Enter the Leopard – Swashbuckling in the English Civil War

Meet Edward Clement, better known as the Leopard – spy, adventurer, diplomat… and perhaps a forgotten pretender to the English crown. He is the star of my forthcoming Pulp Alley campaign set during the English Civil War, and he promises to bring cloak-and-dagger intrigue to the smoke of musket fire.

Edward Clement, aka The Leopard, spy, adventurer, diplomat

 and a forgotten pretender to the English Crown.

But where did this character come from?

The seed was planted when I stumbled across Hans Holbein's famous painting of Sir Thomas More and his family. In the background, half-hidden in a doorway, stands a mysterious young man clutching a scroll. The art historian Jack Leslau argued that this figure was Dr. John Clement, husband of Margaret Giggs, More's adopted daughter, and, more controversially, that Clement was in fact Richard of Shrewsbury, the younger of the lost Princes in the Tower. 

Thomas More and Family with Richard of Shrewsbury

in the doorway to the right.

That idea lit my imagination. What if a descendant of Clement survived into the seventeenth century? A man of mystery, royal whispers in his bloodline, stepping into the storm of the Civil War? Thus, Edward Clement – the Leopard – was born.

The Leopard's Story

Edward Clement was educated in the Low Countries and at Cambridge before entering Prince Rupert's service during the Breda campaign of 1637. When Rupert sailed for England in 1642, Edward followed, quickly catching the attention of Edward Hyde, one of Charles I's most trusted advisors. 

Court gossip puzzled over his sudden rise. Whispers of noble blood surrounded him, but Hyde saw only a helpful agent – if one with dangerous ambitions. By 1642, the Leopard had become an indispensable spy, navigating the murky shadows of the King's quarrel with Parliament. 

In early 1643, he was dispatched west to aid Sir Ralph Hopton, taking up the role of chief intelligence officer. There he crossed swords with an old nemesis: Aaron Bell, the fiery Puritan preacher who had sworn to unmask him.

The Fellowship of the Claw

Of course, no pulp hero stands alone. The Leopard commands a league of loyal companions known as the Fellowship of the Claw – a ragtag band of allies, rogues, and survivors.

• Young Billy – a nimble-fingered street urchin with quick hands and quicker charm. 
• Fletcher – the Clement family's old gamekeeper, a deadly shot when sober, a liability when not. 
• Edgar – the family's secretary and fixer; once a courier of secrets and master cryptographer, now a dangerous old man who knows everyone's business. 
• Maarten van Asbeck – a bastard son of a Dutch noble, long-time comrade of Edward, hardened by the Thirty Years' War. 
• Milo Crumb – the hapless adventurer, often lost, often in trouble… and yet somehow always stumbling into discoveries, such as the coded Parliamentary note he found when his head struck a low beam. 

It's a cast straight from the pages of a penny-dreadful – perfect for pulp adventures.

The Leopard and the Fellowship of the Claw, from the right, Billy, Fletcher, 

Edgar, the Leopard himself and Maarten. Milo had fallen into a hole.

Bringing the Leopard to Life 

This campaign utilises Pulp Alley with only minor tweaks, many of which are inspired by the excellent community on the Pulp Alley Facebook group (special thanks to Ira Gossett and his Three Musketeers adaptation).

The Campaign Board

The backbone of the story will be a custom Snakes and Ladders campaign board. Each die roll pushes the Leopard and his companions closer to their ultimate goal – but hazards, detours, and dramatic trials lurk along the way.

The Scenario Generator

Initially, I wrote a dozen full scenarios to be played in random order, but that proved too rigid and sometimes broke the narrative. A sprawling table system followed, but that became clumsy and overcomplicated.

The final version is much sleeker: a single 3D6 table that generates mission, location, primary objective, and complications all at once. Optional tables for minor plot points and enemy leagues add spice to the game. The result feels flexible, surprising, and – crucially – keeps the narrative flowing.

Testing is underway, and I'll share the draft ideas soon. 

Enter the Leopard

The Leopard is ready to stride into history – rapier in hand, cloak billowing, secrets close to his chest. Over the coming weeks, I'll be posting more about the campaign's mechanics, introducing some other characters, including the stunning and cunning Amelie St. Simon, a noble spy, and her reckless brother, Andre. Then, the villain of our campaign, Aaron Bell, the Preacher, is a Parliamentarian spymaster with hidden ambitions. These introductions will be followed by a series of battle reports where Edward Clement and the Fellowship of the Claw take the stage. 

Adventure awaits. Will the Leopard rise as a hero of the King, or fall as another forgotten pretender?

Maarten and his love interest, Katie Reed. 

One-time prostitute now a kicken maid in Lady Hopton's household.

Pulp Alley & The Leopard

I recently finished my Tomb of the Serpent campaign. My next project is the Spectacular Adventures of the Leopard, a swashbuckling skirmish game set during the English Civil War. I have already played a test game, The Wayward Messenger, using the 7TV system. However, before setting out on this project, I decided to review what rules were available and which best suited my needs. Finally, I decided to use Pulp Alley. So why am I using a set of rules designed for the first half of the twentieth century for a historical skirmish game? As the Pulp Alley authors made clear, the Pulp genre included a wide range of environments, including gangsters, superheroes, fantasy, horror, and pirates, to name a few. So, in this first missive on my Leopard project, I will examine the rules I have looked at and why I went for Pulp Alley. As you will see, this is a very personal choice that fits my circumstances.

The Leopard, Aurelia St Simon and Aaron Bell (The Preacher)

Seventeenth Century Skirmish Rules. 

