Pulp Alley: Davy Crockett and the Matamoros Plot

My latest episode of a Pulp Alley serial in 28mm, The Matamoros Plot has Davy Crockett trying to prevent the dastardly Colonel Beauregard from wrecking General Sam Houston's plans to save the infant Republic of Texas.

The Plot

The Protagonists

The Antagonists

Turn 1

Turn 1 opened up with Crocket and his men at the blockhouse and Col Beauregard and Company skulking behind the barn.

It shortly devolved into a brawl as gunfire, with Thimblerig and Asa Walker crossing the street toward the barn and cornfield.  Uncle Jesse and Captain McKenzie broke off to return fire as Sergeant Ford and Jed Hawkins made for the docks.

Turn 2 

By turn 2, Busted Luck had made it to the State House and secured General Houston's plans for the campaign.

Busted Luck secures the plans for Houston's campaign.

Jed crossed the farmyard and had secured the barrels of supplies that would be repurposed for an army heading to Matamoros.

The shootout in the street had turned into a brawl and Uncle Jesse took a ball to the shoulder and then was gutted by Asa Walker.



Turn 3

Turn 3 opened with Sergeant Ford making a dash for the docks, where his attempts to secure the flatboard were beaten off by two Mississippi River boatmen.

Col Beauregard made his way to the dogtrot cabin, with Busted Luck and Davy right around the corner.

By this time, the knife fight in the street had started to move over to the cornfield.  Captain McKenzie was able to disengage and step back, firing as he went, but his aim wasn't true.

Turn 4

The hapless Sgt Ford was beaten off by the boatmen again, and Jed came to help, but skeered and ran off towards the Tavern.

Col Beauregard wounded Busted Luck and they began to grapple.

George finally made it to the wounded Ranger, who apparently was still under fire, as George took a wound himself and was never quite able to successfully complete the challenge.

Turn 5

As Davy made his way toward Busted Luck, Sgt. Ford ran across the dock and firing wildly.

Col Beauregard finally knocked out Busted Luck and Davy joined the fray.
The campaign plans were being trampled in the dust as Davy and Beauregard fought over them.

Jed had made it to the Tavern and got beaten down by drunken soldiers, losing the supplies plot point. 

At this time in the action, no one controlled any plot points at all.  George Russell gave up on the ranger and was running toward the tavern and the drunk soldiers.

Turn 6

By Turn 6, I had lost Uncle Jesse, Jed and my supplies.  The surly boatmen had beaten off Sgt. Ford and Davy had ripped the plans from Col Beauregard's clutches.  My son had won the plot.  We learned a few things from this game, set your brawlers and shooters to fighting as you fellows with finesse and cunning to stealing plot points.  That was my undoing.

Barca longas, windmills and capital buildings (and a global shortage in coffee stirrers).

Recently finished several projects for my 28mm games.  I try to make them as generic as possible to move between the various eras I play (Wars of the Roses, 17th c, 18th c, and Texian Revolution.

I've been playing Pulp Alley Westerns, so some of these will feature in Western skirmishes as well.

The Barca Longa, or a pinnace, depending on how its rigged (Leg o' Mutton, Gaff, or Square). 

So this could be a medieval merchantman, or a flat boat bringing supplies to the beleaguered Texian Army.  I started with poplar for the shape and added mat board and birch coffee stirrers for the gunwales and decks.  I'll use scrap linen for the sail as I have on a caravel and cog I finished in the past.

The farm house and outbuildings will be used from the French and Indian War up through...maybe old west?  This is foam board and the coffee stirrers again.

The windmill (ubiquitous coffee stirrers) is one from a drawing of archers in the 14th c, but could be used in the Americas (there is a similar one at Colonial Williamsburg). 

The sails are just some linen scraps and its based on a steel disk t keep it from toppling over and to give it some weight.

The warehouse or barn is again coffee stirrers and match sticks for the docks.

Finally a signboard for a tavern, and...

the first government building of the Republic of Texas (Washington on the Brazos)...

again, birch coffee stirrers.

Pulp Alley BATREP: Davy Crockett and the Spy at San Sebastiano

Finally got around to playing this scenario for Pulp Alley.  Pulp Alley is a skirmish game that plays like the old radio and television serials of the 1930's-1950's felt.  So, taking my characters from Disney's Davy Crockett series, We started playing a campaign set in 1835-36 during the Texian Revolution.

The sides included Col Crockett and his band of volunteers against Capitan Vargas and his Cazadores, both are ordered to San Sebastiano for the same reasons.

Col Crockett and his Volunteers

Capitan Vargas and his Cazadores

We started out at opposite ends and I began moving along the alleys as my son fanned out across the plaza.

Crockett and his band merrily stroll down the plaza.

My cazadores made first for the jail and the chapel, to secure the Texas Ranger and the suspected spy.

Cazador Chavez moves to the iglesia.

My son's character George Russel went to stop a soldier harassing a girl at a cantina and was knocked down for his gallantry.

Georgie is knocked down, either by the soldier or the girl.
He never explained which.

 Eventually, he won the challenge.  Also in the first round, Asa Walker strayed too close to a Prickly Pear and was knocked out of the fight after failing a peril challenge.

A good old fashioned San Sebastiano street brawl.

By the third turn, Culebra was in the jail securing the Ranger as a prisoner, Chavez was in the chapel and Sgt. Mendoza was about to start a brawl.  As Hector charged Davy Crockett, the good Sergeant fired at Busted Luck across the street and waded into the fisticuffs. Davy's indian ally also joined in the fray, which lasted about three turns!

Busted Luck helps Davy out of a tight spot.

We interrupt this game to bring you a two year old that kept hogging all the dice.

More dice, please!

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.


Meanwhile, Thimblerig had made it into the Commisario's headquarters and evaded a peril, spiking the cannons in the courtyard.

Spiking the cannons.

Shortly thereafter, Capitan Vargas raced in followed by George.  There was some gunplay in the courtyard, but Vargas made it into the office, with a slight wound.

Gunplay in the courtyard.

The Commisario had his orders, secured the Mexican maps and jumped out a window, leaving George and Thimblerig behind.

My son was able to play a card to disengage Davy from the brawl.  Davy and George then converged on the church to secure the spy, firing at Capitan Vargas and Culebra on the way.  He also played a card to trip up Culebra, who fell down by the fountain and got in a brief gun fight before running into the iglesia.

Can Culebra make it into the Iglesia through a hail of Yankee bullets?

In the end, Busted Luck knocked down Hector and Sergeant Mendoza after Davy disengaged to help George.

Busted Luck had some good brawl rolls on the dice...despite his name.

My plans didn't go well inside the church, either:  the Priest/Spy put up a fight and knocked down Culebra (which caused the Ranger plot point to escape)!

One scrappy priest and Culebra is down before play ends.

 That meant my son had two minor plot points (Save the girl and spike the cannon) and I only one (deliver the plans to the Commissario).  No one had secured the spy, by the time the game ended.