Congo - Campaign Mungo Mah Lobeh, game 3 , Awaiting for the Bel Azur

    In this third scenario of the campaign, Mary must reach the banks of the Ogooué river, to embark on the Bel-Azur. It's quite complicated in terms of objectives and discoveries. Mary approaches the river, but must cross an area of ​​swamp infested with crocodiles and hippos. There are 3 markers corresponding to the 3 pontoons, at the end of each turn Mary scores points (too many!) for each pontoon inspected. There are 6 dangerous terrain, each containing a token(4 discoveries finds and 2 curses). Moreover, by entering these terrains, we can find quicksand, hippopotamus or a crocodiles. Mary already controls pontoon 1 with her group, the rest of her column is deployed not far on the small side (on the left in the photo), as for Ujuwa,is coming through the large side (at the top of the photo). To summarize the game will be split into two, a very fast phase (in fact within two turns all the terrains will be explored, and a more static and tactical phase made of fierce and vicious fights for the control of the pontoons. 

The table:

 

 

Ujuwa and his column:

 Mary:

 

-Mary Kingsley
- kirangozi Kiva 

- retired officer, Sir Mortimer

-2 bearers
-1 group of adventurers
-1 group of trained askaris
-1 group of ruga-rugas
-1 group of askaris
-1 group of young warriors

-Ujuwa

-the champion Momba

-1 drum, Kuva 

-1 sacred warrior

-1 group of warriors 

-1 group of pygmy archers 

-1 group of bundukis 

-1 group of archers 

-1 group of young warriors

-1 group of scouts

At the start of the game, things move quickly; given the conditions of victories for Mary, I tell myself that it will be difficult to counter Mary  for Ujuwa, so I scatter my groups to recover the maximum of discoveries and avoid losing too much. It starts strong, my warriors enter the first dangerous ground, to meet a hippo. This one, very unhappy to be disturbed, charges them and makes a victim, in addition the group suffers a curse. 

 

Young warriors from Mary columnices face a crocodile lair in their first dangerous ground and also suffer a  curse! (and  take 2 loot tokens, crocodile skins are valuable) :

 

 

My pygmies explore two terrains: two discoveries and two quicksand!

 

 

 

From turn 3 and for 3 turns there will be a long downpour reducing the range of shots.

Mary's ruga-rugas and askaris, seems to want to block the advance of Ujuwa accompanied by bundukis and archers not far away, Ujuwa still manages to pass a ritual of the buffalo to impose a test of terror on the ruga-rugas. 

 

More in the center, the warriors and  young warriors ( my melle assault group!) move towards the pontoons to try to challenge them.

Speeded up for the last discovery near pontoon 2, my warriors are frustrated but Ujuwa triggers a wild hunting ritual with 3 successes! Ants are my friends! A giant anthill attacks intrepid Mary's yoing warriors who suffer 6 shots and find themselves at 4 stresses. They will never recover from this event, because also  suffering a curse they will almost always be too stressed to do anything. 

 

Pendant ce temps le dernier terrain dangereux est exploré par le groupe de novice et le tambour; encore des sables mouvants , mais une découverte.

During this time the last dangerous terrain is explored by my group of younf warriors; quicksand again , but a discovery. 

 

 

Leaving the quicksand the Kiva  group triggers the appearance of a new hippopotamus. I try to place it so as to embarrass my opponent, but he manages well, and suddenly it is my groups which find themselves under the threat of the charge of the hippo. First group affected, two pygmies. And there, heroic action, the hippopotamus is killed by the pygmies ; small but strong. 

 

 

First assault group, my warriors are annihilated by a shot from Mary's trained askaris and the charge of the Ruga-rugas; we can notice the strategic flight of the over stressed younf warriors of Mary. 

 

 

 

Sir Mortimer and his askaris are crushed by the bundukis of Ujuwa supported by the archers:

 

 

I try a second charge on Mary's group with the young warriors, supported by fire from scouts and pygmies.

But it fails, the young wariors are massacred by shooting; I just lost my second character, it's starting to get difficult for me. And Mary continuously scores points for 5 turns by controlling 2 pontoons.

I can only shot with my remaining groups.So i  put pressure on Mary, eliminating all her trained askaris thanks in particular to an efficient poisoned attack by the pygmy arrows.

 

Same situation for Sir Mortimer and his askaris, who once alone will regain his reflexes as a soldier of the British Empire, by applying this old principle, salvation is in flight

At least at the end of the game I finally managed to challenge the pontoons! It won't change much in front of victory points accumulated by Mary, but I am preventing her from acquiring knowledge.

Conclusion  Mary victory

She continued her journey by the river, with good results, she only spent a month there.

For Ujuwa, the defeat is compensated by the accumulated discoveries, he now has 4 small special abilities.

My characters survive, but Kuva takes the status "poorly".

Ujuwa continues his journey through the Jungle, where he finds three  medicinal herbs (useful for healing characters)

 

Accomplishment points, at this point  : Mary 16, Ujuwa 26.

Our magic totems!