Advisor: My Emperor, we have received an update on the fighting in the Ancona system against the Kha’Ri Narn.

Emperor: Proceed.

Advisor: It has become apparent that the Narn want control of the trade route.  A Var’Nic was dispatched to make sure we didn’t benefit from unfettered trade through the Ancona system.  The 2 small vessels we left behind to police the trade route were unable to survive against a larger warship.

Battle report from Ancona Trade Route

Target: Ancona Trade Route

Scenario: Space superiority

Kha’ri Narn: 1 Bin’Tak

League of Non-Aligned Worlds: 1 Xixx, 1 Xarr

Initiative: Narn Throughout

On Turn 1. the Var’Nic literally cut down the Xarr by 50% (failed Dodge roll).  A large chunk of hull was seen drifting away as the Vibrant continued on its course.   Additionally, a critical was scored against her fire control (all weapons require 4+ to fire) causing her few weapons to go silent.

Turn 2 saw the Vree patrol group attempt to flee but to no avail.  The more powerful Narn ship destroyed the damaged Xarr.

Turn 3 quickly brought the end, with the Narn destroying the Xixx outright.

Advisor: The Xixx’s captain did well to try to cover the injured Xarr’s retreat, but this patrol group was clearly overmatched.  It was over in just under 6 minutes.

Emperor: It is regrettable that the Narn killed the talented group of telepaths that volunteered to serve aboard the Vibrant (Xaar).  They could have helped the war effort better elsewhere.   How are the other diversionary raids going in the Ancona system?

Advisor: The forces at Savo, Honkasalo, and Joneberhart have all tactically withdrawn in the face of superior forces and a lack of suitable terrain.  The Narn are protecting their mining operations here more fiercely than anticipated.  All 3 mining outposts drew a Bin’Tak Dreadnought as a defender.  Their forces do appear a little thin as the barren world of Sax was left undefended.  A forward base is being set-up.  This lodgment will allow our forces to stay in system and really harass the Kha’Ri.

Emperor: Good, that means Casino cannot be attacked except by Vorlon interference for a while.  Joneberhart is the gas giant – did it also draw a DN?

Advisor: No, it only drew a G’Quan Cruiser, but the complete lack of useful cover convinced the patrol leader that it was wise to leave.

Emperor: Very well then, what happened at the remaining mining outpost?

Advisor: The Shuvalov mining outpost did draw out a DN.   The patrol group there was a penal group under orders not to retreat under any circumstances.

Battle Report from Shuvalov Mining Outpost

Target: the 10RR Shuvalov Mining Outpost

Scenario: Annihilation

Kha’ri Narn: 1 Bin’Tak

League of Non-Aligned Worlds: 1 Xixx, 1 Xorr

Initiative: Narn Throughout

On Turn 1 the LoNAW closed blast doors and ducked into the asteroid field with both ships.  Just because this diversionary attack drew a DN is no reason to commit suicide.  And believe me, if I could have retreated, I would have.  The Xorr got deep enough into the asteroids to avoid any damage.  The Xixx was not so lucky and lost 5 crew and 8 hull, all to a massive mine salvo.  There was no line of sight for any other weapons.

Turn 2 was uneventful as the Vree ships continued into the asteroids.  No weapons fire by either side.

Turn 3 saw the Bin’Tak turn towards where the Vree would emerge and loose another devastating mine salvo, crippling the hapless Xixx.

Turn 4 saw the end of the Vree squadron as all of the DNs guns were on line.   The Xorr went up with a huge beam shot that clearly vaporized the ship.   The crippled Xixx went next as the DNs ion cannons finished her off.   Mercifully, this was a short battle.

Emperor: I take it they were destroyed?

Advisor: Yes, they were.  A single transmission, directed to you, was sent just prior to the second ship exploding.

Emperor: And it said?

Advisor: “Remember your promise”

Emperor: Ah, the usurper and his followers, are there any survivors?

Advisor: No.  Neither ship was equipped with lifepods and the Bin’Tak didn’t even try to capture the vessels.

Emperor: Indeed I shall remember my promise.  Their sacrifice may well have saved lives elsewhere.  Go over the crew lists, issue posthumous pardons to all of them, release their frozen assets to their families, and compensate them at double the standard rate.  They knew this was a suicide mission and the only way to restore their families’ wealth and honor.  Have representatives from the families assembled to attend the service awards ceremony.  They are to be welcomed back into the fold.  Treat them as heroes and patriots.  Is there more?

