The ladies of the Association went on holidays to Brighton rather than dare the horrible swamps of Darkest Africa. My sparing partner Glen was able to make the trip today and brought along his "secret" League he had been working on. He surprised me - he had his own Tarzan League. So what was I to do seeing what I had plotted and planned with the story. Never fear my ever fertile if senile mind came up with an ingenious twist!
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| Meet Glen and Skully our Initiative "token", this happy token was passed between us to denote who had the upper hand. |
A Story...
Several hours earlier in a remote and dingy cave Onyekachi looked up from the scrying surface of congealed blood, the human sacrifice already cooling despite the hot temperatures given off by the lava pits nearby. So Tarzan was trying to interfere in his plans to bring mighty and dread Obba'hah'ma back into this world, he would see about that. Scooping up a handful of congealed blood he hurled it into a nearby lava pit while intoning an incantation.
The bloody smoke that rose from the pit showed the location of Raziya, one of his four chosen acolytes. She was preparing something over a large iron pot, her bloody hands constantly adding portions of quivering flesh from out of sight.
"Raziya!" commanded Onyekachi, "Stop. Listen, Obey!"
The image of Raziya jumped, clearly startled and surprised by the call out of nowhere. The mystery of what she was preparing became apparent as some hapless tribesman's lifeless body dropped to the floor. She looked around but could clearly not guess the source of Onyekachi's voice.
"Raziya, do not tax yourself as to where I am, only that I am able to see and communicate with you. Obey me, or be punished! Bow in servitude or be destroyed!"
Raziya's face showed fear and without hesitation showed her fealty to her master by bowing in servitude. Not daring to raise her head until told to do so, her body trembled in fear at his mastery of magic.
"Good Raziya. I am pleased with your service, you will be greatly rewarded for you swift toadying. For today though I need you to use your special powers on Tarzan, and quickly. He has sent a party of white men to interfere in our plans for tonight in raising dread Obba'hah'ma. You will now find at your feet the Powder of Compulsion, use it to compel Tarzan to defeat these white men and protect our summoning. No GO!"
With those final words the image vanished with the smoked and Onyekachi was left in the ruddy light of the lava pit, the eerie light casting a more than sinister cast to his visage.
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| Corrupted Tarzen League |
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| Corrupt Tarzen |
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| Amy the Gorilla |
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| Tic, Tac, and Toe |
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| Cheetah |
This was indeed a another game of differences. Glen will supply me his League details eventually but his animal followers were delightful, the fact that no one could shoot was I thought going to be very one sided. How very silly of me to think so. As you will see from the report and pictures that follow.
WARNING: Picture quality poor, sorry!
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| Tarzan and Garfield vie for the Major Plot. |
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| Ackerley and Jabari combine forces to get a Minor Plot. |
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| How things were looking from above. Amy the gorilla leading the monkeys still the arrive. |
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| Amy obtains the Minor Plot. The monkeys continue to play in the long grass. |
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| Barrington starts to get a bad feeling about the contingent of monkeys heading his way. |
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| Barrington definitely the center of attention. Monkeys everywhere, but he's managed to hold them off in the end. |
Interlude...
Barrington loaded another shell into his elephant gun and whistled a happy tune. God it was good to be alive, it was a target rich environment. Just then he spotted a blur of fur, then another spot, then another, damn it all, how many were there. He snapped of a shot at the first monkey as it barrelled into him, but its speed and dexterity or was it just it's damnable luck that saved it. As he reflexively reached to reload another monkey appeared then another followed by yet another, just how many of these creatures did Tarzan have at his beck and call. Damned, they weren't doing him much harm, but he sure as hell wasn't doing much to them either. Yet their numbers were going to tell if he didn't do something soon... thank heavens for a fortune card! |
| Sir Garfield comes to Barringtons rescue, but so does Amy come to the rescue of the monkeys. |
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| Tarzan hands off his plot to Cheetah. |
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| Looks like it takes two Englishmen to solve Minor Plots these days! |
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| Barrington has managed to extricate himself from the monkey dilemma only for Sir Garfield to be confounded by a similar problem. This time there is an angry gorilla thrown into the mix. |
Interlude...
Sir Garfield grimaced in chagrin as he thought of how narrow an escape Barrington had just had from the monkeys. He found that he was now in the same situation except he now had to deal with an enraged gorilla no less. Hope though did seem possible as he saw out of the corner of his eye Jabari sneaking towards the encounter desperately trying to keep his hat on. If Jabari could release those deadly killer Peruvian moths at just the right time the tide of battle could be turned... he hoped!
