Bobbie Tarantine and his Double Deuces have gotten wind that Tony Maloney is bringing a bag of cash to Donnie. This is their chance to send a message that Bobbie still has Donnie’s “best interests” at heart without causing too much of a mess. After all, Tony is just some small timer shilling cheap hooch on the side. Queennie, Push, and 2 Hearts head out to meet Tony on the road. He was visiting his old flame out in the sticks before bringing his stash into Donnie. Seemed like a good place to get the drop on him.
However, the Double Deuces snitch didn’t know that Tony had some of his pals along with him. Billie Bambino, “Big Knuckles” Smitty, and his squeeze Suzie Q were all out there with him. The group of Upper Eastsiders were coming up the dirt road with the bag, when the Double Dueces jumped ‘em!
This will be a game of Turf War using some of my Copplestone Casting Gangster models. I have had the models and gangs written up for a long time, but I have been slow to get in a game with them. I figured no time like the present!
The Score
The Score is the basic scenarios for a game of Turf War. Before the score, each gang puts up a piece of their Turf. Whoever wins the scenario will earn that turf from the opposing gang. The gang that puts up the Turf of the highest value gets to choose the scenario.
The Double Deuces wager a Gambling Den from Ricky Puzzino. The Upper Eastsiders wager their Cheap Hooch from Tony Maloney. The Gambling Den is worth far more so the Double Deuces reduce their risk or casualties and choose the Get The Bagman Score.
This one allows a handful of one gang to try and intercept a small number of the rival gang. In this case, Tony is carrying the cash from his Turf. The Double Deuces are trying to take him out before he can get across the board and deliver it.
In this case, the Score is taking place during Darkest Night, but it is a clear night. The gangsters are moving across a particularly dangerous stretch of the road. In this case it is bramble patches and swamps that count as dangerous terrain.
Forces
Double
Queenie- Femme Fatale- Tommy Gun
Rickie “Push” Puzzino- Shotgun- Gangster
Bobby “2 Hearts’ Henrizo- Dual Pistols
Upper Eastsiders
Big Knuckles Smitty- Revolver, Brass Knuckles- Gangster
Tony “Baloney” Maloney- Revolver, Knife- Hood
Tony “The Babe” Bambino- Bat, Snub Nose- Hood
Suzie “Q”- Pistol, First Aid Kit- Flapper
Set-up
This will be on a 3x3 board with a dirt road curving around from one corner to the same corner on the opposite side. The side of the road with no road is a light woods. There are 3 swampy areas that the road is curving around. These swamps are dangerous terrain.
The Double Deuces start on the South side with Queenie and 2 Hearts near the road. Push is moving near the edge of the woods.
The Upper Eastsiders are coming in on the opposite side of the table. Tony and Billy are walking on the road. Meanwhile, Smitty and Suzi Q are off kanoodling in the field near the woods.
It is Darkest Night!
Turn 1:
The Double Deuces get to go first this turn as they are the attackers. Queenie and 2 Hearts move up along the roadway, one goes to each side. Push uses an extra activation to move up further than the others in the fields near the swamps.
Smitty cautions Suzie to get some cover, and proceeds into the darkness. They both take cover near the swamps, before Smitty darts across the field to the edge of the woods.
The two Tonys walk up the road. Tony Baloney tries to get an extra activation, but fails. This ends the turn.
Turn 2:
Queenie and 2 Hearts keep creeping towards the turn. Queenie readies her Tommy, as she wants to slice the pie and get around the corner. Push also gets around the swamp and moves to the corner, his shotgun held low at his hip.
Smitty at the edge of the woods, and thinks he can draw a bead on Push in the darkness. He carefully lines up his Revolver and fires. His shot rings out in the darkness.
This is the first combat so I am going to detail it out so you understand the mechanics. Smitty has a Combat Pool of 3 dice, and Push also has a Combat Pool of 3. Smitty uses 1 CP for the first shot, and Push uses 2. They roll off, and Push avoids getting hit. Smitty uses his extra activation to fire again and make sthe activation roll. He again uses his 1 last Combat Pool, and Push uses his last CP to avoid. This time Smitty fails to get any successes and flat out misses. However, Push has no more CP left to use later in the turn during his own activation or if he gets shot at again!