Advisor: Yes.  The commerce world of Ancona…  I have some audio from the bridge of the Xixx that made the successful scan.  The log plays…

Battle Report from the Commerce World of Ancona

Target: The 6 RR commerce world of Ancona

Scenario: Recon Run

Kha’ri Narn: 1 G’Quan

League of Non-Aligned Worlds: 1 Xixx, 1 Xorr

Initiative: Narn Throughout

On turn 1 the Vree used all power to engines to get in close enough to attempt a scan.  The Narn attempted to “Come About” and failed.   This spared the Vree a massive salvo on turn 1 and set up a second attempt to scan on turn 2.  Turn 1’s scan was a failure.

On turn 2 the Narn finally got her nose around, but it was too late, the Vree had already made a successful scan, ending the scenario.

Captain: We’ve been sitting here at the edge of the asteroid field for over an hour now.  If the techs cannot hack the Narn’s computers or more than one ship shows up, we are in deep trouble… And the money we spent on spies wasted.

Electronic Warfare Specialist(EWS): We’ve detected an enemy vessel.  It’s a G’quan.  They don’t seem to have noticed us yet.   Captain, we need to be closer to “scan” them, 200,000 km minimum.

Captain: All Power to Engines!  Get us closer!  Bring up the torpedo fire control!  We should give them something other than “static” to think about.  Begin scanning.  I hope those spies were right about their computer weaknesses.

EWS: Damn they’ve bounced me out!

Weapons Officer: We’ve done minor damage to them.  They know we are here!

Captain: Run the scan again!

EWS: Got it!  I’m in there system, I have the codes, locking out there weapons, uploading our encryption…Done!  That’s it, Captain, all automated defenses on Ancona have been disabled.  There will be little interference with the landing forces now

Weapons Officer: The Narn ship will have to move away to get out of the scans range.  Until they do they will not be able to fire weapons.

EWS: Even then it might take an hour or more to clean the computer out.

Communication Technician: Incoming transmission from the Ancona government…  They’re surrendering!

Cheers go up from the bridge crew and the scene cuts back to the throne room.

Advisor: We do not have a final outcome on the attack against the Domon Spacedock, although we have been able to ascertain that surprise was complete.  And our superior numbers in the main attack on the Westrich Gate base will be telling.  They have the listening post, 5 ships and a squadron of fighters defending a supply convoy.  We have over 20 attack vessels.

To be continued…

Thanks to Marc for the pics and battle reports!

It’s been a crazy new year with a lot of changes, but rest assured gaming is still occurring.  A series of skirmishes were recently fought between the Kha’ri Narn and the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, and we should be seeing the pics and reports for them soon.

In the meantime, those of you following the Phlan campaign can check it out at its brand new home at Obsidian Portal. This is a great site for RPG campaigns, and allows players and GMs to compile their own campaign wiki amongst other useful features.

The new year saw the beginning of a new turn in the A Call To Arms campaign, as the League made a concerted effort to wipe out the now isolated Minbari.

Having removed the Earth Alliance as a factor with a convenient peace treaty, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds unleashed four major battlefleets, hitting the Minbari at Volk’s Star and Rilus V, as well as sending re-enforcements to finish the Minbari fleet at Wuj. In the face of this massive wave, the Federation could only re-enforce their main fleet at Volk’s Star and their treaty starbase at Caesar’s Folly and pray to Valen for deliverance.

In the meantime, the Centauri, readying themselves to open hostilities with their major rivals the League, found their plans interrupted by a Tza’sol Narn raid on Defiance which pinned their system fleet and forced the Centauri battle fleet targeting Henders to return to fight the renegade Narn.

Still smarting from their turn 6 defeats, the Kha’ri Narn brought their heaviest ships into Ancona and awaited the inevitable League counterthrust into the system, which came in the form of another huge (4 points Armageddon huge) fleet.

And so, the stage is set for the final battles of the Minbari-League conflict. Can the Minbari, alone,  hold off the hordes with their superior technology? Or will their presence in-sector be reduced to the single starbase in Caesar’s Folly…a base situated in the uneasy neutral space between the Earth Alliance and Centauri Republic…

Turn 7 Battles:

Volk’s Star (D6): League vs Minbari

Rilus V (A6): League vs Minbari

Wuj (D8): League vs Minbari

Defiance (F8): Tza’sol Narn vs Centauri

Ancona (G7): League vs Kha’ri Narn

SCENE: The camera pans across a starfield lit by a beautiful purple nebula. A convoy of three freighters and a liner moves through space, with Starfuries accompanying. We hear the radio traffic of the convoy as the camera gradually focuses on a single ‘Fury with a point-down broadsword painted on top.

