In a scene taken from the novel, The Three Musketeers, Monsieur de Jussac, commanding a patrol of the Cardinal's guard, has interrupted D'Artagnan's series of duels with the three musketeers. When Jussac attempts to arrest the musketeers, D'Artagnan chooses to stand with them against the guardsmen...
The boxed text below explains what is happening in terms of the HeroQuest rules. The remainder of the text is drawn directly from Dumas' novel.
| Monsieur de Jussac
Relevant Abilities: Issue Orders 5W, Short-Tempered 17, Sword Fighting 5W. D'Artagnan Relevant Abilities: Hot Gascon Blood 17, Longs To Be A Musketeer 3W, Sword Fighting 17, Unorthodox Fighting Style 13. |
ROUND 1
"Withdraw, young man," cried Jussac, who doubtless, by his gestures and the expression of his countenance, had guessed D'Artagnan's design. "You may retire; we consent to that. Save your skin; begone quickly."
| Jussac opens the action by trying to persuade D'Artagnan to surrender, using his Issue Orders ability. It has a rating of 5W, which means he has 25 AP (HeroQuest p66). D'Artagnan resists with Longs To Be A Musketeer, which means he has 23 AP for the contest.
The Narrator decides that Jussac's action is a "cautious" bid (HeroQuest p68), and Jussac bids 4 AP.
Jussac rolls a 5 - a success, but D'Artagnan beats this with a 3, a better success. Bear in mind here that Masteries cancel (HeroQuest p62). Jussac therefore loses 2 AP, as per the Extended Contest Results table, HeroQuest p66. |
D'Artagnan did not budge.
...
And the nine combatants rushed upon each other with a fury which however did not exclude a certain degree of method.
Athos fixed upon a certain Cahusac, a favorite of the cardinal's. Porthos had Bicarat, and Aramis found himself opposed to two adversaries. As to D'Artagnan, he sprang toward Jussac himself.
The heart of the young Gascon beat as if it would burst through his side - not from fear, God he thanked, he had not the shade of it, but with emulation; he fought like a furious tiger, turning ten times round his adversary, and changing his ground and his guard twenty times.
| D'Artagnan charges in recklessly. The Narrator allows him an automatic augment (HeroQuest p79) of +2 to his Sword Fighting ability from his Hot Gascon Blood. This temporarily raises his Sword Fighting to 19. His action is a "determined" effort, so he bids 18 AP.
D'Artagnan rolls a 12 - success! - and Jussac rolls 16 - failure, bumped to a success because of his Mastery, but with a higher roll than D'Artagnan's. He loses a further 9 AP. |
END OF ROUND AP TOTALS:
D'artagnan: 23
Jussac: 14
ROUND 2
Jussac was, as was then said, a fine blade, and had had much practice; nevertheless it required all his skill to defend himself against an aversary...
| Jussac, fighting defensively, makes a "cautious" bid of 5 AP. He rolls a 5 (a success, bumped to a critical) against D'Artagnan's 4 (success). Jussac's skill is showing as he gains 5 AP from D'Artagnan! |
... who, active and energetic, departed every instant from received rules, attacking him on all sides at once, and yet parrying like a man who had the greatest respect for his own epidermis.
| Instead of directly attacking his opponent's AP total, D'Artagnan goes for a +3 rolled augment to his Sword Fighting (HeroQuest p83) from his Unorthodox Fighting Style. He rolls a 7, against the Narrator's 16, and gets a +3 bonus to his Sword Fighting ability, temporarily raising it to 2W. |
END OF ROUND AP TOTALS:
D'artagnan: 18
Jussac: 19
At length these tactics exhausted Jussac's patience. Enraged at being held in check by an adversary he had dismissed as a mere boy, he lost his temper and began to make mistakes.
| The Narrator decides that D'Artagnan's unusual tactics have made Jussac lose his temper, and applies a "negative" automatic augment (-2) from his Short-Tempered to his Sword Fighting ability, temporarily reducing it to 3W. |
D'Artagnan, though lacking in experience, was schooled in the soundest theory; the more wildly Jussac lunged, the more agile the Gascon became. Jussac, determined to have done with him, sprang forward and lunged to the full extent of his reach, aiming a terrible thrust at D'Artagnan; the latter whipped his blade under Jussac's, parrying in prime...
| Jussac, having lost his temper, makes a "reckless" bid, using desperation stakes (p70), the whole 25 AP that he began with!
He rolls a 7, a failure, while D'Artagnan rolls a 2 - success! Jussac loses all 25 AP, and is reduced to a total of -6 AP. He has been defeated. |
... and while Jussac was trying to get on guard again, D'Artagnan's blade darted like a serpent below Jussac's and passed through his body. Jussac fell like a log.
| D'Artagnan, however, takes a parting shot (see HeroQuest p69), hoping to make Jussac's defeat more telling. His quick riposte to Jussac's body is a "determined effort" bid - 15 AP. He rolls a 1 this time, for a critical against Jussac's success with a roll of 3. Jussac loses 15 more AP, but D'Artagnan does not gain from the transfer, as Jussac had no AP left to give him (HeroQuest p67). |
FINAL AP TOTALS:
D'artagnan: 18
Jussac: -21
| The final AP totals tell us that D'Artagnan is still in good form and ready to join his new friends, Aramis, Athos and Porthos, in the ongoing combat against the rest of the guards. Monsieur de Jussac, however, lies Injured, having suffered a Major Defeat (HeroQuest p74). |