Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Post-Apocalyptic Tales => Topic started by: CapnJim on June 30, 2023, 02:30:43 AM
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Yes. After giving it the due consideration it deserves, I have decided to dip my toes into this genre. Here is what I've decided so far:
1. The Plumbrook Reactor is a federal facility located just south of Sandusky, Ohio, midwayish between Toledo and Cleveland not far from the shores of Lake Erie. It was a NASA facility with a nuclear reactor that was on-line from 1961 to 1973.
Or at least that was what the public was led to believe. It's name was changed somewhere along the line to the Plumbrook Energy and Nuclear Investigation Station (yes, PENIS, so please, no snickering...). 6 months ago, an "event" occurred. What exactly that "event" was has not been disclosed. The immediate area was evacuated and cordoned off. That cordon has expanded in these 6 months to a 20-mile radius. No one is allowed in (or out) without proper credentials.
2. That brings us to Dr. Zacharias Smith. He is an Associate Professor of Cosmic Propulsion at the University of Toledo. There are rumors that his side hustle is with a secretive quasi-governmental agency. Those rumors are indeed true. He is a Director with the Society for Anomoly Elimination (SAE). He directs the activities of SAE Team #30, informally referred to as SAE30. Dr. Smith tasks his team to enter various Event Exclusion Zones to investigate and eliminate any anomalies they find. SAE30 is a fairly experienced crew, having (mostly) successfully operated in several Zones. Dr. Smith can issue SAE30 those afore-mentioned credentials.
3. Having returned from operations in another Zone, Dr. Smith will now direct SAE30's operations in the PENIS Exclusion Zone (PEZ, and again, please no snickering. This is, after all, a serious business). Anomolies will hereafter be referred to as PEZ Dispensers, and Threat Levels 1, 2, and 3 will be, respectively, Soft, Medium, and Hard. We won't speak of Threat Level 0.
That's the gist of it. I have the figures to represent SAE30 (Eureka's 28mm Blackwater Mercs). I plan to start painting them up next week. Once they are done, I will introduce you all to them. I already have Dr. Smith's figure ready, as well as one for his secretary, Miss Hathaway. I also have SAE30's vehicle ready, a 1980s Chevy Van I just posted in my Modern Stuff thread.
I plan to use elements of both Fistful of Lead and Zona Alfa. I plan to do SAE30's exploits solo, but I will invite my gaming chums to participate, perhaps with their own crews, as well.
End of Message. More to follow.
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Really pleased that another Zone has emerged. Post apocalyptic time and space is so warped that literally anything might happen.
I do like your fluidity of rules and participants between ZA/FFOL and solo/versus gaming; it's pretty much my default position nowadays.
The rules are there to provide me with a coherent (ish) story and fun NOT a straight jack.
Looking forward to how your story develops.
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Really pleased that another Zone has emerged. Post apocalyptic time and space is so warped that literally anything might happen.
I do like your fluidity of rules and participants between ZA/FFOL and solo/versus gaming; it's pretty much my default position nowadays.
The rules are there to provide me with a coherent (ish) story and fun NOT a straight jack.
Looking forward to how your story develops.
My thoughts echo these but Spinal Tap is more articulate than me.
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lol lol lol lol I knew you wouldn't resist this, it's right up your street.
Look forward to seeing where you go with the Plumbrook Energy and Nuclear Investigation Station, hope you have plenty of little blue or purple pills to keep your stamina up. ;)
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Miss Hathaway's heartthrob, Jethro, should make an appearance too.
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Jim - glad to hear you're joining in. I look forward to your stories, as well. I'm also using FFOL for my Post-Apoc rules. I found their supplement Wasteland Warriors good for some new Traits/mutations, especially for the monsters or enemies. My world is more of the Terminator one rather than the Zone Alfa, but I can certainly see the appeal of ZA.
Looking forward to your figs and games...!
Mike Demana
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Thanks, all! I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops, as well.
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Started work on the crew today. Eight men (all Eureka Blackwater Mercs, with some odds and ends - backpacks, holsters on a couple that didn't come with molded holsters, etc. - added from the ol' bits box(es). Haven't named or stat'ed 'em up yet. All in due time, but here is the gist of the crew (they will mostly all have pistols):
1. The leader, with an M4.
2. The IT/commo guy, with an M4, who also has a drone he can operate (a small unmanned aerial vehicle that came with my Khurasan Miniatures modern Ukrainians). Those guys will be used as some Balzsaki regulars in my modern games, and they won't need any drones in the early 90s...).
3. The medic, with an M4.
4. The breacher, with an AK. No pistol for this guy. His secondary weapon is a short-barrelled Remington 870 shotgun, which is also one of his breaching tools ;).
5. The recon guy, with a SCAR.
6. The heavy weapons guy, with a SAW.
7. The scrounger, with an M4 and a BIG knife.
8. The grunt, with an M4.
I'm starting these guys out as an experienced crew. The actual crew composition for each mission will depend on mission requirements.
Gotta build up their bases a bit and prime them. Then painting will commence.
Other characters, who will pop up from time to time, will include (all of whom are already painted up):
A. The already-mentioned Dr. Smith.
B. The also already-mentioned Miss Hathaway, Dr. Smith's secretary. She will have a pistol, as needed.
C. With thanks to Cat for the idea :D, Jethro. He runs an old garage/gas station (which is in the mail, and will be built soon after receipt...) near the current boundary of the PEZ. He has some kind of relationship with Miss Hathaway.
D. Goober, who is Jethro's assistant at the garage.
E. Alfred P. Chambers (known as APC), who runs a Hardware Store near Jethro's Garage. He is married to Marilyn (no relation to HER, and no snickering, please...).
I also have SAE30's ride, a black 1980s Chevy Van, kitted with light armor, and some various electronic equipment...
That's it for now. I hope to have SAE30 painted, named, and stat'ed up with a week or so...updates to follow...
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That's significantly quicker than anything I do, looking forward to seeing this in action.
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Other characters, who will pop up from time to time, will include (all of whom are already painted up):
A. The already-mentioned Dr. Smith.
B. The also already-mentioned Miss Hathaway, Dr. Smith's secretary. She will have a pistol, as needed.
C. With thanks to Cat for the idea :D, Jethro. He runs an old garage/gas station (which is in the mail, and will be built soon after receipt...) near the current boundary of the PEZ. He has some kind of relationship with Miss Hathaway.
D. Goober, who is Jethro's assistant at the garage.
I do like the cross-patching of the networks here.
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That's significantly quicker than anything I do, looking forward to seeing this in action.
Thanks. I may be putting a bit mush on my plate. Getting ready for my Pulp "Matewan Massacre" game, prepping for a return to my gaming group's Top Secret RPG campaign I'm Admin'ing, getting more figures/vehicles/terrain done up my modern Northern Gambola and Balszakistan games, and now this. Gonna be busy for a while, but we'll see how things go.
I do like the cross-patching of the networks here.
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You caught that, eh? Wait to see what I come up with for SAE30s crew names... :D
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Well, here they are! My crew is done. The Society for Anomaly Elimination, Unit #30 (SAE30). The figures, 28mm, are the metal Blackwater Mercs set from Eureka Miniatures, with extra gear (backpacks, holsters, etc.) added from some Warlord Project Z sprues. FYI, their shirt colors are based on US Army branch colors most appropriate for their positions in the crew...for example, the breacher is red, for engineers...
The 1st thru 3rd pics are from left to right:
Robinson, the Tech guy. He is the youngest member of the crew, and has a degree from MIT. He is in charge of IT/commo stuff, and operates the crew's drone, named "Robot" (you can see Robot in the 1st pic).
Carter, the Leader. The guys call him "Gunny", as he is a retired US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant.
DeSoto, the Medic. He used to be a paramedic with the LA County FD.
McGuyver, the Driver/Mechanic. He can do anything with duct tape and bailing wire...
The 4th and 5th pics are, also from left to right:
Newkirk, the Scrounger, is from England, and he is a career thief. He spent time in a German prison.
Pyle, the Weapons guy. He too was in the USMC for a while. Word has it that the guy can sing...
O'Rourke, the Recon guy. Half Heckawi Indian and half-Irishman, he was a Cavalry Scout in the US Army, stationed out west.
Malloy, the Breacher. He is a retired LAPD officer, who spent most of his career in Road Patrol.
The 5th and 7th pics show SEA30 with their ride, a 1980s Chevy Van that Dr. Smith has dubbed "Jupiter 2" for some reason. Something about an old space program he was involved with... Jupiter 2 may be beefed up a bit...
There you have it. These guys are starting out as a fairly experienced crew. They will have traits/skills and equipment relevant to their positions in the crew. As I mentioned, I'm mashing Fistful of Lead and Zona Alfa together, with maybe a bit of Black Ops thrown in for good measure.
I have a few miscellaneous minis to paint up before Dr. Smith sends SAE30 in for the 1st P.E.N.I.S. insertion (how many times have I told you guys - no snickering...). A dog (from Wargames Atlantic's plastic German Sentries set, which will round out a pack of 4 feral dogs of various sizes), 6 dead bodies, and a civilian ambulance crew (metals from Offensive Miniatures). I also want to flock the bases of some WizKids pre-painted D&D minis for some Zone Hostiles (large snakes, swarm of bats, that sort of thing). Once they are done, it'll be time for a Zone run. Of course, I will post an illustrated AAR after each run SAE30 does.
I'm getting there...
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You are a powerhouse CptnJim. Swift work for a man with fingers in so many pies..
A well thought through crew that should be capable of taking on whatever is thrown at them. The drone is an exciting addition that should prove useful.
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really nice
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Nice work Captain. I have that set if figures in my lead mountain, with the intention of turning them into a crew at some point.
I hope that they don't get Lost in (the Zone) Space when out and about in Juniper 2 :D
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Thanks, fellas! Their first trip in should be interesting. That's the plan, anyway....
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The crew looks and sounds great! I'll be interested to see how your mash of the rules systems works out, as I'm using Wiley Games Core Rules (FFOL) as my rules set, too. I plan on picking up Zona Alfa at Historicon, as well as Five Parsecs From Home. Reading battle reports from those rules sets has made me want to check them out and see if there is anything (especially campaign-wise) I can incorporate.
Good luck!
Mike Demana
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Thanks, Mike. Here's the plan for using the various rules:
Fistful of Lead
Character generation and advancement, including Traits and equipment
Turn Sequence, Movement, Combat, Rally, and Task mechanics
Some of the Animal and Mutant rules
Zona Alfa
Mission and Hotspot mechanics, with Zone Hostiles Tables modified for each scenario (based on my minis collection) and FFoL-ized
Skills/Abilities, and equipment, FFoL-ized
Black Ops
Civilian interaction, modified as needed for the scenario at hand
Mind you, all of this will be tweaked if/as I see fit... 8)
I'll likely provide comments on how this is all working out as we go. Of course, I'll also be posting scenario info and AARs too, as well as any minis I paint up for this...
And at this point, my first P.E.N.I.S. insertion will start in August...it'll be a series of linked scenarios as SAE30 does a recon into the P.E.N.I.S. Exclusion Zone...
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I like the setting and the miniatures look great. Those Eureka figs are a good set.
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Thanks, Mike. Here's the plan for using the various rules:
Fistful of Lead
Character generation and advancement, including Traits and equipment
Turn Sequence, Movement, Combat, Rally, and Task mechanics
Some of the Animal and Mutant rules
Zona Alfa
Mission and Hotspot mechanics, with Zone Hostiles Tables modified for each scenario (based on my minis collection) and FFoL-ized
Skills/Abilities, and equipment, FFoL-ized
Black Ops
Civilian interaction, modified as needed for the scenario at hand
Mind you, all of this will be tweaked if/as I see fit... 8)
I'll likely provide comments on how this is all working out as we go. Of course, I'll also be posting scenario info and AARs too, as well as any minis I paint up for this...
And at this point, my first P.E.N.I.S. insertion will start in August...it'll be a series of linked scenarios as SAE30 does a recon into the P.E.N.I.S. Exclusion Zone...
Sounds fascinating, looking forward to hearing more about this. Shame we have to wait until August for a P.E.N.I.S. insertion!
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And at this point, my first P.E.N.I.S. insertion will start in August...it'll be a series of linked scenarios as SAE30 does a recon into the P.E.N.I.S. Exclusion Zone...
2 days and counting, I bet Mrs Jim is counting too. :D
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Sounds fascinating, looking forward to hearing more about this. Shame we have to wait until August for a P.E.N.I.S. insertion!
2 days and counting, I bet Mrs Jim is counting too. :D
Thanks, gentlemen! I reckon it'll be Monday when SAE30 goes in. Here's the lead in...
Dr. Smith was sitting in his big comfy leather chair in his office at the University, his feet up on his big oak desk. He had his laptop (appropriately) in his lap, and a glass of good Kentucky bourbon in his left hand (2 fingers, on the rocks, or course). He was reviewing the latest news reports (and other, more secret documents) on the status of the Plumbrook "problem". Then his intercom went off. He hit the speaker button, "Yes, Miss Hathaway?" "Dr. Smith, Gunny Carter is here." "Thank you. Send him in."
A few moments later, a man of medium build and a short high-and-tight haircut came in, wearing khaki tactical pants and a short-sleeved black shirt. "I see you guys are back from Yuma" said Dr. Smith. "Anything?" Gunny Carter responded "Nope. Some dude named Donovan wouldn't let us go in. He was headed off to Canada, so we though about going in anyway. But when we got your call, we hopped in Jupiter 2 and headed back here."
Dr. Smith: "Good. I need to see what's up with P.E.N.I.S. Go out to the warehouse, and get set up. Head in Monday morning."
"Roger. What's the skinny so far? And what numbnuts named it that?" asked Carter. Dr. Smith responded "Some desk jockey in DC. He is either an idiot, or has a very weird sense of humor. Anyway, it's all still kind of fuzzy. It looks like NASA was fiddling with some new space propulsion systems at a lab in Plumbrook, and had an, um, accident. The military and local law enforcement have a 20-mile cordon from where, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, P.E.N.I.S. is Hard. Jeez, from now on it's PEZ, OK? But nothing nuclear yet. The cordon is only a few miles from Davis-Besse though. So far, it's just heat. And stuff that likes heat, like reptiles, and other cold-blooded stuff. But be careful. There are looters about, and other bad guys. Apparently, the cordon is still pretty loose in some places. Get in there and look around. See what's what. Stay in as long as you think you're OK, and deal with any anomalies you find."
"Okay. We'll do that. We'll head out to the warehouse, and hole up there till Monday. Then we'll head in Monday morning. Good thing Robinson got Robot working again. We'll be in touch", and Carter turned around and headed out of Dr. Smith's office....
There we go. First trip in is scheduled for this coming Monday. It'll be a solo game, so I can see how things mesh out. Til then... 8)
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I like the space propulsion angle on bringing in anomalies! Even with the PEZ nickname, I have a feeling the puns are still going to be, er, popping up in the battle reports...! lol
Mike Demana
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Looking forward to this and hoping they don't get Lost in the Space of the zone.
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......Even with the PEZ nickname, I have a feeling the puns are still going to be, er, popping up in the battle reports...! lol
Mike Demana
Now, why would you say that, Mike? ;)
Looking forward to this and hoping they don't get Lost in the Space of the zone.
Thanks, Bullshott. They might, but we'll all find out together.
And as a teaser, here is a pic of some of the zone Hostiles - dogs (one is a 28mm dog from Wargames Atlantic, and the other a a/72 plastic dog), BIG dogs (D&D figures), BIG snakes, and a swarm of bats (the snakes and bats are also D&D figures).
The other pic is some dead folks, mostly Tiny Terrain Miniatures. They may or may not appears in my Plumbrook games...I've also posted pics of a 1/48 ambulance and 28mm crew up on my Modern Stuff thread...
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Great read for the set-up, Cap….looking forward to see how the games go.
Doug
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Thanks, Doug. SAE30 hits the SP in about 20 hours....
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You understand why Captain Donovan wouldn't let you into the Yuma Zone, there's no point in cross contaminating your P.E.Z.
On another tack, it looks like you're expecting lots of casualties with the amount of painted dead you have, Go in hard and come out faster, that's Donovan's motto.....although he doesn't always stick to it. :D
Looking forward to reading your take on the zone, the background so far is excellent.
Cheers and good luck soldier.
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And in they went. First off, please see below a cheat sheet I used for SEA30's first time into the PEZ. You'll find the unit roster (they are an experienced crew - 1 leader and 7 specialists). It's in Fistful of Lead format, but some of the skills are from Zone Alfa. They translate just fine into FFoL. You'll not that Newkirk has the Knife Man skill from ZA, which includes the Two-handed trait from FFoL. He carries that BIG knife for that.
The 2nd chart is the Zone Hostiles Chart for when the P.E.N.I.S. is Soft (TL1, as they are at the edge of the PEZ).
The 3rd Chart is the Civilian Reaction Table (inspired by and modified from the one in Black Ops). I used it for the encounter with the ambulance crew...surly fellows they were...
Anyway, and away we go...
