Quar Road Trip!

The boxes were rattling in excitement. 

"Road trip! Road trip!" small, piping voices squeaked.

"Yes, yes. Alright. Calm down." I said gently to the rhyflers bouncing up and down in their storage boxes with excitement. "I'm taking you to Rico's for his summer games day."

They all stared at me. "Who's Rico, Boss?"

"Our host for the day. He, and everyone else, are very excited about meeting you."

Long snouts hung bashfully as they shuffled in their boots. "Us? Really?"

"Yes, you. Really. Everyone's been following you on my blog."

Master Yawdryl Vaark stepped forward, puffing thoughtfully on his pipe. "Well tha's a' well an' good, Sir. But" and he jabbed the stem of his pipe at me, and I suddenly felt like a 2Lt again. "What rules will we be engagin' under?" Trust a Senior NCO to get to the heart of the matter.

"Xenos Rampant." The tractor crew looked a bit dejected. "No no, it'll be fine. I've made new profiles for everyone and modified the vehicle profiles to make each tractor a little bit different, and unique,  and hopefully more Quartastic." Tiny faces looked at me hopefully. 

"And you'll be having a big fight over your new Objective Markers. Everyone's going to be on the table! "

"Yaaaayyyy!" The Basement o'Gaming echoed with tiny cheers. I heard beer glasses clink and one of the Milwers was directing a couple of the younger rhyflers to tap a new keg.

So, with a trunk full of Quar and terrain, and Big Pat, Big Dave, and Wierdy-Beardy crammed into my car, we set off on the 2 hour trip.

I set up some entrenched positions, blasted buildings to give cover and block sight lines, belts of barbed wire, and areas of shell holes to give the rhyflers lots of cover.

Pasha Dan, Carson, and Big Dave all played and are quite conversant with Xenos Rampant, which helped immensely with the Game Mastering. Brian usually plays more "serious" games, but he got into the spirit and directed his rhyflers and weapons teams with the skill of a light infantry Senior NCO. Wierdy-Beardy was having trouble following things as usual. But the others helped him along.

Pasha Dan (end of table) explains something to Wierdy-Beardy

I'm trying to explain something

Everyone ponders deployments. Royalists on the left, Crusaders on the right.

L-R: Carson, Wierdy-Beardy, Pasha Dan (who kit bashed the big Iron Keep), Big Dave, and Brian.

I'm pointing at something important for Brian. It's a joke between Barnaby (who took this picture) and I

Crusaders advancing

Royalist deployment before a general advance

Heavy Tractor Wedge supporting the advance

Royalists get into the trench

Brian lines his trench

"I say Binky! What a view."
"Shouldn't we be taking command of something?"

Anti-Tractor Torpedo team hunting for elusive Royalist tractors.

Crusader Kite attracts a bunch of fire

Lord Strythcyna's Cadiers ride to their doom

Brian advances to sweep his flank

The Crusaders won on both flanks giving them control of 5 out of 6 Objective Markers.

I did not, in fact, remember to bring the new Ryhflers Rampant profile sheets that I had spent two evenings working on and printed out. Instead I left them by the printer with my copy of the rules. 

"Right where they're supposed to be," said Brian. A veteran GM of many years.

Meanwhile, Keith was putting on a very pretty game of Blücher, set in 1814.

Barnaby pointing at something important. Joe looks thoughtful.

So, dice were rolled, friends were seen, fun was had.

And I think I like better how I'm portraying the Quar with Xenos Rampant. 

Objectives achieved.