Jungle Cuisine, Explorer Broth - Scratch Building an Explorer in a Cooking Pot!

The final preparation work for the Land of the Lost game is done. The scenario needed one more specialty plot piece that required scratch building, 'the lost explorer in a Native Cooking Pot! Surprisingly I couldn't find a commercial one available but I don't mind pottering (pun haha) around anyway and putting something together myself. Here's the result...

Anyone for Wayward White Explorer Broth?

Explorer Broth ingredients;

Milliput

Wire

Twigs

Sheet styrene

An old figure, preferably with a sun helmet

Again I just created this on the go so here's the steps I followed!

1. Mix up a large blob of Milliput.

2. Roll most of this blob it into a ball, then elongate the ball rolling it so you get a cylinder with rounded ends, flatten one end, this will bulge that end and this will be the bottom of the pot, put your thumb into the other end and with a wet finger slowly work a lip between your thumb and finger, once flared and thinned and it looks like the top of a cooking pot smooth the surfaces and set aside.

3. Cut about a 35mm piece of sheet styrene and with the rest of the Milliput create a donut bigger than the pot diameter, flatten it and then add broken twigs to it to represent fire logs.

4. Push the cooking pot carefully onto the bases 'logs' to form an indent in it so it will sit level on the base later.

5. Form a piece of wire into a handle, at each end bend the wire at right angles and press into the cooking pot, let the pot set a bit first so you don't deform it. You could let it dry completely and drill small holes for the wire to fit into, I did it while it was still soft to save drilling.

6. When dry glue the cooking pot to the base and paint as desired.

7. Create a torso to fit in the cooking pot. I used a Warlord German Tank Commander and cut the head off as a base for the explorer, I then added a sun helmeted head left over from an Empress Miniatures vehicle. Add paint as desired!

8. When the cooking pot and figure are dry pour superglue into the cooking pot creating a pool and fit the torso into the centre of the 'puddle', I would recommend test fitting the torso and get it set up right to be level before pouring the superglue! There you're done!

This is the only 'in progress picture' I took, this is the end of step 6 above...

Dr Livingston on the boil!

A view from above, the liquid effect was simply done by creating a puddle...okay pool as it sounds cooler of superglue and then plunging Dr Livingston's torso into it!

Dr Livingston 'in the pot' and 'saved by the explorers'...hmmm not an exact match as he's grown a moustache to twirl out of the pot! Never fear dear reader it won't matter on the night!

Next Time; Most probably the land of the Lost AAR!

Scenery - Rope Bridges & A How to Scratch Build Them!

The upcoming Land of the Lost game requires several ubiquitous bits of specific Jungle Terrain the most iconic being 'rope bridges'! I need three for the game so how to make these suckers? I just went ahead and started making the first one and worked it out as I went.

The 'How To'...

I didn't take pictures as I went  (DOH!) so added what I have where they're relevant!

1. Cut from sheet styrene two anchor points, make them the width of your bridge and them around twice the width measurement again for the depth.

2. Strip some electrical wire to bare the copper strands.

3. Cut 4 bits of the copper wire to the length required, i.e. the span of the bridge (allow for some sag) plus about an extra  centimetre extra.

4. Twist the lengths into two pairs.

5 Superglue the lengths to you bridge supports from step 1.

This picture shows the rope bridge at the end of step 5 and in the foreground are the roughly cut slats from step 6!

6. Cut out uneven slats for your bridge and the superglue them onto your 'ropes', I used pop sticks, ice cream stick, coffee stirrers whatever they're called in your neck of the woods.

7. From a wood coffee skewer cut four lengths, drill a 0.5mm hole in each just down from the top and glue them onto your bridge supports from step 1 in line and near the end of your main ropes/slats. I drilled a hole into the support base and glued them into there for extra strength.

This picture shows my first attempt at the supports I cut the hand guide rope too short though as it should feed through the skewer uprights and then anchor onto the support base, a later pic will show that!