Carter was enjoying a good cigar and bullsh**ting with the guys in the back of Jupiter 2 as McGuyver drove east on Highway 412 out of Fremont. They were approaching the point where they should encounter a roadblock at the edge of the 20-mile cordon. About a half mile from that point, McGuyver said "Gunny, look up there". Carter turned around, and saw what McGuyver had noticed. Of more importantly, what they didn't notice. No roadblock.
Carter told McGuyver to pull over to the side of the road about 200 yards from where the roadblock should have been. "Robinson, get Robot up and let's have a look around." barked Carter in his old Marine Gunny voice. "Check. Gimme a minute" came Robinson's reply. McGuyver indeed pulled over in someone's driveway, and Robinson got out and got Robot up and flying. After a few minutes, Robinson said "Gunny, come look at this". Gunny came over, taking a draw on his cigar. "Whaddaya got?". "See here? There's an old single-wide on the south side of the road, and what looks like an old corner store on the north side at the intersection of the side road. But no roadblock. Just what looks like a pick-up piled into the woods.". Carter: "Take it down for a closer look". And down Robot went, first to the trailer. No sign of life, but an old tractor, a shed out behind the trailer, and a couple of above-ground storage tanks. "Okay" said Carter. "The white one looks like a water tank, and the yellow one looks like a gas tank. We gotta be careful there...Okay, now, go over the the other stuff". And over Robot went. Still no signs of life, just a corner store, with boxes and bags around it. "Hmm..." said Robinson "...it looks like there was a road block, but the barricade is shattered all over the road where it goes into the woods. There's a wrecked pick-up truck, and 2 bodies. One's under a blanket or something, but there's some kind of briefcase lying next to it".
Carter whistled, and made a "rally on me" gesture. His crew got out of the van and gathered around. Carter described what he and Robinson had seen through Robot's eyes. "Robinson, you stay here and keep Robot up. And stay on comms with us. McGuyver, you stay here with Robinson and Jupiter 2 and keep an eye on things here. The rest of us will go in on foot. DeSoto and Pyle, you come with me and we'll go up the left side of the road. Newkirk, O'Rourke, and Malloy, you 3 go up the right side of the road. Our Objective is the briefcase by the body at the pick-up. And I think that trailer and the old corner store might be Hot Spots. Be careful. We're not sure what to expect. Everybody clear?" Everybody nodded. "Okay, good. Lets go..."
And away they went as Carter ordered. The last 3 pics below are what they saw through Robot's eyes...
Their stroll up the road begins in the next post...
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SAE30 approach the area from the west, more or less in line abreast on both sides of the road. Just as Carter had told them. This wasn't their first rodeo, after all. It was sunny out, but it was getting quite a bit warmer the more they moved east. Too much warmer, thought Carter. Carter hit his throat mic: "O'Rourke, get up to that tree by that trailer, and watch as Newkirk and Malloy see what's up there". The 3 of them moved up toward the trailer. Carter made a "Follow me" gesture with his left hand (with a cigar in it, naturally), and he, DeSoto, and Pyle moved purposefully toward the gate in the privacy fence between them and the old corner store. Carter: "Anything yet, Robinson?" "Nope, it's all quiet so far where you're at. But we hear a siren coming in from the west".
As Carter and company moved up to that privacy fence by the old corner store, O'Rouke posted up at the tree, inspected the trailer, and got ready. Newkirk chucked a rock through the window. That rock must have alerted some looters that something was up, as 4 of them piled out of the front door of the trailer. One with a pistol, one with a shotgun, one with an AR, and the last with an AK. O'Rourke didn't wait to exchange pleasantries. He opened up, and dropped the guy with the AK. Malloy dropped the guy with the pistol. It was on now, as gunfire broke the silence of the warm, sunny morn.
Carter and his 2 guys made their way through and around the privacy fence, being careful not to get too close to the corner store. Robinson chimed in on comms "You have an ambulance inbound from your rear. Lights and siren. and nothin so far but those looters". "Roger that" replied Carter. Over at the trailer, there was a very close range gunfight going on. The wounded looter with the AK dragged himself back into the trailer, while the guy with the pistol got back up and shot O'Rourke. Good thing he was wearing his ballistic vest. The looter with the shotgun and the one with the AR went down, courtesy (courtesy?) of Malloy and Newkirk. And they stayed down, while the guy with pistol retreated back into the trailer and closed the door. Discretion is the better part of valor, after all. Malloy went up to the trailer. Damn, he thought. They locked the door. His first application of boot to door was unsuccessful. Then the door opened, and the guy with the pistol shot at him. Poor bastard. He missed. Malloy though Well, that solves our breaching problem, went up to the door, and butt-stroked the looter with the pistol. Caught him in his chin, and he went down. Malloy stepped in and over the now-prone pistoleer, opening up Newkirk's field of fire to the guy with the AK. The poor schmuck pulled the trigger on his AK (he had recovered from his wound), but all he heard was an audible click. Newkirk pulled the trigger on his M4. It did not click. And the guy with the AK was down for good. And then Newkirk took care of the guy that Malloy had butt-stroked.
Meanwhile, O'Rourke had headed over toward the corner store, running in front of the ambulance as Carter flagged it down. Pyle and DeSoto had moved up toward the Objective, still avoiding the corner store. The ambulance crew was all business, and in no mood to chat. They went past Carter, veered left around Pyle and DeSoto, and (perhaps on purpose?) triggered the Hot Spot on the corner store. 2 snakes came slithering out from behind some crates at the back corner of the store. BIG snakes. Snakes, though Carter. Why does it have to be snakes? Pyle lit one up, as he had gone on Ready. And then there was 1 snake, and it headed straight for Carter...
What will Newkirk find in the trailer? What are the snake's intentions regarding Carter? What about the corner store? What's in that briefcase? And what's with the ambulance crew? Find out the answers to these and other questions in the thrilling conclusion to our crew's first encounter with the PEZ, coming soon to an electronic device near you... 8)
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Great start, Jim! I look forward to the conclusion (and maybe solving the mystery of the unfriendly ambulance... ;D ).
Mike Demana
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A good starter, I'm agog to know what happened to the road block. They seem a very competent crew and should do well, the eye in the sky is going to be invaluable.
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A good starter, I'm agog to know what happened to the road block. They seem a very competent crew and should do well, the eye in the sky is going to be invaluable.
Invaluable, that is, until its electronics get fried when it gets too close to an anomaly or the crew try to use it somewhere 'hotter' closer to the centre of the Zone
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Enjoying this, Capt. Yeah, we need to know about the roadblock and the ambulance. I mean - an ambulance..!
Doug
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Thanks, fellas. Let's see how this finishes up...
And now, Ladies and Gentlemen (and you guys ;D), the exciting climax to SAE30s first run into the PEZ...
There was stuff going on. Newkirk tossed the single-wide, and found $550 in cold hard cash. Must have been what the looters were after. Malloy was out by the trailer's front fence eyeballing things. And that BIG snake lunged (do snakes lunge?) at Carter, bit him, knocked him down, and grabbed on to his leg. But Carter managed to hurt the snake too. Pyle was Ready, trying to line up a shot at the snake, without hitting Carter. He fired and missed the snake. Luckily enough, he also missed Carter. Pyle then got on Comms, informed Robinson of the situation, and suggested he and McGuyver come up with the van. They did just that.
Meanwhile, in front of the corner store, the ambulance crew pulled up near the truck wreck, debussed, and got out their gurney. Sensing time was of the essence, DeSoto ducked into the corner store to search the joint. He fund $500 and a pair of binoculars. And an Anomaly...
O'Rourke headed toward the Objective, and Newkirk hoofed it as fast as he could from the trailer toward the Objective.
Malloy wandered over to see if he could help Carter, who had been bitten again, but had stood back up, having shrugged off both bites (Carter, for some reason, hates snakes, and now he was pissed). Carter stuck out the muzzle of his M4, and the snake bit on to it. One trigger pull later, and the 1st few feet of the snake disappeared in a red mist...(I know what that looks like, after an, um, incident with a Copperhead at Basic Training...).
Pyle went over to the sidewalk in front of the corner store, keeping an eye on the Objective. O'Rourke didn't wait for Newkirk, and tripped the Objective himself as he picked up the briefcase by the one body. Another BIG snake came crawling out from under the wrecked truck. Pyle took care of it. Just (and I mean just) before DeSoto searched the corner store and triggered an Anomaly. DeSoto had just enough time to think Oh Sh*t and duck below the counter as the Anomaly went off in a blast of heat (and dust and debris). Freaked DeSoto out a bit, it did. He got over it. But the overpressure from the blast of heat blew out all the ground floor windows, including the one Pyle was standing in front off. The blast knocked Pyle to the pavement, his ass, shoulders, and the back of his neck showered with broken glass and splinters. And maybe a bit warm, too.
And the ambulance crew continued to go about their business. Carter went over to have a word with them (or perhaps words. Maybe some foul words, with him being a retired Marine and all).
As Pyle gingerly picked himself up off the sidewalk, McGuyver and Robinson had arrived on scene with Jupiter 2. Just as Newkirk was almost to the Objective, O'Rourke discovered $500, a MedKit, and another Anomaly, but he deftly worked through it and grabbed a nifty artifact thingy. A $4,500 artifact thingy. Newkirk was impressed...
And with that, our 8 turns were up.
4 Dead looters, and 3 BIG dead snakes. $1,550 in cash, binoculars, a MedKit, and a $4,500 artifact. Not bad....
Carter had found out, after his chat with the ambulance crew, that they were just tired of responding to calls in the PEZ. Especially the ones that involved gunfire. They just wanted to get in and get out. Their surliness wasn't necessarily directed at them, per se...Carter did talk them into taking Pyle to a medical center to get the glass and splinters removed. But only after O'Rourke gave Pyle sh*t about the Marines not teaching him not to stand in front of windows, and Pyle telling O'Rouke to pound sand. Or words to that effect...
Then they heard gunfire coming from a bit further down the road into the PEZ. They snapped a pic of the license plate of the wrecked truck with a phone (they still worked), stowed Robot and the loot, hopped into Jupiter 2, and headed east...What happens next will be game 2, but they'll be without Pyle for this one...
In my next post, likely tomorrow, I'll say (type?) a few things about how the various rules meshed, and how things worked...
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Nice report. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next
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Snakes...why did it have to be snakes...? :D
Seriously, hope you had as much fun playing it as we did reading it. It seems like everything worked well from the AAR. Looks great, too. Nice to get those recently-painted toys into a game right away!
Mike Demana
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Nice report. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next
So am I. SAE30 will be going in without Pyle, and they won't have time to deploy Robot...I imagine I'll get to Game 2 within the next week or two...
Snakes...why did it have to be snakes...? :D
Seriously, hope you had as much fun playing it as we did reading it. It seems like everything worked well from the AAR. Looks great, too. Nice to get those recently-painted toys into a game right away!
Mike Demana
You got that one, eh? ;) I'm developing character quirks as we go. So far, it's Carter's dislike of snakes, and Pyle and O'Rourke's inter-service ribbing. We'll see what I come up with for the others...
And I did enjoy playing it out. And yes, the rules mash-up worked out quite well. Here are my thoughts on how that aspect went...
Fistful of Lead
That was pretty straightforward. In Zona Alfa, there are the 3 character classes (Veteran, Hardened, and Rookie IIRC), with stats, abilities, and gear done up according to each class's experience level. Fistful or Lead has 2 ways to do that. First are the Leader/Specialist/Regular classes, which govern traits and gear. It also uses d12/d10/d8 for Veteran, Regular, and Green, respectively. I made my crew a Veteran Leader (Leader and 3 traits, and 3 gear "slots"), and 7 Regular Specialists (2 traits and 2 gear "slots"). in addition, all have chest rigs, ballistic plates (8+ armor), and personal comms for free. I wanted a fairly experienced Zone Crew. It all worked well.
And, a la Zona Alfa, I decided that the Leader trait gave Carter the ability to give his actions to other figures within his command radius. He didn't do that this game, what with trying to flag down the ambulance and not getting eaten by that snake. Carter was kind busy most of the game....
Zone Hostiles were easy too. I've only done up the table for when PEZ is Soft (TL1), and it's based on my minis collection. I stat'ed them up with d10 and 3 wounds as the base, and adjusted from there. For example, those snakes are d10, but only have 2 wounds. Regular-size dogs are d8 with 2 wounds, but big dogs are d10 with 3 wounds. The humans all have 3 wounds, but the looters are d8, while the bandits (who haven't appeared just yet) are d10. The humans' weapons were whatever I felt like grabbing from my figure trays (I have plenty to choose from, and SAE30 is gonna have a cow if an RPG gets whipped out... :o Good thing Jupiter 2 has light armor...).
And the movement, combat, task, and recovery mechanics were used straight out of the box.
And, I used the "What happened to him" chart in the campaign section of the book. Pyle was the only character to end the game with a wound (Carter and O'Rourke had both been wounded, but ain't the Queen of Hearts a great card?), so his roll on the chart will see him miss the next game. I bet he stays away from windows now...
I still have to figure out Renown Points for character advancement. I'll figure that out in due time. But they'll have to learn new traits/abilities within the context of the game and campaign play, so some characters might miss a game or 2 as they go off to attend some course...and they can use their "discovered" cash to get more equipment (I'll use the charts in Zona Alfa for pricing, and the SAE will get their 25% cut, ya know). But, they have to be someplace where this stuff might be available. Jethro and his gas station, and Mr. Chambers and his hardware store, may come in to play there...I can tell you this though, Robinson is gonna be pissed off if something happens to Robot...
Zona Alfa
I used some of the abilities and equipment from Zona Alfa. They translated almost exactly. The only difference is that in Fistful of Lead, high rolls are good, while in Zona Alfa, low rolls are good. So any modifiers were just reversed for play in Fistful of Lead.
I already discussed the Zone Hostile Table. I'll develop tables for when the PEZ is Medium and Hard when we get there...y'all might be surprised what might appear, due to my figure collection...
I used the Objective/Hot Spot and Anomaly Tables right out of the book. The only thing I had to figure out was how a character negotiated any Anomalies they found. Fistful of Lead does not have anything comparable to a Will Stat. After giving it some thought, I ultimately decided that it took a successful Medium Task Roll (5+) in Fistful of Lead terms, and the modifiers in Zone Alfa (the detector and a leader's presence) to work through an anomaly's counter-measures. Using the d12/d10/d8 mechanism in Fistful of Lead, a d12 approximates a Will Stat of 7 in percentage terms, a d10 to a Will Stat of 6, and a d8 a Will Stat of 5. Close enough for government work, and it worked out OK.
Black Ops
The Civilian Reaction Table was inspired by the one in Black Ops, only reversed so that high rolls are good, and includes the possibility of civilians affecting Hot Spots and Objectives. As in Zona Alfa, Zone Hostiles can't trigger them, but I see no reason civilians can't, intentionally or otherwise...and civilians may even be somewhat useful...I do want to flesh that table out a bit more, though. I'll do that prior to Game 2, but it worked well enough for Game 1.
Conclusion
I think that does it. My rules mash-up worked out quite well, I think. A couple tweaks before Game 2, and we're off and running.
And here's a teaser - I think we may find out what happened to the roadblock in Game 2. And there may be more hints about the goings on in the PEZ ;)
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Very nice. Good story telling, and good pictures to back it up. A nice in-depth background for the characters. One question however - who called the ambulance?
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One question however - who called the ambulance?
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Sorry Dan. Tweren't that fella. :D.
We might find out who called the ambulance in game 2....
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...and just as importantly, why would the ambulance bother going into the zone? Wouldn't the government have warned them off of answering calls to that area? Or wouldn't they refuse to go in without escort? :o
Mike Demana
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Patience, my friends. Patience. The questions regarding the ambulance and the roadblock should be answered in Game 2. :D
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Enjoyable story Cptn and interesting how you amalgamated the 3 rule systems. I'll have to look at Black Opps civilians, I dont remember them.
Who called the ambulance, who cares....we do.
Snakes, why did it have to be cobras, it seems like there's some pretty big anomalies in PEZ. :D
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Enjoyable story Cptn and interesting how you amalgamated the 3 rule systems. I'll have to look at Black Opps civilians, I dont remember them.
Who called the ambulance, who cares....we do.
Snakes, why did it have to be cobras, it seems like there's some pretty big anomalies in PEZ. :D
Thanks. I'm just about ready for Run #2. Some questions should be answered.
And Big Stuff-wise, wait until they get into the next higher threat level area.....
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Looking forward to the next part of this story-great work.
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Looking forward to the next part of this story-great work.
Thanks, You shouldn't have long to wait. I hope to play Encounter #2 yet today. News to follow, of course....
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Thanks, You shouldn't have long to wait. I hope to play Encounter #2 yet today. News to follow, of course....
Speaking of which...
But first, a few housekeeping details:
1. I've decided how the crew will earn FFoL Renown Points. They will get one point per successful Objective/Hot Spot search, and 3 points for successfully obtaining an artifact. They can spend the Renown Points per normal FFoL rules. I will also permit them to spend Renown Points to affect the story arc between games...for example, 1 Renown Point will get a minor advantage, while 2 Renown Points will get a more significant advantage. The story arc will drive what those may be.
