A Double Fistful of Kung Fu!

 It's been quite a while since I've gotten Osprey Games' "A Fistful of Kung Fu" on the table, but the stars (and schedules) aligned, and my friend Chris and I were both off work today. He was the one who'd originally recommended Fistful of Kung Fu to me, and was eager to play it, so I pulled my gaming table out from the wall, rotated it and set up some bustling city streets.

 We agreed to 400-point gangs, and Chris brought Johnny Law, Hero Cop and his martial arts allies, while I used the cultists I've been using for When Nightmares Come.

For the first game, we decided on a scenario that saw the cult searching for a hidden cache of cocaine while trying to avoid the police, all while the Chinese New Year parade is going on around them. 

It didn't take long for the two protagonists to come face to face.

 

Johnny Law to beat the cult sorcerer unconscious pretty quickly, at which point failed morale rolls sent half my gang off the table. The martial artists didn't take long mopping up the stragglers.

 After that, we reset, swapped table sides and prepped a second game. This time, my cult sorcerer would be on a mission of revenge - he had the first Humble, then either Knock Out or Kill Johnny Law! 

 While he did manage to pick up an automatic rifle AND drop a fireball on Johnny's head that caused him to drop his pistol off the roof he was standing on, ultimately the cult sorcerer didn't accomplish a lot and most of his gang got their asses beat. The sorcerer retreated inside the building, where Johnny's followers confronted him.

 Ultimately, the cult sorcerer got a shotgun blast to chest at point-blank range, and the rest of the cult fled the table. 

So I lost both games but I had a lot of fun in the process! And it was a good refresher on the game. And makes me want more martial artist figures. Chris' figures are from an OOP line called China Town from Stone Circle Games and they're spectacularly charming figures.  

The Ophidian Menace

 A few months back, I did a little bit of creative writing for Alex over at Forge of Ice, and as a thank you he sent me a set of "Ophidian Menace" figures he'd added to his line of fantasy and sword-and-sorcery miniatures. Serpent people have been a mainstay of sword-and-sorcery since 1929, and with Alex having recently busted his foot, I figured seeing more of his figures out in the wild painted would be a positive for him.

First up is my absolute favorite of the bunch, "Zassek, the Fang of Ael-Karna":

 

Look at that. This guy's like a recruitment poster for being a serpent-man. T-posing with axe and shield, one foot up on a tactical rock, kilt and chainmail around his waist, screaming. He's ready to fight anyone.

Next up is "Xuss-Duhl, the Primeval," described on the website as a throwback to a more ancient form of serpent-man:

Kept things pretty straightforward with him, and realizing now I largely copied the color scheme on the official display model.

Next up is a member of the "Agamm," a tribe of Neanderthals that serve the Ophidians:

 Nothing too fancy but I like the pale blue "empty" eyes on the serpent hood. I think those came out really nice.

Next is "Xha-Hsthuul, the Mis-Born," a sorceress who has some human blood mixed in with her Ophidian heritage. This is straight out of Robert E. Howard's short story "Worms of the Earth," where a witch born of a human mother and an inhuman, serpentine father directs the story's hero to the treasure he seeks.

 I realized late in the painting process that she's sculpted with sleeves while I'd painted bare arms. I think on the table it won't be too noticeable. 

Finally a gross one - this is "The Regurgitated," an unfortunate fellow fed to the serpent-god Vrissth'ra and vomited up as a zombie slave:

 I really like the purple wash over the desaturated green skin tones. 

There's also a bit of terrain - the "Idol of N'ha Khaash," an Ophidian fertility goddess. This is basically a Venus figurine with large slanted eyes, a forked tongue and two-fingered hands, so enjoy the snake-titties. I based it on a 40mm flat round base and hot glued some plastic foliage to it. 

 

Miniatures Acquired: 246

Miniatures Painted: 257

Terrain Acquired: 9

Terrain Painted: 11

Scatter Acquired: 21

Scatter Painted: 25

When Nightmares Come Game #6: "...And All the Devils Are Here."

It all comes down to this; if the Webster Street Irregulars fail, then Paradise Cove Trailer Park will become the site of a massacre. The cultists seek to summon a mighty demon prince, Malphetorix, the Knight of the Black Blade, to earth and they’re willing to kill everybody present to achieve this.

 

"Diane? It's me, Carrie. Yeah, I know you're not happy to hear from me after last time. I don't care. You and the boys at Channel 7 owe me a favor and I'm calling it in. Yes, now. Yeah, well, same to you. Now here's what I need..."

