Monday, November 28, 2011

The quick and the dead

2nd Month, Day 11 - evening
Cast: Mr. Whiteface (Rep 4 Star), Lynn (Rep 4 Grunt), Dotty (Rep 2 Star)
Objective: gather food 
Area: Whiteville city limits, suburban
Special:
1. This mission uses my Lazarus House Rules.
2. Gather enough food to end month 2 (see chickunnnh).
3. Limited LOS, dawn 

Lynn's soft voice broke the silence that had lasted for more than one hour now.
"Sounds like a great idea...".
"Hmm, what?" Whiteface replied while continuing to check his M16.
"We almost got killed here and now we're comin' back. Do you think this is clever?"
Whiteface looked up from his rifle. 
Using the most convincing voice he could manage he said "Well...they won't expect us to be this dumb, eh?"
"Famous last words...anyway, I'm tired and hungry. Let's go, can't prob'ly get any worse than last time, right?"


Setup: I am using the same 4’ x 4’ setup I had used for my last game. This is what a dedicated man cave is for. Again Team Whiteface is placed in section 7 behind a small shack. Three PEFs are present:
#1 REP 6 in section 2 on the main road behind vehicles.#2 REP 5 in section 2 on the main road behind vehicles.
#3 REP 5 in section 6 behind a tree next to the side road.
This time PEF movement will be done with a scatter die. Works perfectly and is pretty simple.
Oh, something else is different: I've rolled a six on my Lazarus house rule. So, from now on it's possible to meet ragers. 

Comment: I didn't take any pictures during this game. The camera was out of power, out of memory space and most of my lights were in another room for a renovation. So, these two pictures are just for those who missed my last batrep.


Turn 1:
(1 / 5) everone activates, PEFs first

PEFs #1 & #2 move along the main road into section 5. PEF #3 moves into section 9, next to the super market, but still out of sight.

Team W activates and moves between the shacks. PEF #1 & #2 are now just in sight.
The first PEF is resolved as an involuntary encounter. They are three medical assistants and five patients. Ooh, can you imagine how much I want them to join Team W? Well, at least the medical assistants...
We have to get closer, before we will be able to interact, so it's time to resolve PEF #2. I am lucky, it's a false alarm.


Turn 2:
(6 / 3 / 3) Both groups are watching each other.

"What do you think?"

"Can't see any hockey masks or chain saws...oh, and they are not shooting at us. Probably a good sign!"


Turn 3:
(4 / 5 / 5) Only Team W activates.

Team Whiteface walks onto the lawn between the shacks. They end there movement next to a red quad.


Turn 4:
(5 / 4 / 6) Only PEF #3 activates.

The last PEF moves away from the super market and enters the line of cars on the main road and into LOS. I am lucky again, another false alarm. Hah, finally no more bad rolls, I am on a winning streak!


Turn 5:
(6 / 1) Only the medics activate, but the total of "7" generates one rager *eerie music* on the main road next to the white Ford.

The medics and patients move closer, but not close enough for interaction yet.
 

Turn 6:
(3 / 3 / 4) Team Whiteface is still checking the other group. And no, I only count the first two dices for "7" or "double-6".

"Lynn, what are you staring at?" 

"They look like the Arkham Asylum works outing if you ask me."


Turn 7:
(6 / 6 / 1) Only the medics activate and there is a double six. I have a spinning fan and a big heap of something stinky ready for some action...so I guess it's time for a random event.

A barking dogs enters the area. He is followed by two zombies who are now between the trees next to the church. They are noticed by the patients and two of them start to scream in terror. Not good.

The medics & loonies activate and are finally in range for a little small talk. Nothing more. We decide to peacefully co-exist.

12 "shots" generate 5 zombies. All humans are now in a u-shaped zombie ambush, with Team W being in the deep end and not so far away from the rager. Good thing it's just one of those beasts.


Turn 8:
(5 / 2 / 2) No one activates but another "7" generates two more ragers. Yeah, right! They are placed on the side road.

"Shh, I think I've heard something..."

