The Rescue at Zichenstadt. . .

 

The village of Zichenstadt where the gouty General von Bauchschemerzen is being held prisoner in the house to the left of the village church.  During the middle of the night, Captain Paul von Stollen, Oberfeldwebel Klatschen, Heinie, and Gustl 'The Kid' Goshen make their way from the edge of the woods along the table edge at right toward the village to attempt their rescue mission.

The Young Master and I played out our rescue scenario in just under one hour this afternoon.  Amazingly, his luck held out and his men managed to escape detection during their approach to Zichenstadt, their rescue of General von Bauchschmerzen, and their escape back to the safety of the woods well before daybreak.  Equally amazing, the band of four rescuers managed to carry out their mission without interference from enemy sentries or curious villagers.  

We used a D6 for random movement each turn for the Young Master's four figures and 2d6 after each move to see whether or not Paul von Stollen and his companions were discovered by the Zichenauer captors.  I never managed to roll the coveted '2' darn it!  So, the additional company of Flickenhoffer fusiliers that garrisons the Zichenstadt remained asleep in the village church, the two wandering sentries managed to miss the rescuers, and a couple of town drunks emerging from the village tavern at a very late hour also remained unaware that anything was amiss.  

Even with his gouty leg, the rescuers managed to disguise von Bauchschmerzen as a beggar, get him out of the house in which he was held, and help him across fields to the safety of the woods well before sunrise.  Mission accomplished!  

On a related note, there seems to be no stopping The Young Master when it comes to rolling good dice.  I've never seen anything like it.  Now, Bad Dad?  The less said of my die rolling technique, the better.  

But we had a great time together, the game was a perfect way to end his first day back to school via Zoom following Christmas Vacation, and Young Paul has already suggested another big game for late January or some time in February.  Who knows?  I feel the urge to attempt Sittangbad yet again.

-- Stokes

 

Here come the four rescuers, led by the intrepid Captain Paul von Stollen, as they swing around thew southern edge of Zichenstadt.

 

 "Oh, no!  It's Mr. Hands.  He's going to be mean to me."  Young Master Paul measuring his variable move distance early in the game.  

 

 Captain von Stollen leads his men stealthily around the western edge of the village, miraculously still undetected by citizens or sentries.

 

 

 The rescuers round the northwestern corner of Zichenstadt and begin their careful approach to the house where it is thought General von Bauchschmerzen is held by his captors.

 

 

Von Stollen and his men move carefully to the door of the house in question where they spot von Bauchschmerzen through one of the windows, chatting amiably with a few enemy officers while they enjoy a large dinner together.  It takes Oberfeldwebel Klatschen five attempts to pick the lock without detection and gain entry.  Once inside, the four rescuers quickly tie up and gag the three enemy officers as General von Bauchschmerzen finishes a goblet of wine and takes one last bite of pheasant leg.

 

 

Disguising the gouty von Bauchschmerzen as a beggar, von Stollen, Oberfeldwebel Klatshen, Heinie, and 'The Kid' make their escape with their charge, who needs considerable assistance given his painful foot.

 

 

Against all odds, von Stollen's men reach the safety of the woods and the table edge in Turn 20 without a single shot having been fired.  Without a doubt, the two sentries wandering around the streets of Zichenstadt are brainless dolts, the rest of the enemy soldiers billeted in the village church managed to sleep through the entire affair, and the villagers emerging from the Prinz Heinrich at such a late hour clearly could not see straight.  Put another way, ol' Dad did not manage to roll anything worthy in this game either.  At all.  I need some new dice.