SHOT: Int. Cockpit and a PILOT

PILOT: So…I hear you and Jessica are quits.

2nd PILOT: (over radio) Yeah…we got the papers finalized Tuesday. She’s keeping the house, we’re splitting part time custody of the kids, and I got the dog.

The camera pulls back out and upward over the convoy.

PILOT: (over radio) Still…that’s something, right?

2nd PILOT: Not really…I hate that damn dog.

Several jump points open simultaneously, and two Takatas and many Brakiri fighters appear.

MUSIC OVER: Juno Reactor: Navras.

PILOT: Crap…two jump points and multiple targets. Brakiri ships, you have entered Earth Alliance space. Please state your -

The Brakiri fighters break into an attack run. One of the freighters is hit and begins spinning away from the convoy.

PILOT: All ships, all ships. Incoming Brakiri contacts are hostile. Break and attack. Break and attack.

The camera judders as if it’s been hit and then begins to spin lazily across the battlefield revealing the Earth and League ships engaged in a furious battle around the now burning convoy ships.

RADIO VOICE: (faintly) This is Earth Liner Weber to all Earth ships…we are under heavy attack…breaking up…in the name of God there are children on board…

The camera pulls back and we can see that the action is taking place on a conference room screen aboard Victoria Station. Admiral redcoat668 and his staff do not look happy. Also present are JULIE MUSANTE, Earth diplomat FREDERICK LANTZ, and a very sanguine looking BRAKIRI delegate.

redcoat668: (tapping his foot) Well?

BRAKIRI: Most tragic, Admiral. What a senseless waste.

redcoat668: Well at least you admit -

BRAKIRI: (cutting him off) All Brakiri marriages contain an embedded pre-nuptial agreement that is legally binding. That man would at least have gotten half the value of his house had he taken such precautions. 

redcoat668: Oh that’s IT!

LANTZ: (interrupting quickly) I have spoken at length to the ambassador, and he assures me that these were rogue fleet elements not acting on behalf of the Brakiri government or the League of Non-Aligned Worlds.

redcoat668: Rogue elements not bothering to remove their fleet markings or change their fleet encrypts.

BRAKIRI: That’s how they come off the showroom floor, Admiral. We’re not responsible for their use after the buyers sign the waivers.

He ostentatiously hands redcoat668 a stack of forms. LANTZ beams happily.

redcoat668: You’re like a race of evil used car salesmen, aren’t you.

MUSANTE kicks him.

LANTZ: In any case, this new treaty clearly defines our respective areas of influence in this sector, and should prevent any further incidents.

BRAKIRI: Excellent. Then I shall withdraw and inform my Emperor.

redcoat668: “Emperor”.

BRAKIRI: I’m sorry?

redcoat668: “Emperor”. You have to verbally add the quotation marks to evoke the level of respect he deserves.

BRAKIRI: Of course. Forgive me. (he leaves) 

LANTZ and MUSANTE are all smiles. redcoat668 and his staff confer.

CARRIERE: No offensive operations? After they killed all those people?

redcoat668: Nope. So we sit here. And wait for more ships. And take a window seat when those bastards and the Centauri start tearing each other to pieces after they finish with the Minbari and Narn.

CARRIERE: And then?

redcoat668: And then…someone has to pick up those pieces, don’t they? The question is simply when to start sweeping.

CARRIERE: Brilliant. Every race in the sector is at war and we’re the janitors.

KAER: You know you’ll never get authorization with Lantz here.

redcoat668: Point. Something’s got to be done about that guy.

YUN: There could be…an accident.

redcoat668: Something not obvious. Until then…I’ll just have to handle him with my trademark charm and tact.

YUN and CARRIERE exchange uneasy looks, but redcoat668 is already approaching LANTZ and MUSANTE.

redcoat668: (laying on the charm) You know, Mr. Lantz…I’ve been wondering since you arrived: are you related at all to Walter Lantz?

LANTZ: (surprised) Why…yes…in fact I am.

redcoat668 (genuinely equally surprised) Seriously? Woody Woodpecker Walter Lantz?

LANTZ: Actually, yes. You know I’m very surprised, Admiral. I don’t often run into people who know about that particular bit of 2oth Century historical arcana.

redcoat668 (with newfound reverence): Mr. Lantz…I insist that you have dinner with me.

SCENE: A restaurant aboard Victoria Station. redcoat668 and LANTZ are sitting at a table together with a large green neon sign reading BENNIGAN’S – OF EARTH behind them. redcoat668 is enthusiastically attacking a plate of wings while LANTZ picks gingerly at a salad. redcoat668 has clearly been talking at length, and LANTZ is not enjoying himself.

redcoat668: -and another thing…what about that poor walrus? He never could catch a break, could he?