Suzie Q moved up to the edge of the swamp, but couldn't make out who Big Knuckles was shooting at. Instead, she activated again and went into hiding with two successes on her Brains check. Tony Baloney heard the shots and scrambled to the side of the road, he also successfully activated a second time and went into Hiding with a single success. Finally, Tony "The Babe" hustled to the other side of the road and went into the underbrush.
Push realized he was in a tough place, and moved towards the road, and ran into Tony "the Babe" in the darkness. Out of Combat Pool, he decided to wait and hope to recharge it before it was too late.
Queenie approached the corner, but the darkness limited her field of vision. 2 Hearts came around the corner and thought he saw someone in the bushes on the opposite side of the road. He managed to activate again, and rushed into the "Da Babe" Bambino on the other side. The two scuffled in the darkness.
"2 Hearts" Henrizino has a revolver and a knife. Since he charged he gets +1 Combat Pool, and another +1 for the knife. Da Babe has a baseball bat for +1, and is behind some brush for +1 to Tough or Cool tests. 2 Hearts tries to hit his target with 1 Cp from his pool, one from charging, and +1 from his knife. He saves 2. Da babe uses 2 to avoid getting hurt, and holds onto 1 to counter, and 1 from his bat.
Da Babe easily fends off the gangster and retaliates. His retaliation is unsuccessful, and 2 Hearts gets a striking defense success. He converts it into a Knockdown, but Da babe manages to keep his feet.
With that, we enter the Recovery Phase and the turn ends.
Turn 3:
The Double Deuces maintain the initiative and go first.
Push runs in to help 2 Hearts handle Da Babe. It is a big tussle now and Da Babe will have to be careful how he uses his Combat Pool so he doesn't use it all up. Push attacks first using the butt of his shotgun as an improvised weapon. He uses 1 CP and +1 for charging. Da Babe uses 2 to defend. Both get Striking Successes, and end up canceling each other out.
2 Hearts goes next, and uses 3 vs. Da Babe using 2 again. His Combat Pool will be depleted. Another draw of Striking Successes! Da Babe is putting up a good fight! The Gangsters probably should have used some CP to parry, but they are nervous Big Knuckles might show up soon.
Queenie walked down the road looking for other gang members, but failed her opposed test. Near the swamp, Suzie Q broke from cover and hoofed it across the clearing towards safety. She double activated so moved a good pace.
Big Knuckles charged into the brawl between Da Babe and the two Deuces. Big Knuckles connects with Push and reduces him 1 Tough, down to 1. Henrizino takes a swing, but Big Knuckles blocks it.
Tony Baloney darts away through towards the swamps at the bend in the road, and then hides in the shadows again.
Turn 4:
This time the Upper East Siders have initiative.
Tony Baloney makes a run for the safety again, but when he tries to activate again, he blows it. Play swings over to the Double Deuces.
This time, 2 Hearts gets the drop on Da Babe and manages to slash him a good one. He goes down to 1 Tough, but 2 Hearts also tries to knock him down, but fails. Push also clubs him with his shotgun, but Da Babe takes the hit in stride with a Tough check. Big Knuckles manages to crack push across the jaw and down him.
Suzie Q keeps going for the board edge. This makes the Deuces wonder if she is the Bagman.... er.... person.
Queenie gets a glimpse of Tony Baloney and chases him off the road. She pulls her Tommy Gun to her hip and sprays the area with 4 Combat Pool. Tony gets hit, but uses a Striking Success on Defense to cause Queenie to Jam. He rolls his Tough test and is Okay.
2 Hearts uses his last activation and tries to knife Tony Da Babe, but fails to get past his defenses.
Turn 5:
The Double Deuces have initiative.
