PDEE: The return of the Glyptodonts

Mark returns to the Grey Wolf clan for some classic Palaeo Diet goodness:

An exploration and hunting party from the Grey Wolf clan has crossed the Eastern river and followed the retreating ice into the uplands beyond. They encounter a herd of giant armadillos, which resemble half-forgotten descriptions from their grandparents’ time. In game terms they are Giant Grazers.

There isn’t much other game around, and supplies are running low, so these new beasts are targeted even though they look formidable. The hunters must kill one for food, without incurring any casualties.

The party comprises: White Antlers (leader); Fire Stick; Sneaker; Yellow Hair; and Grey Hair. All are spear-armed except Fire Stick who carries fire, and Sneaker who has a bow. Grey Hair has a hound looking to him. Here’s a charcoal & ochre sketch they left on the wall of a rock shelter a few days ago (Photo #1).

The hunters observe the herd in the valley below, from the top of a convenient ridge. After much discussion, they agree on a plan. Fire Stick and Sneaker will work their way around to the ridge forming the far side of the valley, and drive the herd towards the boggy ground at the western end, where the other hunters will take up ambush positions (Photo #2).

After three turns Fire Stick and Sneaker are more or less in position, having loped around the far side of the scrub patch. The ambush party have begun skulking carefully towards the boggy ground. There have been a few activation fails by the hunters but none has concerned the grazing giants. (Photo #3).

Now the hunters begin to stalk their targets. Sneaker gets a triple activation and skulks down the side of the ridge, carefully ending just outside M from the beast he has chosen. He lets fly an arrow, and to everyone’s surprise it hits. Not a “well placed” hit, though. The beast takes 1W and moves away, Alarmed (Photo #4).

Then Fire Stick comes forwards, but he dislodges some scree as he ambles down the side of the ridge, and the nearest beast, the wounded one, takes note. Luckily for the hunters it gets a Move Away reaction, which takes it into the boggy ground, where (§) it gets bogged (Photo #5).

A note from Mark about bogs:
Having made a few boggy areas recently, which I’m quite pleased with, I felt I should try them out. At first I intended to treat them merely as “tricky ground” per the Rules, but I kept coming back to bogs as in “bogged down”. So a Giant Grazer which enters a boggy area must roll each time it moves, and becomes trapped/bogged on a roll of 6. Each time it gets a reaction while so bogged it rolls to try and break free, succeeding on 5,6 after which it can carry out its normal reaction move. Otherwise it stays bogged. Hunters risk getting bogged too, if they move faster than Skulk in boggy ground.

The three hunters (+ hound) in the ambush party watch this unheard-of sequence of events with open mouths. White Antlers skulks forward (warning the others not to get bogged themselves) and throws a spear, which misses. The bogged giant struggles but cannot get free. Yellow Hair comes up and her spear hits, causing a 2nd W. Then Grey Hair joins in, but his spear misses. But his hound attacks the struggling bogged beast and inflicts a 3rd W (Photo #6).

It’s turn 5 now. Grey Hair hurls two spears at the trapped floundering giant, but both shots bounce off its carapace. His hound likewise keeps attacking but cannot break through. White Antler also throws and fails, but in the end Yellow Hair gets lucky and the Glyptodont is killed with a 4th W. The other beasts see the death but remain stoically unreacting.

Behind the surviving beasts, Fire Stick and Sneaker approach. Fire Stick fails 2/3 activation rolls and both beasts test to react. One of them, with fire approaching, moves away Alarmed. The other Flees, but in a different direction. Then Sneaker, annoyed at being left out of the action, tries loping after the first of the surviving giants, but also fails 2/3 activations, which the giants ignore (Photo #7).

The hunters have successfully achieved their objective, killing a beast while taking no wounds or losses themselves. But before they settle down to butchering the carcass, they want to see if they can do it again. So Fire Stick starts to move up behind the giant which is heading for the other piece of boggy ground. He fails an activation but the beast in unaffected. Then Sneaker triple activates, moves up, shoots at it and misses, and the giant turns and attacks. It’s too far off to make contact, but it’s a timely reminder to the hunters not to push their luck. They give up on the idea and turn to food preparation work (Photo #8).

Cheers from Pattaya,
Mark