5150: Star Army Diversion

This isn't zombie related, but the other night we had a game night. My daughter was staying with a friend so my littlest and I, along with his mom, played some 5150: Star Army. I have been eager to try these rules using some of my large Warhammer 40K collection and this seemed the perfect opportunity. Ayden was all too willing!

We set up on a 4'x4' table depicting a bombed out crossroad outpost. The mission was a simple patrol:  explore the area to determine enemy activity and report back to base. For the enemy, we used some old Rogue Trader Space Orks I collected in college. It was startling to realize I painted these figures over 25 years ago! I kept it simple and used the Hishen stats for the Orks. For our force we used my Praetorian Imperial Guard as Planetary Defense Force (PDF) troops. At some point I will take a crack at creating my own THW army stats for my 40K armies.

For the PDF, we each took 4 figures equipped with soft body armor and lasguns (assault rifle equivalent).  One group had a Rep 5 leader, the rest were all Rep 4. One group also had a rocket launcher. The Orks were straight Hishen equivalents. We set up the Possible Enemy Forces (PEFs) and went for it!

Ayden is attentive during the mission briefing. I explained the situation to him as the game unfolded and let him make his decisions and roll the dice. He caught on quickly!

An Ork squad, dug in and defending, appeared on our right flank. The two squads on our right got bogged down and unable to advance.

Meanwhile, on our left, mom's squad advanced uncontested.

Trying to outmaneuver the dug in Orks we get clobbered! My squad goes down from off board mortar fire (2nd PEF). Ayden's squad loses three members trying to dash through the open and get into cover.

The game ended when mom's squad activated the final PEF at the rear of the Ork center. It was another Ork squad and they made short work of the Praetorians. We had only 2 Imperial Guard figures left on the table so we called it. Ayden played on for a bit though while we watched. Using more imagination than dice, he decided these last two guys linked up and returned to base, dodging Orks the whole way. They were able to report on the Ork locations and guide an orbital bombardment that took the Orks out and turned the tide of the war! Nice.

I really enjoy Two Hour Wargames rules, especially for coop play like this. Wargaming has always been about the modeling and storytelling for me and these rules enhance that feel. I walked away from WH40K years ago when it became more about maxing out a force to win tournaments and less about the story. I've kept all my models though because GW does make some impressive figures. Thanks to Ed and the crew at THW, I now get to use all those figures to play a game that feels like the old Rogue Trader glory days of 40K.

I also appreciate the more realistic combat of the THW rulesets. Firefights are a dangerous, bloody thing and these rules keep it so, pushing players to make careful decisions as they engage the enemy. The rules reward good tactics, something we need to work on considering the outcome of this game! It seems someone was asleep at the Imperial Guard command in the rear...

The Praetorian command mascot, Oscar, an English Bulldog mix, is unconcerned with the butcher's bill.

FFO: Day One

Been gaming but not blogging much. A while back we started an FFO campaign with the Day One scenario. The situation was my wife was at her work place in Downtown Tedolo. Her two kids were at the Catholic Club in day care (we decided the campaign would start in the summer). I was at work at St. Victoria's hospital, also downtown, about 2 miles from the store. Here's the cast of active characters...

Paul Carlson - Rep 4 Star, Free Spirit, Agile.
Marie Carlson - Rep 3 Star, Fast, Initiative

My urban terrain is a bit meager but we made do. The cars will move around in the pics since we were trying to convey lots of action on this first day of the outbreak.

The situation was that we both heard of the outbreak at work and were able to text briefly before communication was broken off. We decided Marie would go to get the kids and bring them back to the store. I would take my car and go to our house, get some weapons and supplies and meet her at the store. We decided the store was the best place to hole up even though it was downtown (urban area) because it is a cement block building with only two, high security entrances that could be easily reinforced. Also, the nature of the family business is such that we would have plenty of luxury items to barter with if we needed.

First up is Marie. She is at the family store with her dad and her brother. There are a number of melee weapons available in the store, including several baseball bats. Marie's dad will stay to guard the store while Marie goes to get the kids. Her brother leaves to go find his fiance. It is a short walk to the Catholic Club so Marie heads out...

The store is in the lower left. Catholic club is the big gray building in the upper right.

Marie encounters 3 crazed civilians as traffic zooms up and down the street. She grabs a baseball bat from the store...

Unable to activate for a few turns, Marie bides her time as the civilians close in on the store entrance...

The crazies start banging on the door of the store. Marie gathers her courage and rushes out to deal with the them...

She makes short work of them with her baseball bat.

Dashing across the street, dodging traffic, she approaches the Catholic Club.

Almost there!

Unfortunately, arriving at the Catholic Club, Marie learns her children are not there! Maybe they've been picked up by their dad?! (Paul is the children's step-dad...) With tears of frustration running down her face, Marie heads back to the store.

Across the street she sees another pair of crazed civvies.