There are several good rule sets dedicated to the swashbuckling period, such as Flashing Steel, Glorie, and En Garde, to name just a few. All these games provide an excellent narrative for my campaign, but none are designed for the solo wargamer. Also, why I love collecting and reading rules; for my day-to-day gaming, I try to keep to a handful of core rules. Therefore, I decided to have a set of skirmish rules that  I could use for Indiana Jones-type adventures, gangsters in the 1930s and classic sci-fi settings. This led me back to the Pulp genre.

Pulp Rules - Cost 

In recent years, the pulp genre has become rather crowded with rules. Compared to other periods, all these rules can be obtained cheaply. Most have a free version or can be downloaded cheaply from Wargames Vault. 

Also, the figure count is usually less than a dozen, and most figure rules are agnostic in what figures can be used. Pulp Alley and 7TV have figure ranges, but they are unnecessary for playing the games.

Various supplements, scenarios, and cards add additional costs. Pulp Alley and 7TV have the most support for their games, so more supplements and cards to add to the core game. If you decide to go 'all in' with cards and supplements, this makes them the more expensive end of the spectrum.

The most significant cost is the need for nice-looking terrain. However, card buildings are available, and with careful planning, MDF and resin buildings can be used for other games.

Pulp - The Rules

Here is a brief summary of the rules I have examined. Click on the rules picture for link to the rules.

7TV (Crooked Dice)

7TV was designed to pay tribute to 1960s and 1970s television, focusing on campy adventures from fantasy to science fiction. Initially, each genre had its own supplement, but in 2023, Crooked Dice produced a core rulebook and now concentrates on producing serials (scenarios) that reflect the TV shows of the era.

The gameplay emphasises thematic missions and cinematic effects. Players build “casts” of characters using customisable archetypes. These are played on a set where the game recreates a TV episode. This can lead to odd play; for example, the set can move due to continuity errors.

Fistful of Lead (Wiley Games)

These rules are simple and quick to learn, perfect for fast-paced pulp action. They focus on minor skirmishes with individual character actions. The action deck (standard playing cards) mechanic introduces randomness and variety. The game offers flexible genre support, including Westerns, noir, and pulp sci-fi. Experimental solo rules, which are free to download, have been produced. Although their strength lies in multi-player games where they can handle numerous players (c. 10) without the game getting bogged down.

However, Fistful of Lead does not produce a deep storytelling experience, and the characters are underdeveloped for my tastes. I also found them challenging to customise for my Leopard adventures, although several genre/period supplements are available.

Perilous Tales 

This cooperative skirmish wargame centres around horror and exploration, perfect for Lovecraftian or supernatural pulp settings. The procedural scenario generation and simple yet thematic rules create cinematic challenges and a story-rich encounter, and they are specifically designed to support solo and cooperative gameplay.

Character design is limited because it is driven by predefined templates, which limits the customisation of games outside the horror genre. While all the games in this list are designed to create cinematic cliffhangers, in this instance, the mechanism that produces the excitement seems random, making tactics less critical than other pulp games. However, as a free game that introduces someone to pulp or for solo play, these rules are a winner.

Pulp (Osprey)

Pulp is one of the latest entries in the pulp stable and part of the Osprey Blue Book of wargames. Like all Osprey publications, the rules are cheap and well-produced. The rules offer a fast, streamlined game that is easy to learn, making it a good entry-level game. However, in terms of simplicity, the rules have lost depth in customising the characters, who are limited to archetypes.

Therefore, they miss the full storytelling potential of the genre with limited narrative depth and minimal customisation of characters.

Pulp Alley

Pulp Alley provides deep narrative gameplay, using dice and card mechanisms to represent plot points and random events. Together, these components produce an easy-to-learn game that is difficult to master. As I mentioned, the rules are designed to be highly customisable and fit with the variety of pulp genres. Character creation is good, although I would like more depth added to the character's background.
The game has solo rules and a unique card deck that produces engaging and exciting games, and it has one of the best dedicated communities of any game. The authors produce weakly, at least, videos to support their creation. While the cost is moderate if you want to purchase the cards (downloads are available), it provides an immersive experience into the world of pulp.

  

Comparing Pulp Rules

The rules choice is personal and designed to meet your or the club's needs. Therefore, the list below is designed to meet my gaming needs. I have considered the following factors: Narrative, Complexity ( I like simple to moderate rules), Flexibility, Solo play, Costs, and game/community support.

Narrative

My games must produce a good narrative that could make a good short story. In this category, Pulp Alley, 7TV and Perilous Tales edge this for me. The card mechanics in the first two add much narrative depth to the game.

Complexity

None of these games is particularly hard to learn; most are moderate to low in complexity. Boardgame Geek rates them in the mid-2s out of a total of 5. Fist Full is Lead, and Perilous Tales may have simpler systems.

Flexibility

Pulp Alley and 7TV can support any pulp genre. Pulp Alley nudges this category because 7TV's scenarios are more scripted.

Solo Mechanism

Only Pulp Alley and Perilous Tales have dedicated solo mechanisms. The other games' systems focus primarily on competitive skirmishes, so solo players must develop their own systems.

Cost of Entry

As I mentioned at the opening of this blog, the cost of entry is relatively low for this genre. 7TV is the most expensive, although they have merged most of the genre into one core book, reducing costs. Pulp Alley offers a lot of free stuff, but it will increase if you want to buy the cards and other add-on costs. For those on a tight budget, Perilous Tales and Fist Full of Lead, with downloadable rules and a few add-ons, have the edge on costs.

Support

One of the oddities of solo Wargaming is that you still want to feel part of a wider community. Therefore, online support is an essential aspect of the game for me. Support includes activity communities, forums, and online engagement. In this respect, Pulp Alley is the winner with its Facebook community, weekly videos, and games.

