CapnJim's Post-Apoc Stuff: Zone Run #8 Report Complete...Pg 12...08 Mar 24

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Interesting read, thanks.

do you think you'll take a look at the upcoming "When Nightmares Come"? I believe it's by the Zona Alfa author.

That would be Dentatus of this parish.

[CapnJim]

Thanks, fellas. 

Along with Fistful of Lead and Zona Alfa, do you think you'll take a look at the upcoming "When Nightmares Come"? I believe it's by the Zona Alfa author.

It is by the same author.  I'll likely get it, if nothing else than to see if it gives me any new ideas.  I've gotten most of the other Osprey "bluebook" rules... 

[Vagabond]

Great report Cptn, telling it from the Cold Bloods viewpoint is a nice idea. Scenery looks excellent as well.

Ted's team seem very well armed and armoured, they're going to be tough nuts to crack.

[CapnJim]

Great report Cptn, telling it from the Cold Bloods viewpoint is a nice idea. Scenery looks excellent as well.

Ted's team seem very well armed and armoured, they're going to be tough nuts to crack.

Thanks, Vagabond!  And yes - Ted's team is quiet formidable.  His team, at this point, consists of a breacher with a ballistic shield and pistol, 2 chaps with shotguns, 2 dudes with M32 grenade launchers, and 5 guys with M4s, in addition to the vehicles.  I fear, should SAE30 ever have to take them on, they will indeed have their hands full...    

[CapnJim]

It's time for Ted's SCP Foundation ERT to go back into the Zone tomorrow (Friday).  Scenario details (and the game report, of course) to follow.  Stay tuned...

[CapnJim]

Scratch that.  I just got word that Ted and his wife had to put one of their cats down, so he's gonna spend tomorrow at home.

It'll be some of the SAE30 crew going back into the Zone tomorrow.  I'll be flying solo...

[CapnJim]

After their run-in with those Army National Guard troops, SAE30 limped to the ER at the hospital in Fremont, and Gunny Carter was admitted.  Once he was set up in his hospital room, they headed back to their base at that old factory building east of Toledo.  Dr. Smith met them there.

"What happened?" he inquired.  Pyle replied "It was all fine at first.  We stopped just short of the Guard checkpoint, and got hit by some of those damned Cold Bloods.  Between us and the Guard, we took care of them.  Then Gunny huffed it over to their Humvee and grabbed that attache case.  He almost made it back to the van when they opened fire and Gunny went down.   It was getting hot, in more ways than one, but I grabbed Gunny and we all mounted up.  I had to leave the f***kin' attache case, though.  The heat must have got those Guard guys, 'cause most of them dropped like flies, and we got out of there.  Well, all of them but their 50 gunner.  He lit up Jupiter 2."  MacGuyver chimed in "But she held together, and here we are."

Dr. Smith looked pensive for a moment, and said "OK.  Where's Carter?"  DeSoto:  "He's in the hospital in Fremont.  He'll be OK, but he'll probably be in there for a few days.  And O'Rourke and Robinson got hit at that job on Sandusky Bay.  They're fine now, though."

Pyle added "We need supplies, we're red on ammo, and we ain't got no more med kits.  Our stocks here are runnin' dry too."

Again, Dr. Smith  "OK.  I'll call Chambers.  Pyle, you take DeSoto, Malloy, and Newkirk in Richard's SUV, and head to Chambers' place and see what he can help out with.  Richards is still at the Orientation Course, so you may as well use her vehicle.  I think we'll still be good with the local PDs and Sherriffs, but stay clear of the Army until I see what their deal is.  MacGuyver, you see to Jupiter 2.  Robinson and O'Rourke can rest up a bit more and help you out.  But, be careful in the PEZ.  There's something going on in the Hard Area, and I don't know how long they can contain it.  I don't like what the rumor mill is churning out right now, but I'm going to find out what the real deal is.  Oh, one more thing.  The SCP Foundation's in town."

"Shit, not those a**holes..." piped up Malloy.  "Yep" came back Dr. Smith.  "One of their ERTs set up shop at Camp Perry.  They've already been into the PEZ at least once.  Word is they got lucky on their last job.  In any event, go see what Chambers can do for you guys, supplies-wise."

Pyle replied "Roger that.  I'm sure we'll be fine.  His place ain't that far into the Soft Area.  We'll head out first thing in the morning."

That sets up our next adventure for SAE30.  Here's their stat sheet for this run:

 

Here's the Random Event Chart I'll be using:



Any critters that show up will start at "spawn points" numbered 1 through 5.  I'll throw a D6.  On a 1 through 5, the said critters will show up at he corresponding spawn point.  On a 6, I'll pick the spawn point.  For the looters and Cold Bloods, since they will be arriving in vehicles, they'll show up at 1 of 7 possible paved points (3 on streets, and 4 at various points in the parking lot across the street from Chambers' Hardware Store.  I'll roll a D8 for that.  Here's a shot of the area, labeled accordingly.