With a grim look on her face, the undaunted Marie closes with the crazies, hefting her baseball bat...

...and promptly gets beat down!

Fortunately, Marie's father was still in the store and saw her go down. He rushes out to the street and carries her back to safety. Marie's brother left with one of the vehicles to find his fiance and has not yet returned.

Meanwhile, a few miles away, Paul has left the hospital in his car and returned to the Carlson home...

The streets are quieter here but a lone crazed civilian seems to be waiting in front of the house. What in the world is that woman doing?

Paul slowly drives towards his house. The crazed civilian seems to be ranting in the front yard, shouting and waving her hands. As Paul pulls up, she glares at him in an obvious fit of rage. Fortunately, Paul keeps a long handled Maglite under the seat of his car.

As soon as Paul gets out of the car the crazy charges, shouting obscenities! Paul stands his ground and times his blow. The Maglite connects and knocks her out, clearing the way for him to get to the house.

Paul is able to get Oscar and Barney, the family dogs loaded up. He also gathers all his guns and any other weapons he can find. He fills the trunk of the car with all the food from the pantry and heads to the family business. (We dice for the drive and he makes it without incident.)

It is a tearful reunion for Paul and Marie. The kids are missing and it is not clear if they are with their dad. Marie's brother has not returned with his fiance. Paul's teenage son lives 30 miles away with his mom and Paul has not heard anything from him. Marie's dad is wondering about his wife, Marie's step-mom. Paul is also wondering about his good friend, David "Doc" Wentlam. How do we gather our people and keep them safe?

The news is telling horror stories. There is still power but it is only a matter of time until it is cut off. It's chaos! The small band needs a plan, but first decides to take stock of their assets.

4 Food units
3 Vehicles (2 with full tanks, 1 with 1 unit of fuel)
2 Pistols (1 with Marie's dad, 1 in his desk)
2 BA Pistols (limited ammo)
2 Pistols (limited ammo)
2 Shotguns (limited ammo)
2 Bolt action rifles (limited ammo)
1 .22 Carbine
3 Hockey sticks
10 Baseball bats
1 Machete
1 Midieval Sword
1 Oak Club
15 Luxury items (batteries, jewelry, cash, toilet paper, printing paper, etc.)

Now to formulate a plan for finding the kids (and everyone else!) and bringing them to the store...

City Boards

I've been developing a city board for my new campaign.  I wanted something simple to build but modular.  I like the look of some of the boards I've seen on other blogs - especially Vampifan's excellent terrain - and wanted something like that.  This is what I came up with...

I used World Works Games Streets of Legend Terrainlinx. They look great but are a bit of a PIA to cut and assemble so I simplified it.  I decided to make some 12"x12" pieces, some 12"x6" pieces and some 6"x6" pieces.  I decided not to use the fiddly connectors and just glued the printouts onto foamcore.  It turned out ok and didn't take long.

This shot is upside down from the first for some reason but you can see how the pieces break into parts.  The only problem will be if someone bumps the table and everything shifts.  To minimize this I will set up on top of a fleece blanket to help hold things in place.  Eventually I may insert some tiny magnets and metal bits on the edges of each piece to hold everything together...we'll see...

For now I can make a decent 3'x3' table and have enough extra pieces to have a bit of variety.  Eventually each piece will have a front and a back side to add even more variety.

I've also been working on more city terrain to fill the board and built a couple more cars from World Works Games.  These two sedans are from their Mayhem Traffic set.

These two shots give you a sense of scale.  They are pictured with some Hasslefree survivors and a mix of Wargames Factory and Victory Force zeds.

And here they are by themselves.  These are good models.  I did the trick with the dowel for the wheels again, which makes these builds a lot easier. (See here).

That's it for now. I am getting characters set up to start a new campaign in ATZ:FFO. I still need to build more city terrain but hopefully I'll get some games in soon.

Fill 'Er Up!

I started this project probably 6 months ago.  I got part way through. got discouraged and went onto other things.  I finally sat down last week and made myself finish it.  It turned out ok considering I almost threw it away when I made a few mistakes on it all those months ago.

This gas station is from World Works Games.  I don't remember what set I bought it with but I believe this model is included in a couple of their sets.  It also came with a red, white and blue version.  I may build that version at a later date.

It is a straightforward build.  The canopy and pillars can be a bit fiddly, as can the pumps.  With patience it can come together well though.  You can see my canopy is a little wonky but I'm just saying this is an older station that has some wind damage...

You can't see it really well but I did the sign differently.  The cardstock legs looked spindly to me so I made a different base.  I used some flat black foam sheet material I got at Hobby Lobby a while back.  I sandwiched the bottom of the sign between two pieces and mounted it to another piece with some supports.  I think it looks okay.

Here it is with some models for scale.  Looks like something bad is going down at the local gas station.

Until next time...Peace.

Down on the Farm

I finished the Stoelzel's Farmhouse I've been working on.  I think it turned out well.

