Boxing Day 2020... Show Snow Mercy.

Brace yourselves... this is a long one...

A couple of years ago Mharaid and I had a very enjoyable Boxing Day Game where we included Krampus in the festive mix...

http://alystoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2018/12/boxing-day-game-2018.html

This year we thought we would do something similar... but dafter.

It is as before a treasure hunt... 

First off...

The cast of dozens...

Team Red and Team Blue

Christmas Fare...

Simple Snowmen waiting to be built... turning over a prize that says build a snowman causes you to miss 1-3 turns... but once built it contributes to your victory points.

Snowmen with abilities...

Pointy increases your rifles range.

Shooty gives a plus one to shooting.

Stabby gives a plus one to stabbing.

Surrender causes you to surrender to an enemy... if you are within one move away.. 

If a Snowball ends its move within one move from any of them they will melt away into the background.

The Troublemakers...

Floppy the Snowman... He will attach himself to you and bore you rigid with tales of his heroes and past glories, and encourage you to help him find the exit...This distraction will give you a minus one on all activation rolls...

To be rid of him you must win or draw agains him in combat... If you lose he stays with you but you now get a minus two on activation rolls.

Drinky the Snowman... He will be your new best friend and constantly encourage you to party party... he will give you a minus one on shooting... because he keeps getting in the way...but he with also cause a minus two on anyone trying to shoot at you... because he is always getting in the way... you will also get a plus one in combat... he is your pal and will look after you... if you are knocked down you will not need to roll to get up because he will help you...

Should you die he will find a new friend and if a Snowball ends its move within one move from him he will melt away into the background... 

The Hideous Pumpkin Headed Snowman... Created on a Freak snowy Halloween Night Pumpkin will follow you around telling you endlessly how he had something stolen from him... how it’s not fair because he won it fair and square all on his own... this distraction will cause you to have a minus one on all your rolls... like Floppy if you draw or defeat him in combat he will go away... grudgingly .

If he wins everything is now a minus two...Your friends can come and help you fight Floppy and Pumpkin but if they lose all the minuses go on you...

Snowzilla and the Three Snowballs of the apocalypse...

Snowzilla... When this monstrosity from the time when Hell did freeze over rolls over you, you are absorbed into his bulk...

Unless you dive out the way by getting a draw or defeating him in combat

The Three Snowballs of the Apocalypse... When one these Festive Monsters crashes into you, you will be knocked to the ground...

Unless you dive out of the way by getting a draw or defeating it in combat.

We used a much abused version of Drums and Shakos for this game...

Counters representing the various prizes, helpers and pests are hidden at random across the table...

Each side must attempt to collect the most and take them back to their starting point as well as trying to thwart their opponents efforts while avoiding the attentions of unfriendly Snowmen and Snowballs...

Snowmen and Snowballs move at random at the start of each sides move...

The winter Murder-land...

Between our gaming sessions I would send Mharaid maps like this... and surprisingly she found them helpful...

There were so many pictures taken as we played the game I have had to try and edit them carefully hopefully what I have included will reflect the scenario and game well enough for you to get at least a vague grasp of the narrative... which will put you at the same level as myself...

On to the game...

Although Harry starts well Angus rolls a double fail... losing the turn and his bullets...

As the men were all issued with repeating rifles we decided that an activation fail would also cause a lose of ammunition... for some reason or another.

Blue team break camp and Jules starts of well and finds a chicken... Hurrah!

Harry’s prize is brought into camp and the rest of Team Red head out into the snow.

Team Blue continue to find things... but they appear wary.

Hugo and Jules decide to stand still... for far to long.

David meets a new ‘Friend’...

Sergeant Shirley and his men move in on a prize and Rory builds a snowman...

Malchanceux persuades Edgar to open the prize... Being the only not to get clear Edger immediately regrets it...

Using excessive amounts of brute force and foul language David persuades Floppy to go away...

Baptiste and his men are somewhat reticent about opening their prize... I can’t think why.

Out of shot Shirley and his men have released The Three Snowballs of the Apocalypse... they however got out of the way...

Pierre cautiously looks at a possible prize... Jules stands still...still... while David hides and Baptiste finds a Pheasant... yum!

Malchanceux nearly makes a new friend... and Dorian gets a prize. In the background... eek!

Norman and Oli make new friends while Angus narrowly avoids a snowball.

While building a snowman... Harry feels like he is being watched...

Norman and Drinky menace Malchanceux...

Norman regrets his bravado... and Drinky starts to look for a new best friend...

Slowly does it boys... sigh!

Drinky tries to decide if this is his new best friend...

Rust is to busy finding apples to notice that two Snowballs have just whizzed past him...

Xavier finds an Angel and at long last Dorian and Jules get back to base... bless them I bet they are exhausted.

Tom has made a bad choice in friends... but fortunately for him Shirley is a man of action... he rushes forward and pummels Pumpkin until he goes away... let’s hope Tom has learned his lesson...

Floppy and Drinky go there own way...

Pumpkin finds a new friend...

As Team Red continue their work... The Snowballs pause and stare off the edge of the world...

I remember Krampus doing this as well... it must be a monster thing.

Party Party Party

Floppy sees a new friend...

There will be no bloody surrendering while I am around sonny...

More staring off the edge of the world...

Team Red continues their advance...

While Drinky and Jules look for a party... yes Drinky and Jules are now the best of friends... Xavier wishes he was dead...

They’re behind you...

A Snowball narrowly misses Harry but then continues through the trees and bowls over Maxime and Baptiste... that wasn’t very nice...

Dick has a close shave...

As Shirley moves off the hill to ‘deal with’ Xavier... he gets some unwanted attention himself...

Tom chooses to shoot Xavier... an act he will soon regret...

As Maxime and Baptiste get a good re-rolling, brave men dash from cover to cover to avoid rampaging Snowballs...

I’m hearing a Jeff Wayne soundtrack here...

Pierre gets stomped... he has been mostly standing around or peeing up till now so no need to feel sorry for him... I don’t...

Rust gets it now... what a shame... no... really I mean it... honest...

Tom meets an old friend... he! he!...

Floppy doesn’t...

Oli goes hunting while Harry goes hiding...

Team Red continue to mass on the big hill... I should really have told them that they are making themselves into a very obvious target... I doubt they would have listened to me though... 

The Snowball decides to give Pierre another stomping... Drinky thinks it’s funny then melts quietly into the background...

David makes a useful friend...

Yup! Snowzilla notices the large group of victims on the hill... what a shame... and smashes straight through them...

George dives out of the way but Shirley and Tom are crushed and absorbed...

George and Bob decide it’s time to try and catch the Boxing Day sales...

I’ve just noticed that I missed the ‘e’ out on George’s name tag...

As Snowballs start to mass ominously around Team Reds base, Rust manages dodge an attacker...

At last Floppy meets someone who will listen to him...

Oli walks into an ambush/firing squad...

He wasn’t the only one who was surprised... this involved organisation... gasp!

With the help of Stabby, David slays Dick... much to the irritation of the half built snowman...

Well... what can I say... he had it coming to him...

Once the laughter died down a bit Mharaid graciously conceded the game...

Well a victory for me?...

Mharaid had done well collecting prizes but with the complete loss of her command and half of her fighting force she couldn’t hope to win the game...

I didn’t lose... 

But I think victory goes to the Snow... ( The Snow with the balls to fight back) 

So as I predicted... 

I came second....

Well it told you it was going to be a long one... didn’t I.

What a splendid game full of fun and nonsense... just what we needed.

All the very best.   Aly and Mharaid.