The Lost World Safari Yahoo Group Pulp Figures 500 word Rugged Adventures scenario competition has a winner, by popular vote, which is Hugh's excellent....
Terror on Tapu Island!
A Lost World adventure for 4 players
Scenario
Somewhere in the South Pacific, a small island is tapu (forbidden) to the natives who live on the nearby, larger islands. Word has got round that there is something extraordinary to be found there and several bands of adventurers with different motivations have set off to discover the secret of Tapu Island!
Forces (from the Pulp Figures range, by Bob Murch)
Dinosaurs (non-player force): 2 packs of PLT 08 Saurian Predators
Big Game Hunters: 1 pack of PHP 08 Safari Into Danger (minus Jim Remington, the guide)
Film Crew: 1 pack of PHP 01 Film Crew (plus Jim Remington from PHP 08, above)
Seamen: 1 pack of PSS 03 Tramp Steamer Sailors 3
Natives: 1 pack of PSS 11 Melanesian Island Warriors 1
Setup
Tapu Island is a 4' square-ish tropical island, with narrow sandy beaches and rocky outcrops alternating along the outside and lush jungle filling much of the inside. There should be a few more open areas away from the coast, along with many narrow paths/game trails. A few small streams wouldn't go amiss and a tall
waterfall with a pool at the base would be excellent!
Randomly position 12 counters at least 8" away from the coast. If a character gets line of sight to a counter then roll a d6: on a 1 it's a large dinosaur; on a 2 it's a small dinosaur; on any other roll it's just nerves. A revealed dinosaur, or a counter if there is anyone within 6" of it, will move straight towards the nearest person on a 1-3, straight away on a 4-5 or in a random direction on a 6. Counters move 6".
Each player's forces start on a different beach, having just disembarked from a small boat or canoe.
Special Rules
+ The Big Game Hunters win if they kill a dinosaur, take a trophy from the carcass (takes 1 character a whole turn) and then escape by boat.
+ The Film Crew win if they shoot at least 2 turns worth of film that includes a live dinosaur (roll "to hit" for the cameraman to take the shots) and then escape by boat.
+ The Seamen win if they capture a dinosaur and then escape by boat. One of the seamen has an endless supply of bottles of chloroform; throw these as a grenade, a hit renders the target unconscious for 1d3 turns. It takes 2 men to drag a captured small dinosaur or 4 men to drag a large one. Dragging a captive is
done at half normal speed.
+ The Natives win if they prevent any of the white men from leaving the island, either by killing them or taking all the boats. The warriors have rubbed their bodies with the berries of the punga tree; this causes a dinosaur to ignore them in disgust on a d6 roll of 5+.
+ Random events could include goats (as bait), snakes and typhoons.
...a worthy winner and a great scenario for a club multiplayer evening or show a participation game. My humble offering came last but it was a bit of a laugh and I enjoyed writing the scenario, even if it got the elbow. It's interesting to see what you can squeeze into 500 words and how a handful of great figures can inspire some creative game design.
Terror on Tapu Island reads like a winner, too. Lots of scope for gaming skulduggery.
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