover of the jungle Muller is finally overwhelmed by the greater numbers,

 the Germans have been thwarted in their goal.
With the Germans defeated the party set about searching through their camp while the Beastmen bring the crate back into the cave to unload it.

It seems what the Germans where after were tubes about 3 feet long with some kind of green liquid inside them.
Gregory" What do you make of  this Bill ?"
Bill" My guest would be its used as some kind of power supply Gregory which would explain the Germans interest in it, but how its used I've no idea" 

To be continued

Designers note,
In hind sight I should have added the intro into the last post so as we could have gotten straight to the action, from an over all point of view this played out well for me & has giving me some ideas on how to move the campaign forward as hollow earth is a big place, to give you an idea of what I mean, Grace & the party entered from the Northpole while if their still alive her friends came from an island in the South Peciffic.

As always my thanks for dropping in & if you'd care to be a movie critic your comment would be welcomed :)