Monday, September 20, 2010

Over the river and through the woods...



This first battle report will be a modified Rescue scenario.  My characters need to get to Grammy's house and bring her back to the car to continue with their Day One 'errands'.  There are no gangers to confront but all Day One rules are in effect (ie - terrified civilians...<shudder>).
There is a car wreck at the entrance to the cul de sac where Grammy's house sits.  The cars are blocking the road and a mob of civilians who are screaming at each other stands nearby.  Sweet Pea and Monkey Boy will need to go on foot the last few hundred yards to Grammy's.

(I apologize for the poor pictures, I had to use my phone...our camera is not working correctly.)


Our heroes stats:
Sweet Pea - rep 3 civilian, 2xBA pistols, machete, no attributes
Monkey Boy - rep 3 civilian, pistol, hockey stick, athlete attribute.
They begin outside the car across the table from Grammy's house.  Both are stars for this scenario.

Turn 1 - Activation: Players 6, Zombies 6 (reroll: 3-4)
A group of terrified civilians that were standing around the wrecked cars arguing turns towards Sweet Pea and Monkey Boy and rush at them.  There are 4 civilians and since it was such an open space I said each hero must fight through 2 each.  They both manage to fend off the crazed humans and then move towards Grammy's house.


Turn 2 - Activation: P-5, Z-2
As Monkey Boy and Sweet Pea move through the lawn, 5 zombies appear as if from no where, rising from around the landscaping and well manicured yards.  Our heroes pause and look at these new arrivals, wondering, trying to figure out what they are up to.  Are these crazed humans like the last lot?  Or something worse?  The zombies stagger towards the heroes...



Turn 3 - Activation: P-3, Z-5
Our heroes move with caution (both failed fast move) and decide to go around the figures facing them.  They duck into a side yard, keeping their distance from the strangers.  The Zombies, apparently recently turned, seem confused and stare after the two humans...


Turn 4 - Activation: P-4, Z-5
Everyone hesitates...it's quiet...too quiet...what are these people doing?  Are these zombies?  Sweet Pea and Monkey Boy aren't sure how to proceed.  The zombies seem equally confused and begin to moan...

Turn 5 - Activation: P-2, Z-1
Sweet Pea and Monkey Boy know that sound from all the movies they've watched!  The moan of the zombies motivates them to quick action and both fast move (12") towards Grammy's house.  The sudden movement of their prey sparks the instincts of the zombies who turn to pursue, moaning as they close...


Turn 6 - Activation: P-3, Z-1
Sweet Pea reaches the door to Grammy's house and begins to ring the bell and knock.  (I ruled that Grammy would open the door in 1d3 activations and rolled a 1.  On the next active turn for our heroes Grammy will open the door.  Unfortunately Grammy doesn't move very quickly...)  Monkey Boy moves up to stand behind Sweet Pea, facing away from the house.  He draws his pistol and brandishes his hockey stick in the other hand.  "Stay back!", he shouts to the Zeds.  "Stay back or I'll shoot!"  As the Zeds move closer, Monkey Boy must take the Zed or No Zed test and manages to pass 2d6!  He suddenly realizes the very real danger he and his mom are in...  "We need to get Grammy and go!", he says.  "I know", Sweet Pea replies, continuing to pound on the door...


Turn 7 - Activation: P-4, Z-3
Drawn by all the pounding and shouting, 4 more zeds appear, two from across the street and 2 in Grammy's back yard.  Sweet Pea and Monkey Boy are frozen, waiting for Grammy to come to the door, calling for her and knocking on the door.  The zeds are working into a frenzy from all the commotion and two charge Monkey Boy, intent on their first feast.  In desperation, our 13 year old hero fires his .22 pistol and makes a perfect head shot on the closest zombie.  He takes a quick second shot but the kick from the first shot throws off his aim.  "I'll need to get used to that...", he mutters to himself.  The second zed charges into Monkey Boy who makes a wild one handed swing with his hockey stick.  With a combination of luck, adrenaline and some skill gained playing travel hockey he manages to hook the zombie's neck and throw it to the ground, nearly tearing it's head off.  His muttering turns to a shout of rage and triumph as he realizes he's downed his first two zeds.  What he doesn't know is that the gunfire is attracting more of the creatures as another zombie stands up from some bushes that were concealing it and begins to move towards the fight...

Red glass blobs mark kills - I had to recycle zeds since I only have 12 that are painted
Turn 8 - Activation: P-4, Z-6
Sweet Pea continues to hammer on the door.  "Come on, old lady!  Come on!"  She never really did get along with her mother-in-law much and this wasn't helping their relationship one bit...  Meanwhile, Monkey Boy waves his pistol and stick and with quiet confidence says to the pack of zeds closing in on them, "Come on...bring it!"  Surprisingly the zeds seem confused by the little man and hesitate...


Turn 9 - Activation: P-6, Z-1
Now the zeds are getting really worked up.  More appear from around the neighborhood and begin closing with our heroes who are STILL waiting for Grammy to come and open the door.  Sweet Pea is out of her mind with impatience and begins shouting words that are better left unpublished...  Monkey Boy raises his pistol and takes aim at the nearest zed but hesitates...


