[Necromunda] Dome Y'Fenni, Cycle 2

A quiet one in terms of fatalities, probably because the luckless Venators and I could only manage one game apiece this month. Availability has been low all around, with the notable exception of Stevie Boi - and since the Ogryns have proved impervious to everything short of a Genestealer Aberrant's power pick to the chops, the Ogryns are currently running away with four out of five campaign Triumphs!

(A Dominion campaign doesn't have a "winner" per se - instead there are five "best at X" categories: enemy fighters taken OOA, battles fought, total wealth, total Reputation, and territories taken. At last count, Bad Heir Day were slightly ahead of the Ogryns in kills, but who knows how long that'll last? As an aside, if I'd bothered to look up this structure before getting into the game, I'd have rolled in with Enforcers and put the sixth Triumph on the table. Everyone gets a prize, even if it's the Ogryns who decide which one they want most.)

For our final month we've done a bit of Downtime, where I've made a small act of arbitration. (I'm a very "soft touch" kind of organiser when it comes to these things, more "take the temperature of the room and then make appropriate calls" than "my way or the high way, scummer".) 

The two gangs who were furthest behind - the luckless Venators and the inept Squats - had their pick of unoccupied territories in a "free" occupation round to bring them up to speed. This is why the Venators can now turn the lights off across the whole dome, and the Squats have a smelting pit to go with their assorted underground activities. Furthermore, only the bottom three gangs, i.e. the law-abiding ones, got the extra 250 credits, as the outlaws were already all over 2000 rating at the end of the second month. 

I spent mine on armoured undersuits, photon flash grenades, hotshot laser packs and gunsights. I have enough girlies in the crew - what I need is S4 weapons to put the wounds on Squats, and flash bombs to keep things tougher than Squats out of action while I try to poison them.

There was a period in which I was tempted to spend them on an Aberrant and Psychic Familiar instead, with 40 in the bank for Evil Annie to become Uncanny Annie and grab herself a new Magus-based model after the next game. After the complete non-starter of a game with the Damp Stain, it was very tempting to just take the knee and accept my 'stealer snogs. I didn't think one big hefty Champion would really solve my problems, though, and also there's a certain pride in being the only proper House gang in the group.

This might not be the case next time. Yes, the keeners are already talking about next time! A fresh start with fresh Wasteland gangs, although the same actual models can be used if people are happy with where they are. 1400 credits, of which 400 must be spent on vehicles, vehicle crew, or mounts for fighters who are neither vehicles nor vehicle crew. We have whispers of more, different looking Nomads, plus Delaques, Van Saar and/or Cawdor. The Ogryns are staying on the board, as are the Squats, because "bad at rules" Kraken has barely grasped the stuff he has.

(Incidentally, not to publicly shame my good friend or anything, but after weeks of argy-bargy over the Narco Den it's become clear he doesn't even know what it does, and has in fact been playing the first two cycles as if he had the Synth Still, which is the one I have. I'm almost annoyed.) 

Me, I'm either sticking with the Eschers (I'd only need a Cutter or two, those jetbikes are expensive) or finishing the Goliaths (where some unpleasant activities involving the Truck and Gene-Smithing have suggested themselves). Depends how much I think I need T5 Gangers next season, I suppose.

But before we get there, there's the small matter of hostile Takeovers! 

What's Everyone Up To? 

The Damp Stain ran their Rescue operation against the Ogryns as well, and did successfully recover their missing Acolyte, as well as capturing Big Steve himself... only to have to return him immediately as we were about to enter Downtime.

Post-Downtime we've only had one game on the board, because someone had a chronic fatigue flare and couldn't make the club meet at the weekend (it was me). The Ogryns saw off a joint Settlement Raid from the Venators and Nomads, keeping control of their Tunnels and sustaining the dual-infiltrating storm-welder zap behaviour that's seen them outperform two out of three regular opponents.

Kraken and I continue to avoid the Ogryn in the room. I offered him a straight swap - my money-spinner Collapsed Dome for the Narco Den he didn't even know he had. Apparently, me wanting something is enough to make him hold onto it, so fine, he's coming round mine so my gang can go round his and kick the Squats in the shins until they give us our damn drug shop.

The Privateers will also have to see off the Damp Stain, who are coming at them from the opposite direction, intent on taking over the Mine Workings. Perhaps Pastor Nuffin Upmisleev and Evil Annie will still come to an arrangement, shaking hands over a four-foot grave?

Then it's on to the last hurrah. I had a couple of dormant ideas for this, but the player base seems keen on giving Big Steev what for, come what may, and has rallied around "The Last Round" - a bar fight scenario in which the Ogryns, boozing it up on their throne of skulls, are bushwhacked by the best of the rest from any other gang who want to show up.

What a bunch of lads these players are. I'm allowing it, of course I am, it saves me making a decision and I can always - that is to say, I will of course honour any on-the-spot tactical arrangements to deal with the lumbering menace, lest we all spend the rest of our days arguing about which one of us is, in fact, Stevicus.

This? Oh, don't mind this. It's just, you know. Stuff in a jar. 

 

Post Imperial Womens' Day hangovers notwithstanding,
they're ready to go.