Evil Spirits (2/2): another PDEE season with the Grey Wolf Clan

The newly installed Chief of the Clan has chosen the suitably-impressive chiefly name of Great Lion.

Now, Great Lion hasn’t been chief very long, but already (a) he is thinking like a politician, and (b) he needs a big success to consolidate his position, and (c) there are scores to settle with the Trout Clan from previous seasons.

Soon enough Red Feather (the clan’s most respected shaman, and an expert at reading the way the wind is blowing) comes to him with some disquieting advice. The wandering spirits that caused the recent outbreak of sickness are still hanging around, and have taken possession of the Trout clan. They may try again to take over the Grey Wolves too.

Something must be done. This is something. Therefore, we must do it. The best clan hunters prepare for an expedition to the Trout clan cave, to exterminate the evil spirits. Great Lion himself will lead, and Red Feather will come along too, for spiritual support and medical services.

The party comprises 5 hunters (spear armed) as well as Great Lion (club) and Red Feather (healing). They approach their objective with a mix of resolve and dread. Looking down on the Trout valley and cave from the top of a convenient hill, a ghastly sight meets their eyes.

 The bodies of Trout Clan members are scattered around the valley, mostly near the cave entrance. All are dead, and pack predators (3 Lions, 3 Hyenas) are feasting on them. Red Feather advises that all the predators must be killed, as by eating the dead bodies they will become evil spirits themselves and spread sickness to the grazing animals on which the Grey Wolves depend. This, then is the mission: the hunters must kill all the predators on the table. No more than 3 unpatched wounds, and 1 death, among the hunters though. Otherwise Great Lion’s leadership could be called into question, and the Clan won’t have enough fit hunters to ensure the food supply for next winter.

Three Turns in, and the hunters are playing it ultra-cautiously.  They are rolling to activate on white dice only. Great Lion, Red Feather, and 2 hunters are hiding in the scrub patch at lower L. The other 3 hunters have snuck up on one of the lions and killed it with spears, at the cost of 1 wound.

 The yellow markers are the bodies of Trout clan members. They are predation points, which has the effect of lessening the aggressiveness of Predate beast reactions. I should also mention that Red Feather can “heal” hunters who have 1 wound only, if he spends an entire activation in contact with them, and activates 1D6=3+.

By the end of Turn 6 another lion has been brought down, and another hunter wounded.  Red Feather has already patched up the first hunter wounded, and has now ambled over to the second casualty, aiming to fix him during Turn 7.

 None of the other hunters has moved during this time, all successfully activating on 1 white dice each per turn, then keeping stum. The last living Lion got an Attack reaction to a hunter in the scrub who failed an activation, but that was followed (a fail by Red Feather) by a Predate reaction , and the nearest compliant item was a Trout corpse.

Great Lion decided it was time to take on the rest of the Evil Spirits now, so he signalled for the hunters to continue the attack. After another 3 Turns (end of Turn 9) this is the situation:  All three Lions are now down. In the centre of the photo Red Feather is patching up another wound inflicted by the last Lion as it was speared. 

 Over on the Left, one Hyena has lunged forward and attacked the Spear line as it Skulks forward, causing yet another wound.

Several beast Predate reactions, which would normally compel them to move M towards the nearest wounded / dead hunter, have been superseded by the closer presence of Trout corpses. I’m now thinking this might have advantaged the hunters too much, especially in conjunction with Red Feather’s medical repair skills. So for the rest of the game I decided to (a) remove all corpse markers (they have been picked clean), and (b) the next time Red Feather fails any activation he runs out of medical supplies.

But it was all too late. The Hyenas killed one hunter, but by the end of Turn 12 they had all fallen to a flurry of thrown spears.  It didn’t help that the beasts failed 4 attack rolls in a row as the hunt came to an end.

Great Lion is jubilant. He has led a highly successful hunt, eliminating all the evil spirits. His hunt-leadership style of cautious movement and mutual support is noted favourably by most of the hunters. His position as Chief is now secure.

Only 1 clan hunter has been lost, way less than everyone had feared at the start of the hunt. There are 3 patched-up wounds to consider (the 4th wound was on the hunter subsequently killed) but Red Feather is confident all these will heal quickly.

****



The days are getting shorter now, and the snow will be here some time during the next moon. Preparations are made for the traditional Last Hunt, to ensure the clan has enough food to make it through til Spring.

This year the clan is experimenting with a new kind of trap that is easier to make than pitfalls. The men past hunting age, and boys, have dug lines of small pits between some of the gaps through which the driven game might escape. A beast crossing these risks a broken leg. The chances are: Giant grazer 67%, Herd grazer 50%.

Beasts can escape off any table edge, or by swimming the river where the hunters cannot follow (can’t swim and attack). But beasts reaching the river will sometimes prefer to turn and run along the bank rather than swim. This is determined by a die roll, they swim across on a 4+. Stampeding followers will always follow the leader.

The scouts report enough game has gathered in the river valley for the drive to begin. There must be about 30 bulk, including 2 adult Aurochs (Giant grazers) and assorted baby Aurochs, Ibex, and Reindeer (all Herd grazers). It’s a mystery where the Mammoths have disappeared to this season.

The hunting party is 5 hunters: 3 x Spear, 1 x Bow, & 1 x Fire. They aim to kill at least 20 bulk. There are 2 hunters hidden in each scrub patch. Hunter ‘Smokey’ (with the fire) will come on from the S edge (at R).

After 2 Turns the carnage has aleady begun as some panicked beasts flee over the scarps or fall to the traps.  An Aurochs, an Aurochs calf, and a Reindeer are the kills so far. The hunters are spread out in a sweep pattern. Smokey is in the Centre, it is the reactions to his fire that have caused most of the beast reactions so far. One hunter is over by the river at top R, having loped over from the opposite scrub to plug a hole that seemed to be forming. The other three hunters are strung out along the bottom edge of the photo. Bow, in the centre of the line, starred shooting a bit too early and almost spooked some of the herd grazers in the wrong direction.

Another Turn sees the other Aurochs (adult & calf) stampede away from the fire and over the scarp (lower L). That’s 14 bulk in the bag so far. Not enough. The rest of the beasts are gradually moving towards the river. Now the hunters must ensure enough of them are brought down before they escape. The main thing to avoid will be a stampede across the river. 

And another Turn. The net is closing, although one Ibex has made a break for it by jumping into the river, where it will be safe from the hunters. 

And the last Turn.  Three beasts have escaped: one by swimming the river, and two (one of which is wounded) by successfully evading the traps. But the hunters have killed 2 Giant Grazers & 8 Herd Grazers, a total of 24 Bulk. This meets their target of 20+, so the Grey Wolf clan finish this disquieting season on a high note and can anticipate a Winter with only the usual hardships.

So we say goodbye to our Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers until next time.