Readers of the Grimfish Harbor Howler may have missed the story. Buried on page two was a brief story about another hive tremor that had struck Emperor’s Getaway and had opened up new areas to explore.
This is not uncommon in the EG (both tremors and burying important news behind a daft interview with a frustrated Archeopriest.) New areas opening up means new opportunities.
Game Note-The players were given five possible areas to explore and were told to collectively pick one. They chose Paddlestab Creek because of course they did. End Game Note
After a brawl, the various gangs readied themselves to head towards Paddlestab Creek. The newest edition of the Howler hinted at trouble they might face as Paddlestab Creek is located near Maple Mill.
Maple Mill is best known as the home to Moogus Peefer AKA The Madman of Maple Mill. This surly old man is a doctor turned inventor who is known for his interesting and very dangerous robotic creations, and his one size fits all solution to all problems “Chop em up.”
In this case, Peefer’s creations slipped their reins (not unusual) and formed a collective (unusual) who call themselves the Maple Mill Militia
Led by a brightly painted yellow flying ball with five shooty appendages known as The Admiral, this militant band has moved into a recently opened up abandoned mining rig. While The Admiral is off trying to discover what both a militia and an admiral are, the Maple Mill Militia has posted up.
The gangs decide to work together and creep up on the unsuspecting bots to grab some loot and cause some chaos.
The five present gangs-absent were The Shrouded Path and Majestic Twelve-creeped into the area and completed a quick scout to see with what they were dealing. They did not know that the enemy was mechanical so were surprised to see shiny-ok, maybe rusty-metal guards posted up around an old mining building.
Game Note-This scenario was played using the raid scenario from the original rule books. Additionally, loot crates were scattered around the defending side’s table half. End Game Note
The Maple Mill Militia, being a band of mechanical creations didn’t bother to collect the valuable supplies and resources left by the previous occupants before the mining rig was cut off in a previous hive quake. The plan for the gangs was simple; work together, get the loot and get out.
So it was that the five gangs cautiously crept forward. Each gang had a somewhat different strategy. The Pale Veil crept up the side towards the giant power tower (tower of power?) while the Mischievous Misbehaviors stayed on the ground and snuck up the opposite side. The Slag Ratz with a Z for Maximum Doucheyness also stayed low and headed for the turbine in the center of the territory. The Wastoids took a different stance, continually asking if they could shoot the guards and musing whether las guns made noise. The Waste Side Bears followed the Veil but went high across the rooftops while the Veil stayed low. The Bears too had itchy trigger fingers but restrained themselves for the greater good of avoiding the alarm being sounded.
The Ratz were the first to make an aggressive move Two of the beefy boys (boyz?) crept up some stairs and onto the walkway of the turbine and quietly incapacitated the robotic sentry who was posted there.
The Wastoids, who were crossing the green bridge, restrained themselves under pressure from the other gangs and managed to quietly take out another robotic droid who was stationed on the bridge. The Veil did the same to yet another sentry who was guarding the tower.
It was the Mischievous Misbehaviors who blew the cover. After looting a crate for some cred saving rations to feed their entire gang, they snuck up some stairs to jump a guard on the far side of a bridge. They were able to club the silver sentry, but unfortunately, did it loudly enough that they were discovered and the alarm was rang.
The stealth mission was now over. The Ratz ran for the stairs that climbed the front of the rig while the Veil ran for two crates on the tower. The Bears opened up on anything metal with their guns while the Misbehaviors climbed a three story building opposite the tower side of the mine.
It was the over eager Wastoids who were caught out. Nearly their entire gang was left exposed on the green bridge when a silver droid with a heavy las rifle (same stats as a heavy stubber) who was tucked into the front room of the mining building unloaded on the hapless ashers, knocking one down and routing two others.
The Wastoids retuned fire but struggled to take down the metal militiamen.
A loud explosion rocked the power tower when a Veiler opened a crate only to find it contained very old and very unstable explosives. The new Pale boy, who was recently recruited from the gang’s settlement went out as the first casualty.
The cover was now blown and the fight was in full force This ruckus was loud enough to bring in mechanical reinforcements who were out patrolling and heard the fighting.
Then there was betrayal.
One of the Misbehaviors ran out onto the green bridge where the Wastoids were advancing. A loud zap was heard and the little dude dropped to the ground. A Wastoid stood only a few paces away, recharging his Las pistol which he had just fired at the green ganger.
The shockingly brazen move so demoralized the little green men, that they never did recover. The untimely reinforcements led by a large mechanical menace known as the Commander, plowed into another pair of MM’s. The Misbehaviors bottled out.
Meanwhile, the Ratz battled their way up the front stairs but were pinned down by increasingly heavy fire. The heavy las gun zapped away, not wounding, but pinning several Ratz.
The Wastoids gained the platform containing the mining building and looted a crate before heavy fire and good judgement had them bottling.
On the tower, the Veil looted a large crate, were harassed by one of the now infamous phase birds of Maple Mill, and readied for a push on the mining building. The Bears exchanged fire with more mechanical foot guard and were progressing.
Then the Admiral returned and he was not happy (I think? Are mechanical flying spheres ever happy?)
Moving fast and flailing dangerous metal appendages, the Admiral quickly bore down on the tower invaders.
The Pale Veil and Waste-Side Bears acknowledged the crumbling situation that losing two gangs and gaining ever increasing numbers of angry bots had caused. They, along with the Ratz pulled back with what they had managed to loot. The Bears left empty handed.
The raid, overall was a success for most of the gangs. At the cost of a dead Misbehavior-the betrayed little dude survived- the five gangs had gained some valuable loot and an appreciation of the inventing skills of the Madman of Maple Mill.
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