The Brawl on the Airship

The Brawl on the Airship

The Archaeologists are aboard Lord Randolph's prototype Gasbag Airship, but the Red Tong of Professor Chou are aboard as stowaways.  As the airship travels the Tong break out from boxes in the cargo hold.  They attack the gondola and cut holes in the envelope hoping to bring the Airship down and recover the Jade Monkey. 

SCENARIO SET UP
This scenario takes place at 10,000 feet. White cotton wool clouds surround the vessel.  

Terrain
The Airship Gondola contains a forward section that has the (first-class) cabin.  The forward area has the steering wheel for the ship.  A hatch leads up to the gantry just below the gas bag.  The rear compartment holds an engine room and also a limited quantity of cargo.  To the rear of this compartment is the propeller.
Firing guns near the gas bag is a bad idea...

Place figures
The Royal Society members occupy the first class area, whilst the Tong are secreted among the cargo boxes.

Turn Limit
On turn one the Tong will emerge from their hiding places and attempt to swarm the forward compartment.  They will also send men up and along the gantry.

Special Rules
Figures on the gantry may well fall or be pushed off the airship.  Even though this is a pulp game this would result in a swift and plummeting end for a character. 


Victory
The Tong will seek to bring the airship down.  If they achieve this the airship will fall onto the slopes of the Himalayas.  
Defeating the Tong will gain the Armed Archaeologists 5 Renown points.
Defeating the Archaeologists will gain the Tong 5 Renown points.

Even if the Tong lose the Archaeologist's pilot will discover that the airship is losing altitude.  The crash into the Himalayas was inevitable it seems...


Building the Airship

I am the scourge of the local coffee shops, and regularly take an extra wooden stirrer... or two!  These were the basis for the gondola.  The gantry is a cut down bamboo place mat.  I had no intention of sculpting a 3d gas bag so the shape of the dirigible itself is a 2d card cutout.

The Game

The Royal Society's Gasbag Airship moves among the clouds, high over the Himalayas 

Lord Randolph Farthingdale,(Wealthy Patron) Dr Howard Parker,(Archaeologist) Mr Rick O`Girk(Grad Student), Clarence Wiggamore (Valet) and Lady Amelia Keen (Archivist and swordswoman)

Emerging from the baggage car... the Tong!

O'Girk faces three Tong on the Gantry... did anyone tell him not to fire those revolvers?

Lady Keen and Mr Wiggamore begin throwing Tong overboard as one launches himself from the steam apparatus onto his Lordship's sword stick!  No gunfire used!

O`Girk blazes away and knocks down a Tong.  I roll a d6, Rick's shots fail to ignite the gasbag!

Lady Keen is deadly.  Cambridge Lady's sword champion 1880 

Up on the Gantry Clarence is over-matched.  Dr P lights his pipe!  Once again the Gasbag fails to ignite!

A serious duel as a halberd wielding Martial Arts guy battles her Ladyship.

O`Girk is knocked out.  The Tong jump into the gondola below... 

The tong drop among the Royal Society from above, as Her ladyship throws the martial Arts dude from the gondola

Dr P is knocked out.  His Lordship battles a Tong at the ship's wheel

Professor Chou flees as Her Ladyship gives chase.  He is the last surviving Tong 

He makes it to the gantry and is cornered.

But his last desperate act is to throw a (patent pending) Amazing Professor Chou Firework!  I have a bad feeling that the gasbag is doomed!

His Lordship pilots the gasbag as it falls onto the mountains below...   a But it's Pulp game and the Royal Society will return in... The Deadly Raft Trip To The Thuggee Temple

The Telegraph Wires at Tantrapur

Scenario 2: the Telegraph wires at Tantrapur

Gunga Din (1939) Movie Script

I don't like it, Mitchell. I don't like it. Silence is unhealthy. No word from Markham in 48 hours. Blast it, an officer and his patrol don't vanish into thin air

Wire's gone dead, sir.

I don't like this. Can't have the wires down. Things start too quickly up there. Find Sgts. MacChesney, Ballantine and Cutter, and bring them here.

That's a bit difficult sir, as they're all on leave. On some mysterious mission, about a treasure map they said...

It'll be a mystery if they come back right side up. Bring them here at once.

-------------------------

You three!  I ought to take away your stripes, not only for insubordination... but for idiocy. Sheer, childish, soft-brained idiocy. But fortunately for you, I need all three of you at Tantrapur.

We're going out on a job, sir?

