More news from Ph'tang now. Having set the scene in
my earlier post I now present an overview of the action. The game was driven by allowing the players to make Matrix Arguments - again refer to the earlier post for details. Basically these allow a player to affect the course of the game via an 'argument' consisting of the following components:
ACTION
OUTCOME
3 REASONS WHY THIS SHOULD SUCCEED
For example: My troops have received a new consignment of automatic rifles and thus get a +1 on all firing. This is because (i) They have captured the army barracks, (ii) They are motivated by patriotic fervour and (iii) Secure supply lines provide ample supplies of ammunition.
The argument is then rated by the umpire and success or failure determined by a dice roll. The more ambitious or outlandish the argument the slimmer it's chances of success. Early arguments included Colonel Incognito's "It is the rainy season and the centre of town is flooded, preventing movement of wheeled vehicles." Less likely was Captain De'ath's claim that L.A.D.A. was to be attached by a helicopter. I told Captain D he would need to roll a '12'on 2D6. And if successful, make his own helicopter. The result can be seen below...
Not only that, but L.A.D.A. lost a T55 during the attack! Soon a UN aid convoy showed up (the result of another argument). The abandoned fuel tanker was soon stolen by the P.O.O.F.S. - and after witnessing this dubious behaviour most of the UN drove past without distributing aid.
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The tanker is an old Corgi diecast, the ambulance a crappy plastic toy, the Unimogs by Peter Pig and the LAV is a Trident plastic kit.
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The Leftist Army of Darkest Africa was strangely inactive, Dave preferring to let the local revolutionaries do the fighting. And dying. The bridgelayer was the result of another successful argument but was never used!
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| T55, BTR 152 and UAZ469s by Peter Pig, MAN bridgelayer by Roco. |
Other nonsense included angry elephants charging the P.O.O.F.S. positions. They were mown down in a hail of AK fire. This outrage was caught on camera by a film crew and soon brought to the attention of the UN. The film crew had also witnessed a meeting between President Fred and the local UN commander, Leutnant Hertz van Rental of the Royal Dutch Marines.
Meanwhile in town, an old Sherman tank which had been abandoned during 'high spirited protests' caused by the election was re-crewed and started up by rebels. When they (eventually) got it going it then took off towards the rebel camp and soon got a lucky hit on one of the President's armoured cars! He wasn't happy. Captain De'ath was soon on TV again - this time shooting crowds of refugees getting aid from the UN. Or a gang of rebels. Depends who you believe.
The game ended with Fred still in power - but tainted by his association with Captain De'ath's televised atrocities. The P.O.O.F.S had failed in their attempt to get international recognition and L.A.D.A had stirred things up while minimising their own losses.
President Fred and his chums will return for another adventure in a few weeks.
