Old School Warhammer 40K

My oldest son and I have been playing some 5th edition Warhammer 40000 lately.  A few weeks back we dusted off my Tyranid and Ultramarines armies and had at it.  We've had fun taking photos of the games and then printing them to hang in his bedroom.  I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the pics. All the models and terrain are from my collection and were built and painted by me anywhere from 10 to 20 years ago.

My eldest and youngest and Oscar from Central Command.
The table set up for battle.

UM captain with Terminators in support.

Old School Carnifex.

I love the Landspeeders. My son and I particularly liked this pic. It is framed and hanging on his wall.

Newer edition Hormagaunts.

UM deployment zone. The Landraider is scratch built from foam core, card stock and bits.

Genestealers swarm through cover supported by a Zoanthrope and the Hive Tyrant.

The speeders meet their doom!
Unfortunately my Tyranid army is not completely painted...

The Lictor leaps upon the Terminators!
All old school models.

Another shot my son liked and we put on his wall.
The Razorback moves to a good firing position supported by Tactical Marines.

The hoard is about to overwhelm the Ultramarine defense.

My old school Tyranids stomp through the carnage.

We had a great day and have played some other battles since then. It's got me thinking I'd like to update my Tyranid army. The newer models are very cool! I have lots of other projects in various stages of completion though so...we'll see.

Anyway, cheers to all!

Sean's House

Finally! Encounter 3, Day 2 After Action Report! Life is filled with distractions...

If you recall in my last two posts we began a campaign. Read the story here and here.

Today I present the final encounter of the day...


"Damn! I hurt," Doc was saying as Paul turned onto Sean's street.

"Ya think?! You got shot, ya know." Paul glanced at Doc, giving him that 'you're-a-dumbass' look over his glasses. The two had been friends a long time so this kind of exchange was familiar to Marie.

"You show such excellent compassion, Paul," Marie said, dripping with sarcasm.

"What?! It's not like I shot him," Paul replied. "Besides, if he's gonna be a backstop for bullets he better expect some hassle from his friends."

Doc slowly shook his head with mock exasperation. "Idiot," was all he said. No one was quite clear whether he was talking about himself or Paul.

 The neighborhood is quiet as the party enters from the top of the pic.

"All right you two," Marie said. "Enough games. There's Sean's house. Let's be careful. There's no telling what might happen when we get out of this truck.

As they pulled up to the driveway, they saw a lone zombie standing near a row of bushes that separated Sean's property from the neighbor's. Marie let out a 'huff' of exasperation as it spotted the truck and began moving toward them. Her face looked determined as she gripped her baseball bat.

A lone shambler lurks near some bushes.

"I got this," Paul said. Before anyone could say anything he stopped the truck, threw it in park and opened his door. He stepped out into the driveway, drawing his pistol.

"Paul! What the...," Doc started to say but Paul was already raising the pistol in a double grip and drawing a bead on the zombie's head. The report was deafening in the stillness of the evening.  In combat style, just like he'd seen on the Military Channel, Paul fired his .45 twice.

"Dammit!," Paul exclaimed as his shots went wide. The zombie groaned and increased its pace as it began moving around the bushes and reached for Paul.

Paul takes aim while Doc and Marie rush the house.

"The kids, Paul! Remember? The kids are why we're here!" Marie threw her door open on the passenger side of the truck and ran straight to the front door of the house. By now, desperate to find her children, she didn't have time to waste killing a zombie. When she reached the front door she discovered it was locked. 'This could be good,' she thought, realizing they might still be in the house if they've locked themselves in.  Without another thought she brought her foot up and kicked hard just to the side of the doorknob. Much to everyone's surprise the door gave way with a crash of splintered wood. The door was flung back so forcefully the hinges gave way and the whole door fell to the floor in the foyer!

'Huh!' Marie thought. 'I guess I'm stronger than I seem...'

Marie smashes the door! Nothing like a motivated mama to get a job done.
(My wife rolled snake eyes for her challenge test. Even at -1 REP she smashed the door.)

"Hey! Wait..." Doc also jumped out of the truck, unclear whether to help Paul or chase Marie.  He decided to stay with the mission. 'Get the kids,' he thought, 'then we can deal with zombies.'