2. Figures may "capture" another figure by winning a melee against them. With such a win, they can forgo the Wound Roll, and the "capturee" automatically gets 1 Shock, and is now in custody of the "capturer". The "capturee" will still get a card as normal, and may escape custody by winning a subsequent melee when their card comes up. If they lose that melee, they simply remain in custody. Otherwise, they move when their "capturer" does.
3. I fleshed out the Civilian Reaction Table a bit, as you can see below. And I decided that subsequent rolls can be done if/as events warrant...
4. The crew is still in the Soft Area of the PEZ. As such, the roll on Zona Alfa's Environmental Conditions Table will apply during the whole game. When they get into the Medium and Hard Areas, I will introduce Jokers into the deck. One Joker when it's Medium, and 2 when Hard. The Joker(s) will act as normal Wild Cards, but will also trigger a roll on an as-yet-to-be-developed 10-item "Shit Happens" Chart. Some of the items will include re-rolls on the afore-mentioned Environmental Conditions Chart. Other items could include comms going out, the van acting up, random beasties or civilians or (gasp!) The Press showing up, and things like that. Did I mention that the PEZ perimeter is a bit porous?
Anyway, I ran through SEA30's 2nd encounter in the PEZ today. Here's the lead-in...
"The crew stashed the cash and the artifact in the small safe in Jupiter 2, and Robinson stashed Robot away. Pyle was getting checked out by the ambulance crew when they mounted up, and headed east through the busted roadblock. They could hear the unmistakable sound of a firefight up ahead, maybe a mile or so away. Carter: "Robinson, get on Google Maps, and see what's up there." "No go, Gunny. Service here sucks." "Okay." responded Carter "I guess we'll see what we see. How hot is it?" Robinson replied: "106 degrees. Way too hot for this time of year..."
And what they saw, about a mile and a half down the road from where the roadblock used to be, was a leftward bend in that road. And the sound of gunfire getting close. Very close. And they also heard Newkirk singing (off-key, of course) "The hills are alive, with the sound of gunfire..." He was cut off by McGuyver yelling "Shit!", and the sound of tires screeching on pavement as he hit the brakes on Jupiter 2. Just as they came around the slight bend and came to that abrupt halt, they could see a police vehicle blocking the road not 50 yards up the road, and 2 officers behind their open doors exchanging gunfire with someone to the left of the road (north). There was another police vehicle another 50 yards up the road, having come in from the other direction. 2 more officers were behind that car's doors, exchanging fire with whoever was north of the road. None of the police officers seemed to notice their presence, likely due to being shot at by somebody else and returning that fire.
Carter barked orders (he was in Marine Gunny mode now). "O'Rourke! You, Newkirk, and DeSoto go left, get to that hedge row, and see what you can see. McGuyver and Malloy, you're on me. We're gonna go see what the f**k is going on. Damn it, I wish we had Pyle's SAW right now. Robinson, you stay with Jupiter 2 and watch things here. Be ready to get Robot up if I give the order. Everybody clear?" 5 heads nodded up and down, and O'Rourke was already out of the van headed toward the hedgerow left of the road. "Okay, good. Go! Go!"
And that's where the game starts. On a still bright and sunny (and hot for this time of year. Too hot...) day. Below are 2 things. First is my cheat sheet for the scenario. Second is the view SEA30 saw when the van came to that screeching halt.
The AAR that will follow, likely starting tomorrow, will be 3 parts. Part 1: The Approach, Part 2: The Assault, and Part 3: Will Officer Griswold Get a Medal?
More to follow. CapnJim out.
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Love it! Your terrain looks great. This should be fun...
Mike Demana
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Thanks, Mike, And now, I present to you all...
PEZ Encounter #2 Part 1: The Approach.
Carter's boys unassed the van, just as he had ordered. O'Rourke had already almost made it to the hedge, while Newkirk and DeSoto were headed that way. Malloy and McGuyver were out, and Robinson had set up at the edge of the wood-line next to Jupiter 2. Carter ran straight toward the officer at the driver's side door of the nearest patrol vehicle.
Carter Yelled "SAE #30!" as he got near him. When he got there, rounds were coming their direction from a farmhouse left of the road. The officers were firing back, and the other officer at this car had a patrol rifle. "Whaddaya got?" inquired Carter. "Jeez! Glad you're here. At least 3 shooters, likely more. Bottom right window, and both upper floor windows. That SUV busted through our barricade back there, and whipped in here. They dropped that duffel bag (referring to a duffel bag lying next to a hastily exited SUV parked next to the farmhouse) as they bailed into the house. We dropped 2 of them as they came back out to get it. The only close-by back-up was those guys" the officer pointed to the other patrol unit. "Nearest other back-up is 20 minutes out." Carter could see 2 prone figures lying near the duffel and SUV, as more rounds came from the house, and more rounds went toward it. "Check. Those are AK rounds. You guys try to keep 'em busy, and we'll move in and take them out. And whatever you do, don't go into those woods behind us. My guy says he has readings from in there." Officer: "Gotcha." More rounds coming and going, and they had to keep there heads down.
Carter, on his comms: "O'Rourke, you guys go in the back door. Stay clear of the outbuildings. Probably Hot Spots. The duffle bag by the SUV is the Objective, but we gotta clear that house. Malloy, take McGuyver in the front. I'll be with you 2. Go!" And they went, each as Carter had instructed. O'Rourke made it to the house first, staying clear of the side window.
Then, the officer Carter coordinated with said 'I can't hit shit from back here", turned to his partner and said "Cover me", and headed forward to a split-rail fence closer to the house, and was met with more AK fire. And he was hit and went down.
The back-up officers at the east end of the farmyard, decided to move closer too. They needed to, for their pistol and shotgun to have any real chance to hit anything. They were kinda pinned down where they were at their car. One moved along the far side of the tall hedges, wriggled through so that the guys firing from the front of the house shouldn't have a shot, and the other followed.
Carter, seeing the downed officer several yards in front of the patrol car, chucked a smoke grenade between him and the house. The fire coming from the house was starting to slacken just a bit, but it was still coming. "DeSoto, go see if you can help that cop!". But just them O'Rourke had fired into the window on the side of the house, and whoever was inside returned fire. O'Rourke went down. Hard. "O'Rourke is down!" came back DeSoto's reply, who was only a few feet from O'Rourke. "I gotta see about him!"...and Newkirk chimed in "Got a runner! One of 'em just bugged out the back door, and hightailed it north..."
As the wind picked up, the downed officer got back to his feet (his vest must have taken the AK round). But that breeze dissipated the smoke from the grenade. The officer was OK, but still exposed out in the open.
As it now stood, O'Rourke was down and motionless at the near side of the farmhouse. DeSoto was ready to move the few feet to his aid, and Newkirk was at the back door of the farmhouse. Malloy and McGuyver were carefully making their way toward the front door. Carter was back at the patrol car, ready to move to join McGuyver and Malloy. And Robinson was back by the van.
The patrol unit at the west edge of the farmyard had one officer at the car peppering the house with his patrol rifle, and the other out in the open in front of the patrol car. The officers at the far end of the farmyard were making their way to the far end of the farmhouse.
What would happen next? There was still fire coming from the farmhouse, but at least one of the guys there had bugged out. The crew was almost set to assault the farmhouse, but O'Rourke was down, and DeSoto was fixin' to work on him. How would SAE30 do this? Can they improvise, adapt, and overcome? Would O'Rourke be OK? Find out in PEZ Encounter #2 Part 2: The Assault, to be posted soon (maybe tomorrow even!)...
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A few more pics from Part 1...
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Come on, don't leave us in suspense. What happens next?
Since the bad guys are in the farmhouse and the objective is outside it, did anyone bring any satchel charges?
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Great start! Well, maybe not for O'Rourke :'(
Looking forward to the Assault!
Mike Demana
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Thanks, fellas. In fact, Malloy does indeed have a satchel charge. And Carter has more grenades. Too bad I forgot to take a pic of the smoke grenade....
Anyway, read on to see what's next...
PEZ Encounter #2 Part 2: The Assault
Now Newkirk was pissed. O'Rourke was a good guy, and had the makings of a good scrounger. So, he put his Size 10-1/2 boot to the back door and it opened up with some authority, nearly coming off its hinges. He went in, saw a guy with an AK, and opened up, freaking that guy out. Apparently that guy wasn't expecting that.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823024902.jpeg)
Meanwhile, Desoto got to O'Rourke, careful to avoid exposing himself (so to speak) at that window. O'Rourke had some cuts and scratches on his face, 2 distinct smudges on his vest, and was out cold. DeSoto worked a MedKit under O'Rourke's vest, and he came to. "Looks like your vest took those rounds." DeSoto assured him. "But you're gonna have a sore chest for a while..."
The officers at the east end of the house had made their way (apparently undetected thus far) to the east wall of the house by a propane tank. They couldn't get any shots to the upper floor window from there, so they backed away from the wall (and that tank) a bit. And came under fire. They ducked and returned fire, peppering the upper floor window with 12-gauge slugs and .40S&W rounds. The firing from that window stopped...and the officer at the west end of the farmyard, made it back to the cover of his patrol car.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823024341.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823025051.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823025320.jpeg)
Carter, Malloy, and McGuyver made to the front door of the house, and after a couple attempts, Malloy had the front door open. Carter yelled "Flash-bang!" and chucked a flash-bang grenade past Malloy into the house. Everyone on the ground floor of the house suffered the effects of the grenade. Including Newkirk.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823025146.jpeg)
However, Newkirk was able to gather his wits, and ducked out the back door as Carter, Malloy, and McGuyver were coming in the front. They fired as the came in, dropping a bad guy. They also found another bad guy cowering in the corner, and took him into custody. Oddly enough, given how hot it was, they were wearing cold-weather clothes, and all did have AKs.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823025237.jpeg)
DeSoto applied a 2nd MedKit to O'Rourke, and O'Rourke was back on his feet. Newkirk said over comms "That close outbuilding is a Hot Spot. I'm gonna engage it." He picked up a rock, and immediately fumbled it, dropping it at his feet. Must have been still a bit dazed by that flash-bang - good thing it wasn't a grenade. But the delay gave O'Rourke time to move to the front of the SUV to cover the outbuilding, and DeSoto headed into the back door of the house to see if he was needed in there. Newkirk tossed another rock, this time sending it through the outbuilding's window. 4 tangoes came out, again all wearing cold-weather gear and wielding AKs. A 5th was just inside the doorway of the outbuilding. "Shit" thought Newkirk "This ain't good." But quick bursts from Newkirk's M4 and O'Rourke's SCAR dropped 2 tangos, and made 2 more duck behind the SUV. That evened things up a bit...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823025416.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823025457.jpeg)
So now, SAE30 had cleared the ground floor of the farmhouse, taken a prisoner, and had engaged a Hot Spot in that outbuilding. That produced more bad guys, but O'Rourke was back up an in the fight. But they still had work to do, and the clock was ticking. It was too damn hot for a protracted gunfight, and those cops had to get back to their checkpoint.
So....
1. Will SAE30 clear the upper floor of the farmhouse?
2. Will they take care of the bad guys at the outbuilding?
3. Will they have time to search the Objective and Hot Spot?
4. What about the possible Hot Spot in the woods across the road?
Stay tuned for PEZ Encounter #2 Part 3: Will Officer Griswold Get a Medal?, to see how these questions get answered...
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** Deleted. **
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Excellent stuff. The house clearing was almost professional (if you ignore getting your own guy with a flashbang). Don't you just love it when you come out if a firefight only to bump into more bandits at the first hot spot!
And what happened to the one that bugged out of the house last time?
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As far as the chap who ran from the house, he ran all the way off the board (he rolled a "1" on his Shock Recovery roll...)
And my guess is Carter will have a, um, chat with Newkirk about the flash-bang incident after this is over (if they're both still alive, that is...)
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I have to say, Capn, your descriptions of the action read like they’re written by someone with some real-life experience of these things. They have the ring of experience.
More, please.
Doug
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Thanks, Doug. I reckon it's my 15 years in the Army, and my 26 years' experience as a Village Manager working with Police Officers...thanks for noticing.
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Here's Part 3 (the Final Part)...
PEZ Encounter #2 Part 3: Will Officer Griswold Get a Medal?
The bandits who came spilling out of the outbuilding (the Hot Spot) tried to fight back. Ineffectually though. Newkirk had run his M4 dry, and was reloading it when O'Rourke dropped a 3rd bandit there. The 4th one outside apparently decided that getting to the SUV wasn't gonna cut it, and he fled north, away from the whole affair. That left the chap inside the outbuilding to deal with.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823131538.jpeg)
Meanwhile, inside the house, Carter tossed a frag grenade upstairs. It went "Boom!", then things got quiet up there. McGuyver went upstairs to clear it, and found 2 dead bandits, also clad in cold-weather stuff. Malloy grabbed the prisoner, and hustled him outside. Carter and DeSoto headed out the front door, too, but went around back to see if they could offer assistance there.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823131617.jpeg)
In the meantime, the 2 back-up officers had worked their way around back too, and were set up behind the water tank.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823131658.jpeg)
Officer Griswold, apparently having had enough of this crap, bolted toward the door of the outbuilding. What no one outside knew was that the bandit inside had looked out the south-facing window, and had a clean shot on O'Rourke (not 15 feet away at the SUV). Too bad the bad guy's AK just went "click", so he had backed up into a far corner to reload it. That's when Officer Griswold barged in, taking the bandit by surprise. Officer Griswold holstered his pistol, and slammed the bandit against the wall (checked him into the boards, in hockey-speak), taking him into custody.
Newkirk now searched the Objective, and found $700 in cash in the duffel bag. O'Rourke went in to search the outbuilding as Officer Griswold brought his prisoner out. O'Rourke found another $350 in cash, and a MedKit. He would give that to DeSoto to replenish his stock of them.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823131828.jpeg)
The 2 officers at the black-and-white came up to help "escort" the prisoner from the house to the patrol car. "Watch your head, sir", one said as they stuffed him into the back seat of the car. And O'Rourke and Officer Griswold brought their prisoner out and headed to the van that Robinson had brought up. And there the whole thing ended.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823131757.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823131909.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823131942.jpeg)
Epilogue
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-150823132021.jpeg)
SAE30 and the Police Officers decided that the crew would take the prisoners back to SAE30's warehouse, where they would have a polite (I'm sure) conversation with them. The Officers in the black-and-white would head back to re-establish their roadblock, and the back-up Officers would resume patrolling their sector of the Soft Area of the PEZ. Carter did learn from the Officers that the ambulance crews would respond to the edge of the PEZ, but, unless an Officer was down, they wouldn't go into the PEZ any more. They weren't paid enough for that. And that Hot Spot in the woods south of the road would have to wait for now...man it was hot out...
I will reveal what SEA30 finds out from their prisoners in the Lead-in to Encounter #3. They may have to spend some Renown Points during their discussion with the prisoners (they have 10 Renown points now), and Dr. Smith will likely be there for that (and to take possession of the artifact from encounter #1 and SAE's cut of the cash)...
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Okay. I've figured out the whole gallery thing, and embedded the Part 2 and Part 3 pics into the AAR.
Vagabond will be happy to note this milestone in my posting experiences.... 8)
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Great report, Jim! It was a lot of fun to read and interesting to speculate on the motivations of the various groups that were there. I'll be interested to hear why the cold weather gear. Maybe some anomalous weather in the PEZ...? lol
Mike Demana
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Great looking setup :)
Great reports too!
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Great report, Jim! It was a lot of fun to read and interesting to speculate on the motivations of the various groups that were there. I'll be interested to hear why the cold weather gear. Maybe some anomalous weather in the PEZ...? lol
Thanks, Mike. I know what SAE30's motivations are. Primarily, it's find and eliminate anomalies. Dealing with hostiles, of course, is part of the drill...
For other groups, folks who are not Hostiles get one (or more, depending on the situation) rolls on the Civilian Reaction Table in use for that scenario. Just as I did with the ambulance crew in Encounter 1, and the LEOs in Encounter 2. The die rolls will drive the narratives of their various motivations.
For Hostiles, well the beasties' motivations are pretty simple. Looters are there to steal whatever they can get their hands on. It's the bandits that may be the real threat. All we know at this point is that they wear cold-weather clothes in a hot clime, and carry Soviet/Russian-style weaponry. The rest will be revealed as we go (and as I decide what it is... :D )
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Well done. A great start to your campaign
Were the bandits wearing cold weather gear because that was what the Chechens in your collection were wearing and now you're stuck with it? Just having random thoughts 🤔
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Well done. A great start to your campaig
Were the bandits wearing cold weather gear because that was what the Chechens in your collection were wearing and now you're stuck with it? Just having random thoughts 🤔
Er, sort of. :D But I have ideas on why the cold weather gear. We may get some answers when they chat with their prisoners... ;)
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Well that was jolly excellent Cptn Jim, I'd seen your post but not had the time to sit down and enjoy it properly, then it got longer and longer so it was with delight when I got to read all three parts at one sitting, and with pictures too. :D
Great AAR :o
I'm not clear who shot O'Rorke when he appeared to be safe up against the wall. I'll go back and have another look to see if I can figure it out. Maybe even he doesn't know where the round came from. o_o
Camera work is pretty spiffy, I like the very first shot when the van came round the corner and saw the 2 police cars, I think it's the telephone poles that make it special. Keep up the good work with the camera, I think you may have a future as a photographer.
