Dennis for dinner: a PDEE game
Mark in Pattaya has just sent me another game report - this time from playtesting the introductory scenario from Palaeo Diet: Eat or Be Eaten. All in all, I think Dennis let him off rather easily!
So here we are in the Palaeolithic, courtesy of the Time Service, watching a party of spear-armed hunters (L-R Nigel, Bill, Reg, and Raquel) stalking a lone mammoth, who happens to be called Dennis.
The hunters are in luck, or possibly are good shikaris, they are downwind of Dennis so he won't be alerted by their smell. Not yet, anyway. The wind is blowing diagonally from L to R, from the red to the white dice on the table in the first photograph.
The hunters loped towards the small thickets, planning to use them as cover to get closer to the mammoth. All succeeded in rolling two activation dice except Bill who failed one dice. Luckily Dennis remained unresponsive to this (continued to peacefully graze).
Raquel opened discussions by moving out of cover and hurling a spear, it missed, and Dennis moved away. Then Reg moved out to attack also, but his movement spooked the mammoth who moved off again, ending on the side of one of the hills. The hunters moved to try and stop Dennis getting away, no one wanted to spend another two days - or more - trailing him before a new opportunity to eat arose. Also there is the small matter of the cave lions whose territory starts somewhere near here.
Nigel led the way now, loping up to the mammoth to try and stab it with a spear. Total failure - who knew mammoth hides were so tough. It turned and attacked him causing a wound. The other hunters moved up in support. Two of their activation dice were failures causing Dennis (the mammoth) to react with a hunter (Nigel ... confused yet?) within S distance. Luckily for Nigel, Dennis preferred to furiously Trumpet (minimal effect on the hunters) then Move Away. Dennis doesn't seem to be an especially bright mammoth, he has almost succeeded in cornering himself on the top of a sheer drop.
The hunters closed in warily but were unable to hit the mammoth. Last to try was Raquel. Dennis had had enough by this stage and attacked her, but failed to cause a wound.
Undeterred by several tons of mammoth trying to gore and trample her, Raquel attempted to stab Dennis, but failed, and luckily for her he moved away! Two more hunters moved up to try their luck (or skill), and finally Reg was able to inflict a wound. The hunters keep being forced to retreat though by Dennis's ferocious Trumpeting.
But fortune favours the brave (unless the brave are outnumbered by cave lions). More spear attacks, all unsuccessful, eventually resulted in Dennis getting spooked by all these pesky hominids and making a run for it (fleeing) away from the closest one. Unfortunately, right over an escarpment.
So, shall we say 7.30 for 8.00pm, smart casual? Bring your own cutlery.
Cheers from the Pattaya tundra.
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