Return to Zona Albion - AAR: The Quatermass Run, Part 7

[Vagabond]

Thanks. The trick is to have a plan and stick to it. Also don't get distracted by the possibility of more salvage unless you have secured your objective and made sure you have enough turns (plus an extra one in hand for unforeseen events) to get out safely. This is particularly the case for slower team members with less actions (use your leader's Leader skill to donate actions to keep the slower members moving). It also helps to position one or two team members with good shooting skills on Alert, such that they can cover the rest of the crew and deal with unforseen nasties.

We played out the next game yesterday and tried to do pretty much what you suggested and it went well. That is until we got ambushed by some savage looters but that's another story. 

I like how you are creating a contents section on page one. Presumably you just modify the page, I'm wondering if I should copy that idea, initially I was just going to throw out a few AAR's but I'm developing quite a storyline of ideas for linked games so it might be more sensible to follow suit. Hummm....
Cheers

[Bullshott]

We played out the next game yesterday and tried to do pretty much what you suggested and it went well. That is until we got ambushed by some savage looters but that's another story. 

I like how you are creating a contents section on page one. Presumably you just modify the page, I'm wondering if I should copy that idea, initially I was just going to throw out a few AAR's but I'm developing quite a storyline of ideas for linked games so it might be more sensible to follow suit. Hummm....
Cheers

I use the alternative Point of Interest (POI) system to Hot Spots in the rulebook. This uses a deck of encounter cards rather than the hostiles table in the rulebook (have a look at some of my game photos for card examples). Most of the hostiles still activate at the end of the turn. However Bandit Ambush activates immediately after the character that triggered them finishes his turn. This can be a particularly lethal time when the bandits open up with everything (especially as my bandits are Hardened with two actions). Hence I usually try to use an inspect action with a bolt toss to identify POI cards without triggering them. I also try to have a couple of stalkers on Alert, who can then dive in with an activation to fire immediately after a character triggers a Bandit Ambush. This gives me fist shot at the bandits before they  get their shots. Another useful way to avoid being shot at is to pop smoke. They can't shoot what they can't see (having someone with night vision then allows you to shoot through the smoke).

If you get bounced by a hostile that dives into melee with you, one your crew can always try an aimed shot. A successful aimed shot allows you to hit someone in melee (needs 2 actions: AIm + Shoot).

For the contents section I update it after each new item/game report I post on, remembering also to modify the title of my contents page too

[mikedemana]

Wow - that read like an Aliens movie...bad guys popping up left and right while the heroes do their best to keep gunning them down. It seemed like a lot more encounters than previously, and they were certainly focused on charging into and taking out your gang.

I bet there were some sighs of relief when they finally exited the table. What an adrenaline ride!

Mike Demana

[Bullshott]

The Quatermass Run - Part 2: Three Hags at St. Ninian's Well

The stalkers and their transport were hidden from sight of the road, in the shelter of a ruined farmhouse. In the evening light, Fletcher and Ingrid studied their OS map of the moors. Despite the poor condition of its gearbox, the Landrover was still a luxury, allowing the stalkers to move about the Zone fairly quickly. However, after their recent fight at the service station, Fletcher didn't want to either risk further damage to the vehicle or to alert hostiles with its engine noise. They therefore needed to plot a route to the instruments via roads crossing open moorland, to avoid the risk of ambush. Once near to each instrument they would proceed on foot to avoid alerting local hostiles.

The first instrument package was located in the well house at St. Ninian's Well, near a long abandoned village and a group of standing stones known as the Three Hags. There was enough dead ground in the area where they could hide the landy, before proceeding on foot. Best get some sleep before an early start in the morning to trudge across the moors to the well house. An early start might even give them some extra time to see if they could snag some salvage.

Game duration: 9 turns
Threat Level: 2
As usual, comments on the game are in the photo captions.


Game setup. The well house is on the opposite corner to the stalkers' entry point.


First things first, Fletcher wanted Godber to be able to cover most of the area with his rifle, just in case they ran into some serious trouble. The best place would be from the ruined farmhouse to their right. The crew quickly moved into position to investigate the building.


Lukewarm scanned the building for signs of trouble (a critical success) and saw an old woman beckoning him over. "Got any ciggies son?". Using his free action, he went over to chat to her. For the cost of a handful of smokes he found that there was a nest of zone rats in the van they passed and a mutant was in the ruined farmhouse over the road.


The team split up. Fletcher and Heslop headed for the well, while Lukewarm and Ingrid went to check out the anomaly amongst the Three Hags. Meanwhile Godber took position on the upper floor of the farmhouse to get a clear view.


Fletcher tossed a rock into the well house. Just a sploosh as it hit the water. It didn't look like anyone was home. However, as they headed toward the well, Fletcher's Geiger counter started clicking. Best to reduce their time in the area (game length reduced to 8 turns).

Fletcher found the instrument package. Lugging the whole thing back would slow them down, so he removed the data recorder (2 actions) and headed back with Heslop.


Meanwhile Lukewarm proceeded up to the anomaly. A successful Will check and he scooped a good artifact.


