Wednesday 14 February 2024

Where Seagulls Dare

 This was a game in the style of a dodgy war film and owes much to Ian Drury's 2005 game The Guns Of Toblerone (I ran it again in 2012 - link) .  WSD was set on a small island off the coast of southern France but filmed for reasons of economy on the Yorkshire coast - hence the name!  I'll not say too much at this point as I've been asked to run it at COW.

The mission involved sabotaging some German secret weapons. The cast er, I mean players were all given individual briefings and then had to select their equipment before being parachuted onto the island.  Meanwhile I set out the high quality terrain and elements of the garrison.


Being a properly rubbish old film, there was of course a Gestapo presence.

entertainingly the players spent several minutes speculating about the location of the
German secret weapons facility.  Then someone
took the time to look properly at the table...


a further cliche was the mountain-top castle.  I built the 'mountain' by draping a sheet over a table...

the German airfield soon attracted the team's attention



the garrison  - of course - included an obviously American postwar tank wearing big black crosses

One of many exciting incidents was the ambush on a mountain road next to the scary ravine.
A most entertaining game which the players entered into with good grace, and which produced several incidents and outcomes beyond my wildest imaginings!

11 comments:

Duc de Gobin said...

I've been wanting to game this film for ages - you have hit the nail on the head. Fantastic stuff.

It looks like an original D&D 1970s style approach to the problem, which is quite ironic ...as that looks distinctly like an original Elastolin castle :O

Archduke Piccolo said...

D&D: Death and Destruction, wherein are enacted desperate deeds of derring do.
I think I saw a village like that once, deep in the Samaria Gorge of Crete...

Pete. said...

Really enjoyed this one. It had a lot of great moments in it.


Cheers,

Pete.

Robert (Bob) Cordery said...

As a participant in the original GUNS OF TOBLERONE, I think that I will enjoy this as much if I get the chance to be part when it takes place at COW.

‘Broadsword calling Danny Boy, Broadsword calling Danny Boy. Is Mother Machree with you?’

All the best,

Bob

Martin Rapier said...

That was loads of fun Tim, thanks for running it. I don't often get a chance to wear a blonde wig. I shall hold off posting my own report until after COW to avoid spoilers.

Conrad Kinch said...

Its like I'm actually *in* the film!

Fred said...

I am slightly disappointed the halftrack is not an American M3 similarly adorned with big black crosses. Sadly no one cares about historical accuracy these days! :-)

ian drury said...

Looks like heaps of fun: glad it went well!

leadboy said...

Great stuff! But Hollywood surely demands completion of a trilogy - just think of the franchise - so there must be one more such game - I suggest "The Mallard has Skidded"
as a title (with Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland and of course Jenny Agutter). No doubt
better suggestions will be forthcoming.....PS Nicked a couple of your photos for an entry
on the Hereford VBCW blog, hope that's ok!

Robert (Bob) Cordery said...

Leadboy,

I can almost see the script now ...

'My name's Colonel Steiner. Not a lot of people know that.'

'You're only supposed to blow the bloody church up!'

'Americans, Sir. Thousand of them!'

All the best,

Bob

leadboy said...

Bob Cordery - you have all the best lines and can claim the cool black leather jacket and Iron Cross. I'll take Larry Hagman (limbering up for Dallas) and his mass of undisciplined jeeps ("You're a drunk and a slattern and will sure be an unfit mother Sue Ellen/Molly Prior" - cocks 50 cal meaningfully). That leaves the part of Donald Sutherland....oh, and Robert Duvall (limbering up for Tom Hagen) "My client...very great respect for you....has a need for Lebensraum....most unfortunate if..."