Conclusion

Pulp Alley was the final choice for playing my Leopard campaign because of its flexibility. I only had to write minimal changes to reflect seventeenth-century technology, its solo play capabilities, and the production of a strong narrative. In my Tomb of the Serpent campaign, the characters became more 3-dimensional as the story progressed. However, here, I had to design my own adventurers, so I wanted a clearer picture of the background of my main characters. How the Leopard, his friends and foes came to life will be the subject of the second blog in this project. 

Tomb of the Serpent God - The Final Chapter

The blazing sun of the desert had barely faded from memory when our band of adventurers emerged from a portal in the heart of a desolate land. In the shadow of a cursed tomb, their hopes of finding Sir Francis, Thwaites, and Marjib had crumbled into the dust. Alfie, clinging to life, was carried to a nearby village, where he made another miraculous recovery. His pale, haunted expression betrayed that fate had not finished with him.

Ever the leader, Slade secured the aid of a local guide, Menrit, to navigate the foreboding temple that loomed over their mission like a viper coiled to strike. With each step closer to the Snake God’s lair, an oppressive dread hung heavier. 

The Antechamber

Their journey brought them to the temple’s antechamber, smothered in shadow and silence. Slade’s torch sputtered to life, casting flickering light across the crumbling masonry. A great stone door barred their way, its surface carved with strange glyphs that seemed to slither under the torchlight. As Slade heaved it open, the brittle structure groaned in protest, sending a jagged chunk of stone hurtling toward Honey. She narrowly sidestepped it, her breath catching in her throat.

The Entrance to the Snale god's Prison/Tomb

 

The Writhing Wall

The corridor beyond was long and narrow, its walls crawling with a sickly green luminescence. Daphne leaned closer, her eyes narrowing at the source of the eerie light. “Beetles,” she whispered, her voice tinged with disgust. “And not the friendly kind.” She reached out, brushing her fingers against the writhing insects. The cold struck her like a dagger, and she jerked her hand back, trembling as a pallor overtook her face.

Maat - The Despoiled Goddess of Balance

Further in, they came upon a plinth crowned by a statue of Maat, the goddess of balance, her scales shattered in a cruel mockery of justice. At her feet gleamed a massive ruby, a beacon in the darkness. Slade, ever daring, stepped onto the slippery surface, his muscles taut as he pried the gemstone free. Relief flooded the group as he retreated unscathed—until a harsh scraping noise echoed deeper within the corridor.

Scorpions 

Before anyone could react, a monstrous scorpion burst from the shadows, its claws snapping and its tail poised to strike. Honey’s pistol barked in defiance, the shots briefly staggering the beast before it lunged, swatting her to the ground. Slade and Alfie rushed to her aid, their weapons hammering the creature until it collapsed in a heap of chitin and ichor.

The group pressed on, but their trials had only begun.

The Defenders of the Tomb

Slade was the first to enter the inner chamber, and the stench of decay hit him like a wave. From the gloom emerged the risen priest, his rotted form shrouded in malevolent power. Slade fired, but the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the creature’s ancient armour. As the priest loomed closer, rubble stirred at the room's edges, disgorging skeletal warriors with rusted blades.

Slade fights the Risen Priest in the Outer Chamber. A Combat that would last to the end of the scenario

Daphne and Alfie fought valiantly as Honey and Menrit struggled to regain their footing. Each step forward was met with fierce resistance as more undead clawed their way from the temple walls. Just as hope began to waver, the Ankh Amulet around Slade’s neck flared to life, its golden light coursing through him. Empowered by its energy, he fought with a ferocity that turned the tide, forcing the priest back. Yet the creature refused to fall, its unholy vitality mocking their every effort.

Then came the final test.

Burial Chamber

Alfie stumbled into the burial chamber first, but an unseen force struck him down, flinging him back like a ragdoll. His limp body sprawled across the chamber floor, another cruel twist of fate in his harrowing journey. The burden now fell to Daphne and Honey. With Menrit holding the line against the horde of undead guardians, the two women edged closer to the sarcophagus of Apophis himself. 

A Tomb Guardian awaits in the Inner Chamber, soon joined by several undead warriors.

The air was heavy, thick with ancient malice. Each step was a battle against the slippery floor and the oppressive force radiating from the tomb. At last, they reached the god’s prison, their voices trembling as they recited the ancient ritual: The Rite of Ra.

As the final words echoed through the chamber, a golden light burst forth from the tomb, its brilliance piercing the darkness. The black, writhing mass within shrieked and writhed as it dissolved into nothingness, its malevolent presence banished at last.

But as the dust settled and silence reclaimed the temple, one question lingered: had the Snake God truly been defeated, or had they merely opened the door to something worse.

Postscript

Three weeks later, the team sat in the shaded gardens of the British Archaeological Society, sipping ice-cold drinks. Alfie had once again recovered from his injuries. Mr Indestructable was Daphne's nickname for him now. Sir Francis, Thwaites, and Majib were reunited with their friends when they crossed the portal in the temple. After sealing the portal, the group returned to Cairo. As they relaxed, the society's director expressed the British government's thanks but added that the breach caused by Aphosis and his disciples had set off some unexplained incidents, including those in the Nile and Sudan. 

Whilst Sir Francis had to return to London accompanied by the ever-faithful Thwites, the others decided that their work in Egypt needed further study.

 

Final Remarks 

The final game lived up to its build-up. Daphne and Honey managed to complete the final plot. As the campaign progressed, the characters began to take on life and became more three-dimensional. The ever unluck Alfie with his soft spot for Daphne, the daredevil amongst the gang. Slade became a solid if a bit of a brooding presence, and Honey became the girl who was never flustered.

We will hear more about the Mace Institute soon, but next, we will move our Pulp experience to turbulent seventeenth-century England.