Vagabond out.
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You're too kind, Mr. Vags. Thanks! I did take a photography class in college. 40 years ago. But I still remember stuff like lighting, forced perspective, framing, etc.... 8)
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"They're here" came McGuyver's voice over comms. "Okay good. Now we can get down to business" was Carter's response.
A few moments later, Dr. Smith came into the old warehouse SAE30 was using as their local base, Pyle in tow (he was fresh from the local ER). "Where are they?" inquired Smith, very matter-of-factly. "In the back room" replied Carter, and turned to head that way. Dr. Smith followed him. He and Carter went into the room where they were keeping the 2, er, guests they had taken earlier today. As Carter went in, he said, in a raised voice "Don't nobody bother us..."
It didn't take long. They had noticed that these 2 guys were shivering quite badly in the air-conditioned building. So they turned the AC down a bit more, so it was even cooler in the back room. Their "guests" were ready to talk.
When Dr. Smith and Carter came out about 20 minutes later, Carter motioned to gather around him. This is what they discussed...
1. Their guests were all Eastern European. They had some experience in Zones throughout Europe. Some of their fathers had been to Chernobyl. They were called the Cold Bloods, and their cardio-vascular systems had somehow mutated to stand much warmer temperatures than average humans. That meant, though, that they were very sensitive to cold temperatures. Thus the clothing they wore. The P.E.N.I.S. Zone is their first North American Zone, but they are here to gain control of it.
2. SAE30 will head back into the PEZ tomorrow morning, and investigate the Hot Spot they missed in the woods across the road from that farmhouse.
3. Then, as circumstances permit, they will make contact with Jethro at his service station, and Mr. Chambers at his hardware store. SAE30 can perhaps get some local intel (particularly about the Cold Bloods) from them, and perhaps acquire some additional equipment.
4. Then, they would continue to recon PEZ, maybe even getting into the Medium Area.
5. And of course, Dr. Smith took SAEs 10% of the cash. And the artifact (which he would examine back at his lab at the University). Mind you, he did pay the team their 50% of the artifact's value, so they have a stash to work with when they get the Jethro's Garage and/or Chamber's Hardware....
6. Carter and Newkirk are getting impressed with O'Rouke's budding scrounging skills. The Team may have a second scrounger in the works...
They head back into the PEZ tomorrow then....and they'll have Pyle back with his SAW...stay tuned...
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Encounter #3 will take place tomorrow (Wednesday). It twill involve Point #2 above, keeping in mind Point #1...AAR to follow...
Here is the cheat sheet for Encounter #3. Pyle is back with the crew now, and the cash and artifacts have been adjusted since Dr. Smith settled up with the Crew. Also, I spent 2 Renown points to get the info on the Cold Bloods from the "guests" (who will be turned over to the military for processing).
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-290823203617.jpeg)
Once they get back to 10 or more Renown Points, I'm thinking of giving O'Rourke the scrounger Trait/Skill. We'll see how things go...
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This is developing very nicely - intriguing. And I have to praise your cheat sheet. I’ve been trying for something as succinct as that but yours is superior. My intention is to copy it if that’s ok?
Doug
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They were called the Cold Bloods, and their cardio-vascular systems had somehow mutated to stand much warmer temperatures than average humans. That meant, though, that they were very sensitive to cold temperatures. Thus the clothing they wore.
They should be well equipped for Global Warming then lol lol
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@Doug ex-em4: Thanks! Feel free to copy my cheat sheet. In my former line of work, we called that R&D - Rip-off and Duplicate... :D In fact, if you'd like I can email you the MSWord original...if so, just PM me your email address.
@Vagabond: I would think so. But too bad the heat in the PEZ ain't the kind of warming you're talking about.... 8)
The next morning, before SAE30 left the warehouse to head back into the PEZ, Carter asked Robinson to look on Google Maps to check out the site across the street from that farmhouse, to which they were heading. Robinson did so, and this is what they saw...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-300823215435.jpeg)
The drive off County Road 412 passes through a narrow wood line and curves left. There is a tree across the drive at the bend. It was another farmyard. Only it looked like this one's house and barn had burned up some time ago. There was what appeared to be an abandoned truck at the wood line, and the whole place looked a bit run down. "Okay" said Carter, "That's what I wanted to know."
The Military had already been in to fetch their guests, and Dr. Smith had left as well. So they could head out too. "Mount up!" barked Carter, and they did. When they pulled out of the warehouse, it wasn't sunny this day. The sky was gray and overcast. "Maybe it won't be so hot in there" someone said. Another replied "I wouldn't hold your breath."
Some time later, they passed though that police roadblock on 412. Manned by the officers they had helped out at the farmhouse. They waved SAE30 through. A mile and a half later, they came to the drive they were looking for. "Damn, it is still hot in here" chimed in one of the crew...
They turned right into the drive, and here is what they saw as they pulled in...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-300823215346.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-300823215319.jpeg)
Things looked about the same as they did on Google Maps. And it from this point that the story of SAE30's third encounter in the PEZ begins. Stay tuned...
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Looks like it will be a good one! The Cold Bloods...damn Mutants!! lol
Now, as long as Professor X or Magneto doesn't come along to recruit them... lol
Mike Demana
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………if you'd like I can email you the MSWord original...if so, just PM me your email address.
PM sent.
Stay tuned
Oh yes - no doubt of that :)
Doug
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Thanks, fellas...meanwhile back in Jupiter 2...
"What now?" asked McGuyver, the driver.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175805.jpeg)
Carter: "Go around it to the left. But not too close to either the house or that pick-up." "Yeah" chimed in Newkirk. "My detector is pinging big-time off that truck. I'm getting some readings on the farmhouse and barn, too." "Okay" came back Carter. And McGuyver pulled around the downed tree, pulled forward several yards, and stopped.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175739.jpeg)
Carter continued. "McGuyver, you and Newkirk go left and check out that truck. O'Rourke, take Malloy and see about the house. DeSoto, post up so you can respond as you need to. Pyle and I will keep an eye on things from back here. Robinson, get Robot up. I don't want any surprises." And out of Jupiter 2 SAE30 deployed, just as Carter had ordered. Just like a thousand times before....
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175656.jpeg)
As the crew moved out as ordered, Robinson barely had Robot up when he came in on comms. "Heads up, fellas. We got company. A green SUV is pulling into the drive." Roger", said Carter. "Pyle, you and I will watch our 6. Everybody else keep doin' what yer doin'." With that, Newkirk threw a rock at the pick-up, and missed. The rock sailed into the trees behind it. His second rock bounced off the roof of the truck's cab, and a BFS (Big F***kin" Snake) rustled in the brush at the base of the trees next to the truck. And, as Carter and Pyle turned around to watch the team's rear, a green SUV did indeed pull up and stop at the downed tree. 2 guys and a gal got out, and one guy and the gal started taking photos of the team...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175630.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175602.jpeg)
Carter challenged them - "What the f**k are you doing here? Get back in your truck and get the hell out of here!" They ignored Carter, continuing to snap photos.
Meanwhile, while Newkirk and McGuyver were shooting their snake up, O'Rourke threw his rock right threw a window opening in the burned out house, while Malloy watched. 4 feral dogs came out of the ruins, It didn't look like they appreciated being disturbed,. They didn't like being shot at, either, as 2 of them froze in their tracks as O'Rourke and Malloy opened up on them.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175534.jpeg)
The other 2 dogs though, the big ones, charged right at O'Rourke. O'Rouke shouted a Heckawe war whoop, and killed one of the big dogs and wounded another as they closed on him. The team would find out later that dogs are NOT O'Rourke's spirit animal. Cats are...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175504.jpeg)
Over at the truck, Newkirk and McGuyver were dealing with that snake.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175430.jpeg)
Now that they knew what was at the Objective and the Hot Spot in the house, Robinson moved Robot over to the barn ruins, to keep an eye on the Hot Spot there.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175404.jpeg)
Newkirk killed the snake at the truck, and went over to search it. He would find $1,000 in cash, and a Red-dot Sight. He would also find an anomaly, which he deftly worked through to find a nice artifact.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175315.jpeg)
But trouble was brewing with the photographers. Pyle and Carter were herding them back to their SUV. Or trying to. The female was not being exactly cooperative, and their driver/escort was getting downright snotty. There was some pushing and shoving between the female, the driver/escort, and Pyle.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175250.jpeg)
At the house, O'Rourke's dislike of dogs continued to play out. He managed to put them all down, and Mallow moved up to enter the house's ruins to search it. He would find another $350 in cash.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175219.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175019.jpeg)
As Newkirk and Malloy were searching their areas, O'Rourke and McGuyver moved toward the barn ruins. They threw a rock into the ruins. Robinson warned them over comms "Steady fellas, there is another BFS on the back side of those ruins.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175152.jpeg)
Then it happened. Pyle tried to grab the female photographer to get her back in the SUV, and the driver/escort took offense and moved to intervene. A mighty sucker punch came flying in, and leveled Pyle, now out cold...the driver/escort amazed....
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823175054.jpeg)
By now, Newkirk, Malloy, O'Rourke, and McGuyver were carefully approaching the barn, taking shots at the snake as they could, and driving it back away from the barn.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823174946.jpeg)
But Carter was getting annoyed with the photographers. He called DeSoto over to deal with Pyle. A couple MedKits and a good jaw-rubbing later, and Pyle was back on his feet. And Pyle wasn't just annoyed. He was pissed. He turned and stepped toward the driver/escort with that "I'm gonna kick your ass now, boy" look on his face. The driver/escort took a step or 2 back, scared shitless. And then, as Pyle started to raise his SAW, the guy turned white, turned around, bolted through the gate opening in the stone wall, and disappeared south into some woods. And Carter took his frustration out on the male photographer, popping him in the face and knocking him on his ass. "Dammit. DeSoto, come look at this guy" Carter barked on comms. And Carter came over as the photographer got to his feet and shook it off.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823174909.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-310823174845.jpeg)
With their driver gone, the photographers became much more cooperative, and duly got into their SUV, under Carter's and DeSoto's watchful eyes. Not that it did them any good. That driver had the keys to the SUV in his pocket.....
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-300823222138.jpeg)
Back at the barn, the boys had killed the other BFS. Newkirk searched the place while the others backed away. He found another $350, and a gas mask.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-300823222253.jpeg)
Robinson started to bring Robot back to the van, and everyone began to collapse back on Jupiter 2.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-300823222229.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/16550-300823222204.jpeg)
And that was it. They had a pretty good haul, and didn't have to deal with any of those Cold Bloods jack-wagons. But now they had 2 photographers in the PEZ (who weren't supposed to be there, and who now had no way to get around...). Carter had to figure out what to do with them. And, while it was still overcast, it was still damn hot....
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What a FANTASTIC table! Zona Alpha? I'm using Last Days for my games, but I've had my eye on Zona as well.
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Another excellent game. Your team is getting into the swing of this.
I like the easy you are incorporating other interested parties into your games, like the photographers and the police/ambulance crew in previous games.
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Fun read, Jim! I also like the threads that keep appearing. It'll be interesting hearing the story behind the reporters...
Mike Demana
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@Too Bo Coo: Thanks. And I'm using a mix-mash of Fistful of Lead and Zona Alfa. With a touch of Black Ops thrown in...
@Bullshott: Thanks! I'm enjoying adding the various extra elements into the games. The military is focused on securing the Medium and Hard areas of the PEZ, and leave securing the Soft area up to local law enforcement. Unfortunately, there just ain't enough local LEOs to go around, so the PEZ's outer perimeter is a bit porous. We'll see who else might show up...
@mikedemana: Thanks, Mike. And see my comment above...
As we left our crew, they had 2 photographers and an SUV with no keys to deal with. And a driver/escort who had fled to who knows where. I think perhaps we'll find out in SEA30s Encounter #4...and maybe what happens with the photographers...
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Excellent :)
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@Dr Mathias: Thanks! Appreciate that!
At this point, it appears that I will be able to get in Encounter #4 next week. I will post the Lead-in to that encounter here in the next few days... 8)
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"McGuyver, get over here. See if you can start this thing", barked Carter. McGuyver duly did as he was asked, and, in no time, hot-wired the photographers' SUV and had it running.
"Okay, here's the plan. McGuyver and I will, um, escort - yeah that's it, the photographers with Jupiter 2 to that police checkpoint up the road and leave them there. Pyle, you and Malloy stay here and keep an eye on this disaster of a farm. Newkirk, you take Robinson, DeSoto, and O'Rourke and go find that driver chump. Use Robot to help you with that. Hopefully, we can all stay in comms. And we'll all rally back here. Clear?"
Seven heads nodded in agreement. As Pyle and Malloy posted up to keep an eye on the burned out farm, and Carter, McGuyver, and the photographers headed out the farm's driveway, SEA30's ad hoc search party set out to the southwest to try to find the photographers' AWOL driver/escort.
By now, it was about noon, and it was still overcast and still damn hot. But between Robinson and Robot, and the basic tracking skills O'Rourke learned from his Heckawe grandfather when he was a kid, they were able to track down that driver. After about a mile going cross-country to the southwest, Robinson piped up "Hold Up! Come look at this." They were approaching an small country cemetery just east of a north-south road, and across that road from yet another farmstead. DeSoto, Newkirk, and O'Rourke gathered around Robot's control screen on Robinson's laptop. Robinson had Robot up in the air a couple hundred feet. What they saw concerned them...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-070923162753.jpeg)
It looked like that driver had wandered into a band of looters at another abandoned farm. Newkirk: "Zoom in on 'em. Let's see what we're dealing with." Robinson indeed zoomed in.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-070923162822.jpeg)
"Okay. 4 schmucks, 2 with what look like long guns, and 2 with pistols. And it looks like they're roughing our quarry up some. And it looks they got a pick-up truck by the house" Reported Robinson. Newkirk gave Carter a SitRep (their comms still worked), and Carter told them to rescue the driver and bring him back to the burned out farm. And, importantly, to use whatever force was necessary to do so. Newkirk acknowledged Carter, and turned to the rest of the guys. "How do we want to do this?" he asked to no one in particular.
Find out in the AAR I'm sure to post after I play Encounter #4 out, probably this Sunday coming. We'll see how the 4 members of SAE30 pull this one off, if they do indeed pull it off.
Here's the cheat sheet for this encounter...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-070923163231.jpeg)
Stay tuned for news of SAE30's next exciting encounter in the Plumbrook Exclusion Zone!
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Wait a minute...let's get to where it is REAL dangerous and (wait for it) split up! lol I expect some Hollywood-style action to ensue. But hey, they have a good scouting report, which is better than most hapless horror movie heroes have going for them... :D
Looking forward to it, Jim!
Mike Demana
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tapping fingers impatiently :D
Doug
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Wait a minute...let's get to where it is REAL dangerous and (wait for it) split up! lol I expect some Hollywood-style action to ensue. But hey, they have a good scouting report, which is better than most hapless horror movie heroes have going for them... :D
Looking forward to it, Jim!
Mike Demana
Yes, at least they do have a good idea of what they're facing....and Carter had to make that difficult decision - they had to do something with the photographers, and they couldn't have that driver/escort wandering around the zone...so split up it was.
tapping fingers impatiently :D
Doug
We, we can't have that, can we? 8)
PEZ Encounter #4: Go Git 'im, Boys!
Our 4 men (Newkirk, O'Rourke, DeSoto, and Robinson) had stopped short of a north-south road, at the edge of some woods, to have a look at Robot's control screen. They saw yet another abandoned farm across the road. And a small rural cemetery to their left. They also saw their quarry (the photographers' AWOL driver/escort) being roughed up by 4 looter scum. 2 with long guns and 2 with pistols. They also saw a late model pick-up truck parked next to the farmhouse. Newkirk had checked in with Carter, and got the go-ahead (both for the rescue, and the use of force).
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923211323.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923211302.jpeg)
After (quietly) discussing their options, they decided to they would move forward through the woods directly to their front (nobody wanted to go near that cemetery...), and (hopefully) surprise their prey. O'Rourke would lead, several yards ahead of the rest of them. And O'Rourke was off across the road....