LANTZ: (spearing a crouton) I suppose not.

redcoat668: You know…this is really enjoyable. Just think…we can have dinner together every night while you’re here and share our appreciation for your ancestor’s work!

LANTZ: Oh…well…you know, I actually have to leave for EarthDome tomorrow. Something…uh…suddenly came up.

redcoat668: But…but I thought you were staying here for at least a month after the treaty was ratified.

LANTZ: No…and I’m afraid my shuttle leaves early tomorrow and I must depart to pack. Thank you for dinner, Admiral. (he leaves as quickly as he can while still remaining dignified)

A WAITER approaches with a pitcher.

WAITER: Another drink, or just the check, sir?

redcoat668: (looking wistfully after LANTZ) Why is it that sometimes getting what you want is just as painful as not getting it?

WAITER: I don’t know, sir…I’m working to pay for a useless Art degree, not a useless Philosophy degree.

redcoat668: (holding out his glass) Top ‘er up, Caravaggio.

FADE OUT

With Galon Bivant returned to his family, Dak and Rosko installed in cushy jobs as Bivant house guards, and 20,000 gold in their pockets (minus 500 gp and a +2 dagger for Raj, who bid them farewell), the party set out to spend as much of it as possible on the best new equipment Phlan could provide. Now equipped with magic weapons, new spells, and flashier clothing, the party was soon contacted by their patron, Poryphrys Cadorna and summoned to his townhouse.

Cadorna explained that he’d been grooming the party for their newest challenge – clearing out the ruins of the Cadorna Weavers’ Compound in the Old City and recovering the family treasure. In exchange, he offered 30,000 GP and the services of Tarask, former captain of of the Cadorna house guard.

The party accepted, and set off through the slums of Old Phlan – noting as they did the accelerating pace of reconstruction and resettlement. Tarask, a gruff, grizzled, and taciturn old fighter, soon earned the party’s cordial dislike, but he led them to their destination without incident. A quick reconnaissance showed the walled Cadorna compound had new owners: a tribe of gnolls.

Quick consultation with Tarask revealed that the compound had a weak point – a large warehouse up against the south wall. Using a grappling hook, Aeryn and Ginallath scaled the wall and the roof – spotting six gnolls loafing in the courtyard. The rest of the party followed, and Ginallath, MacTavish, Aeryn, and Tarask trained their bows on the unsuspecting gnolls.

The first volley cut down half of the dog-men, and the remaining three rushed to sound the alarm as Wolf, Inigo, and Tarask quickly descended to the courtyard. As the alarm drums began to beat, gnolls flooded confusedly into the courtyard only to be shot down by the archers on the roof, or fall to the blades of Wolf and Inigo. Wolf chopped down gnolls left and right, while Inigo engaged a menacing gnoll lieutenant and slew him in single combat. With his death, the remaining gnolls fled for the buildings, the party following them to the Cadorna family’s great house.

Wolf and Inigo took the lead as the party began its search, with Ginallath and Tarask watching the courtyard for more gnolls. The first room the party broke into was Hwyll, the gnoll chieftain’s, bedroom – still decorated with the Cadorna family’s mildewed finery. Hwyll himself emerged to challenge the intruders, crossing blades repeatedly with Wolf and Inigo.  Finding himself bested by these two warriors, the gnoll chieftain backed towards a doorway to the north, then rushed through it, closing it behind him.

The party paused a few seconds to heal, then Wolf and Inigo burst through the door to find another room decked out in rotting female finery. This was the bedchamber of Hwyll’s three gnoll concubines (resplendent in peekaboo leather gnoll bras) who were waiting in ambush by the door. Their attack caught Inigo by surprise and he was knocked reeling by a club hit while the other two battered Wolf unmercifully. As Inigo staggered dazedly, Hwyll rejoined the fight and finished him off with a few strokes of his axe. Wolf continued to defend the doorway as Mactavish healed the unconscious and bleeding elf.

Meanwhile, Ginallath and Aeryn had discovered a second door from the courtyard to the concubines’ room. With Tarask guarding them, mage and rogue opened the door and began to take potshots at the gnoll combatants. Then, with a battle cry, Tarask leaped into the room and Aeryn followed.

