Burrows and Badgers: Defend the Haul!

Saturday, Chezzy and David both came round to try out their beautifully painted gangs at Burrows and Badgers. As I was running the game, I did not take my usual thousand picture, so a few to set the scene as we played. I decided to use my Stoat themed gang, as my Freebeasts are a little powerful for a first game. Single species lists are okay, but the lack a mage and healing capabilities. Slight mitigation to this is that from our Freebeast rolls, we picked up master crafted Extra Heavy and Heavy armour, giving my two leaders a lot more staying power, and the suit of heavy armour I had already bought.. I forgot to send down the chain of command, so no one else got it! D'oh!

Between the showers, we set up the terrain.

We talked through skills and stats and the leaders improvements, then rolled for scenario and dot 'Defend the Haul' a game where one gang has to defend a terrain area, and loses when the other gang out numbers, or eliminates a gang. With three of us, this was always going to be hard work for the defender, which is the warband with the lowest rating...

Me!
Bobbins! 

So, David and Chizzy were rolling initiative each turn, then I would go last. Can I hold the central terrain vs TWO other gangs?

Things started well when Matilda my Ferret landed six hits on Lady Sarah from Chezzy's gang, things were on the up! Neddy Stoat went into combat vs Chezzy's hare, and missed completely! David's lady fox closed from the right too, and Sir Dereck and Small set out to deal with her!
Unfortunately, Neddy the Stoat took an arrow in the neck turn one, knocking him right down to d4 for EVERYTHING in turn 1! David's mole was underground, and was sure to pop up soon.

Sir Dereck charged the Lady Fox, and with one swift blow of his mighty axe, floored her and she was out the game! (10d+2 Zweihander, +2 for the charge, and a perfect roll +7 = 21, vs a 1 to block from David, we didn't even need the +3 strength bonus for a two handed weapon). Things were definitely looking positive here!

Smalls charges David's Cat, and fails to do much, while Neddy charges up the hill to deal with the Rabbit that had previously previously injured him! David's leader lurks in the ruins ready to snipe!

The Mole pops us, and immediately he and Sir Dereck are at each other with their great weapons. Chezzy pulled a blinder on her flank, perching her sparrow 'Sixpence' on the chimney, thus claiming a share of the objective! She was also flooding the objective with her two dogs and  a cat as well as her hare!

Talking of Hares, her one laid into my stoat and floored him! This left Matilda in a precarious position, especially as she was now heavily out numbered. Matilda took down Lady Sarah from Chezzy's gang, and while I was holding on, it was inevitable that I was losing too..

After two rounds of combat, the Mole was despatched. Smalls was tied up fighting (and slowly losing to) the cat, and David's crow mage was doing stirling service healing his troops.

The adder Slippery Sid moved in on Sir Dereck, but his attacks kept bouncing off Sir Dereck's armour (he must have put his false teeth in wrong), but Sir Dereck's axe bit deep. However, on the hill, David's rabbit but Eddy down, and Matilda went to ground next to the house. Teddy, my sniper, was also in trouble as one of Chezzy's dogs of war had him pinned back against the house!

With Smalls tied up and down to his last points of health, and Neddy out the fight, I was on 50% losses, and although I had inflicted three casualties, it would not be enough. Chezzy held the objective, while I had beaten David back. A loss for the Stoats...

What it had proved was how hard Sir Dereck is, he had two kills by himself, and was very nearly at his third. Annoyingly, I failed to achieve my secondary objective of 'Loot' as each time he dealt with an attacker, someone else filled its place! David also had 'Loot' and managed to loot Neddy, gaining quite a lot of pennies, whereas SChezzy and I both ended up clearing the bank to feed our gangs!

Neddy, Teddy and Matilda all took injuries (no one passed their recovery test), but thankfully the gang met a healer on the road and all injuries were healed. A great game, a difficult scenario with three players, but fun none-the-less, nd we will definitely play again soon, hopefully indoors or in better weather.

Just after the others left and I packed up, it hailed! We got away with it!