As Doc and Marie rushed the house, Paul was being a distraction for the zeds. His shots had stirred up another shambler who approached from behind the one he'd missed. He steadied himself and stood his ground as the first zed came around the end of the bushes, rushing him. Paul took two more shots and this time with deadly accuracy he blew a hole right through its face, the back of its head erupting in a red spray. The thing fell at his feet and didn't move again.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Reddy and Quinn, the kids, heard Paul's first shots and the sound of the splintering door. They were hiding upstairs, just as Sean had told them to. He had said he'd be back as soon as he could but that had been this morning, long hours ago. He needed to run to the store and get supplies he'd said. The kids were worried and now it seemed like something really bad was happening.   

"REDDY! Stay here!" Quinn whispered as Reddy started to crawl out from under the bed. He had a hockey stick he'd found in the garage.

"NO! You stay here. I'm going to see what's happening," he told his sister quietly. He shook her hand off his foot where she'd grabbed him. He thought if he could get to the bedroom across the hall he could look out the front windows. He crawled out from under the bed and crept to the bedroom door. He was opening it slowly and had started to check the hall when he heard two more shots. With a squeak like a startled mouse, he jumped and ran out of the bedroom, across the hall and into the other room. He dived to the floor under the front window but dared not peek out.

Paul kills one zed while another is drawn by the commotion.

As Marie and Doc entered the house, Paul decided maybe keeping things a little more quiet was a good idea. He drew the machete he had on his belt and put his pistol away. 'Probably smart to save ammo anyway,' he thought to himself as he mustered his courage to charge the remaining zed.

Marie went into the house, pistol drawn. "Sean? Quinn? Reddy?" she called in a stage whisper. The house was quiet, but she thought she'd heard the sound of running feet upstairs. She was tense, every nerve firing, alert like a cat ready to pounce. She heard Doc's boots scrape the hardwood floor in the foyer as she approached the bottom of the steps. She was grateful he was with her. Pistol held down in a two-fisted grip she began to climb the stairs.

Paul meanwhile walked quickly up to the approaching zombie, machete held in his right hand out to the side, ready to swing. The thing's eyes were vacant, staring. There was no malice, no anger in them. Only a kind of sadness, Paul thought. And hunger.

He stepped forward and brought the machete around with practiced ease. He'd been a fencer in college and the basics of the saber cut were ingrained in muscle memory. The zombie seemed startled as its head tipped from it's shoulders and fell to the ground. The body stood for a moment and then folded up, collapsing onto itself in a heap.

"Blech!" Paul muttered. "This is grosser than I thought it'd be."

The kids are hiding upstairs.

Quinn could hear people in the house now. She thought she heard voices but she couldn't hear what they were saying. Someone was definitely coming up the stairs. She could hear the boards creaking. She pushed her body as far back against the wall under the bed as she could. She didn't know what else to do.

Across the hall Reddy summoned his courage and peaked out the window. He couldn't see anyone from this angle but it looked like Doc's truck was parked in the driveway. 'That's weird,' he thought. 'What's Paul's friend doing here?' Just then he heard a voice whispering in the hall and ducked down between the bed and the wall beneath the window.

"I don't think Sean is hear," Marie whispered to Doc as they reached the top of the stairs.

"I didn't see his car when we came in," Doc agreed.

"Oh, God! What if he took the kids somewhere?" Marie was on the verge of tears. The tension and her frustration were palpable.

They could hear the sound of Paul's footsteps as he entered the house.

"Hey!" Paul called. "Anyone home?" His voice sounded like a shout in the stillness.

"Paul?" Quinn said, her quiet voice drifting out from under the bed.

"Quinn?" Marie called.

"Mom?" Reddy said as he stood up from behind the bed.

"Mom!" Quinn exclaimed as she scooted out from under her bed.

Marie, standing in the doorway of Quinn's room, dropped to her knees and opened her arms wide, tears starting from her eyes. Reddy burst through the door across the hall and rushed to his mom, wrapping himself around her and his sister as the three embraced.

"We're up here," Doc called down the stairs to Paul. "We found them! They seem to be okay."

Paul came bounding up the steps, taking them in twos. He went to his family and bent down to put his arms around the three of them.

Doc stood awkwardly by. He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Dumb allergies," he said to no one in particular. Paul, Marie and the kids just smiled through their tears.

A family reunited!