Ingrid decided to have a close look at a cairn being used to mark a stalker's grave. Taking care to inspect the area for trouble, she spied a pair of mutants behind the wall. Both she and Lukewarm opened up on the mutants. However, despite scoring several hits, only one mutant was taken down.


The surviving mutant charged Ingrid. It failed to hit her, but Ingrid's SMG did its job and the mutant fell.


Ingrid's mutants had no salvage, so Lukewarm took a close look at the farmhouse that Grandma had told him contained a mutant. He spotted the mutant climbing out over a ruined wall (probably alerted by their gunfire). A couple of 7.62mm rounds from his SLR ruined the mutant's day.


While the others prepared to head back, Heslop investigated the mutant's lair, to be rewarded with a couple of good bits of salvage (using his Scrounger skill to score the second item).


With Fletcher's Geiger counter still clicking, the team started to make their way home. However, Lukewarm and Ingrid still had time to check out the vermin nest. A successful inspection showed the nest to be at the back of the van, in perfect position for them to dispose of the rats with their guns.

Having killed or dispersed the rats, Lukewarm braved the smell and checked out the van. He was rewarded with more salvage, a working flashlight and a med-kit (which would replace the one he used on Fletcher at the service station).


Another successful day. Time to get back to the landy and get the kettle on. Hopefully the next Instrument would be just as easy as this one . . .

Epilogue:

Well, that was a lot easier than getting hold of fuel for the landy. The artifact and salvage would sell for about six and a half grand. Things were looking up. Hopefully finding the rest of the instruments would be just as lucrative.

[Vagabond]

Another nice game with lots of good things in it. The positioning of Godber was thoughtful, he didn't have a lot to do but even so, he was in the right place should he be needed.
Unlike last time this seemed a fairly quiet game, not so many opponents and pretty lucrative as well.

Smart use of the transport, was this down to your story or had you decided that the noise would attract morw vermin?

Good looking buildings, are they printed or resin, they are an asset either way.
Cheers

[Grumpy Gnome]

A joy as always. I seem to be getting my gaming fix by living vicariously through these adventures!

[Bullshott]

Unlike last time this seemed a fairly quiet game, not so many opponents and pretty lucrative as well.

Smart use of the transport, was this down to your story or had you decided that the noise would attract morw vermin?

Good looking buildings, are they printed or resin, they are an asset either way.
Cheers

Thanks. This was a bit 'back to normal, but sets the scene for the rest of the campaign (when things will gradually get nastier). I was lucky in that I rolled 9 turns for game duration (down to 8 with the high radiation card), so had time to search for salvage. Getting the Grandma card early and no bandits also helped (Godber was positioned just in case bandits or anything really nasty appeared).

Not playing the vehicle was part of the story (although it will appear in a game or two later in the campaign).

The buildings are made from the Warlord Games ruined village plastic kit (comprising three of their ruined farmhouses). It takes a bit of work to make these look good (cleaning up mould lines and filling gaps with greenstuff), but I'm really happy with the end result. These buildings are generic enough to use from pike and shot games through to present day.

[Vagabond]

I'm not a big buyer of figures or terrain, so don't come across this sort of stuff. Looks interesting through and I'll have a look at the Warlord site,  the buildings are pretty good, and you've made the best of them.
Cheers

[Bullshott]

I'm not a big buyer of figures or terrain, so don't come across this sort of stuff. Looks interesting through and I'll have a look at the Warlord site,  the buildings are pretty good, and you've made the best of them.
Cheers

One reason for my doing Zona Alfa in a British setting was that it would encourage me to expand my British terrain; including the ruined buildings, matching dry stone walls, moorland terrain and the abandoned garage. I'm trying to feed in new figures and/or terrain as my games progress.

[mikedemana]

Nice battle report, and probably good for the nerves of your scavengers. They must have been pretty frayed after the previous nail biter! 

I agree that Warlord box is a good pickup for generic, post-apocalyptic ruins. I made mine less complete than you did. Here's a link to my description of the set and what I did with them:
http://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com/2022/04/ruined-wall-sections-for-post.html

Looking forward to the next installment!

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Well, that run was a bit easier.  Well done.  Looking forward to more of your crew's exploits...

[Bullshott]

The Quatermass Run - Part 3: The Devil's Hump

The second package was located in a ruined farm building near an ancient burial mound called the Devil's Hump, on the outskirts of the village of Devil's End. After another early start, the stalkers drove to the village and hid their Landrover in a crumbling barn. They then carefully skirted round the village until they could see the top of the mound poking above the thick mist. On top of the mound they could easily make out the siren glow of an anomaly.

As they approached, the crew began to make out the shapes of not one but three ruined buildings near to the mound. Which one contained the instrument?

This game was run at TL2 with a 9 turn limit.


Game Setup


The first thing to do was to check out the AA phone box on the junction. The good news was that the mist lifted. The bad news was that the heavens opened and Lukewarm could see the raindrops shimmering as they contacted a cobweb hazard. As well as severely reducing visibility, the rain would slow everyone's movement down. Not an auspicious start.


