Shorty's Retirement

8/4/2019 Shorty's Retirement

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Shorty's RetirementThis game encompasses a surprise boarding action by a small group of privateers against the stout

dwarf merchant marine lads of the USS (United Stunty Ship) Sneezy. Somehow infamous "privateer"

Shorty got wind of a special cargo that might be just the ticket for his early retirement. A "Bob Sphere"is aboard the USS Sneezy and it was worth a dozen fortunes to the right buyer and Shorty knows of

several such buyers...

The ship's layout was tossed together in about five minutes using some terrain boards I am working on

(seems I always have a dozen or so projects "I am working on") and played in about 90 minutes using"Point Blank".

The game started with a free move by Shorty's boys as they caught the crew unaware and blow the rear

air lock and rush into the rear of the cargo hold.

The "privateers" gain the second impulse as well and continue to move into the cargo hold...


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...As the scattered dwarves jump to their feet and the ship's alarm klaxons harsh sound echoes through

the merchant starship. I am afraid the poor stunties were a bit scattered by a random setup. You see...the wee blue beggars were sleeping off last night's New Year's Eve party!

Here the commander rallies his troops with his raised "mono-molecular saber". Yeah, it don't look like

much but it will slice anything known to man...or dwarf...or alien...errr... like nobody's business! ;-)


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The next impulse went to the now not-so-surprised stunties and they rush toward the cargo hold to

repel the boarders. Cliff (the lad in black representing the dwarven royal establishment) is the first to

crack a hatch into the cargo hold and he bravely sends his robotic pet Snapper on ahead to sniff out the

situation behind the exotic fungi containment field, enclosure, thingee (at least I think that is what he isdoing over there...)

The next impulse went to Shorty's lads and they use it to bring laser fire from both Mike and Tom (the

lads wearing the brightly colored USMC surplus power armor). Unfortunately for Tom his Laser unit

was a bit too surplus and he rolls the required 3% chance of having it malfunction (note the offendingblack d20 in the picture below with the "8" still showing).

Unfortunately for Cliff (the dwarf lad in black) Mike's laser did not malfunction as he strikes the spit

and polish stunty with his shot square in the chest. Cliff then proceeds to fail is meager save for hisstandard dwarf issue ballistic armor and falls just inside the hatchway. Poor 'ol confused Snapper runs

to his masters side and prepares to defend his fallen body in the open hatchway... Poor Snapper...


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...And Shorty finally makes his entrance into the cargo hold (he would be the short guy, the one

wearing power armor... in the back )

The next two impulses go to Shorty's boys as well and Ramona the group's psi-bitch takes the lead on

the port side. Do please note that while Ramona's lacks armor and carries only a wee weapon, she does

posses a psi-force field and also do note that not even Shorty calls her "psi-bitch" to her face.


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...Anyway Ramona leads the rush up the port side followed by Steve and the her current bunk mate the

happy waving "twin" Josh followed by the enigmatic "Roach" who like Ramona prefers to carry a high

tech sub-machinegun on boarding actions (happiness is never having to say "I need to change my

clip").

Shorty jumps up on some cargo pods behind Tom and shouts at him to extract his head from his anus

and hurry up and unjam his damned laser module! Knucklehead Tom (his new nickname) succeeds

only in rolling a critical failure thus reducing him to only his powered, steel fists for the rest of thisboarding action.

Meanwhile Rachel, William (monkey-man) and Steve (the other "twin") move to cover the starboard

side.


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The dwarves grab the next impulse and use it to rush everyone they can toward the cargo hold as

Snapper stands firm over his fallen master! ...poor Snapper...

The lucky "privateers" get the next impulse and with the door still ajar from where Cliff fell Ramonahas a clear shot into the tightly packed group of dwarves rushing down the portside passageway from

the bridge.

With her high tech submachine gun and the tight confines of the corridor Ramona is able to spray four

of the stout lads in blue with a hail of micro-caliber, high velocity projectiles. But Ramona succeeds inhitting only one dwarf... the captain! The fearless dwarven captain of many a star voyage then fails his

save given by his stout constitution and the (crappy) standard issue ballistic armor he wears and falls

wounded under the impact of several micro-caliber, explosive hits! Yet, the sturdy merchant marines inblue do not hesitate for an instant as they cover their fallen leader and move to repel the invaders (aka


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they made their morale checks ).

The next two impulses go to Shorty's lads as they continue to move through the long, half full cargobay. Mike uses his suit's integrated laser module to put poor 'ol Snapper out of his misery (finally!) as

Rachel and her crew try to reach the starboard cargo bay door before the dwarves do...


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But, the short lads in blue get the next impulse and use it to activate the ships medical bot to aid to

fallen crewmen (note the loot that Shorty seeks protected by the small force field in the next room) asthe rest of the able-bodied dwarves rush to retake their cargo hold and avenge their fallen captain (and

protect their share of the above mentioned cargo of course...)


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Sparky (as he would be known hereafter) finally stumbles into the passageway with his hand flamer (he

got it half price at a pawn shop right before he shipped out believe it or not). Sparky and a single daser

armed trooper are all that bar the "privateers" from the starboard passageway and the bridge. But the

nimble Sparky is able to move down the passageway and beats Rachel to the hatchway. As the ship'scomputer recognizes Sparky and automatically slides the door aside he fires point blank into the cargo

hold ...and Rachel's team!

...While his aim is true and the weapon sends Rachel and her group diving for cover (i.e.. stunned) he

fails to KO any of them.

When the dwarves get another impulse Sparky hits a second time... yet he again fails to KO any of

Rachel's group. But Rachel and crew are out of action for two impulses as they are rendered inactiveby the blast of the flame weapon (scrambling for cover, putting out flames, changing underwear, etc.)

One of the stunty troopers in the portside passage is able to hit with his daser (dwarven laser). Josh

fails his save and goes down in front of the fungi containment unit and breaths his last gasp to his lover

Ramona through a hole in one of his necks as he dies at her feet... Things start to look bleak for our

intrepid "privateers" even as their loot is almost within their grasp.


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The next impulse went to Shorty's privateers and as Shorty rushes to aid Rachel; Ramona lets loose a

psi-scream (it has no effect, but it makes her feel better), steps over her fallen lover Josh and emptiesthe clip of her high tech SMG into the mass of dwarven merchant marines...all 1500 rounds!

The results are a bloody mess for the stunties as three more dwarves fall on to the hard steel plated


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deck. As one, the crew decides to gather it's wounded and retreat into the bridge, seal the doors and

hope the "privateers" will be happy with their newly won loot and leave them with their lives and their

ship.

Here we see Steve (yep, his laser module is still working) as he blasts the door off of the cargo vault...

...and we see one very happy space hobbit (aka Shorty) already planning where he will be spending his

retirement as he gazes longing at his "Bob Sphere".


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Shorty's Retirement

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