***

"Ernie? No, it's not Vern, it's Steve. Yeah, listen, I need a favor..."

[I originally failed both Challenges, but spent banked favors to turn them into successes. With two successes, the Hunters "won" the narrative scene, and they get to deploy on any side of the table, within 1 move of the edge, effectively gaining a free move.] 

Turn 1

Carrie moved forward, meeting up with Diane and the Channel 7 news team to gather intel.

 Meanwhile, Guy collected clues in the carport, and Lisa moved up to speak with Steve's contact Ernie, but found herself unable to get a word in edgewise as the denim-clan man waxed poetic about Mello Yello soda. 

 Steve checked the port-o-john for clues.

 Cultists spawned at Portals 1 and 4, and the Nexus emerged from the ground in the third quadrant.

 One dashed at Carrie but failed to hit her, and Paul reacted by snapping off a shot that ended the cultist's life.

 Turn 2

Lisa managed to get the information she needed, and then started to cut through the trailer to reach portal 2, ready to shut it down.

Guy moved towards the Nexus and began extracting Arcana. Paul, meanwhile, moved forward and shot the second cultist, then returned to overwatch.

 Steve took the opportunity to approach Portal 1 and begin harvesting Arcana. Carrie approached the Nexus.

 Cultists spawned at Portals 1 and 3, attacking Steve and inflicting two wounds, and attacking Guy but failing to harm him.

 Turn 3

Steve tried to fight back against the cultist and failed, then tried to break away - the cultist got a Free Hack attack. The cultist brought his club down hard on Steve's head, and the handyman-turned-monster hunter collapsed, dead.

 "Steve! No!" Paul dashed forward and put two rounds into the cultist, center-mass.

 Guy beat down the cultist attacking him, pulled some Arcana from the Nexus, and then moved towards Portal 3 to hopefully close it.

 Carrie pulled 8 Arcana from the Nexus, while Lisa moved forward towards Portal 2 and went on overwatch.

Cultists spawned at Portals 1 and 3, and Malphetorix manifested right on top of Lisa. The cultists attacked and injured Paul and Guy. 

 "Lisa, Lisa, Lisa," Malphetorix mused. "You haven't been taking my calls any more. That one-eyed bitch cleaned my influence off your soul, did she? Well, we'll see about that!"

He struck her twice with the great, black sword. Panicking, Lisa fled the table.

With a laugh and a powerful flap of his wings, Malphetorix leapt over the trailer.

 Turn 4

Guy downed a Kaiju Energy Drink, then gave voice to a mighty, sepulchral scream - giving voice to everyone that cult and their summoned demons had killed, knocking an action die off of all enemies on the table. 

Paul killed the cultist facing him, then performed first aid on himself. 

 Carrie cast "Heal" on Guy, then blasted the cultist with an "Arcane Bolt" spell, and shut down the Nexus.

 Two cultists spawned at each of Portals 2 and 4, while Malphetorix approached Carrie slowly and full of gloating.

 Turn 5

Paul turned around and shot the Demon Prince in the back, but Malphetorix shrugged off the shots. 

 Carrie gave Malphetorix the full force of an empowered "Arcane Blast," followed up with an enchanted bullet in the forehead. The demon staggered back, wounded, fire bleeding from a dozen wounds. 

Cultists charged towards Guy and Carrie, managing to attack her but failing to inflict any injury. Additionally, succubi sprang forth from Portals 2 and 4, swiftly winging across the battlefield.

 Drawing on the last of her arcane power, Carrie hit the cultist and succubus with a casting of "Elemental Fury," slaying both, then turned and fired another shot into Malphetorix.

"Noooooo!" the demon snarled as his flesh began to collapse into ash. "I was so close! I'll see you in Hell!"

 With a roar, Guy smashed the cultist in front of him to the ground, then turned, charged, and clobbered the second succubus as well.

 Paul, surrounded by cultists, tried to shoot his way free, killing one cultist but falling to the other.

 Carrie and Guy held their breath, awaiting the worst, but the portals were silent and slowly guttered out as the last ashes of Malphetorix drifted away on the wind. 

Steve and Paul were dead, Lisa missing, but the world, it seemed, was saved...for now.

***

And with that, this campaign of "When Nightmares Come" draws to a close. I'm really proud of myself that I managed to play six games in the span of 31 days; I wasn't sure I'd be able to carve out the time to do so, but I made it work!

I had a lot of fun playing through this, and really enjoyed the rules. I can see myself playing this again next October.