The Burning Desert

This is the fifth part of my Pulp Alley, Tomb of the Serpent campaign. After the ambush at the oasis, our heroes have been forced to abandon their vehicles and proceed on foot. Carrying the remains of their supplies, they find it hard going. The one advantage they have over is Majib, the Arab foreman that they had rescued from the destruction at Professor Remi's camp. The tall Egyptian knew the ancient way the poor Professor was trying to unearth. As they approached a narrow valley, Farouk waved the party to silence. He whispered, ' This place is cursed.'

The Landscape 

This extract from the future Lady Daphne’s diary provides a vivid description of the cursed valley that the team entered,

The gorge was narrow, and despite the heat, the dark walls ran with stagnant water. Thankfully, this oppressive environment was short, and it quickly opened into a valley flanked by rocky outcrops. On the valley floor, there was evidence that the valley would have been fertile in the past; now, it was a place of death.

As we entered the valley, we could see a temple at its far end, which was largely submerged in the desert’s sand. As we would discover, the rocky valley at its southern end gave way to treacherous sands.

‘Let's Get the Hell Out of Here’

The heat in the valley and obsessive, sucking the air from our heroes. Looking up at the rocky peaks, Slade did not like it and feared an ambush. ‘Let’s get out of here’, and started to jog towards the ruined temple at the other end of the valley. Slade’s assessment was correct as a gunshot rang out, and blood began to pour down Slade’s arm, thankfully only a graze from the bullet. The party looked up and saw more of the tribesmen they had encountered at the oasis appear from the rock outcrops.

The party moved as quickly as possible, but the shots came from both sides of the valley, slowing them down as they exchanged fire. Suddenly, Alfie slumped and a red pool of blood spread from his right side. Daphne immediately dropped to his side and tried to comfort him. It seems Alfie's rotten luck has continued. Stabbed in Italy, then stung by a scorpion in Cairo, once again, it seemed his life was held by a tread.

Honey and Thwaites take cover from the shots fired from the rocky outcrops.

Dangerous Sands.

Slade was the first to reach the ramp that led up to the temple. Ducking behind one of the sphinx guards, he felt his foot being sucked into the sand. Grappling hold of the statue, he heaved himself up and got a shot off at the horde of tribesmen approaching from the west. Sir Francis and Thwaites were more unlucky, and both found themselves knee-deep in the sand. 

Daphne was the first to reach the top of the ramp. Her youthful education in ballet classes and gymnastics had served her well. As she passed into the darkness of the temple, she shouted, 'There is some form of portal here. I can make out some buildings on the other side. ' 

Our heroes make a dash towards the Temple.

Thwaites Sacrifice.

Things were getting worse. Two giant scorpions dragged themselves out of the sand and joined the ever-increasing number of cultists.  Meanwhile, Sir Francis had extracted himself from the treacherous sands. The guide, Majib, was not so lucky and was stuck by a bullet and slumped forward. Thwaites grabbed the man and started to haul him from the treacherous sands to the bottom of the ramp. Meanwhile, Honey had jumped through the portal. Slade, now at the edge of the temple, provided covering fire as Thwaites tried to pull Majib up the temple ramp.

As escape looked possible, a cultist threw himself at Sir Francis and his fellow stragglers. Thwaites, seeing the threat blocking the attack, told Sir Francis to run. Slade and Sir Frances, seeing the gate closing, had no choice but to throw themselves into the closing portal. 

A Costly game.

I thought my League of Heroes had an easy time with this scenario. The tactics were solid, and I was lucky with the cards drawn. Most were low-level enemies, insane mobs, and cultists of various forms. Even when the giant scorpions emerged, it was too late for them to play any critical role. The biggest problem faced by my heroes was the perilous sands surrounding the temple.

Even allowing for my heroes' luck, this was a costly scenario with three team members eliminated from the final conflict. Young Alfie, life hangs in the balance, whilst Thwaites and Farouk are lost somewhere in the ether. More importantly, these were my brawlers, and their loss will make the team unbalanced. More of a shooting party that is about to enter the confirms of the Snake god's tomb.  Maybe Alfie might recover, but that is for the final chapter of this adventure.

Caper at the Oasis

Archie’s teeth chattered, not from cold but from the bumpy desert track. Their convoy had left Alexandria four days prior, navigating the western deserts on the so-called desert highway.

In the lead, Slade Horton's jeep carried the girls and Sir Francis. Beside Archie, Thwaites struggled with the truck’s wheel, cursing as he negotiated the vanishing track. Suddenly, Horton halted the jeep and announced, ‘It's on foot from here, folks. Grab what gear you can. Professor Remi’s camp lies beyond those dunes. He may guide us through this wasteland.’
New Age Comic Issue 4

Professor Remi's Camp

Thankfully, according to the Archaeological Society in Cairo, the professor's camp was nearby. Professor Remi’s party had set out months ago to trace an ancient Egyptian sacred way leading across the Western Desert to the Nile. Their last known position was at the ominously named Serpent’s Shade Oasis, now visible with its bright blue waters.

Approaching the camp, the group sensed trouble. The air turned dense and sickly. Daphne doubled up, vomiting and collapsing. Sir Francis rushed to her aid while the rest cautiously advanced. Equipment scattered around the seemingly abandoned camp hinted at violence.

Tribesmen, Cultist and a Nasty Priest

Horton signalled the team to spread out. As they did, tribesmen approached, prompting them to regroup. Despite Horton's warnings, Alfie charged, sparking a violent clash with some tribesmen. Muscular men wielding scimitars joined the fray, injuring Thwaites and forcing everyone to fight for their lives.

As the battle raged, a serpent priest emerged, casting curses and launching attacks. Despite their desperate struggle, the heroes found themselves overwhelmed. Daphne and Alfie were targeted by the priest's dark magic but overcame his evil spell. 

The Hawk’s Cry

With casualties mounting, a sandstorm loomed on the horizon, freezing the assailants in hesitation. Seizing the opportunity, Daphne escaped, the priest’s clawed hand, as the storm engulfed the camp, its roar reminiscent of a hawk's call echoing in the chaos. 