Here's another shot:



And here's a closer up shot of the area directly in front of Chambers' Place:



Mr. Chambers' place is in the downtown of one of the countless small towns in the western side of the Soft Area. He always keeps a shotgun handy.  Always.  He'll start out on the ground floor of his shop.  For some reason, the local authorities let him stay there.  His wife, Marilyn, will start out on the 1st/2nd floor (depending on which side of the Atlantic on which you are reading this) of the building, in their apartment.  She is a retired ER nurse, but for reasons only she knows, she keeps an FN-FAL close by.  And the Chambers' have guests.  Jethro, who owns a gas station and garage not far away (the local authorities let him stay in the Zone too...) is visiting, along with his sidekick, Goober.  That tow truck belongs to them. And they both carry large caliber revolvers.  They'll start out in the shop downstairs with Mr. Chambers.   

SAE30 will come in on the street from the west.  What they (and the Chambers) don't know, is that a pick-up truck full of Cold Bloods is on the way to pay the Chambers a less-than-friendly visit.  They'll come on on one of the randomly-determined vehicle start points.  And that doesn't include what may show up as a result of the Random Event Chart.  Things could get dicey.  News to follow - film at 11, as they say...    

[Doug ex-em4]

Excellent. This one a reader can sit down with and know there’s plenty to chew on. As always, your table is very attractive and, to my eyes, has a very American look which I know I couldn’t replicate. Love it.

Just to clear up the hostiles situation. You roll 3 on the D10. Pick up a Hostiles card. Let’s say, Giant Crabs. Does this mean that in future, every time you roll a 3 and get Hostiles, they’ll be Giant Crabs?

Incidentally, the Chambers and friends are certainly no-one’s push-over. This, as always, could get messy.

I’m ready…..

Doug

[CapnJim]

As you can see, there are 6 sets of zone hostiles.  I have a card for each set (from a different deck than the playing deck), with an A thru 6.  When you roll a 3 on the Random Event Chart (or activate a hot spot), you pick a card.  Then roll for their spawn point.  They are then placed at the corresponding point on the board, and cards are drawn for them.  If their cards have not yet been played that turn, they can activate normally.  If a card has already been played, oh well.  There's always next turn.  Each zone hostiles card can only be picked once in a game. Does that help?

And I just finished the game.  Holy crap.  What a scrum!  Details to follow this weekend...

And Ted's SCP Foundation ERT will now be in next week's game, along with SAE30...

[Doug ex-em4]

Does that help?

Yes it does - I had it all wrong. Thanks for the explanation.

Bring on the scrum….

Doug

[CapnJim]

Yes it does - I had it all wrong. Thanks for the explanation.

Bring on the scrum….

Doug

You're quite welcome!

And, now, on with the show...

But first, a few administrative announcements...

First, to help follow along with the action, here is a description of the main characters:

SAE30 Crewmembers
Pyle - Lt. blue shirt, black ball cap, carrying a SAW.
DeSoto - Sleeveless shirt, bearded, white New York Yankees ball cap, carrying an M4.
Malloy - Red shirt (not like in Star Trek, but almost... ), green ball cap, carrying an AK with a slung shotgun.
Newkirk - Tan shirt, brown ball cap, carrying an M4.

The Chambers' and guests
Alfred P. Chambers - Short stocky fella with a dark red shirt and tan brimmed hat, carrying a shotgun.
Marilyn Chambers - Green and white skirt, rust-colored jacket, carrying an FN-FAL.
Jethro - Big guy, in blue jeans and a white "wife-beater" undershirt, carrying a BFR (Big F****** Revolver).
Goober - Bib overalls, bearded, carrying his own BFR.

Cold Bloods
Dudes with cold weather gear and AKs.

Critters
This should be self-explanatory...

Second, I've done away with the Zona Alfa prohibition in Zone Hostiles attacking each other.  I see now reason why they couldn't, if the situation warrants it.  As you'll see, we're gonna get a demonstration of the mutated local food chain....

Third, Mr. Chambers doesn't run a typical hardware store.  It's more like an army surplus store.  Only his stuff ain't surplus...

With that done, here we go...

Part 1 of 3:  Contact!  And a Lot of It.