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923211230.jpeg)
....followed by the rest. And Robinson kept an eye on what Robot could see from its vantage point a couple hundred feet up.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923211210.jpeg)
O'Rourke led the way, moving as quietly through the woods as he could. He was getting close, and now could hear the looter scum taunting and pushing the driver/escort around. And it didn't sound like the the driver/escort was enjoying it. It also didn't sound like the looters had any idea they weren't the only ones there...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923211154.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923211123.jpeg)
But the boys from SAE30 weren't completely aware of what all was going on, either. Robinson had moved Robot over the house looking south, to keep an eye our looter friends. That meant that robot couldn't see that a fifth looter had just exited the house...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923211108.jpeg)
O-Rourke crept closer, careful not to be seen in those trees. It sounded like those looter scumbags were doing a real number on that driver/escort...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923211030.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923211048.jpeg)
It was a good thing Newkirk, DeSoto, and Robinson were coming up behind him.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923211008.jpeg)
"Oh shit!" Robinson said over comms, hopefully not too loud. "There's a fifth guy, Looks like another long gun. He musta come from the house, and it looks like he's gonna get into that truck." The dude had just walked into Robot's field of view...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923210953.jpeg)
By now, Newkirk and DeSoto had caught up with O'Rourke. Robinson had hung back just a bit to control Robot and provide updates to the team. They heard the dude by the truck, who was wearing a baseball jersey, yell to his fellow looter scum, "F**k it. Let's go. Grab that chump, and let's get outta here!" So, the other four, 2 with biker colors, one with a basketball jersey, and another surfer-looking guy, started heading for the truck. Surfer dude had the driver-escort in tow.
Newkirk: "Now!" DeSoto and O'Rourke had 2 of them in their sights and fired. And missed.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923210933.jpeg)
They didn't miss the second time they fired. And Newkirk got in on act this time. Baseball shirt-boy and Basketball-shirt-boy went down wounded. Biker dude with a pistol went down. And stayed down. Dead, presumably...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923210912.jpeg)
Surfer dude raised his pistol to shoot the driver/escort, who at the same time sank to his knees, scared shitless. Surfer dude missed. O'Rourke had sidled a bit behind a pile of trash in the driveway, and dropped surfer dude (just wounded, though). At the same time, the other biker guy had gone over to the driver door of the truck, where he was met by Newkirk (who is good with a knife, by the way).
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923210856.jpeg)
The biker guy found out the hard way how good Newkirk was with his knife. The looter hit the ground, with a nasty gash across his chest, and frankly a bit freaked out by it all...and Newkirk shoved him away from the truck's door.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923210840.jpeg)
With his captor down, the driver/escort ducked into the nearby trees. But basketball-shirt guy had collected his wits and stood up, ready to get back in the fight, such as it was...and Robinson had moved up in the tree-line by the house.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923210822.jpeg)
DeSoto move around the back of the truck, and dispatched baseball-shirt boy. And Newkirk and Robinson went to finish off the biker guy at the side of the truck, only to see he had already died of that knife wound. O'Rourke moved up to finish off surfer dude (or at least try too...).
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923210756.jpeg)
The looter scumbag in the basketball shirt, now having his wits about him, fired twice at O'Rourke. Hitting him both times. Luckily, the .30 Carbine rounds were no match for O'Rourke's ballistic vest (although O'Rourke was just a bit concerned about it at first. And his ribs will likely be a bit sore for a few days...). O'Rourke turned his SCAR toward basketball-shirt boy, who, seeing the writing on the wall, promptly dropped his carbine and ran off to the west (leaping over the fence like it wasn't even there...) O'Rourke then turned his attention back to surfer-dude, and he and DeSoto (who had come over to check on O'Rourke) finally saw to surfer dude's imminent demise.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923210736.jpeg)
With the bad guys all dead and/or gone. Robinson began to bring Robot down to stow, and Newkirk searched the truck (his detector was pinging off it big-time). He found $850 in cash and a Med-kit. He also found an anomaly, which he had no problem working around. For his efforts, he fund a $4,500 artifact...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-100923210718.jpeg)
It was quiet again. And still overcast, and still dang hot. Newkirk stashed the loot, Med-kit and artifact, while Robinson stowed Robot. They, um, borrowed the pick-up, picked up the driver/escort as they headed down the driveway back to the road, and headed back to the rest of the team at the burned out farm.
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Neat, nifty and no-holds barred. I’m not going to say great work by the team or go overboard on their success. Just a good, professional job done without unnecessary drama. And hopefully the driver is grateful. Oh, and let’s not forget some tasty salvage.
Another enjoyable AAR, Jim and good photos of another pleasing layout. I can stop tapping my fingers now ;)
Doug
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Another successful job for the team. However, it seems to me that they haven't really been stretched yet. Even this half-size team didn't have much trouble. I suspect that the full team is going to waltz through low/soft threat level scenarios. I'd be interested to see what happens when they encounter nastier hostiles in situations where they can't use their guns to full advantage.
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Neat, nifty and no-holds barred. I’m not going to say great work by the team or go overboard on their success. Just a good, professional job done without unnecessary drama. And hopefully the driver is grateful. Oh, and let’s not forget some tasty salvage.
Another enjoyable AAR, Jim and good photos of another pleasing layout. I can stop tapping my fingers now ;)
Doug
It was quick and fairly clean, wasn't it? And thanks!
Another successful job for the team. However, it seems to me that they haven't really been stretched yet. Even this half-size team didn't have much trouble. I suspect that the full team is going to waltz through low/soft threat level scenarios. I'd be interested to see what happens when they encounter nastier hostiles in situations where they can't use their guns to full advantage.
Yeah, the fight at the first farmhouse could have gone sideways, but SAE30 got a bit lucky. And the rescue op was a sideshow, really.
And I thought they'd be further into the PEZ by now. The Encounter at the burned out farm and the Encounter rescuing that driver weren't expected. Once they re-assemble at the burned-out farm, perhaps they'll push deeper into the PEZ. I have some surprises in store for them...there may be some bigger badder mutant critters there, and some of those Cold Bloods might better know their business, too.... 8)
Unfortunately, with my brother's annual visit and a vacation coming up this month, it probably won't be until early October before I get back to this...but I will, I promise... ;)
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After the fights at the farms, SAE30 pulled back out of the PEZ. They had to figure out what to do with the photographers and their driver. They also has a couple artifacts to cash in with Dr. Smith. So, they "escorted" their new guests back to the old factory they were using as a base, and Dr. Smith met them there. That evening, they all discussed their next move. Dr. Smith decided it might be a good idea to have someone record SAE30's activities, so he offered jobs to the photographers (but not the driver - he had shown his true value...). The male declined, but the female, who went by Richards, took Dr. Smith up on his offer. She was now on the Society's payroll, and she owned that SUV (which came with her as part of the package).
Carter wasn't sure about the whole thing. He took Dr. Smith aside, and voiced his concerns. Dr. Smith took them into consideration, and decided to send Richards to the Society's "Orientation Course". Then, they would have a better idea about what use she could be. In the meantime, SAE30 could have some downtime, clean things up, and re-stock (ammo, med-kits, etc.). And, he cut them a check for their half of the artifacts. As Dr. Smith departed, along with their new team-member, he mentioned that he would be in touch if something came up...
Of course, something would come up. It always does. I hope to get in Encounter #5 next week, as things have settled down here, busy-wise. I'll post the encounter lead-in here, right after I figure out what that is... :D
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That gets my anticipatory juices flowing, which is not as messy as it sounds. Looking forward to seeing what occurs next.
Doug
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Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
This reminds me that I really must get around to playing the final scenario of my current campaign arc.
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Looks like it will go down Tuesday. I'll post the lead in before then, and the AAR afterwards...
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Richards had left for the Society's Orientation Course a couple days after SEA30 pulled back out of the PEZ. They re-stocked on ammo and med-kits, even getting some Hot Load ammo for Pyle and his SAW. Pyle dug that.
Newkirk had talked to Carter about O'Rourke. Turns out O'Rourke was a natural scrounger, so carter promoted him to the teams 2nd Scrounger. Too bad Dr. Smith couldn't get a Detector for him. It was on back order, and would be a few weeks before it came in.
The boys were enjoying a little down time. They had cleaned everything up, and then cleaned it again. They even had a chance to polish up on some reaction drills. But everyone know it wouldn't last long.....
About a week after they pulled out of the PEZ, Carter got a call. It was Dr. Smith. He'd drop by their base that evening. They all knew what that meant.
And they were right. Dr. Smith told them the scuttlebutt was that the military was planning to shut down the Hard and Medium Areas in the PEZ. Nobody in or out without credentials. And not the kind of credentials he could get for them. Nobody knew when yet. So SEA30 had to go in first thing in the morning. And by "Go in", Dr. Smith meant go into the Medium Area. A cabin on the south shore of Sandusky Bay, a few miles northwest of the Hard Area (the P.E.N.I.S. site itself). SAE's contact inside the PEZ saw a rucksack lying on a dock behind said cabin (it was pinging his detector), and Dr. Smith wants it. So, SAE is gonna go get it. Or at least try to. They were going deeper in the PEZ, so they had no idea what to expect.
Carter told the boys to get some sleep. SP was tomorrow at dawn minus 1 hour...
Here's where they are going, looking from the east (the rucksack is at the end of the long dock)....
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-131123001405.jpeg)
Here it is looking from the west...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-131123001332.jpeg)
And here is the crew and the cheat sheet. There are several possible hot spots here, so we'll see what/who they encounter...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-131123001249.jpeg)
I'm gonna do Hot Spots a bit different with this one (see the cheat sheet). I'll report what I think in the AAR...
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A lovely table layout.
Looking forward to the incursion report
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A lovely table layout.
Looking forward to the incursion report
What he said. Table looks awesome.
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Looks great, Jim! You did a great job blending in the surface areas to look very natural.
Mike Demana
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Thanks, fellas! Resistance was a bit stiffer this time. And I swear I'll get to the AAR here soon... 8)
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SAE30 made good time getting to the Objective area early the next morning. It was still dark. Quite dark. Carter had them come in Bay Boulevard from the west. As MacGuyver drove Jupiter 2 over the bridge just west of the Objective site, Newkirk warned the crew - "The detector is pinging big time all over the place here. There could be Hot Spots anywhere. I can't tell".
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123195305.jpeg)
"OK" Carter responded. "Stop here" he said as they pulled in front of the house next to the Objective site. "Newkirk, you take Pyle and O'Rourke and move between these houses. I'll take DeSoto and Malloy around the other side of the house. MacGuyver, you and Robinson bring Jupiter 2 up behind me, and light up the dock where that package is. Everyone, BE CAREFUL!" Everyone did as they were told...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123195245.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123195224.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123195146.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123195204.jpeg)
...except the "Be careful" part. Newkirk hopped the fence between the houses, and tried to squeeze between 2 possible Hot Spots. He failed, as they were both indeed Hot Spots, and he triggered both of them. 2 Giant Snakes came up out of a hole not yards from Newkirk, while 6 figures popped up at the shore along some rip-rap.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123195130.jpeg)
For a moment, everyone froze, trying to see who they faced in the dark.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123195058.jpeg)
The figures at the shoreline fired first. And missed. Darkness affects everyone, it seems. But even with that, first blood went to SAE30. Pyle had hopped the fence and moved up, opening up with his SAW and dropping one of the figures at the rocks. And Newkirk fired at the snakes, causing them some concern.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123195041.jpeg)
But not a lot of concern. The snakes went on the attack, with one going for Carter (as you may recall, Carter hates snakes), and the other Newkirk, biting him and knocking him to the ground. O'Rourke had moved up along the fence, and he and Pyle dropped more of the figures in the dark.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123195026.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123195010.jpeg)
Carter had his snake dead in no time, and Newkirk shrugged off his bite and killed his. Pyle and O'Rourke kept the figures' heads down, which allowed the rest of the team to move in on them. MacGuyver had brought the van up, lighting up the dock with its headlights. He and Robinson dismounted. and joined in. Too bad for Robinson, though, He got out on the dock, in the light. And went down from an AK47 shot...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123194945.jpeg)
SAE30 closed in of the folks at the shore line, who were now lit up, and clearly more of those damned Cold Bloods. DeSoto ran to see about Robinson.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123194928.jpeg)
DeSoto worked on Robison, bringing him back to. A Cold Blood bugged out, jumping in the bay and swimming away, never seen again...and in his last dying act, the last Cold Blood standing shot down O'Rourke as he himself went down...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123194910.jpeg)
DeSoto ran over to O'Rourke to tend to him, while MacGuyver got back into Jupiter, and backed it up the the dock.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123194848.jpeg)
The crew who were on the dock backed away (with Robinson limping back to the van). Newkirk bounced a rock off of the rucksack, skipping it into the water. And out of the water, to their right leapt a Giant Frog!
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123194832.jpeg)
While Newkirk ran out to check on the rucksack, the boys who could fired on the frog in the dark...it went back down into the water...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123194813.jpeg)
...and came back out and up on land right in front of the van. 2 of the boys from SAE30 killed it, while Newkirk discovered that the rucksack contained an anomaly. He managed to trip it, though. He was freaked out a bit, but at least he didn't get hurt...Carter order the rest of the team into the van - they needed to get Robinson and O'Rourke some medical attention.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123194749.jpeg)
While carter was yelling at him to hurry up, Newkirk searched the package. In it, he found a rifle scope and $1,350 in cold hard cash. And he ran back to the van.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123194730.jpeg)
He and Carter mounted up, and MacGuyver maneuvered the van to get out of there.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123194711.jpeg)
Newkirk asked Carter about the 2 Hot Spots. Carter told him they needed to get going, and get Robinson and O'Rourke out of there. Maybe they'd come back to look at them. But for now, SAE30 hit the road...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-191123194656.jpeg)
And there it was. They had faced their stiffest test yet. 2 men had gone down, but it was a good thing they had just stocked up on med-Kits. And they left 2 Hot Spots un-searched.
And, things were about to get even more interesting...stay tuned for the epilogue.... ;)
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I'll be back :D
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Good to see the team back, but I suspect they may be getting overconfident. Accidentally tripping one Hot Spot is unfortunate, but tripping TWO Hot Spots is careless! Also, having to bring in the van to illuminate the area is just sooo 20th century. Spend some of your winnings on a good set or two of NODs.
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Fun battle report, Jim! I was kind of hopping, er hoping, that the frog might get away... lol. Poor little guy, what did he do to get gunned down?? :D
Then again, they are in a wildly dangerous zone, so I guess it makes sense that all flora and fauna that moves is a threat.
Mike Demana
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What a great AAR and pictures - loving it.
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I'll be back :D
I await your well-thought-out comments with bated breath... :D
Good to see the team back, but I suspect they may be getting overconfident. Accidentally tripping one Hot Spot is unfortunate, but tripping TWO Hot Spots is careless! Also, having to bring in the van to illuminate the area is just sooo 20th century. Spend some of your winnings on a good set or two of NODs.
Yes well, perhaps Newkirk is getting a bit big for his britches. You can't trust a crook, not even your own. What with simultaneously tripping 2 Hot Spots (which led to O'Rourke's and Robinson's unfortunate situations), and blowing the Anomaly roll, methinks Carter is going to have a (foul) word or 2 with him...and yes - once they can locate some, the acquisition of NVDs is indeed in order.
Fun battle report, Jim! I was kind of hopping, er hoping, that the frog might get away... lol. Poor little guy, what did he do to get gunned down?? :D
Then again, they are in a wildly dangerous zone, so I guess it makes sense that all flora and fauna that moves is a threat.
Mike Demana
That frog wasn't no cute little bugger. Had it gotten into contact with one of the SAE30 boys, it could have been dicey. And wait until they get to deal with the crabs...
What a great AAR and pictures - loving it.
Thanks!
And now...
PEZ Encounter #5 - The Epilogue
"MacGuyver - get us out of here!" barked Carter. DeSoto reported that O'Rourke and Robison were doing OK, but they needed more care than he could provide. They tried to reach Dr. Smith on the radio, and their cell phones, but things were wonky in the Medium Area. "Get on US6, and head to Fremont to their hospital." Carter told MacGuyver. And he did as instructed. It was still dark, darker than it should be. And dang hot, too. As they drove west on 6, they could see the Military checkpoint at the edge of the the Medium Area. And it was way more guarded that an hour ago when they came in. "Uh oh" chimed in MacGuyver, "What do we do now?". "Just take it easy. Let's see what the deal is, but my guess is they shut things down already" was Carter's reply.
MacGuyver slowed down as they approached the checkpoint. There were 2 Humvees with .50 cals, and several military men standing around. The men in uniform waved them to a stop. "What do you want to do?" inquired MacGuyver. Carter: "Stop the van now. Be ready to blow the roadblock or even turn around if we have to. Everybody stay calm."
Again, MacGuyver did as he was told. He stopped about 50 yards from the checkpoint. And they waited to see what would happen...
I guess that's the Prologue to their next encounter, too, ;) Stay tuned to see what happens....
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Firstly, this all looks pretty damn good, I knew it would suit your style of games and writing, especially now you've figured out the picture thing. ;)
The tables all look good, I liked the shoreline one especially, interesting idea having the docks running out into the water, no cover and no where to hide. :o
However the thing I enjoy most is the level of hard competence and authenticity your guy's have, it's the same with your Vietnam games. There's a tension and immediacy in your writing style that fits with the game background, I wonder if you've had any military experience. :D lol
I'm looking forward to the next encounter, sounds like it might be against tougher opponents than previously.
Final thought, and I wonder if you should rethink the loot table in the rules. The idea of killing a giant snake and discovering a wad of cash and a red dot sight seems a bit implausible, I'm sure you could come up with something more in line with your story, even if the way of totalling success remains the same in the campaign system.
