Cossacks of Doom

"Colonel Buster and the Cossacks of Doom"

A Flintloque Scenario by Bob Minadeo

colonel-buster-frame

Colonel Buster and his ally, the 'shiny' non-blood magicke using Vampyre Edvarda, take on the nefarious undead rogues Scooby Doom and Raggy who have not only a squad of Cossacks at their disposal but also an improved version of Gravinski's reanimator and no shortage of corpses...

Prologue

Colonel Buster scanned the horizon.

“Nein. I see no smoke. No campfires. Nothing but the same endless tundra vee haf been looking at ever since vee entered dis blighted country”.

The scout, Kulinkov, smiled sardonically. “Never-the-less Colonel, I quite assure you the camp is there”.

Colonel Buster at the head of his Seventh Regiment of Finklestein Dragoons had been in the saddle for days. As Prinz Schwarzenbarch’s column had advanced further and further into the Witchlands they soon found their supply columns and stragglers subject to constant raiding.

Bands of Cossacks harried the column. The terrier had become the badger, and for a terrier, this was unacceptable.

Colonel Buster had been ordered to draw three weeks chow, to find the Cossacks’ lair and to eradicate the threat. In order to do so, the Colonel had engaged Kulinkov.

On the evening before the Seventh was to march, Edvarda Sverkayushchey-Kozhi-Bletski, (“As I understand my native tongue is difficult for you in the west to pronounce, you may call me ‘Kulinkov’” the stranger had added graciously), had arrived in camp with an intriguing proposition. Clearly a youth of some breeding, Kulinkov, had said that the Cossacks had stolen something very precious to him. On the promise of the items return, “to its proper owner”, Kulinkov would engage to track the Cossacks to their camp.

Naturally Colonel Buster viewed the morose youth with some suspicion. Yet, Buster reasoned, even if the mope were to lead the Seventh into a trap, there is no trap in all of Valon that could hold his Dogs. Besides this verdammt tundra looked, and worse, smelled, the same; barren, lifeless, empty. At least the boy would lead them to the enemy. Better than chasing their tails in any event.

The next morning they had set out. As the sun rose, Buster noticed with some concern how the light played and glimmered on his scout’s skin. That was odd even for a Witchlander. All the more reason to keep Kulinkov closely under watch.

And so here he sat, three days march later, spyglass in hand.

“The tundra stretches on to the horizon. How can there be a camp out there and yet I cannot see it?”

“I am sure they are camped right by the river”, Kulinkov replied.

“River! What river? Really boy do you take me for a fool?” Buster barked.

“My colonel, I assure you the river is there. In your tongue I believe it would be called ‘der Kleine Grosse Knochen’, it is in the canyon over yonder. Please allow me show you”.

As they rode on what had seemed to be flat tundra ended abruptly in a deep gorge. “Amazing”, Colonel Bluster speaking his thoughts, “from a few yards further back one cannot even see it”.

“An ideal hiding place. Wouldn’t you agree? Now, there are only two practicable routes to the bottom, allow me to point them out to you...”

Having carried out his reconnaissance the colonel convened his officers outlined his plans.

“Major Beano, take Sergeant Pfeffer and seven troopers. You are to drive west along the northern shore of the river. Charge into anything in your way.”

“I will follow on with Sergeant Fuzzi and nine troopers. Kulinkov, you ride with me.”

“Kapitan Renteen, you will remain here with four troopers in reserve. Await my orders.”

Down in the valley, the camp was coming to life…well a grim parody of life at any rate.

Cossacks shuffled about, some checking their weapons, others tending to what remained of their mounts. Fires blazed under a dozen cauldrons rendering a viscous elixir.

In the center of the camp corpses were stacked like cordwood around a strange cart. Clambering over the cart two dwarves tinkered madly with an array of coils and beakers.

Scooby Doom, Hetdawg of the Doom Cossacks, emerged from his sumptuous tent and approached the nearest fire. His constant companion, the Zombie Raggy, shambled in his wake.

Sitting, Doom addressed Raggy and the two dwarf scientists; “Rast night I had a vision. Roldiers falling head first into camp. Todray we rill be rattacked and we rill be Rictorious!

