Necromunda - Downhive Dispatch #3, CARNIVALE!

More than a bit behind schedule, there were a number of pict-captures of the events in Dust Falls that took a while to sort through and update. Rather than dump them all in one giant slosh of pictures, I'm going to break it out by session. Per the Dominion Campaign rules, it's suggested that at the midpoint of the campaign to do a special scenarios day to give people a break from the norm. We went with the conceit that every few cycles there is a celebration day in the underhive known as Carnivale where the various gangs put aside their differences for a few days and celebrate with various feats of skill, speed and strength. I'd ginned up a couple themed tables and let the players have at it!

First up was the Rust Town Run, in which two gangs took it in turn to make their way through a dangerous maze in an attempt to make it to the vault and retrieve the prize - A Chrono-Chrystal worth a huge sum of credits!

The initial setup was based on the scenario The Gauntlet and I'd laminated some copies of all the various special effects the tiles provided, which did make things easier for everyone to remember what did what as they made their way through the hazards.

  

While the theory was sound, the way we ended up running it meant the defenders had a huge advantage and only one of the attackers made it to the vault. Some tweaks will definitely need to be made to ensure it's a fun and somewhat more balanced scenario.

  

All told this particular event had the most issues, though the players all gave it a go and could see a glimmer of goodness to be had in it. I will definitely be running a new Gauntlet series in the future, based on some excellent suggestions from the players which should make it more fun for all parties involved (which is the point, in the end)!

The second table was much more well received - A game of Lord of the Spire, wherein multiple gangs send a pair of contestants to race to the top of a massive structure, with the teams with gangers on the hightest level gaining points each turn until someone reaches the very top and hits the buzzer. Of course, as is the case they have a tendency to shoot at each other on the way up as well...

 

I pulled out almost all of my plastic bulkheads and set about building a thirteen story tower of terror! As precarious and rickety as it looked, it actually was surprisingly solid. Granted, there was a liberal use of alligator clips clamping everything together...

  

I was rather pleased to see that the building itself was taller than some of the participants, and there was a fair bit of standing on tippy-toes to get at the upper floors. The battle raged in the lower levels while some of the faster gangers raced for the top!

  

There were quite a few folks knocked off ledges and a fair bit of plummeting all around, which always elicited a cheer from the players. All in all the Lord of the Spire scenario was a rousing success!

Of course, the real centerpiece event for the session was the unveiling of the THUNDERCUBE!!! (which must at all times be in all-caps).

Overseen by Count Enrique Horatio Amador DeMonet, Guilder Exchequer and Trade Envoy for the Dust Falls Financial Underdistrict, THUNDERCUBE saw a field of hardened pit slaves fighting for the entertainment of all.

  

The rounds were punishingly brutal, bloody and short. The field of eight pit slaves were whittled down to four, then two...

  

...With the final two victors pairing off against a legend of the underhive, the pit slave champion Bull Gorg! Even the two hardened killers teaming up stood no chance against the behemoth's twin turbo-chainswords and the crowd roared as Bull Gorg made short work of the erstwhile champions.

All in all it was a very enjoyable session, and made for a great break between the first and second halves of the campaign. I'll be doing something similar for the upcoming Sump City Showdown campaign, giving the players a chance to have some fun themed multiplayer games!