Turn 10 - Activation: P-1, Z-2
Smelling blood and eager for their first feast 5 of the zeds charge!  Monkey Boy drops one with a well aimed head shot just as it reaches him but his second shot goes into the dirt as the next zed hits his arm.  Monkey Boy fights with the desperation of a cornered badger!  Swinging his hockey stick and lashing out with his pistol in a berserker rage he kills two zombies and ties up a third without taking a single wound.  Sweet Pea is crushed against the door of the house, her back to the melee with a single zed trying to bite the back of her neck.  Issuing a steady stream of curses and inarticulate screams, she just manages to twist and grab hold of it's face before it's teeth can sink in.  The gunfire and sounds of battle bring another zed to the scene.  Both heroes are locked in melee just as Grammy opens the door...


Turn 11 - Activation: P5, Z2
More zeds start arriving, drawn by what will surely be a tremendous feast.  Sweet Pea and Monkey Boy are in a fight for their lives on Grammy's front porch, while Grammy stands just inside the door, too stunned to do anything.  Three more zeds charge into the melee and again Monkey Boy manages to shoot and kill one as they close.  With the calm precision of a trained assassin Monkey Boy takes down the two remaining zeds attacking him...  Sweet Pea, stumbling backwards against the opening door, twists hard and breaks the neck of the zed she's battling with, but a second steps up and grapples with her as Grammy stands and watches...  There is no time for words and no energy for screaming as the fighting is hot and frenetic...


Turn 12 - Activation: P-3, Z-3 (reroll 6-1, I ruled no zeds for reroll...)
Suddenly from around the corner of the house, perhaps being driven on by the zombies in the back yard, a horde of 4 terrified civilians run across the front of the house, plowing into the melee.  Monkey Boy is knocked down from behind and lays unconscious on the porch...  Sweet Pea stumbles backwards into the house and avoids the mob.  Seeing Monkey Boy go down, she cries out in anger and fear and with the rage of a she-bear decapitates the final zed she'd been fighting...  The terrified civilians surge past the front door and plow into another zed coming around the corner of the house...  With Monkey Boy out of the fight and more zeds closing, Sweet Pea knows they must act now or die here...



Turn 13 - Activation: P-2, Z-1
Grammy's grandma instincts finally burst into action and she charges through the door to help Monkey Boy.  Sweet Pea is a bit faster though and reaches the boy first, lifting him quickly and racing away from the house.  In her haste she doesn't notice the pistol and hockey stick lying among the slain zeds and these are left behind...  Both women run as fast as they can towards the car but one being burdened carrying a teenage body and the other being well over 75 neither manages to run very far.  Meanwhile the mob of civilians knock the zombie down that they barreled into at the corner of the house and then they run off into the neighbor's backyard...  The rest of the zeds on the board, moaning loudly, nearly howling with blood-lust move towards the two fleeing women...




Turn 14 - Activation: P-1, Z-2
The zeds charge, frenzied now, sensing their prey is about to escape them.  Both women are attacked in the rear.  Sweet Pea, even cradling her boy, manages to make a back handed sweep with her machete, felling yet another zed.  Unfortunately a second zed grapples with her...  Grammy manages to avoid being bitten but is too terrified and weak to finish the monster off...  Both women are in desperation mode now, locked in melee with the living dead.  The car is just down the street.  Most of the zeds are towards the house, away from the car.  If they can just get away from these two zombies they just might make it...




Turn 15 - Activation: P-5, Z-4
Grammy and Sweet Pea are determined to defend Monkey Boy to the last.  The zeds close in, 1 charging Grammy.  She manages to hold off one of them but the other proves too much and Grammy goes out of the fight.  One zed closes on Monkey Boy, anticipating some young flesh to feast on, but doesn't quite reach him this turn.


Sweet Pea needs to overcome one zed in melee and then make a break for it...she gets four dice to it's one...she feels badly that Grammy will be left behind to be a feast...she knows she must save her son...she feels confident...she rolls the dice and...

Blue player dice, Green zed die
 ...GOES OOF!!!  AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!  We almost made it...


The four remaining zeds enjoy a 3 player feast...
Aftermath:
Well, it was epic...at least I can say that.  I can't imagine Monkey Boy playing any better than he did.  It was just incredible the way the dice worked for him.  Sweet Pea on the other hand just never seemed to be able to come through, especially in the end when she really needed to.  Oh well...  Our main problem was that we just couldn't activate when we REALLY needed to.  That, and terrified civilians popping up at the most inopportune moments!  Still, it was a tremendous battle and I love the way the story unfolds with Two Hour Wargames.  I think these rules really are a great wargame/rpg combo!

I don't know just how I'll proceed with the campaign.  I may start over and instead of splitting up keep the family together for each mission.  Or maybe PDoid will continue on his own or maybe he'll coming looking for his family...or...who knows?

Until next time...peace.

