Three Battlegrounds in China

China Game 2:
Temple Out of Time
("Illinois Smith" Adventure 1943)

by Charley Elsden

An Illinois Smith Adventure (Central China, 1943--with Nationalists, Communists, Japanese, the mercenary White Company,

Four--count'em four--adventurer archaeologists including Illinois Smith in the leather jacket, and the Maids and Monks of The Hidden Temple, singing and dancing for your pleasure). Order of Battle: Each "company" is a 1:4 representation: 50 figures equals 200 men.

All characters such as archaeologists and mystical beings are individuals. One/two players play the Japanese, Nationalists, and Communists. Another player may be the White Company; otherwise it is played by the Game Master, who controls all Temple forces as well.

1. The Japanese Column (Enter from West road): 1 staff car; 1 jeep; 2 Light tanks; 2 Medium tanks; 8 trucks; Kempeitai Company--the feared military police; Jungle Ghost Company- infantry.

Archaeologist: The lovely Miss Rain Lee (Disney Mulan figure) "You sneer at a Chinese woman working for the Japanese? I have my reasons. It is the only way I can get to the interior. Besides, they pay well."

2. The Nationalist Chinese Column (Enter from South road): I jeep; 4 trucks; 4 armored cars; (light cannons and MGs) 2nd Infantry Company 3rd Infantry Company.

Archaeologist: Dr. Rene Despair (Marx Untouchables suited figure) "There are secrets in the Universe not known to Mankind. But I will discover them. Besides, the Nationalists will soon rule all of China, and they pay well."

3. The Communist Chinese Company (Enter from North road) 1 jeep; 4 trucks; 5th Route Company (1 mortar) 6th Route Company (1 mortar) 7th Route Company (1 mortar).

Archaeologist: Dr. Sin Kwan (Oliver Mao set figure).

Nonsense about mystic findings is part of the Feudal stage of our past capitalist-materialist dialectic. As our Glorious Chairman says: we can use all of our resources to liberate the deluded peasants from the Nationalist pigs and the Japanese dwarves dogs! Not to mention mercenary foreign devil running dogs. All hail the wise use of science on behalf of the working masses. Rise up, villagers, we have nothing to lose but our chains."

4. The Hidden Temple

a)At crossroads village: The White Company--Westem mercenaries armed with small arms, flamethrowers, and BARS; Captain Illinois Smith commanding "I don't know; I'm just making it up as I go along." The Night Maidens; a group of mysterious women who appear only at night to help the mercenaries enjoy their assignment in various ways. The White Company really enjoys this assignment!

b) In The Temple: Monks of the White Pavillion; Monks of the Black Pavillion; 4 Guardian Ogres (appearing as statues at waterfall entrance); I Celestial Dragon (on call from the sky, should any of the players; be foolish enough to find and attack the Temple)

Background Story

Centuries ago, a sacred brotherhood of male and female monks discovered the secrets of Celestial Harmony. Gathering those who could understand, the esoteric community hid itself in another dimension. Their Temple appears only once every so often to mortals. In 1943 they have taken a village under their wing, and shelter its people hidden while they teach them to be Celestial Messengers of Peace. Through riches available magically from the Temple Ancients, the villagers have hired a mortal mercenary company to defend it from temporal powers, as it lies on the border of Communist, Nationalist, and Japanese territory. Lately some volunteer ladies of the temple, secretly Immortal Spirits, have been working with the mercenaries at night to spread Joy and Wonder to them. These hardened souls would now defend the village to the death! You betcha!

Their commander is Illy Smith, American adventurer-archaeologist, who is in retreat to lick his psychic wounds after a failed love affair. Little does he know that it was all a misunderstanding; his love is even now searching for him all over China. At the same time, the villagers have stopped paying taxes/protection money/the people's harvest to the temporal powers. Three columns of these powers are now entering the village! To arms, White Company! Can you talk your way out of fighting while playing the three players off to fight each other, or will you go out in a blaze of glory, protecting the village's secret? An extra challenge for the game master/or a mercenary player in this scenario.

Briefing: Japanese. Nationalists. and Communists

The miserable peasants of a certain village on the border of your territory have refused to place themselves under your loving administration. You head down the road to remind them of their loyalty to your beneficent rule. However, other players are racing to the scene as well. You will have to capture the village (without destroying it) while defeating them. Local mercenaries recently hired to protect the village should be "persuaded" to join you against the other players, or destroyed.

Something strange is happening at this place. Your spies have brought back ancient pottery shards which date back to ancient times. Have the villagers found access to some hidden wealth? The investigation of this will be made by the archaeologist accompanying your party. He/she must be protected during his/her research. Of course, as a loyal officer, you would never think of keeping such wealth for yourself Of course not. You will liberate any such finds for your superiors. And now ...

