Ad 1666 game, June 15, King's Musketeers vs Order of the Broken Cross

Smaller can be better, poison is not good for you, fear the big guns.

We played a two player scenario as it was just Greg and I om the 19th.  The scenario was 'Get Freddy' or something like that, an attempted sweep up of a thief who has important information.  After the last, big 3 way game...a smaller scenario, fewer figures, but still an exciting prospect. 

Greg used his favorites, the King's Musketeers, included Jean, Natalie and D'Artagnan.  I could not resist trying the 'Order of the Broken Cross' faction, bringing Sepp (leader) Klaus (poison gas thrown potions) and Sister Ada, (who carries whips & chains ) in a change from the ''Defenders of the Crown' I usually take.

The Musketeer faction after Turn 1 moving.

D'Artagnan and a musketeer are on top of the photo, Jean, Natalie and a second musketeer are lower in the board. The white markers indicate possible 'Freddy' locations.

The Broken Cross faction before Turn 1 moves.

Two knechts work their way on the lower alley, Sepp, Ada and Klaus head down the upper alley.

 Sepp gets in a room to search for the thief, card shows the thief not present.

 The game mechanic involves picking a card from the 'event' deck and checking card value against a chart. The first test, very hard to get a success.

D'Artagnan  gets ready for the second room check. 

Natalie is at the door for the third check.

Jean covers the lower alley.

 

A knechte, the commoner type from the Broken Cross faction, advances and gives Jean two wounds from a crossbow hit.

Jean Fires back, cripples the assailing knecht. The second knecht moves up. The two knechts advance to take Jean under fire.

One knecht leaves the board due to a morale check failure, Sister Ada moves forward in the upper alley.

Natalie swoops into the room , finds the thief.  Jean does a 'quick reload' off camera.

Finding the thief is  the easy part of the instruction. Now the thief must be convinced to 'come along' with one faction or another.  This is accomplished near the end of a turn with a test based on character abilities; or not. No longer needed, the other counters are removed.

Here began a fierce encounter between Sister Ada and Klaus versus D'Artagnan. A thrown potion, signified by the purple counter, knocked down the young Musketeer. His clean living and the inability of Sister Ada to inflict much damage occurred over two rounds of melee. Such was the main reason that Natalie, trying fervently to convince the thief to come with the French finally succeeded on the third turn of trying!.

Meanwhile, the night was split by another great noise as Jean shot the second knecht , using his cavalry pistol to cripple his foe.

 While the melee and talking go on.  

And on. And then D'Artagnan stood up!

I am sure the prone figure rules need to be reread, although, it was D'Artagnan after all!  Once the second knecht was out of the game...the final wounds delivered by the musketeer backing Jean up....and the thief firmly in tow by little Natalie, we called the game. The King's Musketeers could get the thief off board with at least a turn to spare, D'Artagan and two musketeers would hold off the other faction.

Where everyone is when we called it.  With D'Artagnan vertical,