"I bet it's just a cat. Nasty little buggers!"


Turn 9:
(4 / 4 / 6) Everyone stops breathing and listens intently.

"GRROOOAAAARRR!!!"

"*BLEEP!*'in *BLEEP!*! Time to leave, I say."


Turn 10:
(4 / 5 / 3) All humans activate without hesitation.

Both groups leave into section 5 and are now in the centre of the main road. The only route of escape is twoards the humvees. There are zombies on every other side and ragers on two sides. This could get ugly, but Team Whiteface just has to outrun the other humans.


Turn 11:
(2 / 2 / 3) So much for plans. The medic group activates and outruns Team Whiteface and stops in front of the church, section 2. Everone else doesn't move.


Turn 12:
(2 / 5 / 4) The good thing is: only Team W activates. Yep, the medical asssistants are REP 3. The bad news: I rolled another seven. Two ragers appear in the trees next to the church...leaving me with zeds & ragers now on three sides.

Team Whiteface enters section 2 close to the yellow H2. On a side note, Team W is walking, not running. I am not leaving my sports bag with luxury goods behind!


Turn 13 & 14:
(5 / 3 / 3) and (2 / 2 / 4) A shop sign is swinging in the wind and a lone tumbleweed is rolling across the road. The undead watch the living, the living watch the undead, the living look at each other...

"Ruuunnn!!!"


Turn 15:
(3 / 3 / 1) Only the meds activate. They run into the free space between the humvees with the assistants covering the rear of the group.


Turn 16:
(5 / 3 / 6) This is it. Only the zeds and ragers activate.

All of them move closer and one rager charges Little Dotty. Two medical assistants roll for In Sight, but decide not to shoot. Those *BLEEPS!* could have fired at Dotty's assailant.
Lynn and White - being Survivors - decide to hold their fire and everone is in for a Being Charged roll.
Dotty will fire & melee, but misses twice. Lynn and White fire a total of six shots and hit the rager four times. They score three knock downs and one OD.

8 shots generate one more zed. The Team is still alive, but there are four ragers and one zed in charging distance and 6 more zeds not too far away.


Turn 17:
(3 / 2 / 2) Team W is lucky. They activate and move towards the church, away from the ragers.


Turn 18:
(1 / 5 / 6) Team W acitivate and might come out of this alive. They walk through the small gap between the humvee and the hedge of the church yard. Now they are not the closest target for the ragers and zeds.


Turn 19:
(2 / 1 / 4) First Team Whiteface activates, followed by the zombies.

Team Whiteface leaves the board. When they look back they see a medic getting charged by the first ragers. Someone is screaming very loud...


  
Final comment: Sorry for not much action, but I had to run away. If you had seen the board, you would have known why. There was no way Team Whiteface with two REP 4 and one REP 2 could survive that battle. The other group had only three armed grunts and all of them were REP 3.
The most important point for me were the mentally incompetent patients. I used a very soft interpretation of their screaming rule, but it was nevertheless obvious that the whole area would be very crowded if the first zeds get any closer.
This is why I wanted to leave Whiteville. My intention was to be off to the countryside before there were any ragers, but this was made impossible by my own food house rule. The good part of my house rule is that I don't have to roll for REP reduction. Nobody died or freaked out, but I didnt gather any food. This mission is neither a win nor a loss. The bad part is that I have to do at least one more mission in the suburbs again.
Even without much action and without new pictures I decided to post this batrep, just to let everone know that ragers have arrived in Whiteville.

Take care
Whiteface

22 comments:

  1. Awesome Batrep and great Narrative.

    Running is fine. The essence of ATZ means you don't necessarily need to lots of action for a tense game

    3 cheers for dedicated Man-caves!

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  2. @Zombie Ad:
    Oh, it was a tense game. I was pretty sure my Team wouldn't come out of this alive. Maybe I would have tried something if I had a REP 5 character, but for the moment it's better safe than sorry.

    The wargame board in my man-cave is currently blocked. So much for dedicated space, but I had to prepare the huge Playmobil castle for my son's upcoming birthday somewhere.