Front Elevation

Side Elevation

Rear Elevation

Side Elevation

First Floor View

Second Floor View

Farmhouse Parts

These models are very good.  They are straightforward to assemble and give excellent results without being too fiddly.  Each PDF "kit" comes with several color schemes, including a brick version.  There is also a wraparound front porch for this model that I will put on a brick version I am planning to build.

I printed on regular multi-use printer paper.  The prints would be better if I used photograph paper, but for the cost I am content with the multi-use prints.  I used permanent glue stick to fix the prints to the foamcore board.  The instructions call for using either self-stick labels or spray adhesive but that was too much hassle for my taste.  The glue stick seems to be working fine.  Other than that minor change, I built everything according to the instructions, which were clear and easy to follow.  I did have to buy an Xacto rabbet cutting tool.  You can cut the rabbets with a regular hobby knife but a specialized tool makes it MUCH easier.  (Rabbets are channels cut partway into the foamcore to make strong joints, especially at the corners.)

I did not bother with cutting out the doors and windows.  The model would look better with that added level of detail, but my goal is to get a table finished quickly.  I also did not add the chimney.

I really like the interiors on these models.  I used a hot glue gun to attach the walls.  Be careful with this method though!  One of the upstairs walls ended up wonky because the glue sets quickly and I did not have it quite lined up correctly.  Oh, well, it's an old Farmhouse anyway, right?

There is a bunch of furniture that comes with these kits, which I plan to use.  The furniture pieces look great and seem pretty straightforward to assemble.  I will "decorate" this farmhouse soon.

I purchased the rest of Stoelzel's houses as well as the M.U.C.K. and am eager to build more.  I think this is an excellent way to build an urban or suburban table without too much hassle and with a good sense of scale.  Plus you get buildings with full interiors!  I plan to use these kits to build a "Main Street" type urban center with housing on the side streets behind the store fronts.  I might even be able to manage a fair semblance to East Toledo for my new ATZ:FFO campaign I am designing.

Thanks, Carl, for a great product!

Paper People Movers

Just a few quick pics of some card stock vehicles I've built recently.  Many others have done reviews of these builds so I won't say much.  Just sharing a bit of what I've been working on.

First up is a World Works Games bus.  The pic is not the best - a bit dark - but you get the idea.  These are simple to make - a very basic box.  I did not reinforce it and it seems to be fine as is. It wouldn't stand up to having books piled on top of it but it's good enough for my games.

Next is a WWG van.  It also is a fairly simple build.  The only challenging part is getting the hood section to come together properly.  I didn't reinforce it at all either.  I think it looks good and will hold up fine.  I'll just be sure to keep it away from the dog.

Last up is an Ebbles M-11 4X4.  This model is the best Hummer or HMMV look alike that I've been able to find and I really like that it comes in several styles and paint patterns.  A great model but rather fiddly to assembly.  I ended up with some gaps near the windshield/hood area on the right hand side.  It looks fine on the table top but close inspection will reveal some errors.  Still, overall a great model and I will be building more.

One modification I made on all of these models is the wheels.  I found the cardstock wheels with the tabs to be folded and glued to be a huge PIA to assemble.  So I found some wooden dowel that was the correct diameter and cut off small disks to fit the wheels.  I then glued the cardstock prints to the dowel to make the wheels.  On the bus and van I used half disk pieces of dowel and on the HMMV I used whole disks.  It worked fine and was much easier.

That's it for now.  I just bought my new set of All Things Zombie:  Final Fade Out rules so I'm off to read!  Totally stoked for these rules!

Until next time...peace.

Rumors of my Demise...

Life being what it is, I'm not even going to offer any excuses as to why I have not posted since July 4.  I guess we will all need to come to terms with the reality that this blog will be sporadic...

Anyway, here are two more minis I've painted recently.  That makes 9 of Bobby Jackson's Thugs for my collection.  I have the other 3 in the queue to be painted.

There is not much to say about these figures that I haven't already said.  Exceptional quality and fairly easy to paint.  The baby on the woman's hip was a bit fiddly, but I think it turned out OK.  She certainly adds a lot of character to the game.  I did modify the man slightly.  He came with a topknot or maybe a beany for a hat on top of his head.  I thought it was silly so I shaved it off and left him bald with a bandana.

From the photo you may be able to notice I've also been working on some Stoelzel's Structures.  For the keen of eye you will recognize the Farmhouse from that collection.  These are great models.  I will post more about them later.  I've also been working on some cardstock vehicles...more on those later too.

I've decided I will revamp and start a new campaign with the introduction of All Things Zombie: Final Fade Out.  I'm looking forward to the new rules being released.  I've begun some initial character development and am creating a story tree, making up my own Day One and following series of encounters.  Look for more on that later too.

Meanwhile, I'm expanding my collection, one model at a time.  Until next post...peace.