"Ok.  Get ready.  We're coming up on Chambers' place." Newkirk stated, matter-of-factly, as he drove their SUV through the small town.  Like the rest of the PEZ, it was pretty much abandoned.  Cars here and there, the odd body, stray dogs, and litter everywhere.  "Shit!" exclaimed Malloy, just as they were crossing the side street, about to pull up in front of Chambers' place. "There's 6 of those f****** Cold Bloods unassing a pickup a block down the side street to the left.  3 went left, and 3 went right.  Heads on a swivel, guys."  Pyle chimed in "Looks like Jethro and Goober are here.  Good, we might need them."



"OK." said Newkirk.  He pulled a bit right, as if heading into an apartment parking lot across from Chambers' place, and backed the SUV up to Chambers' front door.  In doing so, he scared off a stray dog that was sniffing at a body next to an old rusted out taxi.  Mr. Chambers had come out to greet them, carrying his ever-present shotgun.



As our SAE crew got out of their SUV, Pyle and Newkirk went right (from their perspective), heading toward the cover of Jethro's tow truck.  Malloy and DeSoto greeted Mr. Chambers on the sidewalk in front of his hardware store, where Jethro had come out to meet them, as well.  As they did that, and unbeknownst to our protagonists, the Cold Bloods were closer than they might have thought.  3 of them were skulking about on the far side of the Post Office, across the side street from the hardware store.  3 more were working their way through the alleys behind the hardware store, tire place, and tobacco shop.







"I think we're gonna have company.  Cold Bloods.  6 of them - looks like they might be approaching through the alleys." Malloy told Mr. Chambers and Jethro.  Mr. Chambers said.  "What?  Those a**holes have left us alone so far.  Oh well."  Then he yelled inside "Goober, we got company.  Go up and tell Marilyn.  You too keep an eye out on that alley from the upstairs window."  And with that Goober headed upstairs.  He had just gotten upstairs, and Marilyn had grabbed her FAL, when they heard gunfire out in the street.  The lead Cold Blood peered around the far corner of the Post Office, and fired at Pyle, who had made his way to the tow truck (so had Newkirk).  Luckily his shots missed.  Mr. Chambers headed over to the front of SAE30's SUV, to try to get a bead on the Cold Bloods by the Post Office.





Jethro ducked back inside Chambers' place, and Malloy and DeSoto headed over to cover the alley between Chambers' store and the tire place next door.  And while the Cold Blood's first shots at Pyle missed, Marylin's first shot didn't.  She had a decent view of the back alley from an upstairs side window, saw one of the Cold Bloods behind the Chambers' car, and dropped him with one shot.  Not only did she keep her FAL handy, she knew how to use it.  DeSoto and Malloy knew how to use their weapons too.  They dropped a 2nd Cold Blood (a rather dapper fellow with a blue beret and a combat shotgun) in the alley.



Malloy and DeSoto took advantage of the situation, and headed into the alley.  Malloy pinned the downed Cold Blood with the blue beret to the concrete, while DeSoto went to see about the downed one by the car.  They didn't see a 3rd - he had ducked into the back door of the tobacco shop (next to the tire store, on the other side from Chambers' place).



Meanwhile, the 3 Cold Bloods by the Post Office ran inside it, trading shots with Pyle and Newkirk at the tow truck, and Mr. Chambers by the SUV.  It was dark inside the Post Office.  All Pyle, Newkirk, and Chambers could see were shadowy figures inside...and while Pyle and Newkirk provide covering fire, Mr. Chambers worked his way around that old taxi.





While our men (and woman) were busy with the Cold Bloods, nobody noticed what was going ion in the apartment parking lot across the street.  2 large snakes had slithered out from behind some crates and debris near the exit from the lot, and attacked that poor stray dog.  The dog didn't go quietly, but his fate was sealed.  Then, 2 giant crabs came scuttling out from behind the apartment's dumpster, and attacked the snakes.  Man, karma can be a fickle bitch...



As if that wasn't enough, the Cold Blood in the blue beret in the alley had slipped the grasp of Malloy and knocked him to the ground.  But Malloy went down swinging.  And DeSoto had his own things to deal with, and quietly (maybe not so quietly?) dispatched the other Cold Blood in that alley.



I'll leave it there for now.  Stay tuned for Part 2 of 3, coming soon to a device screen near you...

[mikedemana]

Great start! Good thing the creatures are playing "Who's Apex Predator?"  while the humans are, well, doing what humans do best (killing other humans). 

Looking forward to the rest of the action...!

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Thanks. Mike.  I hope to do Part 2 later today (Sunday).

[Mr. White]

Great reports!

What like are the die cast cars from? And are you using the Zona Alfa solo rules expansion (Wolves on the Border…..or something)?

[CapnJim]

Great reports!

What like are the die cast cars from? And are you using the Zona Alfa solo rules expansion (Wolves on the Border…..or something)?