By this time, Wolf had finished off one of Hwyll’s concubines and the maddened chieftain (fortified by a hastepotion) was doing his level best to kill him in return.  The concubines turned on Tarask as Aeryn hurled a vial of flaming oil at Hwyll. She hit the chieftain squarely, but the droplets of flaming oil fell on one of the concubines’ beds – setting it ablaze. With visions of his employer’s fortune literally going up in smoke, Tarask cursed Aeryn for a “stupid wench” and broke off combat to smother the flames, leaving Wolf alone against all three remaining gnolls. Wolf put up a valiant fight, but Hwyll’s axe crashed into his head, killing him instantly. 

The gnolls now turned on Tarask as the party tried to regroup. Tarask managed to take out one more concubine before he fell. Fortunately, Inigo was now healed and ready to get back in the fight – and he tore into Hwyll with a vengeance as MacTavish and Ginallath slew the last of the concubines. Realizing there was no escape now, Hwyll fought like a tiger. Then, with a look of surprise, he sank to his knees and then collapsed with Aeryn’s rapier buried in his back.

A quick check revealed that Wolf was beyond any aid, so MacTavish moved to Tarask, who was badly wounded but alive. After a quick discussion, MacTavish healed him (he was the only one who knew anything about the Cadorna compound’s layout after all) and the group assessed their situation. They were badly hurt, with one party member dead, and an unknown number of gnolls remaining. They therefore decided to return to New Phlan and see what they could do about restoring their meat shield.

Confused? Game recaps read like a Russian novel? Not sure who’s who?

Then visit Nat Wyler’s Bell, have a drink, and check out the cast!

…which is often the way things seem before they go terribly, terribly wrong.

In this case, the PCs had not considered that Trumpet might leave them outside the slave pen while he sent in a guard to retrieve their purchases  – which he did. Aeryn and Ginallath exchanged a quick look and decided to use the catchall backup plan: violence.

Ginallath quickly fired off a sleep spell while Aeryn made a break for the slave pen. The elf mage’s spell fizzled (pirates roll fine saves, landlubbers), but Inigo and Raj hardly noticed, happy as they were to be doing less sneaking and more pirate killing. Though shocked at first, Trumpet and his guards rallied quickly and Trumpet blew his signature instrument – alerting the compound. The slave pen guards quickly rushed to his aid, leaving rogue, mage, and rangers with 15 pirates and the third mate himself to deal with.

Among those who heard the noise were Wolf and MacTavish, still working for Aard at the cattle pen.  As Aard gathered his group to rush to Trumpet’s aid, MacTavish was struck by inspiration.  He “neglected” to close the pen, and one quick application of scare later, the animals were bursting out in a mighty stampede. The rampaging cattle cut off any hope of Trumpet’s pirates getting any help – except from Aard and his boys, accompanied by Wolf and MacTavish.

In the meantime, Raj and Inigo had accounted for four pirates between them, but Ginallath was badly wounded by the guards and Aeryn had taken a cut from Trumpet as she tried to slip into the slave pen. Inside, she found herself face to face with the guard Trumpet had sent inside. He froze in surprise as Aeryn entered – just enough time for Rosko to headbutt him in the stomach while Dak strangled him with his chains. Aeryn found the pirate’s key and unlocked the  pair, and then Galon Bivant – mission accomplished! If only they could get out, that is. Taking up the dead pirate’s cutlass, Dak positioned himself to defend the doorway while Aeryn readied her hand crossbow.

Outside, the pirates’ numbers were wearing down Inigo and Raj. Bellowing orders to his guards to rush the slave pen, Trumpet personally entered the fray, striking down Raj with a couple of well-placed blows. Now alone, Inigo defended her unconscious and bleeding body while a badly-wounded Ginallath played dead. The sight of more pirates arriving caused the party’s hearts to sink.

Fortunately, this was Aard’s group. As the pirates rushed to join the battle, MacTavish muttered a prayer to Tempus and turned on them, or tried to since his aim slipped and he ended up striking his own shield instead. Aard turned to curse him for a clumsy fool -then fell with Wolf’s blade in his back. Ginallath rose and nailed another pirate with a well placed arrow shot, and between the three of them quickly dispatched the remaining pirates of Aard’s squad before moving in to help their teammates.

Aeryn, Dak, Rosko, and their young charge were still trapped in the slave pen. As Dak heroically strove to defend the doorway, Aeryn carefully sighted her crossbow and let fly. With a snap, the firing mechanism broke, sending the bolt backwards into her face, dropping her (the critical fumble deck is a harsh mistress). Cursing, Dak redoubled his efforts while Rosko and the boy bandaged the now unconscious Aeryn.