Majib

After the storm passed, Sir Francis discovered Majid, Professor Remi’s foreman, unconscious. Majid recounted an attack by a half-serpent, half-man creature; he did not know the fate of Professor Remi and his brothers. Seeking revenge and his missing brothers, Majid joined the party on their journey.

Endnote

The story starts here if you want to recap the group adventures in this campaign.

Only two more games to play in this mini-campaign, although that depends on the journey across the desert. This is the first game where our heroes would have lost if the game continued for a few turns. Thank you, the fortune (solo) version, for this lucky escape.

One of the fun things about the campaign is how the characters develop. The two junior members of the party, Daphne and Archie, have started to become more 3 dimensional. During this campaign, Archie nearly dies, is stung by a scorpion, and, in this last adventure with Daphne, becomes the story's hero when they hold the Serpent Priest at bay.

I am already working on the next adventure, based on an old game, for Department E6 of the Mace Institute. Also, a more mature Daphne and Archie are planned to appear in my Weird World War II adventure.

Overall, it was great fun. In my mind, that's what wargaming should be about a good narrative storyline that holds the games together and characters that come alive and are fun to play.

Workbench 2024

This blog is always self-indulgent because it aims to set out my projects and ambitions for the forthcoming year. A similar bit of self-indulgence occurred last year, although personal circumstances made many of my ambitions attainable. However, it would be wrong to blame the vagaries of life on my failure to deliver all my projects last year. The most crucial factor was that I was too ambitious, a common trait with wargamers. Therefore, this year, I have been more constrained in my aims; although the project list is still as long, some will not see the light of day during 2024.

Campaigns

Last year, I had two campaigns that I planned to play during the year. The first was a fantasy campaign, the Second Shadow Wars, using the rules of the Fantastic Battles. This campaign saw little action since the early months of 2023. First, the campaign took an unusual turn when Umbarji Khan ( my Orcs ) suddenly died, leading to a succession crisis. I had not drawn up the maps for all the Umbarji realms, nor did I have detailed biographies of the various brothers and sons that would contest the Blood Throne. Finally, I needed rules to cover these surprise developments. 

I have learnt from this campaign to stop trying to develop everything myself and take some of the work the other enthusiasts have placed on the web. Therefore, I plan to play the Umbarji Civil War by adapting some one-page campaign rules and personality-driven mechanics in Henry Hyde's 'Wargaming Campaigns'.

In the meantime, the original campaign centred on the Wilderness Steppes will concentrate on the struggle for the Lakeside towns. Due to his father's death, Ozbeg has been drawn into the struggles with his family and has left the Wilderness campaign to one of the leading generals, Doba Skullcrusher, to conduct the war on his southern border. Again, this will involve looking at off-the-shelf campaign roles, using a hex system, or even returning to such old favourites as Mighty Empires. 

The Tomb of the Serpent

The second campaign used the Pulp Alley and their Tomb of the Serpent campaign.  This is now halfway through, and I plan to complete this during the year. Slade Horton and his companions from the Mace Institute are now crossing the desert in search of the Serpent’s tomb, where they will come face-to-face with the Egyptian God of chaos, Apophis. I have fallen in love with this band of adventures and plan to translate them to other game systems, so expect to see the Mace Institute appear in alternative World War II adventures. 

Recreating Battles.

I have two recreations near completion in painting and research, and they will hit the table in the first quarter of 2024. The first is the Battle of Crediton in 1643, where I'll reenact the battle using the Twilight of Divine Right rules, and maybe another replay, using For King and Parliament. 

Marius and the German Invasion

The next set of battles re-fight the battles between Marius and the Germans, Aquae Sextiae (102BC) and  Vercellae (101BC). These will be played using Strength and Honour rules. However, these battles are essentially holding games whilst I start to work on the big projects of 2024, Hellenistic World and Rome's Expansion. Why start this new development? 

Partly anticipating Mark Backhouse's supplement to cover this early period; it is my favourite era of Ancient History.  The main difference is this era will be played using 6mm figures rather than 2mm because I have a box of painted minis that have been unloved for several years. Rebasing and some in-filling of figures will be required, but hopefully, this will not be too burdensome. Unsure of the first battle, try to get to the table, but the following are on the list: Paraitatiene (317 BC), Ilipa (206 BC) and Pynda (168 BC).

Wellington in the Peninsula 

This project was on the list last year and is slowly progressing in 2 mm. 2mm is ideal for this era because it gives the authentic flavour of the mass movement of large bodies of men across the battle field. Once the painting is completed for the Battle of Vimero (1808), moving on to the other conflicts of the Peninsula campaign will be easy. 

Lion Rampart, Saga and Midgard 

The one campaign I completed last year was my Feud campaign set in the period before the Magna Carta. I plan to turn my interests to the Early Medieval period, where I will experiment with several rules, including Lion Rampart, Saga and yet-to-be-released Midgard. All three games have the potential to play a Fantasy version, so I may dig out some old 28mm Citadel miniatures to set up some small-scale fantasy battles. I plan to have some extra stuff painted by the excellent Matt Slade to give some of my old armies a new flavour. Ultimately, I may extend these one-off battles into some form of campaign. I'm interested in doing an alternative breakdown of Roman authority in Britain. Where the invaders may have been dwarves and their allies. 

Skirmish Games and Roleplay

Besides using Pulp Alley for the Tomb of the Serpent campaign. I have employed 7TV to bring the swashbuckling character of the Leopard to life as he fights his way through politics in war and the time of the English Civil War. I plan to join these adventures together and publish them as a set of scenarios. 7TV system is also being used for my Sword and Sandles project where a Greek demi-god will take on numerous quests, a mixture of Xena, Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts. However, this idea is still in its early days.  

