The New York City Gang Of Four

[chas]

THE ILLINOIS SMITH MEMORIAL TREASURE HUNT
A PULP ADVENTURE SUPERSCAPE SCENARIO

BY CHAS, NYCG4 (5/3/15 draft)


MISSION BRIEFING: TOPMOST SECRET

Good morning Mr. Player. Last night a war damaged Kree spaceship entered Earth’s atmosphere, and was immediately shot down by an advanced nuclear defense satellite of a certain power. Unfortunately, it crashed deep in the Amazon rain forest. Recovery teams from several competing governments are now being scrambled to salvage any high tech items that may be scattered near the ruins of this vessel. Because these governments wish to keep their expeditions a secret, no high profile superheroes will be sent. Instead, you team will be comprised of several minor superheroes, available squads of Super or Classic/VC varieties, and one Tech Squad as detailed below and provided by the sponsoring nation. Transportation will be provided to the crash site in 24 hours.

If you or any of your team are killed or captured, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions. This DVD will self destruct in 60 seconds. Good luck, Player.

***

ARMIES

Each player army may be composed of 800 points, and must include one C Level Super (201-240 Points) and at least one D Level Super (Up to 200 Points), one and only one Tech Squad of 100 Points (see sample card below) plus any one other Super/Classic/VC squad. It may include a further number of D Level Supers and/or Super/Classic/VC squads (only one of any Unique Squad per player as usual). Supers Cards may be of either alignment (Good or Evil); squad from any Classic General mixed together or not as desired (including the new April/May 2015 C3V release, except for Zettian Deathwings). There are no space limitations, due to an offboard entry mechanism (see below).

Armies must be submitted to the GM and duplicate Supers will not be allowed. However, duplicate squads are permissible among different players—squad members (and all Tech Squad proxies) must therefore be individually marked (usually on top or bottom of their bases) so as to be identifiable by player ownership.

Supers Game cards may be drawn for any of the approved designers on the Chas Qucik Scan Master Lists, but all cards are subject to the usual pregame review and GM approval.

GLYPH RULES

1. C3G Equipment Glyph Rules are in effect:

If your glyph carrier is wounded or destroyed, choose a player to place the glyph within 5 spaces of that figure. Glyphs may be transferred between adjacent figures at the beginning or end of the carrier’s movement. Only one glyph per figure may be carried/used at a time. Glyphs may be voluntarily dropped and picked up at any time during a figure’s movement--no glyph may be dropped where another already exists.

2. Only Tech squads may defuse/ignore traps on glyphs, and analyze them. Once the trap is defused, it no longer has any effect on anyone. Tech Squad members may also use glyphs. Other figures who pick up glyphs not yet recovered by Tech Squads must roll for traps. Glyphs when recovered after their trap is defused (no damage taken from it) are turned over to their power side (Brandar’s Chest) indicating they may now be safely carried by any eligible figure.. Note that they are not identified (usable) unless Analyzed by a Tech Squad member).

3. Unique/ Uncommon Heroes may pick up and carry glyphs, but are subject to traps and may not analyze (and therefore use) them. Heroes can however use glyphs once they are analyzed (both turned face up and identified by the Game Master). Only analyzed glyphs may be used at all by anyone.

4. Common Heroes/Regular squad members may pick up and carry but not use glyphs, even after analysis/identification.

5. There are no “original” glyphs started or identifiable in this scenario (see Tech.
Squad Powers on that card).

6. Note that once a glyph is analyzed it is placed power side up, and may then be used by any other player’s Tech Squad member or Unique Hero.

7. Glyphs used will be C3G Equipment Glyphs chosen by the GM and placed on a random D20 roll table. Once a glyph is successfully analyzed (identified), we will roll randomly on the Scenario Glyph Table to see what it turns out to be, and its identity will be written out and the description given to the owner. Glyphs with powers not relevant to the scenario or of ‘cosmic’ strength will not be used.

8. Glyphs may not be flown, teleported, or leaped. Glyphs may not be walked more than five spaces per turn. Glyphs may only be carried by one figure each turn (not chain passed).

9. Glyph Traps will function as normal Treasure Glyph traps: a D20 roll of 1-5 will give one wound. If a wound is generated, the trap remains in effect. If not, the trap is “defused” and the glyph is placed power side up (Brandar’s Chest).

10. All cards which say “when standing on a (Regular) Glyph” or “when carrying a Treasure Glyph” are changed to “when carrying a C3G Equipment Glyph.”

