Los Lobos and the Civitas Crystallini Adventure Part One-Opponent's and Goals

 Background-1932

Following up on a recently discovered document giving the general location of the lost ancient city of Civitas Crystallini, Dr. Linda Vaquero of the Escuela Los Lobos put together an expedition of 25 trusted scientists, explorers and guards. As the location was in the hotly contested no man's land bordering the Southeast Asia territories claimed by Imperial China, Imperial Nippon and the French Empire, the expedition entered the territory in secret and promptly disappeared. Six months later one of the guards, Jon Svenson, was discovered by a French patrol. He was delirious and dying of Jungle Fever. Jon only managed to say four words before he expired, "sky monsters...metal men." Escuela Los Lobos immediately put together a rescue mission under the leadership of Dr. Kentucky (Kenny) Jons with orders to rescue any survivors, bring back remains and any artifacts and, if possible, verify the location of Civitas Crystallini.

Los Lobos

Dr. Jons Los Lobos heavily armed rescue party. Left to right, front to back: Dr. Kenny Jons (Elite, Colt.45 Revolver & Bowie Knife), Gaston (Veteran, 30.06 Bolt Action Rifle, Fragmentation and Smoke Grenades), Pierre (Regular, 30.06 Bolt Action Rifle with Bayonet), Dr. Lars Jonsen-expedition 2nd in command (Veteran, 31' 30.06 Browning Automatic Assault Rifle), Robbie (Regular, .45 Submachine Gun), Julien (Regular, 30.06 Bolt Action Rifle), Pedro (Regular, Colt .45 Automatic, Fragmentation and Smoke Hand Grenades), Carlos (MkII 30.06 Bren Gun Light Machine Gun) all the men, apart for Dr. Jons, have hunting knives.

Other International Parties Involved:

Imperial Nippon

Southeast Asia Command Orders for Rikugun-Shoi (Ensign) Izu Takomi: Intelligence for this command has discover several unauthorized Hakujin (Caucasian) incursions into Imperial Nipponese lands. You and your squad of Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) are to investigate and forcibly maintain Imperial claims to said territory. You are authorized to capture or eliminate any enemy intruders and confiscate any items of Imperial interest. 

SNLF Patrol, left to right front to back: Heisocho (Warrent Officer) Sho (Veteran, Type 38 6.6mm Bolt Action Rifle, Bayonet Fragmentation, Smoke and Tear Gas Grenades), Itto Kaishi's (Seamen) Yu & Daiki, (Regulars, Type 38, 6.6mm Bolt Action Rifles & Bayonets), Rikugun-Shoi Izu Takomi (Veteran, Samurai Katana Sword & Type 26, 9mm Revolver), Itto Kaishi's (Seamen) Kenta, Kaito, Ren & Shota, (Regulars, Type 38, 6.6mm Bolt Action Rifles & Bayonets).

Imperial Chinese Semi-Autonomous Zone

Orders for Shangwei (Captain) An Yen, 203 Frontier Company, from Imperial Chinese Dongan Silingbu (Southeast Command). Rumors of strange happenings in the Chinese territory of Shi-Zuan have been received by this General. The honor of the Imperial State requires that you take your available Rapid Response Troops, without weakening your outpost security, into this territory immediately.  Drive out any and all foreigners from Imperial Chinese Territory. Additional forces will be sent to your aid when available. 

General Sun Tsu-Li

Shangwei An's RRT from, left to right front to back: Junxiaoshang (Officer Cadet) Li Zhang (Regular, 9 mm Submachine Gun & Fragmentation Grenades) Erdeng Bing (Private) Shen (Green,7.92 mm Mauser Gewehr 98 & Bayonet), Shangwei An (Veteran, 9 mm Mauser C96 Automatic, Sword, Fragmentation Grenades), Erdeng Bing's Chang, Quon, Tan, Liang, Hiro, Jin & Ping (Green,7.92 mm Mauser Gewehr 98 & Bayonet). 

The battle is set, first moves in the next post.

All the pieces are plastic that I have painted in the last decade.

The above is a game sent to my own Pulp 1920's-30's rules. Here is the background and timeline to the rules and the game if you're interested:

30’s Pulp World

Starting with the German - American Venezuela Conflict of 1902-03 (where a failed German naval attempt to invade the New England Coast lead to closer ties between Imperial Germany and Great Britain) through the Sino Imperial Revolution of 1919-23, the first decades of the 20th Century were rampant with large and small wars.  The biggest of these was the Great War of October 1912-January 1914.