Of the most vital importance. You leave for Tantrapur... with a detachment in the morning... to repair the telegraph and keep it open

The Empire
Sgt Victor MacChesney. The Senior Sergeant.  Sword and Enfield revolver.  Later retired to become a US Cavalry Sergeant Major	Sgt Archie Leech Cutter. Enfield revolver and pick axe. Retired and changed his name to Cary to became a Manhattan Socialite
Sgt Fairbanks Ballantine Jr.   2nd in Seniority, Sword and Enfield revolver. Retired to become Sinbad the Sailor	Gunga Jim Water bishti, bugler. Desperate to become a proper soldier
Subadar  Lee Metford rifle, Sword bayonet	Naik Lee Metford rifle, Sword bayonet

The Thuggee
The Guru Charismatic.  Cannot be attacked until he has had a chance to monologue.   Armed only with his hypnotic sexy eyes	Pandu Lal Assassin, the Guru's second in command Mughal khinjal Sword, pickaxe and rifle
Kabul, a Thuggee master named in the script and obviously an Afghan.  Pickaxe and rifle	Sher Afzuli A Pathan allied with the Thugs Mughal khinjal Sword, and rifle

My game uses two groups of five figures for the Three Sergeants and their Sepoys, and a group of four Thuggee plus three grunts that respawn on the western table edge if knocked out.

This game is in three Phases:

1.  The False Pilgrims exposed
2.  The Fight on the rooftops 
     (Ballantine and the Dynamite)
3.  The flight to the rafts.

-Detachment, halt!

-Sergeants, dismount!

-Cold.

-Stale.

-I don't mind saying the whole thing fair gives me the creeps.

-Creeps or no creeps, we've got to get in touch with the Colonel.

-We can't until we get them poles up and this wire strung. Naik, detail two men for guard duty. The remainder will pile arms and prepare for work.

-Gunga Din, water.

a.  "The False Pilgrims exposed."  The Fight in the street, Cutter siezes a Thugee pickaxe

The "pilgrims" are discovered to be Thuggee, and attack the soldiers.  The three Sergeants fight back destroying two groups of Thuggee, before fleeing to the rooftops

The Thuggee get rolling replacements.  As a figure is knocked out of action it is moved back to its start line.  The Thuggee get a Leader, a Specialist, two regulars and three grunts.  The Soldiers get three Sergeants and Six Sepoys.  Gunga Din moves with any of the Sergeants but will keep out of the fighting at this stage.  As a Water Bhisti he acts as a medic and annoying trumpet player.  

The Rajput's Signals detachment March into Tantrapur, lead by their three Sergeants.

"Detachment, halt!"

The "Pilgrims" appear and a fight breaks out.  Cutter's bald spot on show!

Mac leads his section up onto the roof tops

The Guru and musket armed Thuggee appear on the adjacent roofs

It's getting serious.  The Thuggee try to get behind the soldiers to use their strangling skills.

But Sergeant Cutter uses a Wildcard and seizing a
Thuggee pick-axe he knocks one of the enemy flat.

b.  "Up to the roofs," 

The detachment climb onto the village rooftops to avoid the Thugee.  

Mac makes the roof as Cutter and Ballantine win their fight in the street.

The Sergeants clear up in the street.

The remaining soldiers withdraw to the roof tops

 Ballantine and the Dynamite: 

Sergeant Ballantine may attempt to rescue the dynamite from the cart at the side of the building, unseen by the Thuggee.  He can then throw it up to the Sergeants on the rooftops, who in turn throw it back down onto the Thuggee.  Roll a D6 for each throw, just don`t roll a 1.  If Fairbanks rolls 1 he is spotted by the Thuggee, if one of the others does the dynamite explodes prematurely spoiling the movie.  Gunga Din may move with any of the Sergeants and in this round may fight or sound his bugle as if reinforcements are on the way.

The first stick of dynamite kills two Thugee in the street.  Is there no end to these guys?  Actually no, the casualties are coming on as replacements.

More Thuggee attempt to climb onto the buildings

The second stick of dynamite takes out a Thuggee on the roof.

Cutter kills a climber!

Gunga Jim sounds his trumpet, it's annoyingly loud and it's not helping!

Ballantine leaves the dynamite cart, firing his pistol as he climbs to the roofs.  What a Hero! 

d. The Flight to the river and the rafts

The Thuggee seem reluctant to approach the river, no reason given in the movie, but here they will attempt to swarm onto the rafts.  None are strong swimmers however and once the rafts are pushed away from the bank (1 action) they will be safe.

The Thugs are starting to get onto the roof.  Time to go!
"Gunga Jim Quit playing that bugle and run!"  Mac actually kicked this sabre wielding Thug from the roof, but was wounded in the process!

