Prisoners of the Sun: PDEE Pulp with the Chronographic Society (part 2)

Following on from the previous episode, The expedition has crossed the Rumbaba Valley and has camped  to regroup before pressing on to the Hidden Plateau. Ramon Zarate was killed by the Rumbaba warriors in the valley. Snowy (Tintin’s hound) was wounded by a Flying Monkey, but this turned out to be only a graze, and it has now healed. Other wounds to adventurers, sustained during the journey, were fixed by Chang Chon-Chen while still in the valley, using his medical kit and medicinal plants discovered on the riverbank. His kit is now empty and he’ll need to find more plants if he is to heal wounds on the next stages of the trek.

More worrying is the fate of Piotr Skut, who fell behind when the other survivors legged it as night fell. Early next morning he appeared, having survived a night alone, but he was in poor mental shape. He now has the “Addict” negative personality trait, possibly stung by a poisonous plant.

Here we see the surviving expedition members on the edge of the Hidden Plateau. What challenges will they face as they cross this mist-shrouded [may not contain actual mist] rocky wasteland?

 They can make out some small pterosaurs gliding above the largest butte, and another larger one over on the R. The most direct route across the Plateau is occupied by a Stegosaurus and some Ankylosaurs. There also seem to be tar pits. But, is that all? Are more dangers yet to be revealed? Only the dice can say.

Tintin leads the party down onto the Plateau. After 2 Turns they are making good progress.  As the adventurers reached flat ground they were attacked by a small flock of Pterosaurs (flying raptors). Rastapopoulos shot down one of them as it closed, and Tintin bagged the other as it subsequently fled. The yellow markers are predation sites for these kills. The larger Pterosaur also moved up threateningly, but fled at the sound of gunfire. The various activation fails, gunshots etc failed to disturb the grazing dinosaurs.

 But as Turn 3 started, something made Piotr Skut glance over his right shoulder. Two smallish theropod dinosaurs with big teeth (pack predators) are eyeing the adventurers with interest, as morning tea snacks. 

Skut promptly rolled 1&1 for his activation, so (a) he cannot take any actions this Turn, and (b) his addiction symptoms kick in and he takes a wound. The beasts stay put. Then Chang, who is nearby, fails one activation roll. One of the beasts moves towards Skut with a Predate reaction. With admirable sang froid, Chang uses the rest of his activation to collect some medicinal plants he has just discovered, and skulk carefully away.

Tintin shoots across the tar pit at the dinosaur predating towards Skut. His first shot misses, the beast predates into contact and kills Skut. Tintin’s second shot wounds the beast, which then attacks Haddock who is the closest live adventurer, but separated by the tar pit. The theropod attacks across the tar pit, and becomes trapped in the sticky mire!

Haddock moved next. He failed one dice, prompting the giant Pterosaur (apex predator) to attack towards him. A pistol shot at the giant missed, and it moved into contact, but failed to harm the Captain, who dodged past with his last activation dice.

Rastapopoulos then shot at the giant Pterosaur. He missed, and it attacked and wounded him. His second shot also failed and the beast killed him.

So at the  end of an action-filled Turn 3, here we are. 

 Skut is down, on the near side of the tar pit, and the dinosaur that killed him is slowly drowning in the tar. To the L, Rastapopoulos has also fallen, and the giant pterosaur is circling its kill. The expedition is now down to Tintin & Snowy (adjacent to the yellow marker), Chang (green marker) and Haddock (over to the R).

Turn 4 turned out to be comparatively uneventful.  All remaining adventurers got out of the area and safely made it to the low ridge in the distance. The nearest beast in the few reaction prompts was the giant pterosaur, but this was content to mind its own business, and with Roar reactions which actually helped the fleeing humans by encouraging them to run faster. Only Snowy stayed behind to bark at the circling beast (which I repositioned slightly for dramatic effect). The grazers on the other side of the butte are oblivious to all this.

From their ridge-top position the expeditioners can see the far side of the Plateau, where they can exit. They’re actually just within 2L of this, so could make it in 1 Turn, with luck. What they don’t know is that a Big Theropod (Tyrannosaur) is lurking in the forest patch they will have to pass to make their exits.

Turn 5. All adventurers attempted to activate on three dice this time. Tintin was first, and succeeded. He moved 2M (ambled) towards the exit edge, keeping >M away from the forest (from an abundance of caution). Snowy failed two dice, so persisted in barking at the giant pterosaur, who treated this annoyance as Howling, and Moved Away.  Chang was next, failing one dice. The Tyrannosaur was the closest beast, but it took no interest. Chang moved to join Tintin. Lastly, Haddock also failed one roll, and this time the Tyrannosaur attacked towards him. But he dog-legged around it without difficulty and joined the others. 

The adventurers are in a pickle. So close to the exit, but … Tintin won’t leave the table without Snowy. Haddock won’t leave without Tintin. Chang will be too exposed if he leaves on his own.

Turn 6. Tintin activated first, failing on 1/3 dice. The Tyrannosaur attacked him, but initially failed to wound. Tintin’s shooting was terrible, both his shots missing, but the enraged Theropod only caused 1 wound. Snowy failed 1/3 so ambled x2 towards Tintin. The giant pterosaur attacked (chased) but couldn’t catch Snowy.

Chang fired 2 shots at the Tyrannosaur, causing a wound. In reaction the beast moved away, then roared. Lucky, that. Very lucky. The adventurers all ended up involuntarily retreating off table in reaction to the Roar.

This left Snowy. I played an end game to see if he would escape. He got another ‘amble towards master’ activation, and came into reaction range of the beast, but it got a Predate reaction so moved right past Snowy, towards the plentiful carrion on offer around the larger tar pit. On this basis I’m ruling that Snowy and Tintin are reunited off table.

Here’s the finale, as Snowy scoots past the Tyrannosaur 

*****

So the expedition has left a further two members behind on the table, food for the terrible ancient predators that lurk on the Hidden Plateau. And at last, my tar pit has claimed it’s first actual game-induced victim :)

Will the reduced number of adventurers be able to successfully complete the third (and final) stage of the quest: to rescue Professor Logarithm and return the Crystal of Rascar Capac? This will be revealed in the final episode.