Lost Patrol Report: Batman & Cyborg Verses The Weeping Angels

BATMAN & CYBORG BATTLE WEEPING ANGELS IN ORDER TO THWART POISON IVY

This game was played using the "Lost Patrol” rules by “Games Workshop”. A number of House Rules were implemented in order to reduce the difficulty of the game, and ensure that the Weeping Angels behaved a little more like their television counterparts. These alterations basically consisted of them only being allowed to deploy a single statue onto "a tile at the end of a path" unless there was no other option, and having to stick to the pathways for their movement, as opposed to being able to ignore foliage and make a direct beeline for their prey through the vegetation. In addition, as I wanted to try out the game in a different “DC Comics” setting, and have already plenty of painted “Heroclix” and “Crooked Dice Game Design” models ready for the table, we simply swapped the Space Marine Scouts and Genestealers with Batman, Cyborg and some Gotham City Police officers, as well as half a dozen Scary Statues.

“The story so far… Poison Ivy has turned Robinson Park into a lethal jungle, packed full of carnivorous killer plants. Having successfully captured Pamela Isley and locked her up in Arkham Asylum, Batman has journeyed back to Gotham City’s wilderness in order to recover the eco-terrorist’s plant toxins and allow the vegetation to return to normality. Realising that he’d need help with this task, the Caped Crusader has enlisted aid from the Justice League of America and Gotham City Police Department. However, upon landing within the inhospitable bush, the Dark Knight and Cyborg have discovered that something has hidden Ivy’s vat of contaminants elsewhere, and the hunters have become the hunted in a game of cat and mouse where no-one dare blink…”

THE TABLETOP - GOTHAM CITY'S ROBINSON PARK

The game was set up as per the “Lost Patrol: Death In The Jungle” rule pamphlet, with the Clearing tile placed in the centre of the table and Batman, Cyborg and three Policemen positioned on top of it. The Jungle tiles were then shuffled and placed into a stack face down. The vat of toxins tile was then placed at the bottom of the stack. Finally all the jungle paths the superheroes could see from the Clearing were placed.

Surrounded by vegetation, Batman spotted an encouraging pathway to the North, and slowly made his way up it. Behind him Cyborg decided that he would be best placed just to the north of the main party in order for his advanced weaponry to cover all of his colleagues. The Police officers decided that sticking together was definitely in their best interests, especially as a route west appeared to finish in a literal dead end, and so patiently waited for the Dark Knight’s return whilst keeping the rampant wildlife covered with their firearms.

BATMAN SEARCHES NORTH AS CYBORG SCANS THE UNDERGROWTH FOR SIGNS OF LIFE

Momentarily however the three lawmen turned their eyes away from the undergrowth in front of them, and looking back discovered a group of Weeping Angels had somehow appeared on the pathways. With a cry of alarm the Police officer’s realised that they were about to fall prey to “the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life-form ever produced” and raised their pistols. Instinctively blinking, the cops watched almost helplessly as the murderous statues quickly fell upon them. But with Cyborg’s fire support (+1 covering fire bonus), “the only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely” were dispatched as they attacked one after the other.

THE WEEPING ANGELS ATTACK BUT ARE FOUGHT OFF BY GOTHAM CITY'S FINEST

Hearing the gunfire behind him, Batman grimly decided he had to quickly carry on and follow the path he was on. This strangely seemed to turn towards the South, so the Caped Crusader dutifully followed it. Meanwhile his companions, emboldened by their success over the first wave of Weeping Angels, prepared themselves for the inevitable second assault. Cyborg decided to explore a pathway snaking East with one of the Policemen. Whilst the other two law officers warily keep an eye on the tree-line surrounding the clearing. 

THE DARK KNIGHT CONTINUES IN HIS SEARCH AS CYBORG MOVES TO THE EAST

Unfortunately, having been forced into blinking on account of the stifling heat and persistent troublesome forest flies, Gotham City's finest gave the “race of predatory creatures” ample opportunity to reach their position and were soon blazing away with their firearms. Cyborg joined the fray too, with his carbine arm tearing out great chunks of the animated statues as they approached. Without making a single sound, the three Weeping Angels were shot to pieces.

Suddenly Victor Stone felt a prickling presence behind him, and swung round raising his mighty cybernetic arm. However instead of a scary statue, he saw the Dark Knight appear up ahead of him. Frustratingly the path Batman had been following had simply brought the Caped Crusader back to near the clearing. Joining his Justice League of America comrade Bruce Wayne's alter-ego shook his head disappointingly, and watched as the three Gotham City policemen filed past to explore the trail heading East. Somewhere off in the Southwest, Cyborg thought he heard the sounds of movement. But his infrared eye sensors could detect nothing living...

GOTHAM CITY POLICE PUSH EAST AS BATMAN UNCOVERS A SNEAK WEEPING ANGELS ATTACK

The Gotham City Policemen discovered that the eastern trail soon opened up and a result a pair of them forked off Southeast. Whilst the remaining lawman stuck with the East trail. Seeing a Weeping Angel from across the Clearing, the Dark Knight hurled two Bat-a-rangs at the scary statue; neither of which did any damage whatsoever. However Cyborg opened up with his formidable firepower ("two dice if shooting with the Heavy Trooper) and blasted the fanged fiend to bits.

THE DARK KNIGHT BAT-A-RANGS THE WEEPING ANGELS

Worryingly three more Weeping Angels appeared from the South and Southwest, so leaving the Caped Crusader to protect their rear, Victor Stone moved to follow the lone Gotham City Police officer searching East. The jungle finally seemed to be letting the heroes make some progress towards finding Poison Ivy's missing vat of toxins. But behind them were now a number of the deadly scary statues, and if Cyborg's drive East ever ended in a dead end, then they'd have to turn back straight into the fatal embrace of their stone-cold pursuers...