Superhero Genre

The last area skirmish is superheroes. In 2023, I played the first part of my mini-campaign when the evil Dr Nicholas Amargus (DNA) attempted to brainwash San Diego with his mind-bending gases. I adapted Pulp Alley for this first game, but for the second instalment, I will use Super Mission Force, which is designed for the genre using the gaol system. While these adventures are going on, I am building two teams of superheroes from the Golden Age who will fight Hitler's minions. 

Dungeon and Dragons

Connected to the skirmish games is my renewed interest in role-play, where the character develops even more. A magazine I found in the supermarkets made me to re-look at Dungeons & Dragons. I have found that since I last role-played – in the 1980s- enthusiasts have done much work on playing solo adventures. I plan to use these ideas and employ AI as a tool to help the game master.  I hope to post a blog on my thinking behind this and how it can generally impact wargaming. 

Naval 

I am planning a small Kiss Me Hardy game based on the scenario in one of the Lardies' magazines that is set off the island of Corsica. I am still struggling to find a set of ancient naval roles that reflect the era's sea battles. At the moment, I'm tempted to take up one of the ideas that came out of a discussion between Henry Hyde and Simon Miller of using To the Strongest mechanism for naval engagements. This could be a large project if I decide to undertake this challenge. Whatever, nothing is likely to appear next year. 

 

Some Final Thoughts

No doubt, as a wargaming magpie, some other distraction will draw me off in an unforeseen direction. Games Workshop has re-hacked the old Epic 40,000 as Legion Imperialis. A reminder of time playing Warhammer, so I am likely to give the game a try. No doubt there will be others.

I also hope to attend a couple of shows and a 'Lardie Day'. Whilst, I remain mainly a solo warmer, the hobby has a fantastic community that always gives me a boost. However, these events often provide the seeds for another project. Chain of Command has lingered in the back of my mind since my outing to Nottingham last year.

Cairo Adventure - Part 2 The Museum

This is the third episode in my Tomb of the Serpent campaign. The events of this report occurred a few days after the events at the ‘Dig’ and continue the quest by our heroes to obtain the Hyksos relics. My writing started with an extract from New Age Comic’s Slade Horton Adventures.

A City on the Edge

In the heart of Cairo, beneath the scorching sun and amidst the bustling streets, a small cavalcade of vehicles drove Slade Horton and his companions to a storage site of the famous Cairo Museum. As the cars passed the shops, cafes and bazaars, the tension within the city was all too obvious.  Small crows gathered on street corners, and gangs roamed blatantly, displaying knives and axes. Eventually, the convoy stopped in front of an old colonial-style building surrounded by a small park and iron gates typical of museums worldwide.

New Age Comics, Issue 3

The Cairo Museum Annex

Our small party of heroes entered the Cairo Museum, navigating its labyrinthine corridors filled with relics from Egypt's storied past. Sir Francis clutched a map with a list of storage numbers that had been gained from Robert Talbot's notes.

As they entered the Great Hall of the building, they all sensed an eerie presence and felt the weight of ancient curses. Unknown to them, a Risen One, one of Aphosis's priests, Akhmin-Ra and his hypnotic horde had entered the museum from the old tunnels that ran under Cairo. With a sinister grin, Akhmin-Ra whispered commands that sent his entranced minions forth, ready to confront anyone who dared to cross their path.

 

Honey and Sir Frances had taken the corridor to the west, where several storage rooms were marked on the map. Slade and Daphne entered the tomb room whilst Thwaites and Alfie explored the enclosed garden. Daphne and Sir Frances were the first to encounter trouble, a mob of knife-wielding thugs came rushing down the corridor. The tight space allowed our two heroes to let off several shots without the fear of being surrounded, but the servants of Aphosis seemed limitless. 

The Tomb Room

In the tomb room, Slade and Daphne approached the sarcophagus of a Fourteenth-dynasty pharaoh and started to hunt for the hidden compartment mentioned in the notes. For once, luck was with our heroes, and suddenly , they heard a pop, and dust flew into the air. The opening was small, but Daphne managed to put her slender hand and withdrew ankh with groves cut into the side. Clearly, from the hieroglyphic, this relic had something to do with Aphosis. However, the joy of finding the relic so quickly was short-lived as Akhmin-Ra and his rabid followers entered the tomb room.\

The Fighting Retreat

Fighting retreats now took place across the museum as the three teams slowly withdrew whilst trying to hold back Aphosis's servants. Ultimately, it would be a test of courage, resourcefulness, and teamwork, but Slade Horton and his colleagues managed to escape and took one step closer to thwarting Aphasia's nefarious plans. Now, it was a race against time and the dark forces, and will our pulp heroes prevent the snake god's rebirth.

Some Closing Thoughts

This was the easiest scenario so far in the campaign. Mainly, the luck of finding the relic at the first attempt. Even with this bit of luck the scenario proved challenging in trying to leave the museum intact with a mob of crazy cultist in pursuit. One thing learned from the earlier adventures, is the Mace team is more effective if they stay out of combat, especially against Aphosis’ priest.

Now the choice is either het the last relic or save some valuable time an head into the desert. However, that is a story for the next episode. 

Cairo Adventure - Part 1

The heat of the Cairo afternoon was oppressive. However, Robert Talbot remained unaware of the stifling conditions. He still lay on his hospital bed, trapped in his bed as the invisible snake coils entrapped him. Abruptly, he was aware of a presence in the room. A woman’s face suddenly appeared before his eyes. He blinked, but the face was still there, bedecked in artefacts from more ancient times. She smiled, and he was enthralled as the coils that held him tight loosened. She moved her hand forward and took his. Robert slowly rose from his bed and followed this vision of beauty and unspoken desire.
Extract from New Age Comics 2 (1937)

Tomb of the Serpent

This is the second instalment of my Tomb of the Serpent campaign. After their adventures in Italy, our team from the Mace Institute sailed from Brindisi to Alexandria, where they travelled to the British Archaeological Society's (BAS) mansion on the outskirts of Cairo.  Here the team found a package of papers waiting for them with the help of local experts from BAS; their mission turned to hunt down three artefacts from the Hyksos period that would help them locate the tomb of Apophis.