The Game Unfolds

(Being A Composite Version Of Two Separate Games and The Game Master's Imagination or, Did Anybody Hear A Temple Gong?)

The three player columns advance down their respective roads towards the village. The Japanese player, role playing an arrogant invader with probable tank superiority, plans to roll over any opposition. The Nationalist player, in the most sympathetic position, plans to negotiate with the locals to "protect" the village while its scientist looks for treasure. The Communist player, with an advantage in numbers but no armored vehicles, reconnoiters the terrain and avoids contact along the road by stopping short of the crossroads at where all three roads meet at the west side of the village. All players find a road sign on their route declaring "This village is protected by The White Company. Armed parties advancing beyond this point will be annihilated!" No villagers are in evidence.

As they advance, the terrain reveals itself. All nonroad areas are thick jungle, which slows movement, gives soft cover, and reduces visibility. Although two huts on stilts are set in front of the village proper, they prove to be unmanned. A central road leads through the village (two large bamboo buildings) to a pair of ruins on the far side to the East. The Japanese tanks open fire on the lighter Nationalist armored cars, and the lead party retreat East on the circular road that surrounds the village. They enter the ruin to the south of the east road. The Communists dismount from their trucks as they drive up, and disappear into the jungle on both sides of the road, making hidden movement in the jungles to the north and west of the road.

A Japanese group dismounts and advances northwest into the jungle to meet them. The Nationalists are cut in two; the southern group disperses on the road, one armored car is destroyed and the next with a truckful of infantry move forward to the ruin, which they occupy.

Over the course of several turns, the Japanese assault through the center of town, the Communists advance unseen, and the Nationalists open up a truce dialogue with the White Company occupying the southern house. Illy Jones and Rene Despair trade compliments, and Illy tells Despair that some ancient artifacts can be found in the ruins, which Despair rushes off to explore.

The Communist scientist advances through the jungle to the other ruin on the north side of the road leading East out of the village. Although skeptical, he senses a strange psychic force emanating to from the far side of the ruin. Although skeptical, he recites certain ancient Chinese mystic spells, for he is one of the few well educated men in the Red camp. He and five soldiers see a shimmering ahead, and they advance only to disappear from sight!

Dr. Despair advances past his ruin, only to find more jungle ahead. After wandering for some time, he returns again. He has failed, and yet he feels that some secret lies hidden nearby.

One Japanese light tank is destroyed by a sudden burst of ambush f ire f rorn a flamethrower hidden in the north house. A heavy Japanese tank behind it stops to spray the target with MG fire. It causes casualties among the White company mercenaries inside, only to be immobilized by Communist mortar fire!

In the northwest jungle, a Japanese squad is ambushed and destroyed by hidden Communists. A second squad, maneuvering on the flank of the ambushers, is ambushed yet again by a second Red section, deployed hidden on their flank. The Japanese retreat to the safety of the road, where their vehicles can cover them.

The Japanese and Nationalists engage in the southwest jungle, to their mutual loss. The Japanese, realizing that they are caught in the middle between two forces, call a truce with the Nationalists, and this front stabilizes in the uneasy truce that characterizes much of the Great War of Resistance in China between the two foes on inactive fronts. The Japanese paid woman scientist meets with and discusses the experience of Dr. Despair, who shows her to the ruin. They search together. Meanwhile the Nationalists have negotiated a cease fire with the White company, and advance north on the circular road to hold back the Communists, who assault and overrun two armored cars from the jungle.

When the White Company holds its fire, the Nationalists must pull back, and accuse the White Company of treachery! Illy replies that a cease fire means no more than that, and he was not obliged to help their advance. Now the Communists assault the northern house, and the White Company is forced out after heroic resistance. The damaged Japanese tank fires into the Communists, until mortar fire forces its crew to abandon its tank in its static position.

During this time, Professor Sin Kuan has entered the Temple. composed of two enclosed pavilions and a center courtyard leading to a waterfall. Two odd stone ogres guard the entrance to the Temple, and the Reds shiver at their fierce aspect. Two more guard the entrance to the center courtyard, and they intruders avoid it, entering one Pavillion instead. Here are wish sayings posted on a notice board. As Sin translates them from ancient Chinese, a monk robed in black appears. A red guard blasts him with his submachine gun, and he falls, cut almost in half. But then two more monks appear. These are dispatched with a hand grenade. Professor Sin finishes writing down the messages on the board. This time four more black monks appear, and one kills a Commie with a thrown ninja star.