After a few minutes, Doc put his hand on Paul's shoulder. "Ok, buddy, we need to get going if we're headed back to the store tonight. It's getting dark."

"Yeah, you're right," Marie said. She addressed the kids, "You guys get your stuff together. We're going to grandpa's store to stay."

"What about daddy?" Quinn asked. Worry clouded the children's faces.

Marie swallowed hard, looking her daughter in the eye. "I don't know, honey. I don't know."


So, that was it. A good encounter. We diced for the trip back to the store and the party made it safely. They picked up 3 food units in Sean's house. No one got a REP increase but at least everyone is safe.  We haven't played any more games since these but I'm planning to get in a game night soon. We have lots of options for scenarios and missions. We'll see where it goes from here.

Until then, Peace.

Bushwhacked!

Day 2:  Encounter 2

In the Encounter 1, Paul and Marie Carlson found their friend, Doc, at his home. The Carlson's are on a mission to find their missing children. Hopefully the kids are with their dad at his house. As our three adventurous heroes travel the streets between Doc's and Sean's, they encounter trouble...


Aiming for a passing zombie, Paul threw the beer bottle out the window of the SUV.  He missed, but the bottle shattered against the curb with a satisfying crunch. Paul smiled.

"Pass me up another one of those IPAs, would ya hon?" he said to Marie. 'What the hell,' he thought to himself, 'I'm not driving.'  He could hear Marie rummaging in the cooler.

"Nah. One is plenty," said Doc. "Gotta stay sharp. Besides, those things are going to be at a premium soon enough.  No sense burning through our stash on the first day."

"Yeah, I suppose," Paul agreed half heartedly.

The players (military SUV, top center) move onto the board. The sound of the engine attracts a few zeds.

Doc drove the SUV down the street slowly. They had passed a fair number of wrecked vehicles so he was being careful.

"Be stupid to die in a car wreck during a zombie apocalypse," he said to no one in particular.

"That it would," agreed Paul.  He was looking ahead, trying to stay alert to any trouble they may encounter.  He was getting jumpy. It was late afternoon. 'This is taking much longer than I expected,' he thought.

A small gang of civilians waits in ambush. One of these PEFs will be the baddies.

Paul squinted into the setting sun. He put his hand up under the sunvisor, blocking the glaring light.

"Watch it. Looks like people moving in the street up ahead." Paul said.

"Some of us or some of them?" Marie asked.  Finn, one of Doc's dogs in the back seat with Marie, whined and let out a yip.

"That's right, boy," said Doc. "Either way we keep driving." 

In sight! The gang of civvies opens fire!

By the time they reached the corner the figures Paul had seen had vanished.

 "Where did they..." Paul began when shots rang out from beside the building they were passing.  Bullets pinged on the metal of the SUV and Doc's window shattered. Doc let out a "woof" as if the air was knocked out of him. Marie screamed and laid across the back seat, covering her head.

"Son of a..." Paul said and the whole scene unfolded in a moment...

Three men were standing beside the building, one of them hiding in the bushes and all of them firing at the SUV.  Doc slumped over, groaning and clutching at his side. The SUV swerved as Doc's hand slid off the wheel. Paul dropped his pistol and reached for the controls. The SUV was peppered with shots. The dogs were barking. Marie was screaming. Paul's ears were ringing. He could see blood on the driver side door...

"...bitch!" he finished.

Doc kept his foot on the gas while Paul steered. They roared passed the shooters and quickly made enough distance to be safe. Doc was bleeding but it looked like the car door had slowed the bullet enough that it only hit him hard in the side and did not penetrate his body. The blood came from his upper arm where the bullet grazed him before striking him in the chest.

"Got lucky with that one," he grumbled as he stopped the SUV.  Paul quickly ran around the vehicle while Doc slid over. In a moment they were back on their way.

"The world's gone crazy," Marie said. "Absolutely crazy..."

The players roar passed, leaving a trail of activated zeds to deal with the would be bushwhackers.

Doc had to use Star Power but he survived. It could have been much worse. Fortunately Paul passed his Challenge Test to control the vehicle and was able to steer the group to safety quickly. We sure didn't want to get into a fire fight this early in the campaign! It was a fun scenario and only took about 15-20 minutes to play.

Next time we will find out what happened when the group got to Sean's house. Did they find the kids? You'll have to wait to see...