11 comments:

  1. Wow! Just wow! What an impressive battle. Monkey Boy did a very good job in turn 10...oh, well, all of the time.
    In turn 14 I almost had to get up from my chair in excitement (almost, because I am in the office). Dice are cruel.

    This situation is kind of depressing, isn't it. I would have continued my game in exactly the same situation without knowing what had happened to Mrs. Whiteface and Dotty, but it sure felt strange.
    I had planned to roll 2 dice for every zombie I would met in the same area in the next 6 months with a double six or one being on of the missing. Later on I would have changed to 3d6 and triples for some time. That problem was solved for me by getting shot in the first month. You, as an armed Rep 4 may survive longer.

    Great debut!

    Whiteface / Oliver

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  2. Aw man, that ending was a right choker! How cruel! Monkey Boy deserved a medal (or better still, a Rep increase) for the way he performed. What a hero! I could so feel Sweet Pea's frustration at how long it took Granny to answer the door. Just out of interest, why did she take so long? You said she'd open the door in 1d3 activations and rolled a 1. Methinks she really didn't like her daughter in law and made her wait so long just out of spite! I wasn't at all bothered when she went OOF. But for Sweet Pea to roll so badly right at the end was a great pity. Her defeat was heartbreaking!

    I'd suggest doing what Oliver did when he played Day One for the first time and suffered catastrophic losses. Learn from your mistakes and start again. Only next time, don't split up! PDoid being Rep:4 will make a big difference to surviving Day One. Keeping everyone together will give you strength in numbers. Also, I know it seems cruel, but as a Rep:2 civilian, what benefit would Granny bring to the party? Yes, she's family, but to be blunt, she's more a burden than an asset. Doc, assuming he is a doctor, would be a great asset to your group. Someone with medical training is worth their weight in gold in a zombie apocalypse.

    Despite the outcome this was a superb and highly entertaining batrep that once again, proves just how good a game ATZ is.

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  3. QUOTE: "Also, I know it seems cruel, but as a Rep:2 civilian, what benefit would Granny bring to the party?" Hehe, I could answer this question, but this would sound even more cruel.

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  4. Oliver, get your filthy mind out of the gutter!
    LOL!

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  5. What?! Hey, no...I was thinking about using her as a zombie decoy or as food. Nothing filthy about it...

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  6. Ooookay. I'll believe you. Still, now that you mention it, using granny as zombie bait isn't a bad idea! My God, we need therapy!

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  7. Dudes! That's my mom you're talking about! LOL!

    Vamp: when I said "1 activation" for Grammy to open the door I meant the next time the players were active. Notice that they aren't able to activate for 3 turns after they reach the door. Grammy opens the door on their first turn of activation after reaching the door. Does that clear it up?

    Whiteface: It is sad to lose one's family like this but I've decided that I'm going to play the campaign on from here as is. Afterall, PDoid doesn't know what's happened yet... I like your idea of rolling to see if I find my zombified family. It would be creepy but add an interesting aspect to the campaign... Maybe I can capture them and keep them chained up until I find the 'cure'. Of course there's a danger of becoming like the guy in the Walking Dead comic who feeds his daughter parts from his torture victims...don't wanna go there.

    BTW, Doc is not a medical doctor, just a very good friend and a fellow zombie fan with the initials 'MD', hence 'Doc'. We've run more fantasy zombie apocalypse survival scenarios in conversation over Guinness and burgers than I care to admit to. He'd be an asset. And Vamp, concerning why I'd bother to go get my mom all I can say is...well...she's my mom, ya know? Maybe I've watched Shaun of the Dead too much but it just seems like something I'd do...

    Thanks for the comments! I'll be posting more soon. Peace.

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  8. PDoid, I totally get the family reference. You look after your own first, irrespective of how useful the person might be. They do say that blood is thicker than water. I love your reference to Shaun and his mom from "Shaun of the Dead." I absolutely love that film. Mind you, that didn't turn out so good for Shaun, so the pair of you have something in common.

    Thanks for clearing up why it took so long for granny to open the door. It all makes sense now. My bad for not paying more attention to the activation rolls. In my own defence, I was so wrapped up in the story that I barely glanced at them the deeper I got into the batrep.

    I admire your decision to carry on with the campaign. It's a shame Doc isn't medically trained. Hopefully, he'll still prove to be an asset. I'm looking forward to your next batrep.

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  9. With a bit of "luck" you will have a positive result on the "is that zed I just encountered a family member" check when you meet your first smart zed.

    When Mr. Whiteface couldn't find his family I really thought about his feelings. I had intended him to be a survivor with the protection of his family as his first priority. But without his family a career as a ganger was possible, after all it was the fault of all those terrified civilians. Never had a chance to follow that road into madness though.

    Good luck for the rescue of Doc.

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  10. ARGH ! What bad luck.... that sucks man, but it would have made good TV, great batrep, it was fun to read.

    I'm still in two minds about this whole activation business, it really can go against you ingame.

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  11. Activation is not a problem...when you're Rep 5. Being Rep 3 is dangerous...

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