Ballantine gets to the other side of the building, ready to secure the raft.  "Pot that chap somebody!"

The Sergeants get what remains of the Detachment onto the raft.  Cutter and Ballantine are the rearguard.  Mac is wounded as are several Sepoys.

5 Renown points to the three Sergeants, three Sepoys killed, three wounded men.  The Thuggee lost twelve figures, mainly to bayonet drill and dynamite.
Next for the Three Sergeants, Cutter goes treasure hunting across a dodgy rope bridge.

The Statue of the Jade Monkey

The Statue of the Jade Monkey

Loosely based on Spielberg's second, and most violent Indiana Jones movie, this series of games follows a team of armed Archeologists in a chase from China to India, culminating in a joint 

Fight against the Tong

The back alley behind a Shanghai Nightclub.  The Archaeologists have "recovered" the Jade Monkey from its resting place beneath a temple inside China.  The Fiendish Dr Chou and his Red Tong attack seeking the return of their heritage.  A Brawl in the back alley, followed by a hasty journey to the airfield.

Brawl on the Aircraft
The Archaeologists are aboard Lord Randolph's prototype airship, but the Red Tong of Dr Chou are aboard as stowaways.  As the airship travels the Tong rise up, cut holes in the envelope hoping to bring the Airship down and recover the Jade Monkey.

River Pirates and Rafts
The airship has gone down high in the Himalayas.   The Archaeologists use rafts to travel down river into British India.  It's a hazardous business made more difficult by the presence of Dr Chou's River Pirates, seeking to recover the Jade Monkey.  A similar scenario to the Rebels and Patriots rafting game.

Beneath the Maharaja's Palace
After a bizarre Welcome Banquet featuring food that simply isn't Indian, Phall curry and the like, the Jade Monkey has been stolen. The Archaeologists explore the network of tunnels beneath the Maharajah's  Palace of Pancot, in a chase to recover the statue.  They face a battle with Thuggee stranglers sent to kill them. 

The Snakepit and the Shakra tones
The Thuggee have gathered in their great underground chamber, including a snake pit and unlikely open volcanic magma vent.  The Archaeologists must rescue the Jade Monkey, steal/liberate the sacred Shakra stones and escape the Thuggee temple and horde of stranglers.  The Mad Guru monologues as all of this is going on, explaining that the Jade Monkey is a sacred item returned to India.

Escaping through the Mines
The Thuggee are using slave labour to dig a Jade mine.  Dr Chou reappears allied to the Mad Guru.  Waves of Thuggee will chase the Archaeologists through the mines, including an improbable game of snakes and ladders whilst mounted in trundling mine carts.
The mine cart track runs parallel to a snakes and ladders board drawn as the mine.  Figures may fight and shoot as the carts approach each other.  The game represents the progress of the dcarts through the mine, and contains several fire pit endings.

The Battle of the Rope Bridge
The Archaeologists have escaped the mines, with the Thuggee in close pursuit.  They encounter the three Sergeants and a detachment of the Rajputs, and a battle ensues over the rope bridge, with a crocodile infested river far below.  Dr Chou and the Mad Guru will reappear and attempt to cut the rope bridge down, in which case a vertical fight and climb will occur.
The Jade Monkey is sacred to the Rajputs, as the emblem of the Regiment.

The Archaeologists
Lord Randolph Farthingdale, Patron,  Pistoleer, rich dude. Sword stick, Webley Bulldog	Dr Howard Parker, rogue archaeologist Enfield revolver and pipe.  Always carries a copy of Harding's "Principles of Archaeology."
Mr Clarence Wiggamore, Valet to his Lordship, Lee Metford Rifle, Webley Service pistol and truncheon.  Former Constable.	Rick O'Gurka, former Foreign Legion Officer, Rodeo rider and frontier Marshal, and Archaeology student.  Twin Buntline Colt revolvers.
Lady Vanessa Kensington, Tomb Robber, Cheltenham fencing champion 1875.  RIC Webley revolver, sabre, bodice stilleto.

