Pulp Alley – Perilous Island Campaign – Blood Sacrifice

It started as a quiet night in the jungle. No zombies, no Lagoon Terror, just tranquillity. In one of the camps (I point my fingers at you, Phrenologists) Lady Elaine slept fitfully. She had had a nice evening discussing skull circumference with Herr Doktor Kopfgelände and was rather taken out by all the schnapps.

His loyal followers (the PhD students) were on guard duty and while they were loyal they were really lousy guards as no-one noticed the savages creeping into camp. They had seen the lovely brown tresses of Lady Elaine and they knew the cravings of…

The Great Gonga!

(They also understood that Sister Sigrid would make a really lousy sacrifice and that the only other fair lady on the island (i.e. Soura Innocenza) was to tough a nut to crack)

When Herr Doktor came to rouse Lady Darrow with some cloyingly sweet sect as breakfast (exceedingly bad taste as you can’t get it could enough in the jungle) all he could find was a tent in disorder and a small bone totem of a monster of unspeakable horror.

With blood turned ice-cold he realised that Lady Elaine was abducted and that her only hope lay in him rescuing her.

With a sigh he threw the sect into the jungle and went to have a proper breakfast – a couple of beers. She did have some rather strange concepts about human rights after all so it was no real loss. Let the savages have their little fun.

Little did he know that one of the students is a devout Catholic and little did he notice that the trip to find some mango for Herr Doktor took said student to the camp of our heroes.

Monsignore Cadaverico took an immediate decision to save the fair Lady and set up an expedition. Within an hour he and his trusted companions were following the faint trails of the savages. Deeper and deeper into the inhospitable jungle they went. In the distance drums were beaten in frantic rhythms.

There, in front of the small party of heroes, a witch-doctor drags Lady Elaine into a depression. Her cries of protest unheeded. Somewhere far away a terrible roar. Time is short. Time to take action is now.

But wait. What’s that? The other leagues. They have followed us! The cowards have followed the true leaders of the island to sabotage and scavenge. Well, let’s hope they don’t destroy our chances to save the fair Lady.

The set-up. Everything except the flat grass is perilous. (click on the picture to get a larger one)
 In the middle we find Lady Elaine (major plot point) in a misty depression.
To the left of her is the Witchdoctor Shagunja (plot point) and his bodyguards make the area within 6" of him extremely perilous.
Closest the here is a glowing rock (plot point) - a perilium deposit
To the right and closest we have a corpse spun in silk (a plot point)
To the right and back is a strange artifact (a plot point and extremely perilous)
The CSSS enters via the right table edge, the Cult of Ra from the left, the Prenologists closest and the Belgians the back edge.

Our heroes of the CSSS. From left to right: Maria (a level 2 Animal backup and her sensitive nose let us follow said savages), Padre Peste (level 1 Shooter backup), Mosignore Cadaverico (leader), Soura Innoceza (sidekick), Padre Sicario (sidekick), Soldato Morto (ally) and Padre Scuro (ally)

The Independent Prenologists (or more correctly Die Unabhängige Phrenologen - as everyone knows they are not in any way unabhängige - damned Nazis) with three rifle armed PhD students, their leader Herr Doktor Kopfgelände in brown and the sidekick Sister Sigrid to the right.

The Horde of... no... the Cult of Ra (aka The International Egyptological Society). Lots of red-clad cultists, Skinny Tut the mummy, the white clad leader Ike Naton and the not too nice Nefertiti Jones.

The Belgians have seen some changes. One Catholic less (hehehe) and instead a dynamite-armed hooligan. The leader, Roland Castroule, at far right, Miss Mayhem (sidekick with a large sledgehammer) and one ally with a strange bomb-device at the left.

Set up for the differnet leagues. We are ready for action!

The cultists advance and set their sights on the witch doctor. It's a perilous plot point to get their hands on.

Padre Sicario activates and shoots at the dynamite-wielding Belgian. Jeppan looks really disappointed as he wanted to use its burst template on the CSSS as some sort of revenge for some imagined wrongs. I have no idea why.

Monsignore advances to the mysterious body and shoots one of the PhD students while he is at it. As a true believer he also blesses the unfortunate heretic. It will serve him well in Hell...

It's not a good start for the Phrenologists as another student falls. It takes one cultist with it, but there are many more where that one came from. They are like ants...

My trusted Soldato Morto let the Belgians feel what a Burst feels like and it leaves one of their numbers unconsious. I really like the combination of bursts/blasts and bunched up enemies of the true faith. A good mix and always great fun.

Retailation is swift unfortunately as Soldato Morto is the target of lots of shooting attacks and he falls.

