The Flashing Blade's duel with El Serpiente Rosa.

They speak of him in hushed tones in the bars of Barcelona.  They wonder if he is mad in Old Madrid.  He once did unspeakable things in Tossa.  He is El Serpiente Rosa, the Pink Serpent, one eyed swordsman and rumoured to have once been the lover of Queens.

It's Episode Ten of "The Flashing Blade," and the Serpent has been employed by the Spanish to ensure that no French Messenger penetrates through to the peace conference at the Monastery of St Ignatius.  He has positioned himself on the border between Genoa and Montferrat, and is accompanied by the Company of Captain Quim, he of the Goatee beard and cross eyed stare. 


Our Hero, The Chevalier "Flasque" de Bladé, and his faithful manservant Lurkio, have survived for Nine episodes, mainly by running away, but now they must get through to the Secret meeting at the Monastery.  The Bladé is accompanied by sundry French Arquebusiers in an effort to even up the points.  (There are Points?  Really?)

The Blade and his men are being pursued by Captain Diego Vigo Alatriste, of the Army of His Most Catholic Majesty of Spain, the greatest killer in the history of En Garde.  They must escape the trap, cross the border and warn the camp Cardinal about the perfidious Spaniards. 


The Spaniards will have a Company deployed on table as the Border Guard, and a second group who enter the table on an ever decreasing roll on d6, beginning with a 6 on turn 1, a 5 or 6 on turn two etc...

Civilians in this game will represent other travelers waiting at the border, perhaps wishing to attend the conference; turns out it wasn`t that secret after all...


Brother Quentin, the Confessor (who admits to everything).
Geno, Compte de Campo
Isabella The Marquisa Campo, his over heated daughter
Father Baskerville, The Crime Fighting Monk

Milady de Weiner, notorious Spy besotted with the Bladé's manservant Lurkio...


My rules on Civilans in the game are straightforward:  

On meeting a civilian the Blade rolls 2d6, with scores towards 12 being favourable, and scores towards 2 probably resulting in a fight.

The Border Post

A.   Entry Point for the Blade (and Vigo some turns later)

B.   The Border Post.  Civilians.  Captain Quim's Company.

C.   The Exit point, road to the Monastery

D.   Woodcutter's clearing.  More Spanish camped out in tents

E.    More Spanish Musketeers behind a felled tree abatis

Captain Quim searching civilians at the border post.

The Spanish in ambush

The Blade and his men appear

Greeted by Spanish Arquebus fire.  Where are those three round reload markers?  Its three hits.  The Spanish must have been training...

The Blade vs the Serpent.  Note that the Serpent draws some very sneaky ploys.  Doesn't work though and he is wounded.

A second round won by the Blade,  Three hits, one kills a Spanish Musketeer, the others take out the Serpent.  Three months in recovery!  What will King Philip say?

The Spanish charge from ambush.  Its starting to look difficult.

Captain Quim engages the remainder of the Blade's men, while the Count di Campo displays a fine scarlet doublet and codpiece combination to a French Musketeer who accosts him.

Captain Vigo Alatriste appears on the road behind the Blade.  Vigo looks to be in his usual lethal form... probably been out killing orcs somewhere...

And the Blade runs for it, accompanied by his manservant, seen off with a volley from the Spanish, who have finally taken the time to reload.

Having reached the peace conference the Chevalier du Blade will return in "Carry on up his Excellency!"  
Now all he has to do is make the return journey!