Dances with Lions

Continuing our predatory fine-tuning, we turned our eyes to one of the scenarios in the Palaeo Diet rule book - Dances with Wolves.

The tribe’s dreamer has dreamed a dream of the most exquisite fruit. Not only that, but his spirit guide has led him to the very spot where it may be found. Unfortunately for the tribe, the fruit tree is at the centre of a territory patrolled by a savage wolf pack.

Set up the table with an important resource in the very centre. Place three to five pack predators 1x Medium distance from the resource and no closer than 1x Short to each other. Hunters may be placed within 1x Long of any board edge. To gather from the resource, hunters must be in base contact with it and spend one action.

The gathering exercise is successful if at least two thirds of the hunting party (rounding down) manage to collect the resource and make it off any table edge. The individual winner will be the first hunter who collects the resource and gets off the table.

JB and I took two hunters each this time, rolling traits for each of them. Rodan was this time, less of a Thinker and far more Hungry. I guess it's hard to think on an empty stomach. Bow was a Tracker, allowing him to move more stealthily without disturbing beasts. Those two are to the right of the picture above.

This time, Urg was lame, being unable to lope because of a gammy leg, while Ogg was a Healer - skilled in patching up fresh wounds, but with only enouch spider webs and fungus for one. So, first come, first serve I suppose. Urg and Ogg can be seen to the right.

Not exactly the best team players, Rodan and Bow did a lot of jumping up and down early one, scaring the lions away from their own approach, and directly towards Ogg and Urg.

 They swiftly made it to the tasty berry bush...

Meanwhile, Ogg was bitten in the leg, and Lame Urg only just missed out on a similar wound. Luckily, Ogg, being a healer, knew a minor flesh wound when he saw one. He skulked away off the the top of a hill and patched him self up with his fungus and webs. First come, first served indeed.

As Bow and Rodan legged it off the table, Urg and Ogg made it to the berry bush and gathered as quickly as they could. Unfortunately for Urg, the lions were still very close and bad activation rolls saw him attacked. This time Ogg was out of supplies, and there was no helping him out.

Ogg did indeed manage to get off the board with his berries, but Urg... well, Urg was lame. And them Urg was bitten. And then the other lions came. Urg fell behind. Urg was left behind. Poor Urg.

And so we tested out the scenario to great satisfaction. There is room for co-operation and room for skulduggery if you are that way inclined. As a tracker, there was never that much doubt that, in this scenario, Bow was going to be the individual winner. But! But, was also ended up with a tribal win, because two thirds of our hunters (actually three quarters) survived the game with their tasty, tasty, berries.