The Great War began in the Balkans as yet another conflict between petty kingdoms, the war quickly escalated into a Worldwide conflict between two powerful coalitions, the Imperial German-British Alliance (including Nuevo Imperial Turkey, New Belgium Empire & the Kingdom of Bulgaria) and the French, Serbian, Russian Entente (including the Kingdom of Romania, Kingdom of Greece and Kingdom of Denmark).

Early defeats lead to the “November Revolution” of 1913 within the Russian Empire. The mysterious disappearance of Tsar Nicholas II and his children in mid-1914, helped to rally much needed peasant support for the remaining Romanov family and prolonged the bloody conflict until a tentative cease fire was declared in 1921. With Russia divided into Bolshevist and Imperial factions and American lack of interest in joining the Alliance or the Entente, a peace that would preserve the European Empires was negotiated in the January of 1914.  Another causality of the Great War was the French Republic which had once again failed to defeat Germany.  With popular acclaim, the latest Bonaparte, Victor Napoleon IV, was welcomed as the newest ruler of the French Empire.

By the late ‘20’s the major powers had recovered enough from the ravages of the Great War for international greed to again rear its ugly head in the colonial frontiers of the World.  Large numbers of former military units from all the Great War combatants have formed themselves into mercenary bands of every quality and type ready to fight for hirer by the highest bidder. Small conflicts, similar to the innumerable ones of Victorian Era have erupted around the globe. These small conflicts with limited goals and even more limited forces have become the focus of governments that want to avoid at all costs another catastrophe like the Great War that smashed the Romanov Empire. Fear of another Great War II has led to small unit actions becoming the norm for the World Players.  Losses are light, “deniability” is high, and the Empires survive-the Great Game continues.

1930 World Players

Austro Hungarian Empire (Emperor Franz-Ferdinand)

Bolshevist Russian States (General Secretary Leon Trotsky)

French Empire (Emperor Victor Napoleon IV [1915-1930]/Emperor Jerome Napoleon VI [1930-present] and Président du Conseil Pierre-Paul-Henri-Gaston Doumergue: Republican-Socialist) 

Greater Bulgar-Romani Empire (Tsar Ferdinand)

Holy Portuguese–Spanish Empire (Manuel II, By the Grace of God, King of Portugal-Spain and the Algarves) 

Imperial Chinese Semi-Autonomous Zone (Great Emperor of China Yuan Shikai & Crown Prince Yuan Kewen)

Imperial Brazil (Supremo Geral Imperador Augusto Tasso Fragoso)

Imperial Britain (King-Emperor George V)

Imperial Germany (Kaiser Wilhelm III)

Imperial Italy (Caesar Vittorio Emanuele III)

Imperial Nippon (124th Emperor- “Hirohito”)

Imperial Russia (Tsar Michael II)

Kingdom & Empire of the Netherlands (Queen Wihelmina)

Kingdom of Serbia Albains & Montanegro (Alexander, Regent for King George “the Insane”)

New Belgium Empire (Albert I King-Emperor)

Nuevo Imperial Turkey (President for Life Mustafa Kemal Ataturk)

Rattanakosin Kingdom (Prajadhipok-King Rama VII)

United Empire of Sweden, Norway and Finland (Kejsare Gustaf V Adolf)

United Mexican States (President Pascual Ortiz Rubio: Partido Revolucionario Institucional)

United States of America (President Robert M. La Follette: Progressive)

Shadow Powers

Escuela Los Lobos Comité Ejecutivo de Campaña

Novum Imperium Romanum

Laal Blood Brothers of Kali 

Tong of the Emerald Dragon

Sect of the Broken Ruby

Quetzalcoatl’s Priesthood of the Sapphire Sky

Early 20th Century Conflicts

Victors are listed first in the brackets.

(*Event modified or created for this Pulp Universe, all the others are actual events.)

1902-03: German American Venezuela Conflict (USA & Venezuela vs Imperial Germany-with British backing)* 

1902-1913: Moro Uprising (USA vs Moro Philippine Rebels)

1903-04: Conquest of Tibet (Imperial Britain vs Tibet)

1904: Moroccan Bandit Upheaval (USA & Imperial France vs Moroccan tribes-with Imperial German backing)*  

1904-05: Russo-Nipponese War (Imperial Nippon vs Imperial Russia)

-1904 Dogger Bank Incident (Imperial Russian Navy vs British Fishing Fleet)

-1904 Freedom of the North Sea Incident (Imperial British Home Fleet vs Imperial Russian Navy)*

1905: Tibetan Rebellion (Imperial Britain vs Tibetan Rebels)

1905: Winter Revolt (Imperial Russia vs Workers Parties Revolutionaries)

1906: Bambatha Revolt (Imperial Britain vs Zulu Rebels)

1905-07: Rebellion of the Polish Kingdom (Imperial Russia vs Polish Rebels)

