Perilous Island Episode 3 - At Death's Door

Definitely been a very slow start to this year! This is partly because I've hardly been to the club since January and I've also not been painting much. However, let's rectify that situation and restart proceedings with another top game of Pulp Alley.

In this game, the dastardly Lo Chan Fu and his Brotherhood of the LOST is racing against Conrad Cortese's piratical band of ne'er-do-wells to find the last clues to the whereabouts of Lord Darrow. This is in the form of a box of Darrow's personal belongings that Customs officials are keeping in a warehouse near the docks. In a daring nigh raid on the facility, both parties must find some clues to where the box is kept before seizing it for their own nefarious ends...!

The warehouse resides in pretty urban area...

...but nightwatchmen still patrol the streets around it.

Xiufang spots some Customs ledgers carelessly left out with some crates.

While the silent and deadly Dragon Warrior moves in the glow cast from the street lamps. Being very dark, line of sight is restricted to 12" so he can't see that far up the street.

Conrad Cortese and Second Mate Andrews spot one of the nightwatchmen. Perhaps he can be bribed or coerced into divulging the location of the box?

Robeson joins the Captain. From another alleyway, Chief Mackenzie leads Ed Hands and Castro.

Accosting the guard, it turns out that he is not easily bribed. It looks like Cortese will have to resort to more...direct means! He calls over Robeson and Andrews.

Wong joins the Dragon Warrior in guarding the alley. They try to keep quiet so as not to attract the attention of the Custom's official who is enjoying a late night stroll in the gardens. Whatever could he be up to...ahem...?

Xiufang begins searching the ledgers, but accountancy and logistics aren't her strong point.

It takes the supernatural talents of Mei Ling, The Dragon Lady to decipher the shorthand scrawled on the pages!

Cortese finally coshes the nightwatchman and he is subdued. What you don't see here, though, is that the burly guard has cleaned both Andrews' and Robeson's clocks!! (Both night watchmen are extreme perils and the card draws were somewhat unkind to Cortese's men)

Wong dashes up the alley at the sound of the commotion and discharges his musket. The ball finds it's mark and Castro falls to the cobbles clutching his belly.

Mei Ling watches while Chao Lee rushes Chief Mackenzie on the other side of the warehouse to buy Lo Chan Fu and Xiufang some time. Mackenzie may only be an engineer, but he is a dab hand at fisticuffs so this is a desperate measure for Chao Lee. Will it pay off?

Clutching a sheet of paper with the location of the box, Xiufang climbs up to the warehouse entrance.

In a stunning display of savagery and determination, Chao Lee somehow knocks down both the Chief and Ed Hands!! This was unforseen! 

Carrying a long halberd into a crowded warehouse is not a good idea. Despite his agility, The Dragon Warrior repeatedly trips and falls in the dark.

Mackenzie climbs back to his feet shaking his head, but a chill runs down his spine. As if the ferocious Tong isn't enough, he feels a ghostly presence at his back...!

The final showdown! Cortese manages to force the guard to reveal the box location, but the Brotherhood is closing in. The Dragon Warrior somersaults backwards, allowing Lo Chan Fu to glide in and seize the box. Cortese unloads his pistol at him, but the mental powers of his inscrutable opponent put his aim off and the bullets strike home harmlessly into the crates about him! With their prize claimed, the mysterious Chinese melt into the shadows. Cortese will now have to pick up their trail and hopefully follow them to wherever the contents of the box point/

Once again, another excellent game of Pulp Alley. I think we put together a really nice looking table and it was a real pleasure to play George's steamer crew. We are now at a point where we zipped through the game in a little over an hour with no reference to the rules at all! It's so nice to be able to play a game like that as the narrative flows without interruption. Most satisfying! :)