‘Ro-K Raggy, ree to the Zombies. Make sure they are ready to fight.

‘Rigor and Raltz, no more testing. Ree must start making Zombies todray. The fool Rverkayrushchey-Kozhi created this device to ring his mortal rirlfriend back to rife. Todray we rill use it to rush those fools who defy the Dark Czar’s rill!”

Raggy shambled off to gather the Cossacks. Igor and Baltz, looking slightly confused, returned to their tinkering.

Scenario Objectives

Buster and Kulinkov must either destroy or capture the Bletski Re-animator. Should the game end with no Zombies in play and the machine in the possession of the Finklesteiners this will also count as “destruction” of the machine. They may score a minor, and unfortunately, only too temporary a victory by killing the two dwarves that run the machine.

Scooby Doom wins by preventing Buster and Kulinkov from achieving victory. If the Scooby player manages to move the Bletski Re-animator out of the valley, the Cossacks automatically achieve victory.

Scenario Forces

Colonel Georg Schwerkopf Buster is a veteran mounted infantry Dog armed with a standard pistol and sabre.

His force is divided into two sections and one subsection:

Col. Buster is a section leader. His section consists of the good Dog himself, Kulinkov, his scout (see special rules below), and ten Dog mounted infantry, one experienced assistant section leader, four average troopers, and five raw troopers. The mounted infantry are armed with pistol, sabre, and musket. One of the raw troopers has a bugle rather than a musket.

Major Beano’s section consists of the Major, a cowardly raw mounted infantry Dog section leader armed with sabre and pistol, and seven mounted infantry Dogs, one experienced assistant section leader, three average troopers, and three raw troopers. The mounted infantry are armed with pistol, sabre, and musket. One of the raw troopers has a bugle rather than a musket.

Kapitan Renteen’s subsection consists of the Kapitan, an experienced mounted infantry Dog assistant section leader armed with sabre and pistol, and four mounted infantry Dogs, two average and two raw troopers. The troopers are each armed with a pistol, sabre, and musket.

All of the Dogs start the game riding light horses.

If you like you may assign skills, traits, and flaws as well as test for Wylde Magicke as specified in “Death in the Snow”.

Loyal Friend: Even in death Kulinkov maintains the ability to care. He will gladly put himself at risk to save his friends. His first priority is naturally to Isabella La Mort should she be in play. Isabella was not present during the events depicted in “Colonel Buster and the Cossacks of Doom. Kulinkov is also a loyal friend of his side’s section leader.

Whenever Kulinkov’s friend is in base contact with an enemy figure, Kulinkov must move at best speed to his friend’s aid. He will do his best to melee attack any figure in base contact with his friend. If both Isabella and his section leader are in melee, Kulinkov will always choose to aid Isabella.
I’m not like them: Kulinkov shuns all things Vampyre. Under no circumstances will he used blood magic.

Scooby Doom starts the game with himself, Raggy, nine Savant Zombies mounted on Zombie Ponies, four Savant Zombies on foot, and the Bletski Re-animator with two Dwarf crew.

Foot Savant Zombies are armed with muskets. Three mounted Zombies are armed with muskets, three with sword and musket, and three with lance and muskets.
Savant Zombies must be dismounted in order to fire their muskets. Mounted Zombies armed only with muskets count as spear armed (+3) in melee.
All Savant Zombies have the Super Savant trait (only).

In addition to the traits, skills, and flaws listed for Scooby Doom and Raggy in Death in the Snow, the duo also have the Panto Horse ability as described under special rules below.

Map and Setup

The game takes place in the valley of der Kleine Gross Knochen, represented here by a four foot by six foot surface. The game may be broken down into two smaller scenarios that each use a smaller portion of the map.

The black arrows represent the only passage into or out of the valley. Figures may only exit the table by moving off the edge where an arrow exists. Technically the river itself offers access to and from the valley through steep gorges. However as neither side has access to any boats and it is much too cold for the Dogs to swim and Zombies can’t swim.