The four are fired upon and killed by the remaining four Reds. "Lets leave this accursed place, comrades" says Dr. Sin, "I've got all I need here." As they retreat toward the entrance gate, eight black monks appear and pursue them.

Outside in the village, the Nationalists f ire high explosive rounds into the southern hut, causing more casualties to the White company. The fanatical Japanese Kempeitai captain argues with the regular infantry captain. The former wishes to keep fighting, the latter with the scientist wants to investigate the ruin further. So the two officers split up. Miss Rain Lee, the Japanese infantry Captain, and two soldiers join Dr. Despair in practicing ancient meditation techniques in the ruins. Meanwhile, the Communists attack the Japanese from the jungle, and kill some, while the rest cower behind their vehicles, The Reds overrun one truck and the rest of the Japanese retreat West out of the village. A pair of White Company mercenaries ]ump into the Japanese tank, whose turret still works, and fire on the Nationalists until they too call a truce, Illy is now wounded, and has few men left; no one realizes how badly off the mercenaries are, as they hold up in their last southern house.

Miss Lee and Dr. Despair enter their part of the temple as the Communist Dr. Sun leaves a different area with his ancient texts, headed for the Red HQ in the jungle. They enter the other Pavillion, but wisely leave their weapons on the threshold of the sacred precinct. Therefore they remain unmolested. They translate one of the sayings on their message board as "Magic Flows As A River." Is there some connection with the waterfall? The party bows respectfully in the White Pavillion, and a white monk appears. He suggests they all go to the central section, in search of deeper Wisdom. They enter the central area between the stone ogres, and they proceed the waterfall, leaving even their soldier guards in the outer hall.

The three visitors have ecstatic visions. The Japanese captain, a spiritual man, vows to renounce his military rank and become a temple monk. Dr. Despair wishes also to remain and study, but must return to persuade his Nationalist patrons to leave the area. Miss Lee sees a wounded Illy Smith joking with his few, mostly wounded men. Surprise. She is his old lover, who has been searching for him. She must persuade the Communists and Japanese to leave the area and save him from certain death!

The white monk summons twenty more monks who accompany the three visitors and their escorts back to the village, where the Nationalists are waiting. Their Japanese escorts are mistaken for outflanking attackers, and a fire fight starts, during which the Nationalist Colonel commanding, all the Japanese except the officer, and several white monks are killed. The three visitors, the Iasi survivors of their party, surrender. This may make a truce difficult!

The Communists have observed the fight, and decide to attack the Nationalists during the uproar. Fire is exchanged between the ruins. The Nationalists are pushed back. They agree to ally once again with the White Company survivors, who fire at the Reds from their house position. Out of mortar and armored car HE rounds, small arms blast out across the village. Gray clad Communists charge and fall. Rain Lee finds Illy, and they embrace amongst the fighting. As Professor Sin calls upon them all to surrender, Rain Lee calls upon the Temple through telepathy. Enter the Dragon!

I mean a real, fire breathing dragon. As Commie bullets bounce off its scales, it sets the northern jungle afire! The Red troops flee in terror. Perhaps a cannon shot could harm it, but all are out of ammo. But wait! Professor Sin reenters the damaged Japanese tank, and swings the turret around, elevating the medium class gun. It still has two shots of Armor Piercing ammo left! Blammo, a dice roll finds a hit on the AA Fire vs. Airplane Table, and the Dragon falls into the center of town. As the tank fires its last round into the wounded monster, a blast of fiery breath melts the tank, incinerating the Red intellectual, whose contempt of magical forces does not save him from the fiery tomb. Meanwhile the last shell from the tank slays the dragon!

Who has "won" the game? The Communists, despite superior battle tactics, have lost through lack of diplomacy and failure to contact the Temple's magic in a positive way. One Japanese player gains a personal victory. Rain Lee and Illy have won a ftiture together. The Japanese have been thrown out of the area with the Communists, leaving the Nationalists to claim a technical jurisdiction over the village. But the Nationalists will take a bribe and leave, having had enough of this mystical combat. Four flesh and blood ogres with giant curved swords, sighted near the temple's secret entrance, helps persuade them. As darkness falls, The Night Maidens will appear to nurse the surviving mercenaries back to health. All except Illy, who smiles at Rain Lee, as she attends to his wounds.

The villagers return from their sanctuary in the Temple to rebuild. As they watch the jungle fires burn themselves out, they begin to sing. Then they start to clear the debris of battle from their home. The villagers always endure. "The farmers always win." (Yul Brynner as Chris in "The Magnificent Seven")

More China

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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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