Storm the Palace finis AD1666

Well, careful pick up and photos allowed us to finish the scenario the next Friday game.  It has taken longer to report as I forgot to take photos the second half of the game, so inaccuracies in some placements during the recreate are possible. Such is the swirl of swordplay in the 17th century!

Where we left off,

 

 From the bottom, Shetuski and the  mad Delli enter the main room...Hatmi continues to struggle with a musketeer, Jean approaches a window while Aramis holds off Longinus and Esmerelda. In the upper left, Porthos, having despatched Zagloba,  readies to move to entry room. The Burger and Courtesan have just moved into the building seeking safety.

Cossacks find the door a choke point as Kmici and two moislets watch in horror as Hoperya was slammed to the ground by Ibrahim the Sorcerer and rushed by Wolodoski.

 

 D'Artanagn, a cossack and Cimile take a walk in the garden.

  Janissary and Dragoon take shots...

make that 2 Janissary.

Suddenly all hell broke loose.

 

The Janissary pulls off a great shot, the Cossack sniper goes down .

 

Porthos bullies the Courtesan and the burgher.

 

Still no sign of the letter, where is it hidden? Porthos actually kills the courtesan. What did she do to anger the Musketeer?

The Cossacks feel the heat in combined magic and swordplay. 

In the end, we called it a tie, nothing gained , the cards were all lost.  The French had lost Jean, a musketeer and Aramis; the Poles were down Zagloba and a dragoon while Longinus and Wolodosky were injured but standing; the Cossacks down Esaul Anton and Hopyrna  as well as a moiliets; the Ottomans, they came away unscathed with several kills or assists, Esmarelda smiling and picking up her knives.  Oh, that rascal Bohun? He ran upstairs and ended up with some jewels, no doubt, for his trouble.

 The game came to a head about 5 turns in as the red team (Cossacks and Musketeers ) sent over half its members in through the side doors and windows. The blue team (Poles and Ottomans) put firepower on the steps and had wave after wave of melee experts inside the mansion, taking early losses but holding the intruders.  Over the next three turns so much damage occurred to all four factions it was agreed to call the game.

 

 It is the group's opinion that the card driven mechanics and the interplay of character skills and equipment make this a great game for two, three or four players...and we've barely used half the opportunities for playing the various scenarios.