GAME LENGTH: 10 Turns

TEAM INSERTION ZONES: At game start, players will roll for entry order, and may in that order choose one of the marked three hex wide Team Insertion Zones (near the map corners on the long sides), where all of their figures must enter the board, with the first board hex counting as the first movement space. No powers of figures still off the board will be considered in effect.

VICTORY POINTS

1 VP for each unanalyzed glyph in the possession of any owned figure

2 VP for each analyzed glyph in the possession of any owned figure

3 VP for each unanalyzed glyph exited off the board from the original team insertion zone.

5 VP for each analyzed glyph exited off the board from the original team insertion zone.


TECH SQUAD
(3 Figures)

1 Life
Range 5
Attack 1
Defense 2
100 Points

Human
Unique Squad
Engineers
Careful
Medium 5

Equip
May pick up, carry, and use any one "original" Equipment/Treasure Glyph specified by name at game start. This particular Glyph may either begin the game equipped by a Tech Squad member or be picked up during the game.

Recover
Tech Squad members may automatically defuse any trap on the glyph, taking no damage. Any Equipment/Treasure Glyph may be picked up and carried by any Tech Squad member according to the Glyph rules being used.

Analyze
This ability may be used for a squad member carrying a Glyph other than the "original" glyph named at game start. If the squad member possesses a glyph picked up or handed to him on a previous turn, and does not move this turn, he may, instead of attacking, roll the twenty-sided die: 11-20: Glyph Analyzed.
Place a marker on this card after an unsuccessful attempt. Add +1 for each one when a subsequent attempt is made on the same Glyph. Once a particular Glyph has been successfully analyzed, any Tech Squad member may use that Glyph for the remainder of the game.

Good OR Evil
This squad may be chosen by teams of either alignment, and is considered loyal to that side.

***


THE NEW MOLTEN LAVA DAMAGE RULES are in effect:

When any figure not immune to lava damage enters a Molten lave hex, roll one combast die, performing the following actions depending on the results:

Blank: Figure takes no damage; but remove an Order Markers on that card; the OMs removed are not revealed to other players. For squad cards, on the affected figure(s) may not be activated for the rest of the round.

Skull: Roll three combat dice, taking one unblockable wound for each skull rolled. This may result in no damage.

Shield: Roll three combat dice, taking all wounds possible (down to) the number of shields rolled. If no shields are rolled, the figure is destroyed.

THE MAP

The Amazon rain forest. The steamy, stinking, slimy, snaky jungle. No roads or other man made structures exist in this wild, forsaken, humid wilderness. From a hilltop that marks some of the highest terrain in the area, any recovery party must descend down into a morass of swamp, sandbars, shadow, swamp and other water, sheer rock outcrops, and the thick cover of jungle tree and bush. The hearty adventurer in search of high tech treasure near the forbidden wreckage of a crashed alien spaceship must trudge to the center of this maze. But there, on an island of solid land, await dangers known only to the strange gods that rule this land of desolation!


TO BE DECIDED AND POSSIBLY ANNOUNCED LATER

*Number of glyphs scattered about the map; probably so many per player

*Other surprises known only to the Game Master!

(Note: if you want a complete copy of this scenario, you must add the separate document “Game Master Only File—Illinois Smith,” to be released after our May 27, 2015 game.)

***

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Originally Posted by chas

Illinois Smith: Postgame Standings

We played two games yesterday, using eight of the nine armies approved for the scenario (all but K.'s AIM army). Scenario design is my specialty in gaming, so I was pretty happy with how it ran, given all the new elements being put into use for the first time, which make it a real test bed for A number of concepts that will probably appear in future games. There were a few tweaks that I'll put into the scenario description (here and in Marvelscape Maps and Scenarios). Hopefully it will be as complete as possible for anyone who wants to run the scenario themselves.