Outside, though, the tide was turning. Wolf slew several pirates while MacTavish administered Tempus’ grace to heal Inigo’s wounds. No longer on the verge of death, Inigo made a beeline for Trumpet, and the ranger and the third mate were soon locked in furious combat. Trumpet’s greater experience was no match for Inigo’s raw fury, and the pirate was soon grievously wounded. With his guards dead and Wold and MacTavish moving to engage, he made a run for it – straight for the rampaging steers with Inigo hot on his heels. MacTavish quickly conjured a spiritual weapon and sent it flying after the luckless pirate, and with a few short strokes Trumpet lay dead in the dust.

At this point a furious debate ensued - Wolf, MacTavish, and Inigo all wanted to find Captain Scabbard and challenge him as well. But with Aeryn and Raj unconscious, Ginallath badly hurt, and MacTavish out of spells, the party decided on the better part of valor and escaped with their mission accomplished while the remaining pirates tried to control the escaped cattle.

With the Thri-Kreen slain and their treasure gathered, the party decided to bury the statue and most of the gold until their return, and move on to the Pirate encampment. After a half-day’s ride, they saw the smoke from the pirates’ cooking fires and soon came into sight of the compound itself – a log palisade with several watchtowers. Captain Scabbard’s ship, the infamous Moonsea Stiletto, was moored in the bay just beyond the walls.

After some discussion, the party decided it would be best to infiltrate in two groups, and then decide what to do after thoroughly surveying the fortress. First in were Wolf and MacTavish, both of whom had some nautical experience and could thus present themselves as potential recruits. Thanks largely to MacTavish’s status as a Cleric of Tempus – after all, a cleric’s often the only thing standing between ye and an eyepatch or pegleg, matey – the pirates quickly accepted them. After an interview with Scabbard himself and his third mate, the aptly named Trumpet, Wolf and MacTavish signed the Pirate articles, received their headscarves and poofy shirts, and were promptly remanded to the custody of a pirate named Aard who set them to work taking care of the pirates’ 30 head of stolen cattle.

Next in were Aeryn, Ginallath, Inigo, and Rajmani, with rogue and mage disguised as slave dealers and the two rangers as bodyguards. They were also received by Trumpet (the Third Mate being Officer of the Day), who showed them the slave pens. The women meant as husbands for the Phlan colonists had already been purchased by buyers from Zhentil Keep, but two stowaways from their ship – the burly blond barbarian Dak, and his wiry dark-haired buddy Rosko – were still available. Aeryn noticed their objective, young Galon Bivant, in the corner of the pen. Dak and Rosko had clearly adopted him and were watching out for him.

Trumpet next showed the “slave dealers” to an open space in the camp where they could pitch their tents while they negotiated prices with Captain Scabbard. Inigo and Rajmani, both of whom had been in the wilderness for a while, succumbed to the shared experience of hunting down Thri-Kreen and nipped off for a quickie while Aeryn and Ginallath made contact with Wolf and MacTavish – more accurately, MacTavish made contact with Aeryn by flirting with her, and Raj gleefully played the part of the overprotective bodyguard by giving him a good slap in the name of “defending her employer”.

The party spent the next day watching the pirates’ routine. Wolf spent most of it shoveling cow dung, while MacTavish had his clerical powers tested on wounded and sick pirates. Aeryn and Ginallath met with Scabbard amid his collection of prized carved figurines, who offered them both Dak and Rosko for a “mere” 8,000 GP. When the party met again (under cover of a “romantic rendezvous”) between MacTavish and Aeryn, they came up with a plan: Aeryn and Inigo would recover the golden Thri-Kreen idol and offer it to Scabbard as payment for Dak and Rosko. Once inside the slave pen, the party would turn on the pirates and liberate Galon.

Later that afternoon, Aeryn and Inigo returned to the Thri-Kreen mounds and dug up the statue. Scabbard was very pleased with it – after, of course, he’d had his sorceress lover Murron make certain it was harmless – and summoned Trumpet to hand Aeryn and Ginallath’s new slaves over to them. With the two of them, Inigo, and Rajmani at the slave pen, and Wolf and Inigo at the corral waiting to rush to their assistance, everything seemed to be going as planned…

Turn/Time: Turn 6/April, 2261

Scenario: Flee to the Jumpgate (modified)

Terrain: One jumpgate.

Situation: With the Tza’sol position crumbling in the face of Centauri aggression, the remnants of the Narn Regime decide it’s time to forcibly bring their breakaway brethren back into the fold. A powerful Kha’ri loyalist task force is formed to take the jumpgate at the lucrative trade world of Business Mission and destroy the Tza’sol fleet there. As the attackers deploy from hyperspace, Narn on both sides prepare for that bloodiest and most unforgiving of battles - brother against brother.  