The Empire
Sgt Victor MacChesney, The Senior Sergeant.  Sword and Enfield revolver Later retired to become a US Cavalry Sergeant Major	Sgt Archie Leech Cutter Enfield revolver and pick axe Retired and changed his name to Cary to became a Manhattan Socialite
Sgt Fairbanks Balantine Jr   2nd in Seniority, Sword and Enfield revolver,  Retired to become Sinbad the Sailor	Gunga Jim Water bishti, bugler. Desperate to become a soldier
Subadar  Lee Metford rifle, Sword bayonet	Naik Lee Metford rifle, Sword bayonet

The Thuggee
The Guru Charismatic.  Cannot be attacked until he attacks you.  Armed only with his hypnotic sexy eyes	Pandu Lal Assassin, the Guru's second in command Mughal khinjal Sword, pickaxe and rifle
Kabul, a Thuggee master named in the script and obviously an Afghan.  Pickaxe and rifle	Sher Afzuli A Pathan allied with the Thugs Mughal khinjal Sword, and rifle

The Tang Terror
Professor Chou en Ginsberg B.A (Failed) the Tang Terror Armed with a fan and the ability to endlessly monologue	Fah Lo Suee the Professor's man like daughter, armed with a meaty ankle, moustache, tattoos, and the ability to seduce all men
Jack E. Chan, martial Artist agent of the professor.  His very body is a weapon...	The Red Tongs, martial artists with exotic and probably inefficient oriental weapons

Dim Sum, Number 1 dim son armed with ancient pistol and perplexed facial expressions

Si Fan Assassins Cult killers dressed as tigermen, armed with metal claws.

.

The Celestial Dragon Night Club of Dr Chou

This series of games follows a team of Armed Archaeologists in a chase from China to India, with a looted jade statuette of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.

These are pulp action games using the Fistful of Lead Core rules, and set loosely around 1900.  

Fight against the Tong

The back alley behind a Shanghai Nightclub.  The Archaeologists have "recovered" the Jade Monkey, a statuette of Sun Wukong himself, from its resting place beneath an ancient Qin temple inside China.  The Fiendish Dr Chou and his Red Tong want the statue, claiming to seek the return of their heritage.  Actually Dr Chou wishes to perform the ancient semi-magical ritual of spanking the Jade Monkey.  A deadly brawl in the back alley is followed by a hasty journey to the airfield.

The Leader of the Archaeologists has just left the Celestial Dragon Nightclub, after attempting to trade the (stolen) Jade Monkey to the Tong gangsters.  Negogiations have not gone well and in pursuit are the Red Tong of Dr Chou, the mysterious Mandarin. 

In the street outside the nightclub the remainder of the armed Archaeologists team wait, ready to rescue their boss and the Jade Monkey, and escape with the loot by rickshaw.

It's a gunfight in an old Shanghai back alley over a Jade Monkey.  What could go wrong!

Terrain - a 3' x 3' sized area of street terrain. This counts as entirely good going, except for any obstacles that can be created. Wargames Medieval Chinese flags can be used to decorate the streets.
The nightclub is at one corner of the terrain, the rickshaws parked at the other.  If you don`t have enough buildings in your collection you can use walls.  Add in some street clutter of barrels and boxes.

Place figures
The Archaeologists start withing 8 inches of the door of the Nightclub.  Their Leader begins within 5 inches.
The Tong will emerge from the door, chasing the Leader of the Arcaeologists.

Special Rules

• The Joker- Place two Jokers in the deck.  When either are drawn three more Tong (Grunts!) will appear from Rickshaw street and charge towards the nearest archaeologist.

Victory-  If the Tong recover the Jade Monkey Dr Chou will gain 5 Renown points.  He will conduct the ancient ritual of spanking the Monkey, only to discover that he has been duped... This is a brass Monkey painted green and is too cold to spank.

If the Archaeologist's escape with the statuette they gain 5 Renown points.  They flee the city and board the Royal Society Airship, seeking to take off and head for the safety of Hong Kong.  Unfortunately the Red Tong have already devined this plan and a gang of Assassins has been hidden aboard the airship.

Lord Randolph Farthingdale flees the Night Club, Monkey in hand. 

The Royal Society are pursued by the Red Dragon Tong

Dr Chou leads the attackers.  "Return the Jade Monkey you foreign devils." 

Grad Student Rick O`Girk demonstrates how not to re-roll a to hit dice

The Tong fire their big bore muskets, missing everything...

Mr Wiggamore, His Lordship`s Valet calmly shoots a Tong.  "Anything else Your Lordship?"

The Joker is drawn and three more Tong appear from Rickshaw Alley itself.  

With two dice Her Ladyship skewers one
of the pursuers, twice presumably.    

O'Girk takes a wound

Lady Keen thrusts her blade into the chitterlings of yet another pursuer.

And a third.  The woman is a killer.

Victory for the Royal Society as they pile onto a rickshaw.  "Take us to the nearest field my Man, we have an airship to catch."