| Mini from the Aliens & Vehicles collection from Rebel Minis Here |
The party tonight wandered into a nasty section of the jungles/woodlands of Mars tonight. They got quite the surprise when 12 Dark Martian Scout Walker unearthed themselves around the game trail that the carvan was traveling through!
The NPC's armed their teleforce cannons & began to blast away as they retreated as fast as possible. One of the players managed to get off a lucky shot from his cannon & discovered the horrible truth about the scout walkers. They are not piloted by the Sarmaks but by captured, rewired, red martians!
The NPC's armed their teleforce cannons & began to blast away as they retreated as fast as possible. One of the players managed to get off a lucky shot from his cannon & discovered the horrible truth about the scout walkers. They are not piloted by the Sarmaks but by captured, rewired, red martians!
Needless to say that the scout walkers continued to dog them for the next seven miles until the party came up with a plan!
Their illusionist/mesmerist was able to cast an illusion to hide the entire caravan from the eyes of the scouts. This was done in concert with the psychics in the caravan working in concert!They were able to bypass most of the problem or so they thought.
Their illusionist/mesmerist was able to cast an illusion to hide the entire caravan from the eyes of the scouts. This was done in concert with the psychics in the caravan working in concert!They were able to bypass most of the problem or so they thought.
The party didn't realize that they were passing through Sarnak territory until in the middle of the night they were attacked by humanoid/cat warriors.
Victims of the gene vats of the Sarmak! They carried blow guns, bombs, & radium pistols. They took out 2 hover trucks but were beaten back by a combo of the party & green mutant/martian merc warriors
The party found itself running deeper into the jungle. This time they pulled off of the game trail. Pulled netting over the vehicles & began to set up a base camp as fast as possible!
This is where things got interesting. The party & the npcs were setting stuff up.
The party got its first real view of an Alpha Martian Tripod
It suddenly occurred to them that they were in a war zone! Three more tripods entered the area & stopped. The dice rolled, breaths were held & the game rolled on!
The tripods dropped black smoke! The gas masks were passed out & no one moved a muscle.
I let this play out for 7 rounds!
The machines moved on only to be followed 2 rounds later by 3 more tripods. These drop a probe to the ground & scanned the area but the element of surprise was gone. The party remained undetected now!
The tripods dropped black smoke! The gas masks were passed out & no one moved a muscle.
I let this play out for 7 rounds!
The machines moved on only to be followed 2 rounds later by 3 more tripods. These drop a probe to the ground & scanned the area but the element of surprise was gone. The party remained undetected now!
The game ended with the caravan coming to the boundary between the Sarmak & the Temple of the Plumed Serpent
The players know that their in way, way, over their heads!
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| Marker of the Plumed Serpent! |
The players know that their in way, way, over their heads!
Tripod Resources
It is still a matter of wonder how the Martians are able to slay men so swiftly and so silently. Many think that in some way they are able to generate an intense heat in a chamber of practically absolute non-conductivity. This intense heat they project in a parallel beam against any object they choose, by means of a polished parabolic mirror of unknown composition, much as the parabolic mirror of a lighthouse projects a beam of light. But no one has absolutely proved these details. However it is done, it is certain that a beam of heat is the essence of the matter. Heat, and invisible, instead of visible, light. Whatever is combustible flashes into flame at its touch, lead runs like water, it softens iron, cracks and melts glass, and when it falls upon water, incontinently that explodes into steam.
The best collection of links & such about the 'invaders' that I'm using is found right on Garrison James Old School Heretic Blog Here
Den Valdron wrote this great article about HG Wells & Edgar Rice Burroughs stories taking place on the same Mars. Your can find that on ERBzine right Here
The Sermak menace is outlined Here Not everything applies to my game but there are ideas in there that I'll be using
Den Valdron wrote this great article about HG Wells & Edgar Rice Burroughs stories taking place on the same Mars. Your can find that on ERBzine right Here
The Sermak menace is outlined Here Not everything applies to my game but there are ideas in there that I'll be using
Wow. You've managed to outpace even Burroughs Mars with one danger after another. Sounds likea great game.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it was an fun game! (maybe more for the GM than the players though...hehe.)
ReplyDeleteI plan on throwing some tripod styled war machines at my players at some point when I get my Carcosa game going.
The Den Valdron stuff at ERBzine is great good stuff. there's a TON of wonderful material all over that site/zine. Very worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteSince you're looking at PJF for some inspiration regarding the Sarmaks, have you considered any of the Wold Newton Family stuff? That could be kind of fun and a way to help make things up to the players--sure you're in the middle of a war between Tripods--but hey you're a relative of Professor Challenger, so buck up and get over it. what would your ancestors do in a time/place like this? Might work...just an idea...
Trey- Naw, I haven't out paced either Burrough! The 'Hive Of wretched scum & villainy' aspect of this setting is going to be coming into the fore! There's more Burrough's action coming up!
ReplyDeleteMaedar Antocus nice blog man & yeah this was a fun game! Tripods are great for putting the scare in folks & great for messing with their heads. Welcome aboard man!
garrisonjames- Wold Newton is perhaps my favorite site out there! There's some really cool ideas in there. PJF is perhaps one of my all time favorite writers. His take on Tarzan & Doc Savage was a central theme of my games in the 80s!
There's more to come!