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  3. hehe I have a dolls house hidden in mine for Christmas so know the feeling.

    Great Batrep would've been cooler with pics but hey ho

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  4. @Brummie:
    Dolls house...hmm, what scale? :)

    Yeah, pics or it didn't happen, I know. But I had to use that "I want to play a game right now!" feeling and btw, it was a good way to hide that I had to use GW Necrons (but painted!) for ragers.

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  5. When zombies are involved, there is no shame in running away! They have numbers and stamina on their side.

    Good report and nice to see they made it out alive!

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  6. Even without pics, very nice batrep!

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  7. great batrep, pity about the pics, your terrain looks so good

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  8. Thank you all!

    I really hope Team Whiteface will be able to get some food in my next game. Suburban and urban areas are not where I want to be at the moment.
    My gaming table is still block until tomorrow, but I hope to do another game in december.

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  9. Despite the lack of pics that was still a very exciting batrep. Ragers? Brrr, I do not like them at all! Team Whiteface absolutely made the right decision to run.Faced with those odds it was the sensible thing to do. There is no shame in running away in a game of ATZ.

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  10. @Vampifan:
    Yep, but I am feeling like I am running away all the time...maybe because I AM running away all the time.
    I need more manpower! Bigger/better team = successful mission = even bigger/better team = more success. Just like Team Vampifan.
    Team Whiteface on the other hand is in a downward spiral...burning..with a lot of black smoke. I never should have lost Mrs. Whiteface, she'd know what to do.

    BTW, do you play with the food requirement rules for Team Vampi? You'll need a truckload of food to feed your team.

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  11. There are a few campaign rules that i have deliberately ignored so far. Yes, food usage is one. Ditto, fuel usage. I haven't rolled to see if any of the team wants to leave or if they want to stay. I probably should, but... it all seems like too much extra work!

    Team Vampifan have been going for two months now. If I can sum up the energy I'll do an overview of their resources and expenditure. Now that Vampifan is Rep:6 it's going to make it a lot easier to recruit new blood and for them to remain loyal to him.

    Your statement about a bigger team improving your chances of success is spot on. There is definitely strength in numbers. Also, having anyone who is Rep:5 in your team is a huge bonus. A Rep:6 character is just the ultimate but I admit that any higher than that and the game can become too easy. It actually doesn't bother me if Vampifan fails his Rep increase rolls as i don't want him to be over-powerful.

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  12. Good BatRep!

    Ragers is creepy, indeed... I wonder, 7 is the most probable result in a 2d6 throw... is'nt a little too high the chance to meet ragers?

    IMHO of course.

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  13. Excellent batrep even without turn by turn pics. I really like the style you use to write up your batreps, makes it easy to follow turn by turn what's going on. And you make them exciting and tense too. Keep posting more when you can!

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  14. You should add pics with every turn. It would be so much nicer :)

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  15. @BragonDorn:
    Did you see my previous posts? They have way more pictures. I wrote a comment that I wasn't able to take any pics of this game.

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  16. Just wanted to compliment you on the name of the Blog.

    Very clever!

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  17. *sheepish grin*

    Thank you, I have to admit that I was very satisfied when I finally had a name for my blog.
    :o)

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  18. AWESOME!!!! Love that hummer too lol

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  19. Thank you,
    I am suffering under a little multiple-projects-syndrome at the moment, but I will continue my campaign. Promise.
    And yes, a yellow H2 is mandatory for a zed apocalypse game! :o)

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  20. Hi Whiteface, I was reading your posts back when you were playing and along with Bryan Vampifan you both started me wargaming again after a 25 year layoff. I couldn't comment at the time because I didn't have a Google account so I wanted to say thank you now. I stared my own blog 5 months ago and you were one of the main reasons for doing it and so even though you probably won't ever see this I just wanted to say thank you.

    By the way I did write about you in my opening post, just thought you might be interested to know the effect you had.
    Cheers and all the best.

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    ReplyDelete