The cars are from various manufacturers (I don't remember which ones specific to which vehicles).  I'll look at them, and report back.

As for playing solo, I use Fistful of Lead for the core rules, and just play everyone in a logical manner.  Things like "What would they see? Hear? Know?" and "What would they do given that sensory feedback?"  If there's a question between a couple possible courses of action, i roll a die...

I Use Zona Afla as the basis for the Post-Apoc elements, but I've adjusted things as I see fit...  .

In any event, back to our story...

Part 2 of 3:  It Was Cold and Rainy....

The day started out overcast.  And the clouds were getting grayer.  And things began to cool down a bit, weather-wise (relatively speaking - it was still warm, just not as warm now).  And it was cooling down, gun-fight-wise, too.  The fire coming from the Post Office was starting to slacken (Pyle went on a hot streak with his SAW).  Upstairs, in the Chambers building, Marilyn told Goober  "I saw a 3rd one of those guys duck into the back door of the tobacco shop.  Grab Jethro, and go get that bastard", and she went back to covering the alley with her FAL.  Goober did as he was told, went downstairs, and he and Jethro headed down the sidewalk toward the tobacco shop.   



Out in that apartment parking lot, the mutated food chain was at work.  Those 2 big snakes had killed that poor stray dog, but the 2 giant crabs had gone after the snakes.  The snakes gave the crabs quite the fight, but the crabs are hardy buggers.  One snake decided he had had enough, and slithered away, while the other snake was getting pretty beat up.

 

And, back in the alley behind the Chambers place, DeSoto popped that Cold Blood with the blue beret, taking him out of the fight, as he went over to see to Malloy.  Malloy told deSoto he was fine, that the Cold Blood had tripped him, and he hit his head on the wall of the building.  Just a scratch, as it turns out.

And the fire from the Post Office finally stopped.  Mr, Chambers carefully headed toward the front door of the Post Office from his position at the old taxi, as did Pyle from behind the tow truck.

 

And then, everyone found out why it cooled down a bit.  It started raining.  Pouring really.  Couldn't see shit very well if it was very far away....

Undeterred, Jethro and Goober made their way to the front door of the tobacco shop.  It was locked.  Jethro put his boot to it.  It didn't budge.  And a Cold Blood waited inside for them, hiding behind a counter.



Mr. Chambers and Pyle carefully entered the Post Office to make sure it was secure.  No one knows if it was when they went in, put it certainly was when they left...



Back in that apartment parking lot, the crabs ganged up on the last snake, sealing its doom... Stray dogs and big snakes and crabs, oh my...



After the firing from the Post Office died down and Pyle and Chambers headed inside it to secure it, Newkirk could look around.  That's when somebody (him) finally notice the display of nature going on across the street.  He also noticed a Hot Spot several feet in front of the SUV.  "Where the hell did that come from?" he thought.  And he knew it had been triggered (he didn't know that Mr. Chambers had triggered it when he went over by that old taxi...).  And Mrs. Chambers, seeing that the 2 SAE guys had the alley secured, went downstairs and out on the street.  She too then saw the goings-on across the street...she and Newkirk covered the scene, waiting to see who (what?) would come out on top...



That door at the tobacco shop was giving Jethro and Goober fits.  It just would not open.  The Cold Blood inside did, opened fire, that is, scaring the crap out of them.



Back in the alley next to the Chambers building, Malloy felt better enough to get back in the fight.  He and DeSoto headed out on to the street to see if anyone there needed their help.  They would in a few minutes...



...as the crabs finished off the last snake, decided those humans out in the street looked tastier, and started to head their way.



Goober finally kicked in the door to the tobacco shop.  Jethro stepped in the doorway and was shot for his troubles.  He fell wounded and unconscious, right there in in the doorway.



DeSoto, hearing Goober yell "Jethro!  NO!", turned around and spotted Jethro lying there on the sidewalk, not moving.  DeSoto headed over there to help.  His departure left Malloy, Mrs. Chambers, and Newkirk to deal with the giant crabs, both of whom were now heading their way.   It took an incredible amount of firepower to drop one of the crabs, but they finally did.  But the other one was still coming...



At the tobacco shop.  Goober was enraged.  He was still flummoxed over how long it took to break down that door while that sumbitch was shootin' at them, but now he was pissed.  He stepped over Jethro and into the shop, saw the Cold Blood, leveled his BFR, and fired.  Didn't hit the Cold Blood, but scared the shit out of him, and the Cold Blood ducked back into the back room of the shop.  Goober was a-goin' Cold Blood huntin'....



Once again, I'll leave it there.  Stay tuned for Part 3 of 3, which I hope to do later today (Sunday) or tomorrow (Monday)...