The blue line, is as you may imagine, the river itself. The river can only be crossed at the two fords marked by brown bars on the map. The fords are each three inches wide and count as difficult terrain for movement.

There are two small hills on either side of the impassable bluffs that dominate the table.

There is a light wood below the river to the right of the Cossack camp.

The Cossack camp is represented by the three white triangles. There is one large tent for Scooby Doom and two small tents for the Dwarves. The Zombies need not shelter. There are also assorted fires blazing beneath cauldrons and stacks of bodies awaiting reanimation scattered about the place.

Scooby Doom, Raggy, the mounted Savant Zombies, the Re-animator and crew start at the S.

There are two foot Savant Zombies at each X.

Major Beano’s section starts at the 2.

Colonel Buster’s section appears at the 1 by die roll. At the end of each turn during the Maintenance and Victory phase the Buster player roll a D5. If the die roll is greater than the turn number just completed, deploy Buster’s section on the table.

Cossack Reinforcements

Each turn the Bletski Re-animator is busily cranking out more Savant Zombies. During the Maintenance and Victory phase of each turn the Cossack player rolls a D10 and consult the following chart:

1-4 = place one Savant Zombie with musket in base contact with the machine.
5-6 = place one Savant Zombie with sword, musket and Zombie pony in base contact with the machine.
7-8 = place one Savant Zombie with musket and Zombie pony in base contact with the machine.
9-0 = place one Savant Zombie with lance, musket and Zombie pony in base contact with the machine.

All the Savant Zombies generated by the machine have the Super Savant trait.

Should the Re-animator have been moved, or should both Dwarves have been removed from play, reinforcements are no longer available to the Cossack player. Do not roll for new Zombies.

Kapitan Renteen to the Rescue

Once two characters have been lost (killed or run off) from Colonel Buster’s section, a message sent to hurry along Kapitan Renteen with the reserves will be acted on. During the Maintenance and Victory phase of the turn after a second figure of Buster’s section has been lost the Buster player rolls D5.

Kapitan Renteen’s subsection will arrive that many turns later. During the Maintenance and Victory phase of the turn Kapitan Renteen is due to arrive, roll D10. On a 1-5 Renteen is deployed by the right access arrow on the map. On a 6-0, Renteen is deployed by the left access arrow on the map.

Smaller Scenarios

The game can be played as two separate smaller games.

Beano’s Charge

Just set up a two foot by four foot area depicting Beano’s set up and the Cossack camp.

In this game the Finklestein player uses only Beano’s section.

The Cossack player uses only four mounted and two foot Savants and the Re-animator.

The Re-animator may not be moved in this scenario but does produce Zombies at the rate of one per turn.

The Finklestein player wins by getting four characters into the Cossack camp by surviving for ten turns. The Cossack player wins if the Finklestein player fails to score a victory.

Buster’s Charge

Set up a four foot by four foot area depicting the left two thirds of the map provided above.

The game starts with Buster’s section deploying at 1 on the map.

The Cossack player deploys two foot Savants on the hill at the X as shown, and Scooby Doom, Raggy, five mounted Savants, and the Re-animator and crew in the camp at S.

As in the Beano scenario the Re-animator may not be moved and does crank out Savant Zombies each turn.

The Finklestein player wins by destroying the machine or surviving for ten turns. Otherwise the Cossack player wins.

Special Rules

Bayonets - All muskets are presumed to come equipped with bayonets.

Edvarda Sverkayushchey-Kozhi-Bletski aka Kulinkov - Edvarda is a Raw Vampyre mounted on a light horse, and armed with a pistol and sabre. Kulinkov is a rather unique Vampyre and uses the following special rules:

Pope of Mope: Kulinkov radiates such an aura of self-pity that it has become tangible. Mortals in his company become disheartened. Even the undead are affected as the aura weakens the bonds of Magicke that bind the dead to un-life.

Any mortal figure within 20 cm of Kulinkov suffers -1 Discipline.

Any undead figure within 20cm of Kulinkov suffers -1 Steady.

Shiny!: In sunlight Kulinkov’s skin positively sparkles!

