Missionary Troubles

 A Fistful of Lead Game. 

Missionary Troubles.

The province of Xiao Yu has been experiencing increased instability over the past few weeks, warlord government troops have been busy clashing with the KMT expeditionary force in the region, drawing away much needed soldiers from local anti-bandit patrols. Bandit gangs have quickly taken advantage of this lax security and are making the best of the opportunity presented while it lasts.

The Americans are not oblivious to the instability in the region. Orders have come out from China Station HQ for all American expats to seek refuge in the large, well protected treaty ports and cities. That being said not all American's have willingly agreed to these orders. Several groups of erstwhile missionaries have held up in their mission stations, refusing to budge, believing that their faith in the people will protect them better than any gunboat. As a result US Navy China Station sailors have been dispatched to recover these hold outs and bring them to safety.

Four Eyes Chin the leader of the “Yellow Locust Gang” is in need of paying his men and the unprotected foreign mission stations present a golden opportunity. His spies have informed him that the Americans are coming but the chance of a good haul and maybe even some hostages drives him onward. “China Star” is small and tucked away in the countryside, the missionaries are known to be lightly armed and his gang outnumbers the small detachment of sailors have been dispatched to it. Good odds. Throwing caution to the wind and in need of the loot, Chin has ordered the raid.

The Sailors started deployed in the Mission Station, having arrived there earlier in the morning. They were tasked with convincing the missionaries to leave (an 8+ roll on a d10, going to 6+ once the mission is under attack, and 3+ if the missionaries themselves are under attack) and manage to champ the roll the first time. This no doubt saved their lives.

                        

Machinist's Mate 1^st Class 'Spanner' McQueen with a B.A.R takes up position in the house by the south gate, supported by Pharmacist's Mate 'Doc' Middleton with Tommy gun, who plan to act as a rear guard/blocking force to give Yeoman 2^nd Class 'Red' Di-Reda armed with a shotgun time to escort the missionaries to the motor-pan and to safety. Meanwhile Boatswain's Mate 'Pops' Jeter with his Lewis Gun sets up to defend the main gate. The plan is for Red to hustle the missionaries to safety, Pops to cover everyone, and for Spanner and Doc to catch up. This plan quickly falls apart. 

                        

Chinese bandits boil out of the woods and from the westren road. Chin's force is running a horde squad, which means that 3 of his regulars and his one specialist have been replaced with grunts, there are 3 to 4 grunts per grunt group. Poorly armed, poor quality, and physically weak, they heavily outnumber the Sailor, who by contrast are all specialists. 

                        

                  

Spanner opens up with his B.A.R at range, to little effect. He manages to put only one bandit out of action, and supresses two others who fall back. However 4 spear men continue to charge forward, and over run the south gate and house. A brutal melee ensues, and those grunts despite being weak and having worse dice than the specialists roll super hot, while their targets in turn roll very poorly. Doc is put out of action instantly with a very hot wound roll, and Spanner is also wounded and knocked down but manages to fight back for a few turns. He fights valiantly but ultimately is put out of action, taking only one bandit with him. Half the sailors are down, while 13 bandits are still up and fighting. 

                        

                        

At the north gate, by the road, Red hustles the missionaries towards the boat. Pops does his best to put down fire but his shooting is terribly ineffective and he finds himself with an empty Lewis, needing to reload, while a group of screaming cleaver and hatchet wielding chinamen storm him down. He's got to run, but to make it, the Sailor player needs to get a good initiative draw.. Pops fate is with the cards. 

                        

..And his best pull is a 7. The Bandits get much better initiative and run him down. The melee is quick and brutal. Pops fights back as best he can but is quickly put out of action. With that, Red launches the motorpan and gets the Missionaries to safety. Despite the fact that the sailors were almost completely wiped out they saved the missionaries, thus completing their objectives. 

                    

                            

At the end of the game, which I'm planning as a campaign, I rolled for all minis put out of action to see what became of them. Of the two bandits, they both lived albeit wounded. Amazingly both Doc and Pops also lived, wounded, I imagine that in the chaos of the combat they managed to crawl away to safety and were later recovered. Unfortunately Machinist's Mate 1^st Class 'Spanner' McQueen was killed in action. The irony of his model being based on Jake Holman from the Sand Pebbles is not lost on me.

The bandits failed their primary goal, of capturing some hostages to ransom, but shockingly shattered the Sailors and looted the Mission Station, in the end, both sides technically won, functionally a draw ++

Onto the next game! The Yellow Locust Gang must be punished for their actions!