Ignoring the cobwebs, the crew split up to cover more ground. Lukewarm and Heslop headed for the furthest ruin, via the abandoned van. Meanwhile Fletcher led Godber and Ingrid to investigate the other two ruins.


A successful inspection revealed a mutated sheep in the ruins. Fletcher wasted no time and hosed the mutant down with 9mm bullets. Unfortunately his Sterling jammed as the magazine emptied (critical failure = Pin).


Lukewarm's bolt toss landed on top of the van, rattling loudly off the roof. Nothing stirred so he had a closer look. Smashing a window and peering inside revealed a completely empty van.


While Fletcher and Godber moved on to the ruined cottage, Ingrid checked out the mutant's lair. Neither salvage or an instrument could be found.


Lukewarm carefully inspected the second ruined house. A silvery haze seemed to emanate from something in the ruin. As Lukewarm and Heslop dug out their gas masks they saw an ominous darkening in the sky as black clouds rapidly rolled towards them accompanied by thunder and lightning. A flash storm. Time to get under cover.


With their gasmasks securely fitted to protect against the fumes, Lukewarm and Heslop made for the shelter provided by the ruin. Whilst waiting for the storm to roll over they made use of their time and searched for an instrument, but there was nothing to find.


With time running out, Fletcher inspected the ruined cottage. There weren't any hostiles present, but there was something covered by a tarpaulin. As there was no cover nearby and they were running out of time, Fletcher sent Godber to join Ingrid in the shelter of her ruined house, while he checked out the tarpaulin and did his best to brave out the flash storm.

Under the tarp were several wrapped packages of gear, plus the instrument. Protecting the instrument with his body, Fletcher braced himself for the storm. Huge hailstorms battered Fletcher's back, but his body armour protected him well.

When the flash storm subsided a rather battered Fletcher picked up the instrument package. He couldn't afford to waste time to strip out the data recorder, so he grabbed the heavy package in both arms and made a run for it. It went against his best instincts to leave the other salvage unchecked, but getting out safely with the instrument was the priority.


With the flash storm having quickly passed over, the team just had to cope with trudging through the persistent heavy rain to get out of the area. Heslop struggled to keep up, but encouragement from Fletcher helped him to catch up (action donated using Fletcher's Leader skill).

As the crew left the area they could see the flickering of the untouched anomaly still sat on the mound. In his mind, Fletcher imagined the anomaly was laughing at them.

Epilogue:

The rain gradually subsided and the sun came out, although by now the stalkers were soaked through. However, the back lanes that they were using would be awash and it made sense to wait to let them dry out. Ingrid knew of an isolated but intact cottage not far away, so they made their way there. The cottage was mostly dry and in a defensible position.  Its empty garage also made a good home for the landrover, perfect for Ingrid to work on it. While they unloaded their gear, Heslop had a scout around. A shout of success and he came back lugging a sack of anthracite. Perfect, thought Fletcher. They would be able to get a good fire going to dry their gear without any telltale smoke. "Get that in the hearth and lets get a good brew on. We'll rest up here tomorrow".

Not a particularly successful run. On the plus side, the crew all got out alive and recovered the instrument. On the minus side, they didn't manage to salvage anything else. Oh well, just one more instrument to collect from the Yellow Zone before they can get out to recuperate. The stalkers could almost taste the first round of pints waiting for them at the Winchester.

I particularly liked the way my POI cards and placement of the instrument and dummies played out. It completely changed the feel of this run. The game became a race against time to find the instrument, complicated by the flash storm forcing the crew to cover and the heavy rain slowing everyone down and reducing bolt toss/inspection ranges. Let's see what the next run brings

[Doug ex-em4]

I always like the look of your boards; there’s something very appealing about them.

On to the game. Can you just run through the POI cards procedure again? The Flash Storm card was drawn twice, once at the "furthest ruin" and again at the "ruined cottage" - is that correct? When a second card was drawn for POI,  Fumes followed on from the first time and Hidden Supplies from the second. Or have I misunderstood completely?

Thanks

Doug

[Bullshott]

I always like the look of your boards; there’s something very appealing about them.

On to the game. Can you just run through the POI cards procedure again? The Flash Storm card was drawn twice, once at the "furthest ruin" and again at the "ruined cottage" - is that correct? When a second card was drawn for POI,  Fumes followed on from the first time and Hidden Supplies from the second. Or have I misunderstood completely?

Thanks

Doug

Flash Storm was drawn only once. I just placed it next to Fletcher as he got caught in the open and therefore needed to make an armour save against its D3 attack.

My system of POI cards incorporates Zone Events into the POI deck rather than rolling for them separately. This does mean that it is possible to draw multiple Zone Events in a game or, in this case, in the same turn. On investigating a POI, if a Zone Event is drawn the player then draws another POI card for what was actually at the POI (i.e. Cobwebs and Fumes in this game). Both the Zone Event and whatever was at the POI are then played as normal. If the second card drawn was another event then that is also played and you draw again for the POI (hence mist at the start of the game dispersed with Weather Lifts, only to be replaced by Heavy Rain on the next card drawn for the AA phone box POI.

[Malamute]

Great stuff Dave.