Queenie clears the jam on her Tommy and opens fire at Tony again. He uses 3 to dodge. Queenie lights him up with 1 success and 3 striking successes to 0. Even with making his two Tough saves, he is reduced to 0 Tough. She takes him Out-of-the Fight.
2 Hearts and Tony Da Babe keep scrapping, and Tony hits the Double Deuce gangster in the gut with the handle of his bat. Big knuckles finishes him off with a powerful punch that sends 2 Hearts out of the fight.
Big Knuckles and Tony "Da Babe" fail to activate again. Suzie Q runs off the board.
Turn 6:
Upper East Siders have initiative.
Big Knuckles starts to go across the road to sneak up on Queenie, but he fails a second activation test to shoot. She spins around, passes a activation test and lights him up with her Tommy Gun. Scotty Big Knuckles goes down as his revolver clatters away.
Tony Da Babe draws his snubnose and fires quickly. His aim is good enough and Queenie reels away and drops. She is out of the fight. With that, the Hood makes a break for it to tell Donnie Ricketts about what just went down!
Conclusion:
The Double Deuces were knocked out, but not before they took out the Bagman. Therefore, they won the Score.
Well, Pitch Dark made that get up close and personal pretty fast. 2 Hearts and Push would have been better off shooting instead of tangling up close. Oh well. There was a moment where I thought maybe Suzie Q was the bagman, but she got so far away that there wasn't much I could do to stop her, so I went after who I could.
Shooting is so much more effective than Brawling. At least in this game. That Tommy Gun in Queenie's hands was deadly! Ouch!
There was Turf War on the Table. I have been saving real life Bucks to get some great terrain for some gangster action. Hopefully, the next battle won't be in the forest, but the mean streets of Los Mundos!
Tony burst through the door to the Gambling Den, making a ruckus. The well-to-do patrons were less then impressed by this bedraggled street ruffian in their place. Stitches quickly intercepted him, and he knew the wild look in his eyes. Something had gone real bad. He grabbed the wild-eyed hood by the elbow and rushed him into the back and out of view.
"Whaddya see, Tony?" Stitches voice was a truck in low gear.
"It wasn't suppose to go down like that, it wasn't!" His eyes darted around the room, not settling on anything more than a moment.
Stitches smacked him across the jaw with an open palm, "Get it together." Another low growl.
Tony's hand touched the warm, red print on is cheek. Then he shook his head fiercely, "It was the Double Deuces. They jumped us on the way back from Tony's girl's place. It was me, Scotty, Suzie, and Tony..... Tony Baloney."
"Where's Scotty?" Stitches had come up the ranks with Big Knuckles and knew he could get a straight answer out of him.
"The Double Deuce %&*$#! shot him Stu. She shot him!"
Stu reeled back for a moment. This were going to get real ugly, real fast between his boss and Tarantine. They would need cash, guns, and muscle....
"Where's Baloney? Where is the bag?"
"I don't know, I don;t know. i think he got shot too! I don't know Stu!"
Stitches straightened up. He had to think....
"What if they got him too?" Tony stammered
.... No, he didn't need to think. Stitches knew he needed to tell the Boss.
"Come on, let's go talk to Donnie."
Post-Game
The Double Deuces pick up a new bit of Turf but have no one to give it to, so it goes in their inventory for now.
Big Knuckles and Queenie got the most experience from the game, but not enough to pick-up anything new.
Push and Scotty Big Knuckles are just fine and recover from their injuries. They can not collect from their Turf though. Tony Baloney is hardened, has Deep wound (2 Scores), but is also picked up by the Cops and put in Jail. Queenie is also picked up by the cops, while 2 Hearts is blinded in 1-eye. Ouch!
The Double Deuces earn 20 Bucks after expenses, The Upper East Siders earn 18 bucks. For the attack, the Double Deuces reputation goes up by 1 as well. Bobby Tarantine "Calls in a Favor" for 17 Bucks and gets Queenie sprung from the Big House, so the Double Deuces Net 3 Bucks this turn.
See you next time.
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