Cheers
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Final thought, and I wonder if you should rethink the loot table in the rules. The idea of killing a giant snake and discovering a wad of cash and a red dot sight seems a bit implausible
I have to say that has been something that has seemed a sore thumb to me in most of the battle reports using Zona Alfa for its overarching scenarios. Very D&D like to me. You kill 6 hobgoblins and find a chest with a +1 sword and Boots of Speed or whatever. It will seem more cool if the loot is tied to the scenario more, IMO.
Keep up the games -- they are an entertaining read. Are Ted and Gene going to join you for any of these? Or will you keep them as your solo game fix, Jim?
Mike Demana
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Firstly, this all looks pretty damn good, I knew it would suit your style of games and writing, especially now you've figured out the picture thing. ;)
The tables all look good, I liked the shoreline one especially, interesting idea having the docks running out into the water, no cover and no where to hide. :o
However the thing I enjoy most is the level of hard competence and authenticity your guy's have, it's the same with your Vietnam games. There's a tension and immediacy in your writing style that fits with the game background, I wonder if you've had any military experience. :D lol
I'm looking forward to the next encounter, sounds like it might be against tougher opponents than previously.
Final thought, and I wonder if you should rethink the loot table in the rules. The idea of killing a giant snake and discovering a wad of cash and a red dot sight seems a bit implausible, I'm sure you could come up with something more in line with your story, even if the way of totalling success remains the same in the campaign system.
Cheers
I agree with the comments on how good the game looks and how enjoyable the thing was to read.
As for "killing a giant snake and discovering a wad of cash and a red dot sight," if I were GM-ing a game I'd be saying to the players,"Now that it's dead you can see the snake has an odd bulge two thirds of the way down. You slice it open and a part-digested corpse slithers out. There's what might be a red dot sight in a pouch and what looks like a money belt. Unless you are too squeamish to handle the shredded clothes, putrid flesh and digestive juices? <grin>"
I rarely find it hard to come up with a plausible reason to explain loot. In a 5 Parsecs game my crew fought some unarmoured nomads and after the fight the die rolls said they found a suit of armour? Why would the nomads not have used the armour? So, in a darkish corner the captain found a long forgotten corpse wearing a suit of armour who's batteries were dead but otherwise it seemed fine. A relic of a long forgotten fight in The Sump. She stripped the armour from (most of) the dessicated corpse, cleaned it up and re-powered it and now wears it. Simples!
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A. Thanks for all the kind words. I'm trying to depict this as an experienced crew dealing with people/things they encounter. To the extent "realism" can be factored into what is basically a modern/sci-fi mixed series of encounters, I've been trying to play it straight. Sounds like that's working... ;)
B. However, the risk/reward part of this has been bugging me too. I have some ideas on how to tweak things to address that. I've already tweaked how I'm doing what baddies appear when. Next up is tweaking what interesting stuff the crew might find (if anything...) once the baddies are taken care of. Last, since they are in the Medium Area, I'm goin to come up with a Random Event Chart to use with a joker in the deck (2 jokers once they get into the Hard Area).
C. All this will play into why the military has shut down the Medium and Hard Areas...
In the meantime, SAE30 still has to get their 2 wounded guys to someone/somewhere they can be treated. I'm hoping to have all this figured out for another game this week...
As for Ted and gene, I've invited them to paint up crews to add into the mix. Ted has talked about a SWAT Team, and gene is going to do up a crew of freelancers. Once they have their crews painted up, we'll stat them out and get them introduced into some games.
Stay tuned!
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Ted has talked about a SWAT Team, and gene is going to do up a crew of freelancers. Once they have their crews painted up, we'll stat them out and get them introduced into some games.
Sounds fun -- look forward to the arrival of the allies/rivals to the storyline!
Mike Demana
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Well, I think they'll get introduced to the PEZ in this week's game Friday. One will play the military at the checkpoint, and the other some Cold Bloods. I will play my crew. Could be a 3-way cutthroat brew-haha...
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Richards had left for the Society's Orientation Course a couple days after SEA30 pulled back out of the PEZ. They re-stocked on ammo and med-kits, even getting some Hot Load ammo for Pyle and his SAW. Pyle dug that.
Newkirk had talked to Carter about O'Rourke. Turns out O'Rourke was a natural scrounger, so carter promoted him to the teams 2nd Scrounger. Too bad Dr. Smith couldn't get a Detector for him. It was on back order, and would be a few weeks before it came in.
The boys were enjoying a little down time. They had cleaned everything up, and then cleaned it again. They even had a chance to polish up on some reaction drills. But everyone know it wouldn't last long.....
About a week after they pulled out of the PEZ, Carter got a call. It was Dr. Smith. He'd drop by their base that evening. They all knew what that meant.
And they were right. Dr. Smith told them the scuttlebutt was that the military was planning to shut down the Hard and Medium Areas in the PEZ. Nobody in or out without credentials. And not the kind of credentials he could get for them. Nobody knew when yet. So SEA30 had to go in first thing in the morning. And by "Go in", Dr. Smith meant go into the Medium Area. A cabin on the south shore of Sandusky Bay, a few miles northwest of the Hard Area (the P.E.N.I.S. site itself). SAE's contact inside the PEZ saw a rucksack lying on a dock behind said cabin (it was pinging his detector), and Dr. Smith wants it. So, SAE is gonna go get it. Or at least try to. They were going deeper in the PEZ, so they had no idea what to expect.
Carter told the boys to get some sleep. SP was tomorrow at dawn minus 1 hour...
Here's where they are going, looking from the east (the rucksack is at the end of the long dock)....
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-131123001405.jpeg)
Here it is looking from the west...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-131123001332.jpeg)
And here is the crew and the cheat sheet. There are several possible hot spots here, so we'll see what/who they encounter...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/16550-131123001249.jpeg)
I'm gonna do Hot Spots a bit different with this one (see the cheat sheet). I'll report what I think in the AAR...
What a SUPER layout! I need to up my rural game a bit I see!
And I love the AAR and narration. Something I'm sadly delinquent about as well...
Keep up the great stuff!
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What a SUPER layout! I need to up my rural game a bit I see!
And I love the AAR and narration. Something I'm sadly delinquent about as well...
Keep up the great stuff!
Thanks! And their next encounter is gonna be in a rural area too. In fact, here are the scenario sheets. First up is SAE30's sheet. Their mission is to get Robinson and O'Rourke somewhere where they can get treatment. Of course, it ain't that easy....
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-071223180551.jpeg)
Because, the US military has set up a checkpoint they'll have to deal with. Here's the US Military's sheet:
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-071223180529.jpeg)
And, just to make things interesting, the Cold Bloods will make an appearance. Here's their sheet.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-071223180506.jpeg)
And, as I mentioned, here is the Random event Chart I came up with.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-071223180433.jpeg)
The attache case in the Humvee can be snatched/secured without putting all the US chaps, or resulting Zone Hostiles, out of action. If a figure takes the time to search the Humvee, they can roll on the TL2 loot chart in Zona Alfa. Of course, this may indicate an anomaly, which will have to be dealt with....and only one figure can search the Humvee.
We play tomorrow. I will play the SEA30 crew. As for Ted and Gene, one will take the US military and the other the Cold Bloods. We will play any Zone Hostiles by committee, except the DHS boys. Whoever runs the US military will play those.
Here's a bit more set-up...
As they rolled to a stop about 50 yards from the military checkpoint, 2 things happened. First, Newkirk blurted out "Sumbitch. The detector is pinging on that checkpoint - looks like something's in the Humvee." Second, Carter finally raised Dr. Smith on the radio. After explaining the situation to Dr. Smith, he got Dr. Smith's instructions. They were:
1. Get the boys to medical care, preferably the hospital in Fremont. If they can't get outside the Medium Area, go to Chamber's place. Marilyn's a former ER nurse. She's set up, so use her as a Plan B.
2. If they can, get whatever is pinging the detector. If it's an anomaly, it needs to be eliminated...
3. Do not needlessly provoke a fight with the military, but the crew is authorized to defend themselves.
"Everybody hear that?" asked Carter. Everybody acknowledged. And waited to see what would happen....
Stay tuned. AAR to follow...
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Great set-up - I love the presentation of information. The Random Events Table is a big improvement on using the generic one in the rules.
Much anticipation for the AAR.
DOUG
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Great set-up - I love the presentation of information. The Random Events Table is a big improvement on using the generic one in the rules.
Much anticipation for the AAR.
DOUG
Thanks, Doug. We played today, and it worked out great! It was quite the little dust-up. I'll post the Incident Report yet this weekend, but here's a teaser... ;)
When Carter came to, he could sense there was something wrong with Jupiter 2. "Where are we?" he demanded. DeSoto said 'Calm down. Yer chest is gonna hurt for a while. I think you got some cracked ribs." "Calm down, my ass. Where are we? Where's that attache case? And why does the van sound rough?" And DeSoto was right. It hurt just to talk.
MacGuyver chimed in "She took a couple 50-cal rounds. Just like you. You were f***in' lucky it just grazed your vest. And it's a good thing we have run-flats. We're on the way to Fremont to get you, O'Rourke, and Robinson checked out." Pyle interrupted "It was either you or that G**dam briefcase. I picked you."
That oughta hold you guys until I post the Report... :D
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Thanks, Doug. We played today, and it worked out great! It was quite the little dust-up. I'll post the Incident Report yet this weekend, but here's a teaser... ;)
When Carter came to, he could sense there was something wrong with Jupiter 2. "Where are we?" he demanded. DeSoto said 'Calm down. Yer chest is gonna hurt for a while. I think you got some cracked ribs." "Calm down, my ass. Where are we? Where's that attache case? And why does the van sound rough?" And DeSoto was right. It hurt just to talk.
MacGuyver chimed in "She took a couple 50-cal rounds. Just like you. You were f***in' lucky it just grazed your vest. And it's a good thing we have run-flats. We're on the way to Fremont to get you, O'Rourke, and Robinson checked out." Pyle interrupted "It was either you or that G**dam briefcase. I picked you."
That oughta hold you guys until I post the Report... :D
Oh, oh….I smell trouble……….
Doug
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Pew-pew!! ;D. Sounds like the SAE 30 boys are in for a rougher one than usual. Wait...but TED is rolling the dice for one of the OPFOR... lol
Mike Demana
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Pew-pew!! ;D. Sounds like the SAE 30 boys are in for a rougher one than usual. Wait...but TED is rolling the dice for one of the OPFOR... lol
Mike Demana
Yep! Ted played the Army guys at the checkpoint. I, of course, played the SAE30 chaps (remember - O'Rourke and Robinson are wounded - from the encounter at the shoreline - in the back of their van - they got to sit this one out). Gene ended up not being able to attend, so Ted and I played the Cold Bloods and the Zone Hostiles via committee.
Stay tuned... ;)
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Okay - here's how things started out. We're looking north by northwest. US6 runs east-ish to west-ish, while Township Road 280 runs north to south. There is a wildlife preserve at the NW corner, and 2 residences. A drainage ditch runs along the east side of Township Road 280 (vehicles may only cross it on US6, and it takes a whole activation for a person to cross it - these things can be deep and steep. A figure can jump across it, but stands a chance on falling in). You can see the army checkpoint and SEA30's van.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223181250.jpeg)
As they sat about 50 yards from the checkpoint, they could see that the Army guys, while watching them, weren't acting particularly aggressive. Carter told MacGuyver to wait a minute before they did anything. Carter wanted to see what the guys at the checkpoint would do.
At the checkpoint, the NCOIC was taking the same approach. He ordered his men to watch the van, but not to open fire yet. The Sergeant had seen enough of these situations in Iraq and Afghanistan to neither underreact or overreact. So, for a moment they watched each other.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223181231.jpeg)
Nobody noticed the guys standing on the porches of the house on the north side of 6. The house was occupied by 6 armed men, and 2 stepped out (1 each porch) to have a smoke. The one on the east porch must have recognized SEA30's van, and he yelled something and darted across the driveway to a pile of crap. The guy on the west porch moved down to the copse of trees. They guys inside got their shit together.
Carter saw the movement of the guy darting to the pile of crap. He noted the cold weather gear, even though it was stupid hot out. He immediately knew who they were - Cold Bloods. "Action right! Pyle, Malloy, Newkirk - out with me and engage them!" And out they went.
Suddenly a pack of feral dogs came running across the open field south of US6. Malloy fired on them, downing 2. Pyle traded fire with the guy at the pile of crap, and downed him. Newkirk went forward to back up Carter at the front of the van. 3 more Cold Bloods came out - 2 out the west door, and one out the east. The 6th, still inside, tried to fire through a window, but forgot to take his AK off safe...
All this activity got the attention of the men at the Army checkpoint. "Hold your fire! Nobody's shooting at us. But stay alert and keep your heads on a swivel!" ordered the Sergeant.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223181214.jpeg)
They didn't have to wait long. "Action left!" yelled a private. Another: "What the f**K? It's hotter than hell here, and they're wearing cold-weather gear!" "They must be Cold Bloods. Open fire!" yelled the Sergeant. Two Cold Bloods darted from the copse of trees near the intersection, and tried to jump the draining ditch heading west. The men at the checkpoint indeed opened fire. One went down into the ditch (he never came back up), and the other went down too, tumbling across the road.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223181157.jpeg)
Back at the van, Pyle was engaging the guy at the pile of crap (who had gotten back in the fight) and the guy in the house (who had by now taken his AK off safe). Malloy was engaging the 2 dogs that were left, and Carter and Newkirk were dealing with a Cold Blood who had come around the SW corner of the house.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223181134.jpeg)
The Army Sergeant ordered some of his men to move up to the ditch, while the Humvee moved to block the intersection. The Cold Blood who had gone down in the road scrambled back to the supposed safety of that ditch.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223181118.jpeg)
At the van, the 2 remaining dogs and Malloy went at it, and Malloy was down. Pyle: "Malloy's down. DeSoto, get out here!" DeSoto piled out of the van, and gunned down another dog as he got to Mallow. Then Carter chimed in: "DeSoto, Newkirk is down!" Luckily, Pyle was holding his own, as he was now facing 3 Cold Bloods - one had come around from the back of the house to the NE corner - but the guy by the pile of crap was down again.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223181059.jpeg)
The fire from the house stopped, and Pyle dropped the Cold Blood at the corner of the house. Pyle moved toward the front of the van, but the guy at the pile of crap got back up. And the guy in the house came out the west door. Carter dropped the Cold Blood who had shot Newkirk, though. DeSoto ran the 4th dog off, and treated Malloy.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223181039.jpeg)
The Soldiers had concentrated their fire on the Cold Blood cowering in the ditch, forcing him to scramble away to the north. Then, out of nowhere, 2 (yes - 2) Hot Spots popped up in the middle of the field SE of the intersection. the soldiers moved to secure them, tripping them both. A Giant Frog came up close to the Humvee, while a Giant Crab came up a bit further away, in front of the Humvee.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223181020.jpeg)
Pyle turned to see (again) to the Cold Blood at the pile of crap, while DeSoto ran to attend to Newkirk. Malloy collected himself, and got back up. Carter traded shots with the guy at the SW corner of the house, while the US Army Sergeant couldn't believe his eyes "What the hell are those things?" he said, half under his breath, referring to the frog and the crab. "Gunner, swing that damn 50-cal around front and light them up! Corporal, get your team up here now!"
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223181000.jpeg)
Carter shot that Cold Blood at the house down, while DeSoto got Newkirk back up. But SAE30 was out of Med-Kits now. And Pyle had finally dropped the Cold Blood at the pile of crap for good.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223180940.jpeg)
At the Hot Spots, the Army guys were taking care of business with the mutants. The frog went down pretty quickly, but while they were keeping the crab at bay, it wasn't dead yet. "Apparently, it wasn't a soft-shell" the Humvee's gunner said later.
But with the soldiers distracted by the mutants, Carter brazenly trotted up to the Humvee, opened the left rear door, and grabbed the attache case.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223180923.jpeg)
The soldiers surrounded him, questioning him and trying to take the attache back. But Carter was able to get away, and almost made it back to the van. Almost. "Shit. Open fire on 'em. Damn it!" ordered the Sergeant. The soldiers followed orders. They damaged the van and shot Carter down in the road in front of the van. And Carter dropped the attache case. Pyle and Malloy opened up on the soldiers, wounding the M203 gunner. Pyle yelled "Everybody back in the van!" Newkirk, Malloy, and DeSoto did just that - Malloy was the last of them into the van, covering Pyle and Carter with his AK, and Pyle dragged Carter back to the van, trading fire with the soldiers..."F***in" army pukes" he thought to himself as he did so.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223180901.jpeg)
Once everyone was back in the van, MacGuyver gunned it as much as he could. That 50-cal was doing a number on the van. He headed for the checkpoint - if they can only make it out...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223180844.jpeg)
Then, it happened. Remember, it was hot out - damned hot. And it was a good thing SAE30 was back in the air conditioned van. The AC felt good. But those soldiers were almost all out in the extreme heat. In BDUs, field gear, and body armor. And the extreme heat finally got to almost all of them. 2 passed out, including the Sergeant. 3 more had to sit down, lest they pass out too. The Humvee gunner got woozy, but he tried, unsuccessfully, to keep up the fire on the van as it limped away to the west, through the checkpoint and out of the Medium Area. But they left the attached case lying in the middle of Route 6.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223180824.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-101223180804.jpeg)
And that was it. SAE30 got away, but only just. They would need to get Carter some medical attention, although DeSoto was able to stabilize him. And O'Rourke and Robinson still needed to get checked out from their wounds at the bayshore. And, to make matters worse, Jupiter 2 now needed some work. Last, they left that attache case back there, and left 2 unsearched Hot Spots. SAE30 was losing its edge just a bit...