8. Cut two long lengths of the copper wire for the hand guide rope, feed them between the skewer support posts and anchor them at the back edge of the support base with superglue.

See here the hand guide ropes should look, sorry painting has already started.

9 Paint as desired and you're done!

Looks great (even if I do say so myself)!

For game purposes, as you would expect there is a chance these rope bridges will break causing the Scenario Characters on said bridge to fall into the crocodile infested river at the bottom of the deep ravine I had to make a broken bridge. It used the same basic process as above...

So there you go advanced rope bridge making covered, hope it may be of help!

Next Time; Explorer Broth!

The Land of the Lost - The Historical Background and Scenario Details - A Pulp Action Game

I learned a lot running the Pulp Terror on Skull Island game last year and this year with updates to the gaming system and still using adapted FUBAR VSF rules we're all set to go again, welcome to A Bad Day in the Land of the Lost! Here is the Scenario Background and information on the Teams involved!

Best not to be a wayward Explorer in the Land of the Lost...

you may end up on the locals menu!

Historical Background:

Captain Darling’s daring 1885 Darkest African Expedition came back to haunt the him and others during the Great War that ravaged the World! Darling had naturally answered the call of King and Country as soon as the conflict kicked off and his service found him engaged in all manner of outstanding adventures in which he carried out multiple feats of derring-do. The particular operation involving Darling that interests us this time dear reader sees him carrying out a Top Secret mission for British Military Intelligence in the Middle East during August 1917!  The assignment called for Darling and three associates to plan a route for the Entente’s imminent offensive targeting Southern Russia! They were the vanguard of Dunsterforce and their task would be complete once they met a British contact in Baku! Naturally under Darling’s command the path was quickly scouted successfully. They arrived in Baku just hours before the scheduled meeting with their contact allowing them time for tea and biscuits. The ‘contact’ turned out to be no other than S.O.E. Agent and long time friend of Darling’s Edward Bigger, the two men quickly finished their business and were retiring for an evening repast when things suddenly unravelled! They were ambushed by Cheka agents with Bolshevik military support! Darling and Bigger easily evaded capture and with their revolvers blazing they decamped with their accomplices leaving their Bolshie assailants confounded!

The next morning Captain Darling noticed two pages from his dairy were missing, they must have slipped from the volume during his escape from the Bolshies, Bigger quickly discerned Darling's misgivings regrading the loss of the pages. Overhearing Darling muttering to himself he may have unlocked the ‘Doorway to Hell’, he announced to his stoic companion he would recover the missing sheets for him forthwith! With that the two parted company Darling heading south and Bigger vanishing into the shadows which he consistently inhabited.

Our story then takes us forward three weeks to the headquarters of the Cheka in the bowels of Kremlin in the heart of Moscow. A top level meeting including representatives from the Politburo had taken place with the discussion revolving around two crumpled scraps of paper which lay before them on the table. The Head Cheka Agent summarised their conversation saying, “so Comrades it appears that the Evil Capitalist’s Great Land Grab in Africa has not been as complete as they believe, there is a void they are not aware of that we can fill and in which we can create a new Soviet State, there our egalitarian ideals can gain a foothold right under their big fat noses!” The statement was followed by murmurs of agreement and polite applause after which the attendees of the meeting adjourned for a celebratory round of vodka. As the Bolsheviks revelled none of them noticed the ornate Faberge Heirloom Credenza in the meeting room move slowly from the corner over to the same table at which they had gathered. Once there a wiry hand appeared from one of its drawers and snatched the crucial papers! The Credenza then edged silently back to where it first stood! Crack S.O.E. Agent Edward Bigger had come up trumps again, disguised as the Credenza in question not only had he recovered his best friends missing dairy pages but he had thumbed his own nose at the Bolshies!