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| Faithful Jabari runs in and aids his companion, successfully surviving a round. He then manages to unleash his Swarm taking out a follower. Jabari is very happy. |
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| Tarzan comes back into the fray to stop Pike from chasing down Cheetah with the Plots. Garfield goes down but not out. Jabari's amazing swarm of deadly killer Peruvian moths have accounted for two animal followers. |
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| End of game. |
I do apologise for the quality of the photo's. I used a compression option on the Picture Tools manager and it seems to have totally stuffed up the resolution. Of course I didn't think to keep a copy before fiddling with my pictures, will know better next time.
Right then Lord Wishart lost this battle, but it all came down to just bad luck. I could have on the second turn have easily made the two success's needed to win the major plot then scampered for safety like Tarzan did and palm off the plot to a subordinate. It really was a close one. Yes my luck was abysmal in places but then it shone through in the two cases where both Barrington and Sir Garfield were swamped by monkeys. To have survived for so many turns, to escape and succumb (Barrington) at the end was what games are made of.
Lord Wishart
Minor Plot - "Rise and worship me!" +1 Gear
Minor Plot - "Pick their bones clean!"+1 Tip
2VPs
Tarzen
Major Plot - "Kill the pale ones!" +1 Experince
Minor Plot - "Behold the crystal skull!" +1 Contact
4VPs
A Story...
"Tarzan, wake up old man, what's wrong with you?"
Ackerley Wishart gave John Clayton a right royal kick to his backside, obtaining a groan from him. Clayton or Tarzan rolled over and vomited copious green fluids onto the ground.
"I don't think that's at all natural Ackers?" said Sir Garfield with concern as he hurried to Tarzans side. Offering him his canteen of water, only realising after Tarzan had guzzled a quantity and coughed in a startled manner that he'd given him his special spirits canteen. Well he supposed, it would perk up ones spirits one way or the other he surmised.
Tarzan growled "I've been bewitched Wishart, and I will have my revenge on the black hearted villians who did this to me. No one compels me against my will, no one. I was helpless man, to be trapped inside and made to act you was an act of such betrayal. I hope that you can find some way to forgive me for this breech of trust."
Ackerley looked into Tarzans eyes and saw the hurt and anguish that resided there.
"Of course I forgive you Tarzan. You've just been out in the sun a little too long, heat stroke. I've seen it in the best of men, they all loose it. What was that song your pal Noel was penning the other day Niles, something about mad dogs and englishmen?"
Niles looked up excitedly "why yes Ackers I have commited it to memory, would you like to hear it?"
"Oh, why not, the author appears to have run out of dialogue for us at the moment so he'll leave us with this ditty, so till next time...."
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
(Noel Coward)
In tropical climes there are certain times of day
When all the citizens retire,
to tear their clothes off and perspire.
It's one of those rules that the biggest fools obey,
Because the sun is much too sultry and one must avoid
its ultry-violet ray --
Papalaka-papalaka-papalaka-boo. (Repeat)
Digariga-digariga-digariga-doo. (Repeat)
The natives grieve when the white men leave their huts,
Because they're obviously, absolutely nuts --
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
The Japanese don't care to, the Chinese wouldn't dare to,
Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve to one,
But Englishmen detest a siesta,
In the Philippines there are lovely screens,
to protect you from the glare,
In the Malay states there are hats like plates,
which the Britishers won't wear,
At twelve noon the natives swoon, and
no further work is done -
But Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
It's such a surprise for the Eastern eyes to see,
That though the British are effete,
they're quite impervious to heat,
When the white man rides, every native hides in glee,
Because the simple creatures hope he will
impale his solar topee on a tree.
Bolyboly-bolyboly-bolyboly-baa. (Repeat)
Habaninny-habaninny-habaninny-haa. (Repeat)
It seems such a shame that when the English claim the earth
That they give rise to such hilarity and mirth -
Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
The toughest Burmese bandit can never understand it.
In Rangoon the heat of noon is just what the natives shun.
They put their scotch or rye down, and lie down.
In the jungle town where the sun beats down,
to the rage of man or beast,
The English garb of the English sahib merely gets a bit more creased.
In Bangkok, at twelve o'clock, they foam at the mouth and run,
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen, go out in the midday sun.
The smallest Malay rabbit deplores this stupid habit.
In Hong Kong, they strike a gong, and fire off a noonday gun.
To reprimand each inmate, who's in late.
In the mangrove swamps where the python romps
there is peace from twelve till two.
Even caribous lie down and snooze, for there's nothing else to do.
In Bengal, to move at all, is seldom if ever done,
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
Here is the music video so that you can get the gist of how it goes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcBr3rosvNQ
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy.
John
What a great adventure! THANKS so much for posting.
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