Another PhD student shoots our nice and friendly dog. Maria was just going to give him a friendly lick and he over-reacted. Animal cruelty is not okey says God and the student can see forward to a long stay in a much hotter place than this. 

Miss Mayhem is all in a frenzy as she tries to rush Padre Sicario and bless him with her sledge-hammer. But she is to slow and doesn't reach him. By rights blessing will be made solely by the CSSS, by the way. Heretics...

More close combat between cultists and phrenologists as Herr Doctor advances to the mysterious rock.

That's one mummy out. It should be dead already.

The rest of the CSSS gathers around Monsignore.
The turn ends and the fallen PhD student closest to us is removed, as is Maria and Soldato Morto - two losses already, not good at all. The rest of the fallen revives except red-clad cultist cultists off course as they are followers and removed as soon as they fall.

The cultists get their first plot point as their leader convinces the witchdoctor that they both have rather the same taste regarding human sacrifice. 

The battle between cultist and phrenologists continues with two cultists down and both Herr Doktor and Sister Sigrid wounded.

The Belgians unlocks a plot point too, advances and their dynamite-wielding newcomer tosses a stick towards Padre Sicario, No effect, thankfully.

Padre Scuro rushes forward and lets go with two barrels. Unfortunately no effect.

Loud crashes in the underbrush heralds the arrival of The Great Gonga. The unspeakable horror living in the depths of the jungle. Now it is truly everyone for themselves as this is a true horror.
(Thing is, I placed him just there, Thought it was a good idea...)

Soura Innocenza climbs the rocky outcroppings and manages to free Lady Elaine. A true heroe, our Soura!
The major plot point is ours! No we have just to save her from the other leagues and victory will be ours.
Oh, yeah, we have to save her from the Great Gonga, too. Shouldn't be a problem...

Belgian leader and sidekick advences on Soura but they can't reach her and both are wounded on the advance.

Padre Scuro proves his worth once again and gets two cowardly Belgians trying to excape The Great Gonga. (Now, hold that thought... trying to escape... he should have thought of why they were running like frightened hares. And he should look back...)

Nefertiti Jones makes her appearance but is still a long way from Soura and Lady Elaine.

Time for a tactical withdrawal. Soura runs as fast as she can towards Monsignore and the rest of the heroes.

Now, that advice to look back. The Great Gonga jumps Padre Scuro...
(Looks like the Great Gonga placement backfired slightly...)

...and fells him. Being a truly monstrous monster he immediately advances on Padre Sicario. Nothing can stop the Great Gonga and soon Padre Sicario is down also.
(Did I say "backfired slightly"?)

The cowardly phrenologists switch target and engages Padre Peste. God is with him as he dodges shot after shot but he finally falls from the combined barrage of fire from a Herr Doktor, Sister Sigrid and a PhD student.  

Soura is attacked by both Miss Mayhem and Roland Castroule. She is a formidabel opponent and they can't take her out...

...instead she retreats down to Mosignore. What could possibly go wrong now. These two together are unstoppable.

Or, rather, nearly unstoppable.
(Okay, "slightly" was a bit of an understatement.)

Soura falls and the fricking spider-thing advances on Monsignore.
(This looks like it could possibly be the worst backfire in my whole gaming career)

"Should we try to get Lady Elaine?"
"Nope, lets run for it!"
The cowardly opposition realises that one Great Gonga is one Great Gonga to much. Smart.

The Great Gonga is truly great. Monsignore falls. I have lost everyone of my league. All but two taken by The Great Gonga.
(Yep, worst misfire ever. Nothing even comes close.)

All the other leagues watch with fascination as The Great Gonga start to munch on his sacrifice. After a very short while they realise that a great monster might have an even greater appetite and they all slink away into the jungle and back to their camps. All the leagues have one plot point each and deem themselves rather lucky. Considering…

Monsignore comes to while the monster feasts on Lady Darrow and he and his team crawls away from the carnage and limp back to their camp.

Soura Innocenza mutters “Why didn’t it eat me instead? I’m a maiden and she couldn’t possibly be, the slut. It was my right to be eaten. Why?”

No-one tries to argue with her. Everyone keeps their distance….

Now that was a really fun game. I sure didn't get any plot points but it was a great way to lose. You really should try Pulp Alley if you haven't already. It such great fun. Even in humiliating defeat :-)

And while you’re at it you might like to visit Gunnar’s blog Hook Island Gaming and read a not completely truthful account of the fracas, seen from a cultist point of view.

Welcome follower Iron Cross Miniatures, I haven’t found a blog but if you have then put a link in the comments field below and I’ll link to it.