TO&E:

Narn Regime:

• 1x Bin’Tak
• 8x G’quonth (shipbreaker mines)
• 1x G’tal

Tza’sol Narn:

• 1x Ka’Bin’Tak
• 4x Bin’Tak
• 5x G’quan
• 1x Var’Nic
• 1xT’loth
• 2x Rongoth

Turn 1: The Tza’sol admiral kept his fleet in tight formation as the loyalists exited the gate, leveraging the longer range of his mines over the loyalists more powerful but shorter-ranged shipbreakers. His Bin’tak, the only ship in range, peppered the loyalists with mines as they deployed into their own battle formations.

Turn 2: Now ready for battle, the loyalist Narn trained their heavy lasers on their Tza’sol opponents and let fly while contuning to advance. A shot from their flagship tore into the Tza’sol Ka’bin’tak’s engines, rendering it immobile, while a G’quonth sliced her heavy laser into a Tza’sol Bin’tak’s main reactor, producing a critical explosion before the Tza’sol engineers could activate safety protocols. The resulting explosion and accompanying wave of Cadmium-2 radiation killed the entire crew instantly, leaving the ship adrift (there were three 5-6 crew crits in a row!). The loyalists were not wholly unscathed, however, as their opponents’ mines and firepower took their toll.  A lucky hit brought the loyalists’ G’tal flagship to a halt, leaving both sides’ admirals in the unenviable postion of having to conduct the battle from stationary ships – and boresighted on each other. Trying desperately to avoid the massive blasts of the Tza’sol mines, loyalist and Tza’sol fighters engaged each other in their own dance of death.

Turn 3: Like gunfighters, the loyalist and Tza’sol flagships stared each other down – and then unleashed their firepower. The G’tal got the worst of the exchange and was left crippled and with only a skeleton crew to keep her running. The loyalist admiral promptly transferred his flag to the Bin’tak. Meanwhile, the heavily damaged loyalist cruisers were concentrating their fire on the Tza’sol dreadnoughts, their combined fire destroying one Tza’sol Bin’tak with what would have been a most satisfying explosion – had it not engulfed four flights of loyalist Frazis.  As the battle raged, engineers aboard both flagships worked frantically to repair battle damage. The loyalists succeeded in repairing the damage to their Bin’tak’s engines while the Tza’sol Ka’bin’tak fixed its faulty fire control systems.

Turn 4:  At last the loyalist fleet had reached shipbreaker range, but with its numbers sadly depleted. The shipbreaker mines of the loyalist G’quonths wreaked tremendous damage on the Tza’sol fleet, but the remaining ships were not enough to turn the tide of the battle. The Tza’sol Bin’taks quickly finished off two more loyalist G’quonths, and a final Bin’tak salvo destroyed the Loyalist flagship. With no direction from their Admiral, the remaining loyalists individually broke contact and fled for open space.

Aftermath: The Tza’sol forces made a thorough sweep of the area for survivors, and the loyalist prisoners found themselves well-treated. Among those recovered were the loyalist Admiral and his staff, all of whom immediately defected to the Tza’sol (the alternative -execution by the Kha’ri for this fiasco, was unpalatable).

The Tza’sol Narn, whose stock had been at a low ebb after their well-publicised failures against the Centauri, gained a great deal of prestige in the sector from their victory at Business Mission and many of the burgeoning Narn expatriate population now began to see them as a valid alternative to the Kha’ri-in-exile. 

The Earth Alliance, unsure which Narn faction most deserved an autographed Molly Rome photo, instead spent the money on some buffalo wings and a copy of Johnny English as a morale booster. Molly Rome did not attend the showing, though she sent a nice note.

Analysis: With two roughly equal Narn fleets, this battle ended up hinging on the advantages of regular vs shipbreaker mines. Given the slowness of Narn ships, the regular mines proved significantly more useful as Scott was able to cause considerable damage over time as Bob tried to close with him. The attrition effect of mines really racks up over several turns.

Thanks to Marc for the pics and rough notes!

Turn/Time: Turn 6, April 2261

Scenario:  A Call to Arms

Terrain: None

Situation: As the League defend their Ope’diar staging point from the Narn, a Minbari raiding force simultaneously jumps in-system near the industrial world of Janegann. Though his forces are already stretched to the breaking point, the CnC Ope’Diar scrapes together a small battlegroup to defend this vital source of war materiel. Sacrificing his system defence ships to lure away an over-eager Minbari commander, the League task force commander now faces the remaining fleet elements.