Unfortunately for Bigger the contents of these pages had been perused and copied. They contained the location of the long lost plateau in central Africa that Darling had explored all those years ago. The 'Genie was out of the Bottle' and even though the Bolsheviks were embarrassed at losing the valuable original documentation they had all they required to send group of their own explorers to investigate (and conquer) this new land!

Two years later in 1919 the Russians were at last ready to mount their expedition to uncover the secrets and riches of the Land of the Lost...

The Teams...

From Great Britain! - The Fine British Explorers

British Military Intelligence supplied with S.O.E. Agent Edward Bigger’s comprehensive report on the Land of the Lost wasted no time in planning a mission to ensure the Pinko Bolshevik Horde could not spread their poisonous doctrine outside of their borders! A retired Guards Officer, Major Burke was tasked with organising a company to thwart the Reds! Naturally Major Burke found all the stout chaps he would require from his ‘Club’! So, funded by the British taxpayers and well supplied with tea and biscuits this stout band of Explorers set off to lands unknown ready encounter any dangers while beating the Bolsheviks to their objective, the Land of the Lost...

Major Burke (twice retired!) - Hero Type - Revolver

Sir Sterling Silver - Hero Type - Revolver

Prof Thaddeus Bracegirdle -Trusty Chap - Revolver

Steel Balls - Trusty Chap - Shotgun

Dick Bonefat - Average Bloke – Elephant Gun

Watson Later - Average Bloke – Elephant Gun

From the Middle East - The Jihadist Rabble

With the Great War ending the Western Powers began carving up the Middle East in what they believed would be best for its inhabitants. Eager to prove their worth many locals fired up with the spirit of Jihad resisted the Entente, it was time to strike a blow against these arrogant foreigners. Sultan Habib Hafiz while plotting his own Jihad learned about two Expeditions that were travelling into central Africa in search of great treasure, excited at the opportunity to hack these men into pieces whilst lining his voluminous baggy pants pockets with gold he gathered around him his most rabid followers. Once organised they travelled to the centre of the Dark Continent and followed the drums towards the Land of the Lost...

Sultan Habib Hafiz - Hero Type – Revolver & Sword

He-Is Afakir - Hero Type - Revolver & Sword

Boghus Fakir - Trusty chap – Revolver & sword

Alibaba the ‘Sheik’ - Trusty Chap - Bolt Action Rifle & Sword

Putta Inbin- Average Bloke - Repeater Rifle & Big Knife

Abu Nasal - Average Bloke – Repeater Rifle & Big Knife

From the Gutters of Society - The Evil Villain’s Minions

The seedy backstreet of London’s poorer districts were always abounding with rumour, gossip and scandal and a loose lipped British Civil Servant in search of dubious activities added to the mix! Whilst drinking in a dodgy establishment he let slip about Major Burke’s undertaking! It was not long before the evil mastermind Doctor Badlove came to hear of Burke’s mission and naturally his curiosity was peaked! He contacted an ex-Etonian known as Professor Omega and the two of them quickly organised their own Expedition made up of the dregs of society to beat the Governments official party to Africa. Well equipped they promptly departed Ol' Blighty helped by British Military Intelligence’s documentation, their destination the Land of the Lost...

Doctor Badlove - Hero Type - Revolver

Professor Omega- Hero Type - Revolver & Sword Cane

The Strangler of Edbury Hill -Trusty Chap – Revolver & Club

Jack the Knife- Trusty Chap - Shotgun

Fred Bedlam - Average Bloke - Bolt Action Rifle

The Moors Stalker - Average Bloke – Bolt Action Rifle

From The Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic - The Bolshevik Expedition

The Cheka furnished with information on a wonderous lost land from Captain Darling’s Diary pages were quick to realise they could use the information to gain the Marxist Revolution of the Proletariat a foothold on the Dark Continent! Advised of the details of the Cheka’s discovery the Politburo hungry for Prestige (and possible riches!) selected their two best Bolshevik diehards to lead an expedition to Africa. These two Commissars, Boris and Natasha were given support from the Cheka and the Red Army to complete their mission. It took time to organise but by 1919 they were ready. Two Junkers F-13 aircraft were secretly acquired to transport the Expedition members and their equipment on their glorious ‘crusade’ against the Capitalist West, they were headed to the Land of the Lost...