Well, as it turns out, the DHS crew did finally show up, after SAE30 made their escape and as the soldiers were recovering from the heat injuries. The DHS secured the attache case and the Hot Spots, and off they went, to wherever it was they came from. The Army sent in another checkpoint unit to secure the area and to search the house where the Cold Bloods were. It is not known if any of the Cold Bloods actually survived, however.
What's next for SAE30? I'm not sure, but Carter will have to sit the next encounter out. And the van needs work. We'll have to wait and see what happens next. I will say that the fight appears to have encouraged Ted to paint up his crew, so we can stat them up and introduce them to the PEZ...
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Wow - that was heart-pumping stuff…! Excellent AAR and a very attractive table. I like the idea of the the heat-effects on the soldiers; that’s the kind of thing that often gets overlooked in games.
Looks like SAE30 need to rest and refit for a while but I hope to read more of their exploits soon.
Doug
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Yikes! That's what happens when you mess with the U.S. Army fresh off its beat-down on Navy in college football...haha! lol
Maybe the team needs a stealth guy...? Great report, Jim!
Mike Demana
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Yours are some of the best AARs ive ever read, absolutely riveting.
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Wow - that was heart-pumping stuff…! Excellent AAR and a very attractive table. I like the idea of the the heat-effects on the soldiers; that’s the kind of thing that often gets overlooked in games.
Looks like SAE30 need to rest and refit for a while but I hope to read more of their exploits soon.
Doug
Thanks, Doug! I use the Environmental Effects Chart in ZA, but sub the "Heat" bit for when I roll a 6...
Rest and refit? You ain't kiddin'. And hide from the Army, on whose Shit List SAE30 may now be... :o
Yikes! That's what happens when you mess with the U.S. Army fresh off its beat-down on Navy in college football...haha! lol
Maybe the team needs a stealth guy...? Great report, Jim!
Mike Demana
Yep - see the above comment about the Army's lists....
Yours are some of the best AARs ive ever read, absolutely riveting.
Thank you - I really appreciate that.
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Well done Cptn, another great action report, table looked good and even the mdf buildings fitted in well. (I'm not normally a fan of mdf)
Usually when there's a lot of names involved in the story but no context as to who that is in the picture, then I just get confused. Your story lines operate independently of the pictures and I can visualise the scene from the text, thumbs up for that.
The encounter table seemed to work well, I use them for most of my solo games because they bring a lot of welcome unpredictability to a game.
Bad news for SAE30 leaving the attache case in the road but at least the got away, even if they are beat up a little. Looking forward to seeing them in action again.
Cheers
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Thanks, Vagabond!
I'm not sure what's next for the boys. But something will come up not that far down the road, I'm sure... ;)
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I'm not sure what's next for the boys. But something will come up not that far down the road, I'm sure... ;)
Maybe a custom scenario to introduce Ted and Gene's gangs, when they're finished...? I'm at the same point in my campaign...trying to brainstorm the next scenario.
Mike Demana
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Maybe a custom scenario to introduce Ted and Gene's gangs, when they're finished...? I'm at the same point in my campaign...trying to brainstorm the next scenario.
Mike Demana
We gamed yesterday (a weird west RPG called Deadlands - Ted GM'ed). Ted has his SWAT (ERT, actually) team done, including a Bearcat and a Humvee. Gene's working on his crew. We'll get them plugged into the PEZ after the 1st of the year...
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Great write up for all of the games, can't wait to read more!
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Great write up for all of the games, can't wait to read more!
Thanks! As for more tales of their adventures, all in good time!... :D
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My 2 regular wargaming chaps have decided to go into the PEZ. Ted has finished his crew, while Gene has his a bit more than half done.
Ted has decided to go with a 10-man ERT from the SCP Foundation. His crew is based out of the Ohio National Guard training center Camp Perry, located JUST outside the current northwest boundaries of the PEZ, off State Route 2 on the shores of Lake Erie between Toledo and Sandusky. His crew has access to a Bearcat and an up-armored Humvee.
We gamed his first foray into the PEZ yesterday (Friday) (oops - it was Thursday...). We did a slightly modified mission from the Zona Alfa rulebook (the one at the crossroads). His crew had to go in, secure an attache case from a shot-up SUV at the crossroads, and get out. Easy, right?
Well, stay tuned to find out. I plan to post the Incident Report here one of these next few days...
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Looking forward to it,
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That's awesome to hear! Looking forward to the report... o_o
Mike Demana
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Look forward no more!
As I mentioned, we played Ted's SCP ERT team's intro to the PEZ this Thursday past. His crew (3D printed and painted by Ted himself) so far has 10 men (2 grenadiers with M32s, 2 guys with tactical shotguns, a guy with a pistol and a ballistic shield, and 5 guys with M4s. Most have red-dot sights and all have body armor (armor roll 8+). Their rides are a BearCat G3, and an up-armored Humvee (both Medium vehicles with Damage ratings of 3 and Armor rolls of 8+).
His team got word of a shot-up Cold Bloods SUV at a rural crossroads a few miles southeast of Camp Perry, OH (in the Soft Area). An aerial detection run picked up readings from the SUV, and Ted's ERT team's mission was to go in, secure and remove the package from the SUV, and RTB.
They decided to approach from the southwest. What they didn't know was that, while the shot-up SUV and 2 KIA Cold Bloods were plainly visible at the crossroads (and thus, the objective), the 4 Cold Bloods that survived the attack had holed up in the building at the south corner of the crossroads. They were in the upstairs of that building, while 4 feral dogs had sniffed them out, and were in the downstairs of that building (both locations randomly determined). In addition a pick-up truck with a Cold Bloods Leader and 4 Cold Bloods goons was on the way to rescue their comrades and secure the objective. They would enter from the northwest road (randomly determined) once the Objective was triggered.
Here's the map:
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190420.jpeg)
Once again, we used a Random Event Table, to be rolled on if a figure activated on a Joker (which also acted as a wild card). We used Fistful of Lead core rules by the way, and the whole affair was in 28mm. Here is the Random Event Chart and Zone Hostiles Chart:
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190351.jpeg)
Ted, of course, played his ERT. I acted as GM and played the Cold Bloods, etc. Unfortunately, Gene couldn't make it. Since I played the Cold Bloods, I'll tell the story from their perspective, just to put a bit different spin on things...and away we go!
"Boss, I don't know what the Hell attacked us, but Dieter and Yevgeny are dead. I've seen guys mauled by bears that looked better. The rest of the boys and I are holed up upstairs in a building at the crossroads. And there are 4 wild dogs downstairs. The truck is shot. Come get us!" Igor excitedly said into his cell phone. Ivan responded "Just hold tight, we're not that far out. When we get their, be ready to come out. We'll take care of those stupid dogs."
"Okay", replied Igor, a little calmer. Then he got excited again. "Shit! We have company. Looks like some kind of Response Team. 2 vehicles just pulled up to the SUV. They came up from the southwest." Ivan came back with "I said just hold tight. We're almost there."
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190316.jpeg)
Ivan again: "We're coming in now. Be ready" Igor again, just about screaming: "They see us, they've opened up on us!"
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190259.jpeg)
"Calm Down!" ordered Ivan on his phone. But then, Igor sighed in a little relief. As some of that response team started to get out of their vehicles, the dogs charged out of the building toward them.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190240.jpeg)
"Okay good. Maybe that'll distract them." He thought. Then Ivan yelled to the driver and to the 3 guys in the back of the truck "Nikita, stop the truck. Yuri, take Hans and Boris, and head around that tobacco shop, and hit them from behind. Nikita and I will keep them busy from here. I want that package back." Yuri, Hans, and Boris did as ordered.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190224.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190206.jpeg)
By now some of the Response Team had gotten out of their vehicles. They were busy with the dogs, and Igor and the boys were adding in their fire from the building.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190151.jpeg)
Ivan could hear it all. Then he heard the explosions. "Shit" he thought. "They must have grenades". Nikita stopped the truck at the fence by the tire shop, and he and Ivan got out and took up positions by the wood fence. They added their fire to the fight - his AK, and Nikita's old Mosin-Nagant.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190132.jpeg)
Igor called again. Ivan snapped: "WHAT?" Igor was still excited "2 of the boys are down. The bastards have grenade launchers. I think we've popped a couple of them, though. But all the dogs are down."
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190117.jpeg)
Ivan: "Keep up your fire. Yuri, Hans, and Boris are doing an end run. They should be about there." Then, Ivan noticed it had gotten a bit cooler outside. "Crap, I hope it doesn't get any cooler."
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190059.jpeg)
It was getting loud. And then it got hot out again. Really hot. "Good" Ivan thought "Maybe those bastards will pass out from the heat if we can keep them here long enough." And the Response Team guys were all shouting in English, but Ivan could make out that a couple of them were down, and with the heat, he could hear they were getting a bit excited. Then another explosion. And Igor wasn't responding on his phone anymore...worse, some of them were turning their attention on Nikita and him. Nikita! No! The fool had tried to make a run for that SUV while Ivan was on the phone with Igor. And those Response Team thugs just shot him down like a dog.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190040.jpeg)
Worse, yet, Ivan could see that they had gotten the package from the SUV and were getting back into their vehicles. Then, he heard gunfire from where he figured Yuri, Hans, and Boris should be. Good, they were in the fight now.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190025.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224190010.jpeg)
But, Ivan then lost his nerve, having seen Nikita shot down and with no response from his comrades in the building. He could just make out Yuri shouting "I got one!" as Ivan got into the pick-up and froze in a near panic.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224185954.jpeg)
Yuri saw his chance. He, Hans, and Boris made their way toward the Response Team's vehicles, firing as they went. If they could just grab they guy they shot, it would be a good consolation prize - an OK trade-off for losing the package. But it was not to be. They guy they shot staggered to his feet, and was hauled into the vehicle. With everyone in their vehicles, the Response Team drove away down the southeast road. Yuri, Hans, and Boris followed as best they could, firing as they went in a vain attempt to stop the Response Team's vehicles. And it was indeed in vain, as the 3 of them watched the vehicles disappear down the road up and over a low rise just southeast of where they were.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224185938.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224185923.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-050224185906.jpeg)
And that was that. Ted's ERT had pulled it off. But not without some drama. The dogs kept the ERT distracted for a few turns, and Igor and the boys in the building shot one Out of Action, and wounded 2 others. But they were able to get back into the fight, as did the guy that Yuri and Co. wounded toward the end. The ERT had retrieved the package, and had gotten all their men and vehicles off the board. Of the 9 Cold Bloods, 3 were dead, and 2 wounded. And, Ivan, their Boss, had lost his nerve, and ended up cowering in the cab of his pick-up. The ERT had not taken any close looks at the 2 Cold Bloods bodies by the SUV, though. If they had, they would have noticed that they were not only shot, but shredded (with what looked like gruesome bite and claw marks...). We'll get to what caused that in a future game...
Thanks for reading. More to follow, as time goes by...
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After a week off from LAF due to being about as sick as I've been in a couple years, it was good to read your battle report to get back into the action. Sounds like Ted & Gene are going to fit right in. Glad you talked them into doing the post-apoc stuff... :D
Mike Demana
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Nice report. It's good to see another active team in your zone
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Another great report! Nice work, CapnJim.
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.
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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... :o
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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... :D
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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...
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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:
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-230224014541.jpeg)
Here's the Random Event Chart I'll be using:
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-230224014511.jpeg)
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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-230224014807.jpeg)
Here's another shot:
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-230224014747.jpeg)
And here's a closer up shot of the area directly in front of Chambers' Place:
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-230224014720.jpeg)
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... ;)
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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….. :D
Doug
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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...
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Does that help?
Yes it does - I had it all wrong. Thanks for the explanation.
Bring on the scrum….
Doug
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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."
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224204543.jpeg)
"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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224204522.jpeg)
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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224204232.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224204256.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224204153.jpeg)
"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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224204127.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224204104.jpeg)
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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224204046.jpeg)
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).
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224204027.jpeg)
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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224204009.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203938.jpeg)
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...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203919.jpeg)
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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203854.jpeg)
I'll leave it there for now. Stay tuned for Part 2 of 3, coming soon to a device screen near you...
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Great start! Good thing the creatures are playing "Who's Apex Predator?" lol while the humans are, well, doing what humans do best (killing other humans). lol
Looking forward to the rest of the action...!
Mike Demana
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Thanks. Mike. I hope to do Part 2 later today (Sunday).
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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)?
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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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203837.jpeg)
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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203817.jpeg)
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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203801.jpeg)
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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203744.jpeg)
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...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203727.jpeg)
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... ;)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203707.jpeg)
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...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203649.jpeg)
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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203627.jpeg)
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...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203609.jpeg)
...as the crabs finished off the last snake, decided those humans out in the street looked tastier, and started to head their way.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203551.jpeg)
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.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203531.jpeg)
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...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203515.jpeg)
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'....
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203454.jpeg)
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)...
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And on with Part 3....
Part 3 of 3: And Then It Was Hot and Dry. But Really Hot.
Malloy, Newkirk, and Mrs. Chambers were firing away at the last crab. But it was still coming and getting just too damn close. Pyle was out of the Post Office now, crossing the street heading toward the crabs, but ran his SAW dry. But I guess if you throw enough bullets at something, some'll hit it. And that's what happened. As the last crab was about to charge at them from the parking lot, the combined weight of fire from Malloy, Newkirk, and Mrs. Chambers finally dropped that last crab.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203432.jpeg)
Over at the tobacco shop, the last of the 6 Cold Bloods hurried out the back door, and lay in wait for Jethro and Goober to come out after him. But he was clearly not happy - some of Goober's BFR rounds had come way too close for comfort.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203415.jpeg)
While all of that was going on, DeSoto got to Jethro, and brought him back around. "Jethro, you are one hard mother f****r" he told him.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203355.jpeg)
With the crabs down, Newkirk decided it was time to check out the Hot Spot several feet in front of him. Then, out of nowhere, another one popped up, right next to the first one. As he approached them, a large lizard crept out from under that stack of crates and debris in the parking lot the snakes had originally come out of. He quickly and carefully worked his way around the Hot Spot (thank God there wasn't an anomaly!), and found $500 and a pair of binos.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203318.jpeg)
Goober carefully approached the back door of the tobacco shop. Then he had an idea. He took out his cell phone, discovered it had service today, and called Chambers. "I think there's still one of those chumps out behind the tobacco shop. Come in from the alley, and maybe we can trap him". "Good idea" came back Mr. Chambers. "Just gimme a few minutes."
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203259.jpeg)
Mr. Chambers grabbed Mrs. Chambers (not like that...), and headed for the alley between his place and the old tire store.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203225.jpeg)
Newkirk backed up to the cover of the SUV, and Pyle came up by the taxi. DeSoto had come up on the far side of the downed tree in the street. They shot at the lizard while Malloy checked out the other Hot Spot. No heat blast and no anomaly there, either. And $350 and a med-kit.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203242.jpeg)
And them it hit them. The rains stopped, but a big ol' heat wave rolled through. The Cold Blood in the alley shrugged it off, and Goober and Jethro were inside a building. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers were not so lucky - they both got woozy and had to sit down in that alley for a minute. And what of SAE30? Pyle, DeSoto, and Malloy just got a bit uncomfortable. But Newkirk hit the pavement, out cold (out hot, maybe?).
When the heat wave passed, Jethro joined Goober at the back door of the tobacco shop, ignoring his gunshot wound. That Cold Blood was still outside, waiting for them.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203149.jpeg)
Mrs. Chambers felt better first. As a retired nurse, she knew what to do, and she went over to her husband and checked on him. Together, they got back on their feet, and headed through the alley, toward their prey. Mr. Chambers went first, and saw the 2 bodies already there. And he drew a bead on that Cold Blood with his trusty shotgun, loaded with a slug and 3 buck shot (in the old days, they would have called that "buck and ball"...).
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203132.jpeg)
Out in the street, Pyle and Malloy shot down that lizard, as DeSoto rushed over to see about Newkirk.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203117.jpeg)
Pyle and Malloy kept watch over things as DeSoto worked on Newkirk. He was able to stabilize him. DeSoto was good at what he does.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203056.jpeg)
And in that alley, Mr. Chambers' shotgun blast dropped the Cold Blood. As he staggered back to his feet, Jethro and Goober stepped outside, and Marilyn came up to cover the situation with her FAL. It was now 4 on 1. The Cold Blood did his math - 2 and 2 came up to 4 (in this case, literally). While he briefly considered trying to make a run for it, discretion overcame valor. He dropped his AK to the pavement and raised his arms in the universal sign of surrender.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-240224203037.jpeg)
And then it was over. the shooting stopped. No more Cold Bloods came around, and no more critters came a-callin'. And it was then everyone heard the sirens. It was time to sort things out now...