All kinds of photos and commentary will follow on these games. I'll also edit and add the Illinois Smith Game Master Only File with its three big surprises, which is also needed to run the scenario. But for right now, on the morning after, here are the basic standings and the armies that earned them:

GAME ONE

10 VP Taeblewalker (2 Analysed Glyphs exited) Doc Ock army

7 VP Sherman Davies (2 Unanlysed Glyphs exited and one Unanalysed Glyph Carried) Yellowjacket army

2 VP Chas (1 Analysed Glyph Carried) Kree Army

1 VP Kolakoski (1 Unanylysed Glyph Carried) SHIELD Army (*+ The Lizard)


GAME TWO

15 VP Kolakoski (3 Analysed Glyphs exited) Hydra Army (*+ Avalanche)

6 VP Taeblewalker (2 Unanalysed Glyphs exited) Speedster Army

5 VP Sherman Davies (1 Analysed Glyph Exited) Enchantress Army (*+ Mantis)

2 VP Chas (Lara's Gal Squad/US Government Army)


These are the final scores, but they don't begin to tell the story of how different players rose and fell, had victory in their grasp and lost it, or came back from low or no score. More on that later, and on the Kree Zee Dees, The Radiation Zone, and Kree Glyph Mutations of some Non Tech Squad squad members into random 'Inhumans'--as on current TV's Marvel's Agents of Shield!

*Non Tech Squad squad member mutated into random Class D "Inhuman" by Glyph: see GM Only File. (More complete data to follow on Inhumans entering the games.)

The Map.




After the Drop.



Agent transformation into - the Lizard!

In the first game, my S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents got greedy and, instead of taking their Glyphs off unanalysed, abandoned them for the Tech Squad, only to be overrun by Yellowjacket.

Bugging out.



Hail Hydra!

In the second game, Hydra crushed its competition, via what I call the Hydra Chain (passing a Glyph from squaddie to squaddie in one turn back to my Start Zone).

Venom strikes!

During a Venom counterattack, he put 4 Wounds on my [transformed Hydra Agent] Avalanche - only to have them all transferred to opponents' units (and forcing them to loose whatever Glyphs they happened to be carrying) by Red Skull (using the Cosmic Cube).

Red Skull rules!



The Fire Demons fought with Bulleteer the entire game.



Dreadguls versus Anubians.



Fade to black.

[Grishnakh]

Looks like a good time was had by all!

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Our next Host is Taeblewalker. He's planning a scenario requiring each of us to draft 1or 2 figures from Heroes of Fiction. If Supers are also allowed, I'll find a place for at least 1 of your cards, Grishnak.

[Taeblewalker]

Originally Posted by kolakoski

Well met!

Our next Host is Taeblewalker. He's planning a scenario requiring each of us to draft 1or 2 figures from Heroes of Fiction. If Supers are also allowed, I'll find a place for at least 1 of your cards, Grishnak.

I think adding supers would take away the focus from the Heroes of Fiction. So classic only. Of course VC is allowed.

[Grishnakh]

Originally Posted by Taeblewalker

I think adding supers would take away the focus from the Heroes of Fiction. So classic only. Of course VC is allowed.

Oh boo, hiss!

[Taeblewalker]

Sherman won't be coming. But I'm going to pick my team now.

Edit: If we aren't taking tech squads, I'll take two Orange Lanterns (Lex Luthor and Larfleeze). I'll take Vulture to round out 800 points.

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Originally Posted by Taeblewalker

Sherman won't be coming. But I'm going to pick my team now.

Edit: If we aren't taking tech squads, I'll take two Orange Lanterns (Lex Luthor and Larfleeze). I'll take Vulture to round out 800 points.

That being the case, if we team up, and chas plays 2 armies, you could petition him to allow you 810 points, with mine our team would be 1,600, and you could take the Orange construct instead of Vulture - if you want to.

[Taeblewalker]

Originally Posted by kolakoski

Well met!

That being the case, if we team up, and chas plays 2 armies, you could petition him to allow you 810 points, with mine our team would be 1,600, and you could take the Orange construct instead of Vulture - if you want to.

That sounds like a plan!

[chas]

Guys,

Works for me. Maybe I'll make up a second Green Lantern team, or other "Good" allies. (I had a space team almost ready to go, but its very Evil).

The only Orange figure I have is Lex Luthor, so we'll proxy some. It looks like Griznakh will be playing a similar game on Saturday out at his pool party out in Suffolk County. That day I'll be at The Strategist in town for our Memoir 44 D-Day Landings game!

Chas

[Taeblewalker]

Here's the link to the map we'll be using. It has 14-space start zones. It's called Spelunk-o-Rama.

[chas]

I now have one Green Lantern and one Good Lantern army. Plus two evil armies for myself, one of which is Lanterns and one is from Outer Space--in case we want to play another game! MwaHaHa! Your armies may be Bad, but mine are Evil!

TW is referring his map not for tomorrow, but for his later game in June with Heroes of Fiction characters. Note that the map actually has 17 space start zones.