TO&E:

Minbari Federation:

• 3x Sharlin (one diverted away by a Raid)
• 2x Tinashi
• 1x Nial wing

League of Nonaligned Worlds:

• 2x Takata (BSS Stormbringer, Takata)
• 2x Kaliva (BSS Will of the Prophet, Tears of the Prophet)
• 3x Varl (VCS Banshee, Spectre, Wraith)

Setup: The League defenders set up at the centre of the board, with the Minbari approaching in two wings.

Turn 1: The Minbari struck hard and fast, ripping into Stormbringer and knocking her engines offline. The League defenders quickly recovered themselves, heavily damaging one of the oncoming Tinashis with concentrated fire.

Turn 2: Will of the Prophet finished off the damaged Tinashi, and quickly found herself the focus of unwelcome attention from the Minbari. Heavy engine damage turned her into a floating gun emplacement in short order, as the rest of the League ships continued to pour firepower into the Minbari fleet. Meanwhile, Stormbringer’s damage control parties quickly got her engines back into working order.

Turn 3: Finally in range, the Minbari fighters tore into the League ships, though one flight was downed by Stormbringer’s anti-fighter defenses. Tears of the Prophet blasted apart the remaining Tinashi, while accurate Minbari firepower destroyed the fire control (and crews) for Stormbringer and Takata’s forward guns.

Turn 4: Drifting through the remains of the Tinashi, Tears of the Prophet’s captain brought his ship about and did his best to keep the Minbari off of the still immobile Will of the Prophet. Nials buzzed around the stricken Kaliva like hornets, but Will’s captain kept his head, and his anti-fighter defenses destroyed the remaining independent Minbari fighters.

Turn 5: The superior firepower of the Shar’lins now began to tell against the damaged League ships. Will of the Prophet, her DamCon crews still frantically struggling to repair her engines, was raked by heavy fire and crippled. She was soon joined by Stormbringer, already heavily scarred by combat.

Turn 6: For one crucial moment, Tears of the Prophet’s sensor crews got a fix on one of the Shar’lins. She lined her grav lance up and let fly, gouging a gaping hole into the Minbari cruiser’s aft section and surgically removing her engines (and engineering crew). As the second Shar’lin lined up on Will of the Prophet, her captain regretfully bid his ship farewell and ordered his crew into the lifepods. Moments later, Will was an expanding cloud of burning metal fragments. At this point, the League commander recieved word of the successful defence of the Ope’diar starbase, and gave the order to withdraw there.

Aftermath: Tears of the Prophet’s crippling shot on the Shar’lin saved the League task force, as the Minbari commander declined to pursue with half of his available cruisers out of action. Tears of the Prophet managed to recover almost all of Will of the Prophet’s crew complement, and her captain and crew recieved a sizable bonus from a grateful Brakiri Syndicracy for their excellent combat performance.

With both his Shar’lins repaired, the Minbari commander knew it would be only a matter of time before a stronger League force arrived to evict him from his new conquest, and he began to send parties of Warrior Caste marines to the surface of Janegann to destroy any stockpiles and means of production that could not be transferred to his ships. The running battles between the Minbari and the Janegann planetary militia continued throughout the month.

Analysis:

Marc says: From a tactical standpoint, I planned on not having initiative for most of the game and sent experienced ships to this battle.  Upon losing set-up, and the scout based re-roll, I set up in the center of the board.  The reason for this was so that I would get a decent shot at something on turn one, regardless of how far away he positioned his ships. 

Gary split his formation into a weak side – strong side layout.  I went to the weak side because I thought I would be able to kill both of these ships quickly if I used the entire fleet against them.  It took 3 turns, not 2 as predicted. But this was not really a large problem.  I had ALL of my fleet remaining.  Some minor damage had been taken on most of my major ships.  At this point the biggest issue was the multiple critical hits to engines.  Basically, the one Kaliva had become a pillbox.  I still had the advantage in numbers and the scouts were doing a great job of lowering his stealth and concentrating weapons fire.  So I turned into the Sharlins. 

Critical hits won this one for Gary.  As soon as my turn was completed, the forward arc weapons went down on BOTH Takatas and were not heard from again.  Even so, the battle came down to a final throw of 16 dice to create just four hits and finish off the first Sharlin.  I only got three.  We had played up to the time limit and agreed to finish the turn.  Had the game gone just one more turn…   This was a very tight game.  Even our economic losses in ships are identical.  2x battle and 1x Patrol vs. 1x War and 1xBattle = 45RR.

Thanks to Marc for the pics, notes, and analysis!