1905-07: Maji Maji War (Imperial Germany vs East African Rebels)

1906-1908: Dutch Intervention in Bali (Kingdom of the Netherlands vs Kingdom of Bali)

1906-1909: American Occupation of Cuba (USA vs Cuban Rebels)

1909-1910: Mellia War (Kingdom of Spain vs Moroccan Rif Rebels)

1909-1910: Hauran-Druze Rebellion (Ottoman Empire vs Syrian Rebels)

1909-1911: Wadai War (Imperial France vs Ouaddi Empire)

1910: Albanian Revolt (Nuevo Imperial Turkey vs Albanian Rebels)*

1910-13: War of Portuguese-Spanish Unification (Holy Portuguese–Spanish Empire vs Spanish Republicans, Portuguese Republicans and various Workers Parties)*

1910-1920: Mexican Revolutionary War of Liberty (Revolutionaries vs Federal Mexico)

1911-12: French Conquest of Morocco (Imperial France vs Sultan Abdelhafid)

1911-1912: Italo-Turkish War (Kingdom of Italy vs Turkish Libya)

1912-Present: Nicaragua Occupation (USA vs Nicaraguan Rebels)

1912-1913: Young Turks Revolution (Nuevo Imperial Turkey vs Ottoman Empire)*

1912-1914: Great War (Imperial German-British Alliance, including Nuevo Imperial Turkey, New Belgium Empire and Kingdom of Bulgaria vs the French, Serbian, Russian Entente, including Kingdom of Romania, Kingdom of Greece and Kingdom of Denmark).*

1912-16: Contestado War (Brazil vs Brazilian Rebels)

1914-1921:  Zayan War (Imperial France vs Moroccan Rebels)

1915-1919: 1st South East Asia Borders War (Rattanakosin Kingdom & Imperial Germany vs Imperial France)*

1914-18: 1st Bolshevist War (Bolshevist Russian States vs Imperial Russia)*

1915-present: Occupation of Haiti (USA vs Haitian Rebels)

1916-1919: Novo Império Guerra (Imperial Brazil vs Repubican Brazil)*

1916-1922: Dominican Campaign (USA vs Dominican Rebels)

1917: Third Anglo-Marri War (Imperial Britain vs Marri Balochistan Rebels)

1917: Pancho Villa Expedition (Mexican Bandits vs USA)

1919: Third Anglo-Afghan War (Imperial Britain vs Afghanistan)

1919: Egyptian Revolt (Imperial Britain vs Egyptian Rebels)

1919-20: Anglo-Irish War (Imperial Britain vs Irish Rebels)*

1919-1923: Sino Imperial Revolution (Hongxian Dynasty, vs Revolutionaries)*

1920-25: 2nd Bolshevist War (Imperial Russia vs Bolshevist Russian States)*

1920-26: 3rd Rif War (Portuguese–Spanish Empire vs Moroccan Rebels)*

1920-32: Conquest of Libya  (Italy vs Libyan Rebels)

1922-24: Finian Revolt (Imperial Britain vs Irish Rebels)*

1923-26: 2nd South East Asia Borders War (Rattanakosin Kingdom & Imperial Britain vs Imperial France & Imperial Russia)*

1925-present: Southeast Asia Border Incursions (All the Major Powers)*

1926-1930: The Cristero (Mexico vs Counter Revolutionaries)

1929-present: Central States Unification Wars (United Mexican States vs Guatemala, El Salvador & Honduras)*

1929: 3rd South East Asia Borders War (Imperial Nippon vs Rattanakosin Kingdom)*

1929- present: Irish Unrest (Imperial Britain vs Irish Rebels)*

1930-present: 3rd Bolshevist War (Bolshevist Russian States, Imperial Russia)*

1931-Dragon Bones Incidents and Pulp Colonial Conflicts*:

March: Dragon Lady Raid (Bolshevist Russian States, Imperial Germany, French Empire, Imperial Britain, Imperial Russia)*

April: Where’s the Fuel (USA vs Bolshevist Russian States)

June: Patrol Meeting (Imperial Britain vs Colonial Resistance)

July: Asian Connection (Imperial Britain, Imperial Germany, Imperial Nippon)

August: Lost Dig Mystery (Sect of the Broken Ruby vs Bolshevist Russian States)*

September: Ambush (Imperial Britain vs Colonial Resistance)*

1932-May: Los Lobos and the Civitas Crystallini Adventure (Escuela Los Lobos Comité Ejecutivo de Campaña, Imperial Chinese Semi-Autonomous Zone Imperial Nippon & Novum Imperium Romanum)*

(*event modified or created for this Pulp 20’-30’s Universe)