Commissar Boris – Anti-Hero Type – Mauser C96 Automatic Pistol

Commissar Natasha – Anti-Hero Type – Nagant M1895 Revolver

Cheka Agent Yuri - Evil Chap – Nagant M1895 Revolver

Private Sasha - Evil Chap - Rifle

Private Anatole - Average Bolshevik - Rifle

Private Pavel - Average Bolshevik - Rifle

Here is a sample of the Player Sheet which each Team gets, this is the Bolshie one...

And the updated for Pulp Gaming one page FUBAR VSF Rules we'll be using...

Here's the The Land of the Lost table ready to go, all the Event driven terrain has been removed and the silver Event Marker discs are now discretely hidden by jungle looking lichen!

Next Time: the Land of the Lost AAR!

Well maybe not as we're not playing for three of weeks!

Captain Darling in the Sudan OR Working on a Tan while Battling Natives!

Our Christmas game looms, read on for relevant details gleaned from the diaries of Captain Darling...

Captain Darling posing by a statue during his 1886 Expedition into the deepest depths of the jungles of Central Africa...reportedly the expedition discovered a lost plateau and while exploring it engaged in all manner of exciting adventures and made many curious discoveries...here Darling is seen standing beside what appeared to be Egyptian ruins where they should not be!

This Picture was taken by Percy Fiddler a member of Captain Darling's 1886 Expedition with a 

prototype Eastman Portable Camera, these became commercially available in 1888!

During 1884 with the Mad Mahdi running rampant and Her Most Glorious Majesty's African Possessions in great peril Captain Darling stepped forward (as one would expect) donned his uniform and headed to the front of the battleline!

After an arduous journey across the Indian Ocean by cutter Darling and a small contingent of fellow Antipodean volunteers landed at Port Suâkin in early September 1884. Knowing his ol' mucker Chinese Gordon was in a spot of trouble in Khartoum he and his stout band made plans to travel there to join him. It soon became apparent to Darling that due to the Mahdist siege of the city this was not possible and the good Captain decided to wait for the relief force from Britain to arrive so they could join that. As it turned out waiting for Sir Wolseley's column was a mistake as it arrived too late to relieve Gordon and Khartoum! Despite this disappointment Captain Darling still joined Wolseley's force and was at the Battle of Abu Klea where he won great accolades and of course many medals for his bravery! After this victory believing the Mahdists had been defeated and order was once again restored to Victoria's African Empire Darling and his brave cohort departed Sudan. They left Khartoum in April 1885 for the Antipodes arriving in Adelaide, South Australia in time for tea and scones in January 1887.

Now dear reader it is at this point where our story gets interesting; why did it take so long for Captain Darling and his comrades to arrive at Port Adelaide, why were two members of the contingent missing both Bluey and Stan had just disappeared, how did Bert lose the lower part of his left arm and finally what was in the large number of elephant sized crates that accompanied them?

Rumour and gossip abounded regarding this Expedition, firstly in the fine drinking establishments of Adelaide and then around the globe spreading rapidly thanks to the wonders of modern telegraphy! It was said that Captain Darling had led his boys on a escapade of adventure and daring do in the environs of Central Africa! There were stories of exotic animals bigger than elephants and more ferocious than lions as well as treasures beyond the wildest  dreams of average man in the street! Each of these wild stories varied in their details and minutiae but they all included one phrase 'the Land of the Lost'! 

'The Land of the Lost', what dear reader is the significance of this? Stay tuned for more details about this!

Next Time, The Land of the Lost Scenario!