VSF Scenario Design Contest Entries

Please sign in to your membership account, or, if you are not yet a member, please sign up for your free membership account.

An Unfortunate Finding

by jadedragon

Scale

28mm

Rules

I have not selected any particular set of rules for this scenario, because you can then use whatever rules you have, and partly because I do not own any commercially available Victorian rules! (All homebrew for me). The character descriptions should give a fair idea of how to stat them.

Length

No set length

Players

2 sides - British and Martian/German

Forces

British

Rupert Lavenhold

Every inch the bold explorer, Rupert has seen action in much of Africa before setting off for Mars. He is an eccentric personality, and likes his wine a little too much (when he’s not exploring, of course). He is, however, a crack shot with his Adams revolver, and can hold his own in a fist fight. He should be statted as a commander with good leadership, shooting skills and combat skills.

Edward Egmont

A ragtag missionary, Edward has attached himself to the party in the hope that a lost tribe of Martians will be found in the North Pole. No such tribe was found, but now the party has certainly found something. He is not much use in a combat situation, but the amount of religious regalia he carries makes him almost bulletproof. He should be statted as a commander with poor combat skills but a very good survivability rating.

12 British riflemen

Hardy men from the Martian Rifles regiment, they have been assigned to protect Rupert in case an important strategic discovery was made. Obviously, one has been. They have shed their usual uniform for thicker trench coats, due to the colder environment. These should be statted as well-trained troops.

Martian/German

5 German Engineers

In charge of the construction of the mech, these are not military men. They are, however, being paid handsomely for their talents and will lend a hand to the Martians with their borrowed Martian pistols. These should be statted as regular infantry with pistols.

Martian Guards

Charged with defending the construction site, these creatures are not happy at the intrusion. They are experts at navigating the subterranean tunnels under the snow, and are armed with their strange Martian long-rifles. They are not deployed normally (see below). These should be statted along the lines of European-trained natives.

The Steam Mech (duh duh duh DUH!)

While not fully complete - and thus unable to move - the mech's heat gun can be operated by one of the German engineers. It does, however, have only one charge. The mech should be treated as a one shot cannon that must have an engineer in base contact to fire.

Situation

Circa 1902. While exploring the frozen North Pole of Mars, intrepid explorer Rupert Lavenhold, missionary Edward Egmont and his armed escort discover a frightening sight - the Martians have begun work on a terrible new secret weapon to use against the British in their colonial efforts. With the help of dastardly German engineers, the Martians have begun work on a steam-powered mech. If allowed to join the fight, it could mean certain defeat for the Queen's troops.

Needless to say, the Martian guards aren't very pleased with the discovery of their new weapon (after all, they can't call it a secret weapon anymore). The only hope for Rupert and his group is to run the Martian gauntlet to their waiting balloon, using which they can escape and warn the British command.

Set-Up

The areas outlined by grey are hills.

The German engineers and the mech are placed in the German deployment zone. The British deploy in their deployment zone (obviously).

Deploying the Martians - Every Martian turn, the Martian player rolls 1D6 plus 2. This represents the number of Martians emerging from the tunnels under the hills. They may be deployed on any hill wished, but if possible at least one Martian must be placed on each hill. New Martians can be generated every turn, but no more than ten Martians can be on the table at any one time.

If you don't own any snow terrain, you can cover regular terrain with a white sheet. The hills can be adjusted for size, but only change the number or placement if you feel the scenario is too easy/too hard for one side. Place assorted buildings around the table - whatever comes to hand, weird is okay, as these are Martian buildings after all!

Special Rules

Winning the game. The British win if they move five or more models, which must include Rupert or Edward, off the south side of the table. These models are assumed to have reached the balloon safely.

The Martians win if this does not happen.

Recommended Figures

British Troops

Renegade World War One British (they already have trenchcoats)

Rupert and Edward

The Sinister Spies pack by Pulp Figures contains suitable figures for these two - the Bronstein figure for Rupert (cut off the briefcase), and the Seigfreid Holtz figure for Edward. Although 1920's, they will do fine for late Victorian (purists may want to convert Rupert's gun).

Martian Troops

Any models will do, as long as they are strange and carry some sort of rifle. Some models to consider include Games Workshop Kroot.

German Engineers

WWI Late German officer advancing with pistol (G1) by Irregular Miniatures - order 5.

The Steam Mech

Goliath Steamer (6061) by Armorcast, with a length of brass tubing replacing the gatling gun (unless you wish to represent a multi-barreled heat gun).