'The Keys to the Pantry'
or
'An Empty Bag Doesn't Stand Up'
A Flintloque Scenario by the Chimerae Hobby Group
(Translated by Craig Andrews)
A unit of Al-Garvey Goblins have gathered a stockpile of supplies among the ruins of an abandoned village however some Burrovian scouts have been ordered to raid or destroy the stores.
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The buildings of the abandoned village, almost all of them in ruins, suddenly appeared on the horizon. Lost among the rolling hills that surrounded them. They seemed almost like a mirage to the exhausted Goblin Unit. It was advancing with more discipline than usual, proper martial conduct no doubt encouraged by the unusual presence of Captain Orclinford commanding the troops. He was on special assignment for a special mission having been requested by Albion’s allies to lead the Goblins on their task.
The main army was not far away, engaged in a fierce battle against the troops of Mordred the Usurper, as the Emperor of the Ferach is known in these lands. The soldiers are close to exhaustion, worn down by endless fighting and, above all, by a recent shortage of food. For this very reason, Orclinford has been placed in command of a company of Al-Garvey Goblins, tasked with recovering a supply convoy. All major roads are under surveillance, so a small force stands a better chance of success by relying on secrecy.
The mission began well. Traveling mostly by night and keeping to cover, the Goblins managed to reach their objective: a village where military supplies had been stockpiled in advance. But things do not always go according to plan. On the return journey, the unit was discovered and intercepted by a Ferach scouting patrol. The Goblins fled at full speed after wiping out all the enemies, or so they thought… however one of the Elves survived and ran off to report.
The hunt began immediately. A Burrovian Rabbit Unit, under the command of the infamous Captain Alain Denton, quickly took up the trail of the Orc and his Goblins. The pursuit continued relentlessly for three days. The Goblins are now less than eight hours’ march from their camp, but they are utterly exhausted. Continuing onward is impossible; the only option left is to barricade themselves inside the ruined village and withstand the enemy assault, defending the coveted supplies so they can be delivered to the army.
The Rabbits under Denton, for their part, have very clear orders. They must prevent the supplies from reaching the enemy camp at all costs. It does not matter if they have to wipe out the entire Goblin Unit to do so! Of course, they could also avoid a pitched battle and focus on the supplies instead of the enemy. After all, destroying or stealing more than half the cargo would be enough to ensure that the stores are insufficient to feed the troops of Al-Garvey, who are anxiously awaiting the food.
In any case, Denton is the right Rabbit for the job. His determination, courage, ability to improvise, and utter disregard for danger have all contributed to the Captain’s rapid rise, and he has his sights set on even greater ambitions. A successful outcome to this mission would be another step toward promotion and would significantly increase the esteem in which his superiors already hold him. In short, defeating an old fox like Orclinford would be a major boost to his career.
The night passes quietly, but shortly after dawn, just as Orclinford is beginning to believe he has made it and is about to breathe a sigh of relief—the first gunshots echo through the air. The Burrovians have arrived, and there will be fighting tooth and nail, just when it seemed that everything might finally go smoothly, for once. Shouting orders in anger, the Orc prepares to organize a desperate defence, hoping that his Goblins will once again rise to the crucial task assigned to them.
On the other side, Denton’s icy eyes scan the air with such intensity that they seem ready to pierce even the walls of the abandoned houses, among which await not only his enemies, but above all the prospect of yet another promotion.
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Map and Deployment
To play this Scenario you will need a gaming table measuring 150 × 70 cm and the terrain elements listed below. Prepare the playing surface according to the instructions and deploy the troops as explained later. Keep the Unit Roster, dice, and a measuring tape at hand.
The battlefield is flat. In addition to three ruined buildings (grey), there are low walls (red) and several trees (green). The pool of water (blue) may be crossed as if it were marshland (three columns to the left on the Movement chart).
The Goblins of Al-Garvey (and the Orc commander) must deploy within 15 cm of the buildings.
The Rabbits may deploy anywhere within 15 cm of the table edges.
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Scenario Objectives and Game Length
The Scenario lasts 10 Turns, or ends immediately when one side achieves its objective.
Rabbits of Burrovia
The Rabbits win if they destroy or steal more than half of the supplies, or if they completely annihilate the enemy.
Goblins of Al-Garvey
The Goblins win if they prevent the enemy from destroying or stealing more than half of the supplies, or if they completely annihilate the enemy.
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Scenario Forces
Orclinford’s Light Infantry
(Orcs of Albion and Goblins of Al-Garvey)
Capt. James Orclinford (Veteran Orc) (Light Infantry) – Orc Bessie, Bayonet – 32 points
Lt. Paulo de Angostura (Veteran Goblin) (Light Infantry) – Goblin Musket, Bayonet – 21 points
Uriego Acevedo (Average Goblin) (Light Infantry) – Goblin Musket, Bayonet – 18 points
Araujo Bromuro (Raw Goblin) (Light Infantry) – Goblin Musket, Bayonet – 15 points
Salomon Ortega (Raw Goblin) (Light Infantry) – Goblin Musket, Bayonet – 15 points
Total Unit Strength: 1 Orc and 4 Goblins; 101 points
35th “Borsalino” Infantry
(Rabbits of Burrovia)
Capt. Alain Denton (Veteran Large Rabbit) (Line Infantry) – Standard Pistol, Sword – 31 points
Cpl. Valois Carotte (Veteran Small Rabbit) (Line Infantry) – Standard Musket, Bayonet – 23 points
Charles Oreillon (Average Small Rabbit) (Line Infantry) – Standard Musket, Bayonet – 18 points
Robert Ratatouille (Average Small Rabbit) (Line Infantry) – Standard Musket, Bayonet – 18 points
Alphonse Chignon (Recruit Small Rabbit) (Line Infantry) – Standard Musket, Bayonet – 15 points
Antoine du Brodin (Recruit Large Rabbit) (Line Infantry) – Standard Musket, Bayonet – 20 points
Total Unit Strength: 2 Large Rabbits and 5 Small Rabbits; 125 points
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Special Scenario Rules
This Scenario uses the following special rules. In case of conflict with the standard Flintloque rules, the rules below take precedence.
Supplies
At the start of the game, the Goblin player must place 10 supply tokens, in addition to their troops.
A Rabbit in base contact with one of these tokens may make a normal melee attack, with a –4 modifier to the result, to try to destroy it. Each token has 1 Wound and does not roll any dice to counterattack. It treats a “melee retreat” result as a draw and takes no damage from Black Powder weapons.
Alternatively, a Rabbit in base contact with a supply token may steal it. This requires an action, and the carrier suffers a shift of one column to the left on Movement. A token counts as successfully stolen for victory conditions only if the character carrying it exits the table with it (in this case, the character may not return to battle). Each character may steal and carry a maximum of three tokens at the same time.
A Rabbit already engaged in melee may not attack or steal a supply token.
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Webmaster's Notes
This scenario was originally published on the Chimerae Hobby Group website (http://www.chimerae.it/) and is reproduced here with kind permission from the authors.
It was translated into English by Craig Andrews and first published on Orcs in the Webbe in December 2025 as the sixteenth entry in that years Advent Calendar.
Any comments in maroon in the article above have been added by me either to provide additional information or clarity. In many cases I have also made small changes to grammar and layout and may not have not marked these.
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