After the last game, two characters from the Carlyle expedition fell into the desert sands.
For each one we make a die roll on the recovery table and the result is that Elizabeth Darrow (first from the right) will have a -1 on melee and ranged combat rolls for this scenario, and the other Follower who fell (first from the left ) will start one turn later than the rest.
Besides, Madeleine Carson (the ally) has the benefit of +2" to the movement granted by the object she found in the previous episode.
So here we go with the next episode of the Perilous Island campaign ...
SCENARIO 6
SINISTER RUINS
(aka sinister swamp)
Members of the Carlyle expedition continue to advance through the cursed desert of Rub Al Khali in their search for the prestigious missing archaeologist Lord Donovan Darrow, a search that is leading them to Irem, the city of a thousand pillars.
Following the guide's instructions, they arrive at some ruins lost in the middle of the desert, and from afar they see two Nazi military vehicles standing among the ruins.
There is no one nearby, no movement, only the two abandoned armored vehicles.
The armored vehicles must belong to the column of military vehicles that the guide said that the Nazis had, so it seems that they are ahead of them.
I have located 5 Plot points and as a victory condition the characters have to check them all and leave the table.
On the first turn, Madeleine Carson reaches the armored half-track, although she cannot check the plot point.
Elizabeth Darrow makes it to the Plot point next to the other vehicle, although she cannot check it.
The other Follower, based on his result on the recovery table, will not activate until turn 2.
On turn 2, our hero, Roger Carlyle, makes it to a Plot point, checking it and finding part of the diary of the missing archaeologist Lord Donovan Darrow, getting indications about his discoveries and Irem's location.
Elizabeth Darrow checks the plot point right next to her, and with my usual luck the worst results come out ...
While she searches the vehicle, without prior warning a growl begins to be heard, which begins slightly, increasing in intensity, until suddenly, from the sand, arms and bodies of beings that one time were human begins start to emerge in different stages of mummification.
Those undead beings come out from everywhere under the sands, attacking the closest character.
This event ends the turn directly, losing the actions of the characters that have not yet been activated.
On turn 3, and as all the plot points must be checked, I decide to take a risk and our hero runs between several zombies to check one of these points of interest.
Unfortunately, although he manages to reveal it, a multitude of sacred giant beetles emerge from the sand next to him and try to attack him with their jaws ...
Our hero is blocked by fear and cannot flee in time, remaining standing among the zombies, who will attack him when his turn comes.
Madeleine Carson checks the plot point that was in the half-track, finding a machine gun with ammunition, so she decides to savagely attack the zombies, clearing the way for her companions.
The other Follower shoots down another zombie while taking cover next to the armored half-track.
With both zombies down, Elizabeth Darrow runs to the last plot point left to check, but fails to roll to reveal it ...
Once the activations of the characters are finished, it is the turn of the zombies, who get dangerously close to Elizabeth Darrow, and some attack Roger Carlyle, causing a wound, and being surrounded by a few more zombies.
Turn four begins with new spawns of the undead, emerging from the arena.
Among these dead are several in Nazi uniforms, apparently, part of the Nazi group that advances towards Irem which was attacked by zombies, decimating it, and increasing its forces with the corpses of the Nazis.
Our hero, wounded and completely surrounded, decides to escape from the mass of undead that are trying to devour him.
Escaping from close combat causes EACH enemy in close combat to have a free attack as the other part runs away.
So crossing his fingers, Roger Carlyle runs suffering four attacks at once, and manages to flee with two more wounds, which leaves him seriously injured and on the verge of death.
Elizabeth Darrow checks the plot point, achieving it and finding a strange artifact that grants her an extra action with a higher die each turn, so without thinking twice she runs away towards the armored vehicle, away from the zombies that are surrounding her.
Madeleine Carson (our ally) opens fire with the heavy machine gun that is mounted on the armored half-track, taking down several zombies ...
"Blessed high-caliber automatic weapons" thinks Madeleine ...
Once their actions are finished, the zombies advance dangerously, and although they do not attack, they are once again closing in on our heroes, who have increasingly less room for maneuver.
Turn 5 begins with our heroes completely surrounded, and since in the previous turn I managed to check the last of the plot points, the only possibility is to run away and reach the edge of the table to win the game.
The Follower next to Roger Carlyle takes down a zombie and runs in terror, throwing his weapon down to the sand.
Elizabeth Darrow shoots a zombie, knocking it down, and runs after the other follower.
Roger Carlyle runs away from the zombie next to him, obtaining a free attack, if he passes the roll he will kill our hero, but fortunately he fails and our hero runs off with the other members of the Carlyle expedition.
Madeleine Carson (our ally), after killing two more zombies with the machine gun, jumps out of the armored vehicle and runs away.
On the enemies' turn, they approach quickly, although not enough, and only three zombies manage to reach melee with the ally, although they cannot attack her.
In the sixth and last turn, our heroes manage to escape and leave the table by its edge, fleeing from the increasingly numerous mass of undead that follow them. Madeleine Carson (our ally) receives two wounds when she escapes from the melee of the zombies that had approached her.
Severely injured they manage to get out of the edge of the table after having managed to check the five plot points.
Victory.
In extremis, but victory for our heroes.