Perilous Island Part 2 - Final Flight

Tonight we played the second scenario of the Perilous Island campaign - twice! As we had three players we decided if we could power through the game twice so that all leagues got a go. The first run through saw Conrad Cortese try to prevent The Rocketeer from getting Lady Elaine Darrow on the last flight out of the small aerodrome, not far from Karnak. The Rocketeer had to make sure he got tickets for Lady Elaine and then get her on the plane, while Cortese was intent on delaying her journey. To achieve this, he sought to steal some valuables from the luggage lying about and bribe a mechanic to sabotage the plane! So, without further ado...lights...camera...action!

Game 1 - Conrad Cortese vs The Rocketeer

The airfield. The tickets are being sold in the compound in the lower left of the shot. The valuable package is just outside the large shack at the upper right.

The soldiers guarding the gate make it a bit perilous...!

The Rocketeer approaches the ticket desk. The ticket officer is accompanied by a surly looking customs official. Getting the tickets will not be easy! They are in high demand!

Murdo Mackenzie approaches the valuables, sidling past the patrolling soldiers.

The haggling is not going well! Neither the Rocketeer or Mr Johnson can seem to strike a bargain. Big Al muscles in through the mob, but he is tripped by someone and falls over.

Mackenzie seems to have trouble prizing the box open. But Cortese soon lends his aid and the valuables are in their hands...

...and they spot the mechanic having a fly cigarette near some crates!

Poppy runs over to him to try and use her feminine charm to persuade him to help them, but he is only interested in hard cash! (To attempt the plot point the character needs the package)

Meanwhile, Prof hears a shout from the Rocketeer that he has snatched the tickets, so he scouts around and finds Lady Elaine.

A gaggle of burly sailors start to push and shove around poor Poppy!

And some of them get knocked down in the ensuing melee!

Zooming over with the tickets, the Rocketeer lands to find that the Prof's eyesight isn't what it used to be. He has found Elena Tarrow! Elaine Darrow is actually further over near the hangar! (The 'red herring' rule is great fun!)

With Cortese leading the bribed mechanic to the plane, a mexican standoff develops under the watchful eyes of the patrolling gendarme! The lack of fighters in the Rocketeer's league, however, are not enough to prevent Cortese's thuggish sailors from clearing a path and the mechanic dutifully makes sure that this plane isn't taking off soon.

 Game 2 - Lo Chan Fu versus The Rocketeer

The next day sees the plane fixed and tickets are once more on sale. However, Lo Chan Fu has arrived and also wants to ensure that Lady Darrow does not depart yet. He hatches had a wicked plan! Why not bribe a mechanic to sabotage the plane? How original!

The Rocketeer and Mr Simpson begin the troublesome haggling again!

Wong gets a bit carried away and takes a pot shot at Poppy, who is hit and knocked out! However, the gendarmes are instantly on the scene to tackle the nasty Tong! (We used the soldiers to denote who had brawled or shot and was therefore in extreme peril)

Under the shadow of the wings, Mei Ling confronts Big Al an Mr Simpson. They are not the brightest and fall under the Dragon Lady's unearthly presence, failing to land any hits on her! (Unearthly is the bane for brawler characters! It means they have to use Cunning or Finesse to fight her!)

After a lot of blocking by the Prof and Mr Johnson, Xiufang hands the mechanic over to Lo Chan Fu, who mesmerises him into 'fixing' the plane!

Another two brilliant games, both played in about two and a half hours. We are really starting to know the rules inside out which helps! We were a bit pushed to get the second one finished, though, hence the brevity of the report. This is an absolute gem of a scenario, though, and played out very differently both times. In the first game, George and Paul both avoided combat and managed to secure the plot points, but it ended up in a last ditch fight at the plane. In the second, there was much more violence and much earlier, but that was my plan, to tie up his allies while Lo Chan Fu and Xiufang did the dirty work. Plus the 'red herring' rule worked a treat and foiled The Rocketeer's first attempt.

All in all, great stuff and a fantastic start to gaming in 2014!