The White Cloaks: Toledo finale

The final chapter of the Terror in Toledo campaign.  The Templar had isolated the city of Toldeo, where a renegade group of Arken worshippers had summoned the archangel Hekat in some misguided attempt to cleanse the area of unbelievers.
The angel was lured back through the summoning gate, however, it left behind it's minions and mechanical devices that were turning the citizens of Toledo into a half human-half mechanical cyber men which the cultists could control.
While the main Templar force dealt with containing the cybermen within the city, newly promoted Grand Knight Hiffin and his trusty companions, Father Vonnegut and Squire Mugabe, was tasked with destroying one of these cybermen generators in the southwestern part of the city.  They were givin a 20 pound keg of gunpowder for the task, although none of the party had any skill with the rock that burns, so using it was going to be iffy.

The neighborhood

The cybermen generator.  Nearing completion.

Cybermen working diligently to complete the generator on schedule.  (skeleton figures substituting for cybermen)

The White Cloaks approach the SW corner and scout out the scene.

In the courtyard of the mansion a large construct creature gives cause for some concern.

The group begins by clearing the outlying buildings of cybermen lookouts.

They work their way around the perimeter, clearing 3 more houses.

Bad luck!  The cybermen have some silent way of communicating, and they are aware their sentries have been killed.  They send out patrols to investigate.

The party is forced with a decision.  The cybermen are now on alert and the generator is sure to be well guarded now.  They decide to split their force, sending Sergeant Herbert and their 2 men at arms out of the neighborhood to lure the cybermen patrols away.

The distraction works, many of the cybermen are chasing the Sergeant. But there are still workers at the generator.

Father Vonnegut signals the Templar archers, who have been hiding up on the city wall, to open fire on the cybermen workers.

While the cybermen engage in a missile duel, Father Vonnegut and Sir Hiffin move out to plant the bomb.

The fuse is lit, but fizzles out.  Sir Hiffin decides to seize the nettle and rushes out to relight it with a torch.

The gunpowder explodes, sending Sir Hiffin riding the explosion into the steps of the nearby building.  Battered but victorious.  The generator is destroyed.

 Part 2:
The primary mission is accomplished, but the citizens of the neighborhood are still being held captive in the church (awaiting conversion to cybermen).  Besides being locked in by a complicated device, the church is also booby trapped by a toxic gas that will release if any rescue is attempted.  While communicating with one of the citizens inside (an alchemist, who has worked out an antidote for the poison, but no access to his lab) one of the renegade cultists shows up and starts manipulating the gas device to stop the alchemist from revealing more information.

Mugabe and Father Vonnegut deal with the cyber cultist.
 

Unfortunately the construct is now alerted and starts to come to life.

The battlements of the mansion also fill with cyberwarriors.

Undaunted by the overwhelming odds, the group assaults the mansion.

Some may call it reckless, but Sir Hiffin prefers "brave".  "You get just as tired running away from the enemy as at them," is a common Hiffin expression.

The construct lumbers around the corner after the party.

Using his magic rope of attachment, Sir Hiffin scales the side of the mansion.  The construct  targets him with its gatling bolt thrower and unleashes a deadly volley. 

Sir Hiffin is hit several times but manages to hold onto consciousness as he throws himself over the battlements...

...into the waiting arms of cybermen warriors.  Sir Hiffin is starting to think this plan is actually more reckless than brave as he all out defends, trying to drink a healing potion.

Suddenly Squire Mugabe is over the wall, fresh and unwounded.  He engages the enemy with his deadly spear while Sir Hiffin provides a 1 man shieldwall.

Father Vonnegut also joins the fray.

With their combined efforts, the group turns the tide on the battlements, clearing them of the cyberwarriors.

The enemy defeated, the group enters the mansion, seeking the mastermind behind this evil activity.

The mansion interior.

Sir Hiffin opens the door to find the mechanically corrupted body of the Chamberlain.

It points a nozzled finger at Sir Hiffin and a gout of flame washes over the knight.

Badly burned, but not out of the fight, Sir Hiffin leaps forward and pins the offending appendage against the floor.  Father Vonegut follows up by placing his holy blade through the Chamberlain's glowing eye.

Deprived of their director, the cybermen in the area wander off, seeking new orders.  The mission is a success.  If the rest of the Templar are successful the city will be saved.  But that remains to be seen in the epilogue...

Part 3:
The people in the church still needed to be rescued.  Armed with the alchemest's list and directions the group scoured the neighborhood in search of the needed ingredients.  Through a series of puzzles and one embarrassing episode where the group struggled with a series of riddles that the game master's 9 year old daughter did better at than us, the antidote was finally prepared and the citizens safely released from the church.  No photos!

Armati: Dacians vs. Romans

15mm game of Armati.   Dacians vs. Trajanic Romans.  Cos, New Steve and Original Steve commanded the smelly hordes while Ian and I commanded the Romans in an attempt to save civilization and pizza from the barbarian scourge.
100pts of options were used.
The Dacians brought along some cataphracts while the Romans brought their cataphract and light horse archer allies and some extra cohorts with their points.

Initial deployment.  The cavalry ended up facing off against each other on the (Roman's) right.  Roman terrain was a gentle rise on the left which hid (if obvious) some skirmishers.  Dacian terrain was some rough ground on their right which anchored their flank.

The Roman cohorts advance against the long Dacian line.  Dacian light troops move into the rough ground to threaten the flank.

The cavalry square off against each other.  The Romans have already suffered 2 missile casualties so it is expected to be a one sided affair.

As expected the Roman heavy cav is quickly dispatched while the cataphracts slug it out.  The Roman general bravely relocates to the other side of the field.  The Roman horse archers make it around behind the Dacian cavalry and manage to drag the fight out for some time.

 

 

The Roman and Dacian lines meet and there is much rejoicing.

The Roman skirmish and light troops go into the rough ground and fight off the Dacian lights, opening the left flank up to 2 units of Dacians that are uncontrolled (can't move on their own).

I had to leave at that point but the Roman historians inform me that the cohorts won the battle on the left just barely and then hit the uncontrolled Dacians in the flank, scoring enough army break points to win.