Is There a Doctor in the House?

We had a game night last weekend! Played 3 encounters of ATZ:FFO. What follows is a narrative report on the action...

At the crack of dawn on the day after the outbreak, Paul and Marie got into their car and headed to find the kids.  Marie's brother had not returned and they feared the worst. It had been too dangerous to go for the kids during the night so they prayed the kids were safe with their dad and tried to prepare for the next day. By first light Paul and Marie were both desperate to get going.

The city had been in chaos all night - gunfire, sirens, people screaming, running feet.  By 3am the sirens had stopped. The gunfire, shouts and screams continued another couple of hours and then that noise also died down. By dawn there was an eerie quiet in the downtown area, broken only by the occasional low moan. They could see figures staggering around in the light of the streetlights and a few lifeless forms lying in the street. The smell of smoke was in the air.

They loaded their weapons - a .357 double action revolver for Marie; a .22 semi-auto carbine and .45ACP automatic pistol for Paul. Ammo was short but getting more would be another mission for another day. Paul took a machete for close up work and Marie picked up a wicked looking kitchen knife from the store. First things first: find the kids.

The plan was straight forward:  drive to Sean's and pickup the kids. Since Paul's friend, Doc, was on the way, they would stop at his place to see if they could find him. He'd be handy to have with them, especially because of his medical training, never mind the fact he is one of Paul's best friends. He was pretty handy in a fight too. With Doc along the trip to Sean's would be a bit easier.

They sat in the front seat of the car for a moment before Paul turned the engine over. Paul put his hand on Marie's in her lap and gave a gentle squeeze. They looked at one another and Paul gave his best "it'll be ok" smile. Marie's eyes were red from lack of sleep and crying but she tried to smile back. Neither Paul nor Marie said anything to the other about what they would do if the kids were not at Sean's...

Paul Carlson - Rep 4 Star, Free Spirit, Agile, .22 Carbine (rifle), .45 Automatic (BA Pistol), Machete
Marie Carlson - Rep 3 Star, Fast, Initiative, .357 Revolver (BA Pistol), Knife

The Carlson car is in the lower left, Doc's house in upper right. 3 PDFs were placed (red dice showing REP).

The Carlson's had some trouble on the way to Doc's neighborhood. The roads were choked with abandoned vehicles. It was slow going in the city and the couple became concerned it may take longer to get to Sean's than they expected. It was noon before they got near Doc's house.

As Paul began to make the turn into Doc's neighborhood, he saw vehicles blocking the way...again. "Son of a bitch," he muttered. Fatigued and confused for a moment he began to look for a way around the roadblock. Marie was becoming alarmed to see the crowd of zombies they were attracting.

"Ummm...dear..." she began to say but Paul was not paying very close attention. Looking out the window sideways, he allowed the car to drift into the gas station parking lot.

"PAUL!", Marie said more forcefully, which snapped sense into him. He quickly hit the brake and stopped the car. With a sigh, he shut off the engine.

"I guess we'll have to run from here. Come on! It's not far."  Now that the car was silent they both swore they could hear a phone ringing. "Weird...", Marie said. 
 

The Carlson's drive to the intersection. The car noise generates a few zeds. A random event of "cell phone" starts ringing near the military vehicle (red die).

Paul is unsure of how to proceed (fails activation) and drifts towards the gas station (car moves even though inactive). The cell phone keeps ringing...

Fortunately for Paul and Marie the drift of the car carries them away from the gathering zeds.

David "Doc" Wentlam was worried. He'd gotten a text from Paul yesterday afternoon saying Paul and Marie would be heading to the store once they got the kids and supplies. It made sense to Doc. The store was a solid, cement block building with limited access. A good place to hole up until this craziness blew over.  Paul's last text had said for Doc to come to the store if he didn't hear anything.

Doc waited all night, figuring it was safer to stay in his home for now. He'd watched the news all through the long, dark hours. Too many reports on too many channels, but all of them saying the same thing: the dead were rising and attacking the living. Some were saying it was the end of the world. Doc thought that was a bit extreme.

'After all,' he thought, 'even if civilization ended the world would continue.'  He started to give himself a little lecture:  'The key to survival is to be part of the world and not depend on civilization.'  This was something Doc had gotten very good at over the years. He had to admit, he was excited about the possibilities. Still, never one to rush or make hasty decisions, he waited through the night to hear more from Paul.