Not far from the BAS's colonial mansion was an archaeological dig led by the French School that had uncovered structures from the Hyksos period, including several tombs. To this site, our intrepid team now go, searching for its buried secrets.

The Dig

The excavations were about fifteen miles from the centre of Cairo. The journey there was hot and dusty, with clouds of sand being dislodged by the small convoy of cars. Not wishing to announce their arrival, Sir Frances ordered the vehicles left in a small hollow a half hour's walk from the archaeologist’s camp. Our adventurers approach the site from the rocky high ground from the east. Standing on a rocky outcrop, our heroes could see the location below. The camp was quiet, with a couple of men walking around the bases, tidying things up and preparing some food for the evening meal. Archaeologists huddled around a trench on the hill to the north, seemingly discussing its contents. Further in the distance, shapes could be seen near the main tomb entrance. However, it was impossible to work out what they were because they were in the shadow of the tomb. 

Plans of Mice and Men

Initially, the team decided to stay together due to their experiences in Italy. However, this plan was soon abandoned because they needed to cover the site before sunset. Therefore, Slade, Sir Francis and Daphne found themselves in the camp, trying to obtain information from the Arab servants. 

Still, as Daphne was examining the tents, some figures near the tomb began to run in her direction. A feeling of dread descended on her as the sickly smell of death and decay also emanated from that direction.

Meanwhile, Honey, Thwaites, and Archie had climbed the small hill to interrogate the archaeologist, only to be met with a Gaelic shrunk and told they had no business to be on the site. As all seemed lost when a French archaeologist recognised Thwaites from the war, the conversation suddenly became more amenable, and they got permission to examine some pots. However, as success was possibly in their grasp, Archie spotted several men running towards them with swords drawn. Archie let off a few shots but to little avail, as he told Honey to speed up her search. 

Pots, Shots and Scorpions

As Archie’s shots echoed across the valley, several shambling creatures had entered the camp, only to be met by several rounds from Sir Francis’ trusted old Welby. The dig site was now the site of several minor skirmishes. Honey and Thwaites seem stuck on the hill fighting off some cultists. Unlucky, Alfie was stung by a scorpion hiding in one of the pots and was now out of the game. Meanwhile, the undead creatures that had entered the camp were now joined by a living mummy, whom Slade was having difficulty containing.

Only Daphne and Sir Francis continued searching for the clue as they had managed to eliminate the undead horde, but the light was deteriorating. Finally, Sir Francis entered one of the tents and discovered the lead archaeologist hiding behind some storage jars, fearing for his life. The archaeologist shaking and wanting it all to stop, pointed to some papyrus scrolls and artefacts.

‘Take them’, he screamed, ‘just get these creatures away from me’.

The team started a fighting retreat with the artefacts in the procession. As the shadows deepened and lengthened, the group finally returned to their transport. As they began to pull away, they could hear a strange hissing sound, almost musical, coming from the tomb, and suddenly, the valley and the dig site were silent. Not even the sound of a bird could be heard.

Adventures in Cairo Continue

What was the mysterious artefact? Why is the fabric between the dead and the living disintegrating, and will the unlucky Alfie survive the scorpion's sting?

 

Superheroes and Pulp Alley

I’ve always loved American comics and their superheroes. Even before they became popular in the UK, I remember in the 60s, Mum made me a Batman outfit for a fancy dress competition. An entry that would have been common today but before the advent of the Marvel franchise, something unusual. I came second as a frogman! However, the desire to play a superhero game as a skirmish game has continued, with many failed attempts.

Superhero Skirmishes - Unique Problems

Playing the superhero genre produces its own unique problems. How to get the epic feel in such a small space when a speedster hero can circle the earth in minutes. The most popular set of superhero rules, currently is Marvel Crisis Protocol (MCP). A spin-off from the famous Marvel franchise, the figures are of a high standard, and the rules are simple, with the character cards providing the nuances for a character. Having played several games, I decided the MCP was for someone else. Card-heavy games have never appealed. Secondly, MCP focuses on competition games and lacks a narrative storyline.

Rules

If you read any of my blogs, you will soon discover that the storyline is very important for my gaming experience. So, I set out to find another solution to play superhero games. Here are my requirements,

• a good narrative element to the games that can be expended into a campaign,
• scenarios, and campaigns are available commercially or can be easy to put together.
• solo rules or the mechanism support the solo play,
• good community on the forums
• comic agnostic, so I can switch between comic houses and my own homemade heroes.

The starting point are the excellent rules by Four Color Studios which have several versions using different dice mechanism. Most have a solo option and some of the rules have been designed particularly for solo and cooperative play. Finally, the support from the designers are excellent. However, I am currently trying to reduce the number of rules sets I use. This gave me the idea that why not try to adapt Pulp Alley for the superhero genre. Superhero comics have their origins in the Pulp comic and the rules already have several low power ‘Shadow’, like heroes. However, some house rules would be needed to extend the rules, to better reflect this comic genre.

Pulp Alley and House Rules.

Levels and Team Formation

I decided to make the average superhero level 3, this allowed for the Superman types to fill the level 4 spot. Whilst the Epic Character was reserved for Galactic heroes and villains (Thanos types). Lesser heroes filled the level 2 slot, whilst level 1 was reserved for low powered henchmen men and street fighters in whatever form. The gangs rules remained unaltered

Abilities

To give a better superhero feel, I increased the number of abilities available by 1.