Anyone targeting Kulinkov suffers -10 accuracy if the game is taking place during the day and Kulinkov is outdoors.

I’m not like them: Kulinkov shuns all things Vampyre. Under no circumstances will he used blood magic.

Panto Horse - Scooby Doom and Raggy have the option to start the game disguised as a rider less horse. The duo must start and remain in base contact. It doesn’t really matter which one is the front and which the end bit of the horse.

While thus disguised the duo activate together and my perform a single move action just as if they were a light horse. Until the disguise is dropped the two my make not attacks, nor may they be attacked by a character. The two also ignore engagement zones while moving.

The duo may drop the disguise at the start of any individual activation of either character. Once dropped the duo follow the normal rules for their characters until the end of the game.

Note that while disguised, neither character may use any of their traits, skills, nor special abilities. This means that Scooby cannot use his Frightening Cur ability until he has been revealed for all to see and fear.

Substitution - Don’t worry if you can’t get your paws on Scooby Doom and Raggy. Just substitute two more mounted and two more foot Zombies for the pair.

The Bletski Re-animator - Edvarda Sverkayushchey-Kozhi-Bletski, aka Kulinkov, was a Vampyre of many sorrows. It was bad enough that he was a Vampyre to begin with. Curse the Dark Czar! Now his Elf girlfriend wanted him to make her a Vampyre too! He tried to talk her out of it. He tried to reason with her. He tried to frighten her. No matter what he tried she was resolute in her desire for the living death.

Yet perhaps, Kulinkov thought, there could be another way. It was well known that the Dark Czar employed Re-animators to create his undead hosts. Well with a tweak here, a new fluid there, and the power of True Love, Kulinkov figured he could repurpose one to suit his needs. Make his Love immortal without all of the baggage of being a Vampyre. Why not?

The result of the lovelorn Vampyre’s efforts bore his name…well one of them anyway. The Bletski Re-animator was a smashing success. “Smashing” if you wanted to create Super Savant Zombies…rather than an immortal True Love. Well into each open grave a little rain must fall…

It wasn’t long before word of his creation spread and in no time at all Scooby Doom had used all of his animal magnetism and cunning to take possession of the Bletski Re-animator. With it the Vampyre Dog was raising a legion of marauding Cossacks…the Cossacks of Doom!

To a Vampyre of Kulinkov’s righteous self-pity this as a foul turn of events. And that was how Kulinkov found himself leading Finklestein Dragoons to the valley of der Kleine Gross Knochen.

So much for the back story. What you really want to know dear Reader, is how to use this fabulous device in your games of Flintloque.

The device follows all of the rules of the Graviski Re-animator with the following exceptions.

There is no need for Doctorov to be in play to operate the device.

The device is unique. There can only ever be one in play.

The device can be moved by mortal figures. Two figures will move the device at the movement rate of the slowest figure of the pair. One figure can move the device at half its normal movement rate.

Undead figures may not move the device. The machine is coursing with unnatural energies that will break the bonds that hold the corpse together in un-life should an undead be so unfortunate as to touch the machine after having been released from it.

Once the device is moved, it may not generate any more Zombies for the rest of that game.

The device produces Savant Zombies with the Super Savant trait rather than Fresh Zombies.

In this scenario enough corpses have been stockpiled in the camp to allow the device to function at full capacity and one Zombie per turn will be created so long as the device has not been moved and at least one dwarf is still in base contact with the machine.

Epilogue

Powder smoke drifted across the battlefield in thick, choking clouds. The sounds of fighting had died down and now only the plaintive cries of the odd Dog being put down by emotionless Zombies could heard.

Colonel Buster sat back to back with Kulinkov. Both Dog officer and reluctant Vampyre were bleeding out. Kulinkov had just related his sad tale of love and re-animation.

Colonel Buster wheezed out... ”vell by lad, vee nearly destroyed dat dread machine... nearly”.

Kulinkov gave a deep wracking sigh: “We would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for that meddling Dog and his Zombies…”

Webmaster's Notes

This article was written exclusively for Orcs in the Webbe and was first published on the 3rd December 2013 as part of it's 2013 Advent Calendar.