'At noon,' he told himself, 'I will leave to go to the store and find the Carlsons.' As the morning wore on he gathered his supplies and weapons and loaded them into his SUV.

Doc in his bedroom gathering supplies and preparing to travel.

David "Doc" Wentlam - Rep 3 Star, Brawler, Medic 2, .12 Gauge Shotgun, .38 Revolver (Pistol), Fireaxe

"Follow me," Paul said.

Without waiting for a response, he jumped from the car and ran towards the woods near Doc's house.  He figured it best to stay under cover.  Startled, Marie also got out of the car.

"Paul! What are you doing?" she called.  Annoyed that he would just take off, she ran after him. Of course, being much faster she easily outpaced Paul and entered the woods just ahead of him. "Jerk!" she said as she ran by.

When they entered the woods, Paul and Marie slowed. There were noises coming from behind Doc's house that unnerved them. A banging, like something was in the garbage cans. They could also hear rustling in the woods just out of sight.

"Probably a squirrel," Paul said, trying to sound reassuring, but he gripped his machete tightly. "Let's just get to the house."

PEF in the woods, not quite close enough for LOS. Is it a squirrel or something much more menacing?

Marie broke into an easy sprint, running right up to the side door of Doc's house.  Unable to keep up, Paul was dropped like a bad habit.

Marie knocked on the door.  Looking through the glass window, she tried to peer through the slats of the closed blind. She prayed Doc was still at home.

As Doc entered the kitchen, shotgun in hand, he heard someone banging on the door and saw a shadowy figuring just outside. He'd been hearing strange noises around the house all morning. Something was out back messing with the garbage cans, he knew that much. Now apparently that something had come to his side door.  He leveled the shotgun but hesitated. His gut told him not to pull the trigger.

"Who's there," he called out.  Immediately he thought to himself, 'Idiot! That was a classic movie mistake!'

Fortunately the sound he heard from the other side of the door was not the howl of some undead thing but the voice of his best friend's wife. He went quickly to the door and unlocked it.

With the 'Fast' attribute, Marie easily out distances Paul and makes it to Doc's door just as Doc is about to leave. Fortunately Doc recognizes Marie as she approaches the door and doesn't fire his shotgun at her!

Paul, feeling like a jerk, struggled through the woods. Ahead of him, he could just make out Marie approaching Doc's door. To his right the rustling suddenly burst through the leaves and underbrush. Paul twisted, nearly crapping himself, and raised his machete. The squirrel shot past him through the dry leaves and ran up a tree.

"For feck's sake!" Paul exclaimed, feeling simultaneous relief and rage at the squirrel.  His heart hammering in his chest, he jogged up to Doc's door just as Doc was opening up for Marie.

"Thank God you're safe," Doc and Marie were saying together. "Jinx," said Marie and they all laughed as they went into the house.

Paul struggles through the woods. The PEF turns out to be nothing more than an arboreal rodent. Whew!

The cell phone has continued to ring, ironically helping the Carlson's make it to Doc's unhindered.

Safe in the house for the moment, the Carlson's explain the situation to Doc.

The Carlson's sat in Doc's kitchen as he prepared some lunch. They explained the situation and what they were planning.

"Sounds good to me," Doc said through a bite of sandwich. "I'll go with you to Sean's and then we can all go back to the store. We'll figure the rest of it out as we go."

"Thanks," Marie told him. "It makes me feel good to know we'll have a medic with us if something happens to one of the kids."

"Yeah," chimed in Paul.  "Besides, we don't know what we might find when we get there or what we might run into between here and there. We need to stick together on this."

"Yep. No worries. I'll even drive. My truck's got more room than your little car," said Doc as he stood up from the table and chucked Paul on the shoulder.

"That it does," Paul winced, rubbing his shoulder.

When they finished eating they loaded the last of Doc's supplies into the back of the SUV.  Paul was pleased to see an iced cooler with a nice selection of Stouts and IPAs among the bits of equipment and weapons.

'Good old Doc,' Paul thought. 'Always prepared for any occasion...'


Encounter one for the evening was a success! Next up will be Encounter 2, Day Two:  Bushwhacked!  Stay tuned...

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...