Some abilities I renamed to reflect the genre. For example, Shock (level 2) became Sunwing’s Sunburst power. For this trial it was not necessary to add any new abilities. However, I thought that to encompass all the possible variations found in the superhero genre would require adding numerous additional abilities. 

I also made two additions to the rules to replicate comic book skirmishes.

Knockback

In superhero comic book a blow or blast from a super can send their opponent flying. Enter the knockback rule. For every success not blocked or dodged (both brawl and in shooting), the opponent (prior any Health Check) character is driven back 1 inch. Threat this as an involuntary move, p. 43, so follow these rules if the losing character collides with either another character or building.

The victor can follow up if they want.

Throwing Objects

Another feature of superhero combat is picking up large objects and throwing them at the enemy. The active player who is trying to throw the object makes an opposed roll using his Might (this covers both physical and mental strength) versus the object’s size.

• Size 1 Street items, Car, dumpsters large crates 2d6
• Size 2 Kiosks, vans 2d8
• Size 3 Large trucks and buildings 3d8
• Size 4 Large buildings 3d10

If the test failed, the item is dropped or cannot be lifted. Any success not cancelled out by the size throw means the object can be thrown 3 inches. Once the final position of the thrown item is determined, draw a path the same width as the item (like the path for movement and line of sight), every character in the path starting from the start to end point draws a peril card, in essence the path become perilous terrain. The object is then destroyed and removed from the game.

The Game - "Rumble at the Docks"

Using the some figures from Kitbash Games', Super Unlimited range plus some old fantasy figures, I set up a game in 1980s San Diego. The plot is very simple, an evil biochemist, Dr Nicholas Amargus (DNA) has been conducting his evil experiments on the people of the city. Every day a red mist floats in from the sea, and when it makes contacts with citizens of the city, they undergo some severe mental disturbances.

Red Mist, Traitor and Drones

However, one of Amargus's lab technician had turned state evidence and crashed a lorry carry Amargus' work near the port. The UN has dispatched an Aegis Team (Star Phantom, Sunwing, Night Eagle and Primor) to recover the samples. Amargus, however has uncovered the plot and leads a group of his associates (Troll, Immulator and Mayhem) to recover the hideous cargo. The game is based on Charlie Stout III's scenario Dark Secrets, with the humans being being replaced by drones. The drones and the red mist being controlled by random throws.

The game developed into two distinct actions, with an areal combat between where Star Phantom and Sunwing took on Immulator. On the ground Troll provided ground support before coming to blows Night Eagle. On the ground, a fight developed around the overturned lorry between Mayhem and Primor. The former being outclassed by the Demi-god form an alternative universe. Throughout DNA concentrated on recovering his lethal samples, throwing the occasional vehicle or lamp post with his mental power. Throughout the our heroes and villians had to be mindful of the growing red cloud that had slowly drifted in from the sea.

In the end the game ended in a draw. Whilst Dr Amargus recovers two of the samples, Night Eagle managed to gain a sample, giving Aegis and its associates a chance of analysing the compound for an antidote.

Conclusions and Thoughts

Here are a couple of photos from the game, which was enjoyable and for me generally captured the superhero genre. However, I thought it missed something, probably because the powers were not distinctive enough, a blaster and melee game. Here are some other thoughts

• The investment in some flight stands helped the appearance of the game. As both teams had a couple of members who had the flight ability the game was a one of quick manoeuvre, with shots coming from the sky. In the future I will add a penalty of 3 inches to change levels.
• The Knockback rule work well so no changes.
• Throwing objects need some fine tuning, so if anyone has any suggestion they are welcome.
• I need to add more powers to the abilities lists, and maybe rewrite these tables to better reflect the genre.  

Next Steps

The next steps is another games in my DNA campaign and to assemble a WWII era Justice Society of America. However, that is another story/blog.

The Adventures of Slade Horton

Currently, I am playing a pre-made campaign from the Pulp Alley partnership. Here my intrepid adventures, Slade Horton and other members of Department E6 uncover the mysteries that surround an ancient Egyptian serpent god, Apophis. The campaign is broken down into four chapters. The story starts in various locations worldwide but ends in the Egyptian desert. starts

The Cast

Sir Francis 

Head of the Department of Ancient Esoteric and Magical Practices (Department E6) at the Mace Insitute. A war hero who is well connected with the government and some more unusual assets.

Slade Horton 

Socialite archaeologist is the lead academic of the Department of Ancient Esoteric and Magical Practices at the Mace Institute. He was known for several famous discoveries but was also a source of jealousy and ridicule by some of his colleagues.

Dr Laura ‘Honey’ Middleditch

Dr Honey is the linguist in the department and has worked with Slade on several digs/adventures. Despite his academic pedigree, she was also the Home Counties pistol champion in 1924, 26 and 27.

Thwaites

Sir Francis, old batman and now his chauffeur and protector, and a noted boxer being the army champion during the Great War.

The Honourable Daphne Wells.

A socialite turned reporter and adventuress. Originally, she joined Mace to get a scoop but soon became enmeshed in the strange world of Department E6. Her beauty is deceptive because she is handy with the pistol and fears little. A modern girl from the post-war revolution.

Alfie Lindenhurst III

The sinew of a rich American industrialist, he has come to London to study with Professor Horton but soon found him recruited by Department E6 because of his enthusiasm and marksmanship. Alfie is accident-prone but has the constitution of an ox. He is a bit soft on Daphne. 

New Age Comics

Rather than write a traditional battler report, I turned Chapter 1, 'The Evil Lies Below', into a pulp comic. This has allowed me to build up the background of some of my characters, which is always a good idea when playing solo. Here is my attempt at a 1930s Pulp mini-series. I hope you enjoy it. Click the front cover to download the story.