And there you have it. As I said, it was quite the scrum. All kinds of things happened. Jethro's gonna hurt for awhile, and Malloys gonna have a headache. And Newkirk (remember, he's their scrounger) is gonna take a while to recover from his heat exhaustion - he's gonna miss the next job.
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As always, a great AAR to read and enjoy. Your solo games always read well. I’m interested in the weather effects. It made for extra interest having the weather changing and the wave of heat had obvious repercussions. How about the rain? You mentioned it affected visibility but I don’t recall any mention of any character being penalised by it.
Are those Cold Bloods likely to inflict any serious damage? They were outnumbered this time - I was beginning to feel sorry for them :)
Thanks for sharing - very entertaining.
Doug
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Great pictures, miniatures, terrain and story.
As usual.
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As always, a great AAR to read and enjoy. Your solo games always read well. I’m interested in the weather effects. It made for extra interest having the weather changing and the wave of heat had obvious repercussions. How about the rain? You mentioned it affected visibility but I don’t recall any mention of any character being penalised by it.
Are those Cold Bloods likely to inflict any serious damage? They were outnumbered this time - I was beginning to feel sorry for them :)
Thanks for sharing - very entertaining.
Doug
Thanks, Doug! I appreciate that...
I use the Environmental Hazards Chart in Zona Alfa. I roll at the beginning of the game, and then again if that random event is rolled. Rain cuts weapons ranges in half - and that was one reason why those crabs were hard to put down when they decided to go after the humans.
As for the Cold Bloods, the die rolls drive the narrative. They are even with the SAE30 crew in terms of weapons , armor, and experience (absent the lack of red-dot sights). And the Chambers', Jethro, and Goober did not have armor, and had inferior weapons to the Cold Bloods (well, except for Marilyn's FAL...). Even though they were outnumbered, it ought to have been a more even fight. But, I'm noticing some trends in these games...
1. SAE30 guys generally make their armor rolls, while the Cold Bloods generally do not.
2. SAE30 has a medic (DeSoto), and he makes almost all of his medic rolls. The Cold Bloods do not have medics. Maybe they need some!
3. In this game, the critters ended up being busy with each other. But had they come on at other spawn points, the humans could have had very different experiences....
And, with 3 rolls on the Zone Hostiles Chart (2 Hot Spots and a random event), there could have been 6 more Cold Bloods come on....
So, don't feel too sorry for the Cold Bloods. The dice gods will swing their pendulum one of these games, and SAE30 will take it in the shorts...
Great pictures, miniatures, terrain and story.
As usual.
Thanks! Appreciate that.
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Excellent stuff as usual. I hope one of the crew had the sense to recover the AK from the captured cold blood
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Excellent stuff as usual. I hope one of the crew had the sense to recover the AK from the captured cold blood
Thanks. And funny you should ask that. My younger brother asked that very same question when I regaled him with my crew's tales of daring-do...and, yes, they did. And Malloy was quick to scoop up all the 7.62x39 ammo he could get his hands on.
And, as it turns out, between the attache case the SCP ERT grabbed 2 reports ago, and the captured Cold Blood from this report, some good intel may just have been obtained. Tomorrow (Thursday), I plan to do the lead-in for this Friday's game, in which my SAE30 crew and Ted's SCP ERT pay a visit to a Cold Bloods base camp in the Medium Area of the PEZ...details to follow...
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After the local PD came and went, which happened after SAE30 and Co. had policed up the Cold Blood weapons and ammo, the crew got down to business with Mr. Chambers. Between the ammo they scrounged off the Cold Bloods, and what Mr. Chambers had in stock, they now had plenty of ammo. Unfortunately, Mr. Chambers was running a bit low on the other things for which SAE30 was looking. After conducting said business, the crew got the ammo (no hot load ammo, though), 5 med-kits (including the one they found at the Hot Spot), a set of NVDs, and one serving of Energy Juice. They also had scrounged off the Hot Spot a pair of binos. Mr. Chambers also couldn't sell them a spare detector, as he didn't have any in stock. The crew did OK, but not as good as they were hoping.
Pyle then reported in to Dr. Smith, who had interesting news. "First", he said "Carter's getting out of the hospital tomorrow. I'll bring him back to your base, where he can link up with the other guys. They should have the van good good to go by then, so they'll head into the PEZ to meet you guys at Chambers' place. You stay put there until Carter and the boys get there. Ask Marilyn to look after Newkirk until he recovers from his heat stroke."
"OKay", replied Pyle. "What's second?"
"May have another job for you guys. I going to meet with the feds, the military, local authorities, and the Regional Director of the SCP tomorrow morning. Try to sort a few things out. I'll be in touch afterwards". At which point Dr. Smith hung up.
The next day, about noon, Dr. Smith called again. The cell phones had service again...
"First, with the information they got from an attache case the SCP ERT snatched, and from that Cold Blood you guys grabbed, they think they know where at least one of the Cold Bloods' bases is. Just inside the Medium Area, in some old abandoned industrial place. A platoon from the 1st of the 148th is gonna hit it at dawn in the morning. Those Guard guys don't want anything to do with any artifacts, so you guys, except for Newkirk of course, and the SCP ERT are gonna go in after the Guard secures the place to do an artifact sweep of the whole facility. They are gonna leave a squad there until you guys show up"
"Really?" said Pyle, a bit incredulously. "Us and SCP? Together? Yer kiddin', right?"
"No, I'm totally serious - and play nice. And I think I might have things sorted out with the military, at least for now, but that Guard squad is going to leave as soon as you and the SCP show up. Be extra nice to them. i don't want any more, um, incidents."
"Fine" said Pyle "We'll try to be nice".
"You better. Carter and the rest of the crew should be there about suppertime tonight. Rest up. Do well tomorrow."
So there you have it. An easy sweep job after the Army National Guard guys secure the site. Piece of cake...
Ted and I play tomorrow. Here is my crew's cheat sheet. I don't have one for Ted's crew yet - he has it. I'll fill him in on the mission tomorrow morning.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-290224203620.jpeg)
And here is the Random Encounter Chart and the Zone Hostiles Chart. Use instructions are on them. Each Zone Hostile card may only be drawn once.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-290224202901.jpeg)
Here's a map of our Cold Blood base camp, post raid with our Army Guard squad keeping an eye on the place. There are 6 Cold Blood bodies lying about the place.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-290224202819.jpeg)
Here are a few closer-up shots of the place.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-290224202739.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-290224202720.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-290224202701.jpeg)
SAE30 and the SCP ERT should show up at the same time. Once they link up with the Army Guard squad leader, they Guard boys will mount up and pull out. Even if Zone Hostiles are sighted and/or attacking. They have been ordered to play nice, too, but they heard about SAE30...
There are 10 possible locations for artifacts. The gray pick-up, the dumpster, the shipping container, the shack by the gate, and the 2 floors each of the 3 2-story buildings. A figure from a crew must spend an action at each location to search, and pass a Hard Task Roll to find an artifact. If they find one, they have to pass a Medium Task Roll to avoid triggering an anomaly. The anomalies do not produce any additional artifacts, but each crew may then search (as an additional action) the artifact location once, by rolling on the TL2 Salvage chart in Zona Alfa). Each crew gets 2 Renown Points for each artifact they find (even if it triggers an anomaly), and that they get off the board. And they get to do all this, while likely having to fight off Zone Hostiles. The crew with the most artifacts after both have left the board "wins".
Of course, I'll do an AAR after we play tomorrow...
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Of course, I'll do an AAR after we play tomorrow..
You’d better…..! Anticipating. :)
Doug
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You’d better…..! Anticipating. :)
Doug
So let it be written, so let it be done. In due time, of course... :D
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Jim and Ted. Playing nice together. Hmm...what are the chances gunfire doesn't break out between those two? lol
Have fun in your game! I will be heading down to CincyCon 2024 tomorrow to run my Mean Streets gang warfare game. An AAR and pics will be over on the Pulp board, when I get around to it. Which means after I grade more than a hundred student tests... :'(
Mike Demana
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We did in fact play this Friday past. My plan is to start working on the AAR later today. It'll likely be a multi-parter, again, as I took another bunch of photos. I don't want to ruin the suspense, but the Cold Bloods suck.....
Stay tuned...
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Plumbrook Exclusion Zone Encounter #8 (9 if you count the one by Ted's ERT...).
Before we get to our Encounter Report, an administrative announcement:
1. We decided that if a searching figure rolled a "1" on the artifact search roll. There just wasn't an artifact in that location. A failed roll other than a "1" meant the figure could try further searches.
Part 1 of 3: Relief in Place.
The dawn broke bright and sunny. And hot. The SAE30 crew approached the Cold Blood base from the north road. But the SCP ERT came in from the south, and got to the Cold Bloods' base first. Carter could see the SCP Bearcat pull into the drive to the base camp as they crossed the bridge over the creek. "Crap", he said, to no one in particular. "They beat us in." And them it started raining.
And then it stopped raining and the sun came back out. The SAE30 guys could see the Guard Humvee out by the road, with 2 dismounts near it, and a guy manning the 50-cal. As they pulled up to one of the dismounts, MacGuyver flashed their papers, and the Guardsman just said "F*** off!", waved them in, and gave them the universal American hand signal matching that stated sentiment. As the pulled in the drive, they could see the Guard sergeant approach the SCP Bearcat by the gate to the Cold Blood's base. The gate had been busted down. Then they heard the 50-cal on the Humvee by the road go off. That got their attention, and they could clearly see a giant 2-headed snake slithering in the road they had just driven in on. Carter thought to himself "Oh well, so much for this being a that piece of cake..."
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324164101.jpeg)
The SCP crew started exiting their Bearcat, keeping one man in the cupola, with a grenade launcher, to keep an eye on things. SAE30 backed their van up next to the gate, so the Guard Humvee could get out. Once the SCP crew made contact with the Guard sergeant, the Guard sergeant signalled for his men to mount up, and go. They mounted up, just as a pickup truck come in the road from the west. What the Guard, SAE30, and the SCP ERT didn't yet know, was that the truck had several Cold Bloods in it, and that several more dismounted Cold Bloods were moving up through the woodlot just west of the main road on foot. As it turned out, the Guard would be leaving down that west side road, so things were about to get very interesting.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324164043.jpeg)
The 50-cal gunner in the Humvee by the road dispatched that giant snake, as the Sergeant's Humvee left the compound.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324164024.jpeg)
As SAE30 began getting out of the van, 2 men from the SCP crew searched the pick-up truck in the compound, and found an artifact. Score one for the SCP.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324164002.jpeg)
As the Sergeant's Humvee proceeded out the compound drive, several men jumped of that pick-up on the side road Cold Bloods! Both 50-cal gunners opened up, and dropped 2 Cold Bloods.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163945.jpeg)
By now, SCP men had gone into the 2-story building by the pickup they had just searched. There, they would find 2 more artifacts (one on each floor). The SAE crew were now out of their van, and Carter headed for the shack by the gate. Robinson deployed Robot the Drone. Carter had told him to get Robot up, and recon the woodlots the Cold Blood were by.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163927.jpeg)
A few SCP men were providing cover, while the rest continued searching the place. One moved to the shipping container. Carter searched the gate shack, and didn't find anything. That's because there wasn't anything of value there.
The Guard moved toward the road, engaging the Cold Bloods, dropping their leader, who promptly crawled into the woods. The Cold Bloods' medic ran over to see about rendering first aid. And Robinson reported over comms that Robot could see several Cold Bloods in the woods, slowly moving east.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163909.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163855.jpeg)
And then it hit. A heat wave. And it hit hard. The Cold Bloods and the Guardsmen fared OK, but the SAE30 and SCP boys didn't. 4 of the SCP guys, and 3 from SAE30, went down, a couple hard. And Carter had just come back out from the gate shack...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163839.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163820.jpeg)
And the Guard left the compound, continuing to drop a couple more Cold Bloods, including their medic (the ensuing investigation would conclude that, as the Cold Blood medic wore no identifying signs, he was therefore a legitimate target). The last Cold Blood in the pick up was the driver, and he had the bright idea to ram the lead Humvee. He did, but it didn't really damage either vehicle. The other Guard Humvee pulled up alongside the one that was just rammed. The Cold Blood driver, now staring at 2 pissed off 50-cal gunners, NOW decided it was time to un-ass his truck. He did so, right into a hail of 50-cal bullets. Getting out of his truck was the last thing he ever did...meanwhile, our crews began recovering from the heat wave. Robinson kept Robot up and over the scene of that fight. Video footage from Robot would be used as exculpatory evidence in that afore-mentioned investigation.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163805.jpeg)
I'll leave it there for now. Stay tuned for Part 2 of 3...and thanks for reading so far.
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Sounds like fun! Were both of you controlling the Cold Bloods and Guard? Or were you randomizing their movement and actions?
Mike Demana
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We were running the Guard, Cold Bloods, and critters by committee. When it was obvious what one of them would do, we just had them do that. It they might have done 1 thing out of 2 or 3 options, we assigned a % chance to each option and rolled a d10. For example, when that dumbass rammed the Guard Humvee, we decided he had a 50% chance to just get out of the truck and run (1-5 on a d10), a 30% chance to back the truck up (6-8 on a d10), and a 20% chance to ram the Humvee (9-10 on a d10). He, of course, rolled a 10...it is becoming readily apparent that the Cold Bloods are not the brightest bulbs on the string. I'll address that in my epilogue to this encounter...
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And, now, for...
Part 2 of 3: We're Havin' a Heat Wave...
The SCP crew hadn't been in the PEZ long enough to acclimate themselves to the heat, so they didn't recover from that heat wave as fast as the SEA crew did. But even so, the SAE guys didn't all recover straightaway.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163748.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163731.jpeg)
And while all that was going on, 2 deer had wandered into the compound, and ended up between the shipping container and the adjacent building. Scared the crap out of both the deer and the SCP guy working the doors to that container. The heat didn't seem to bother the deer much, though. And those deer weren't the only critters dropping by for a visit. We already saw the giant 2-headed snake, and 2 large snakes had slithered their way into the compound between the gate shack and an adjacent building. However, the SCP boys had made short work of them. More ominously, 2 giant crabs scuttled up to the SE woodline, wondering which one of these humans looked the tastiest.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163713.jpeg)
Meanwhile, the National Guardsmen, in the comfort of their air-conditioned Humvees, headed down the western side road. In doing so, they snapped a utility pole to get around the now-unoccupied Cold Blood pickup, and ran over the body of the Cold Blood the 50-cal gunners had hosed down. If he wasn't already dead, he was now...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163659.jpeg)
While our crews sorted themselves out after the heat wave, one of the crabs made its way into the compound, still undecided about who (whom?) to go after. The other crab was more hesitant.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163642.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163618.jpeg)
Just as the crews were getting moving again, another heat wave struck, laying low more crew members. This time, those deer were not so lucky. By now, the SCP crew had found 3 artifacts (1 in the pickup, and 2 on the building by that pickup). They had also discovered that the shipping was empty. The SAE crew had found nothing in the gate shack, but had found 2 artifacts in the building next to the gate shack. Luckily, none had been set off. Not yet, anyway. It was 3-2, SCP.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163559.jpeg)
Over in those west woodlots, while the Cold Bloods had pretty much shrugged off the heat waves, they were otherwise not faring well. A couple were taken out by the Guardsmen, and a couple more had run off (including their medic). And, just as their leader had staggered back to his feet after being shot, he heard a crashing sound in the woods behind him, turned around, and had just enough time to say "Oh, sh-" when a 200-pound (90.7185 kilograms, to you folks on the metric system) landed on him. And took him out of the fight.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163543.jpeg)
Things, once again, were not looking good for our baddies.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163525.jpeg)
The SCP and SAE crews now had to recover from the 2nd heat wave. And the crabs (the other one had scuttled its way into the compound, following its friend) made up their mind about their prey. They decided to go after the SAE men by their van. But they had to get through the barbed wire fence to do so.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163504.jpeg)
More of our crewmembers got back going. Carter from the SAE started to head for the last un-searched building, but an SCP guy beat him there. Apparently it was now time to go dumpster-diving for Carter. Artifact-wise, it was still 3-2, SCP.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163447.jpeg)
That'll do it for now. I'll post Part 3 of 3 soon, I promise. In it, we'll answer these questions:
1. Will the hapless Cold Bloods actually do anything useful?
2. What will become of the frog and the crabs?
3. Which crew will win the artifact contest?
4. Could there possible be a third heat wave?
As the late American commentator Paul Harvey used to say, "Stand By For News"...
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And here is the last part of our Encounter Report.
Part 3 of 3: We're Havin' a Heat Wave. Again...
Over with the Cold Bloods, a couple wounded Cold Bloods got themselves going (they had to DIY, as their medic had already split), so they could take on that frog. A couple more made their way to the woodline at the north-south road. One of them ate a grenade from the SCP guy in their Bearcat.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163433.jpeg)
And, with an annoying frequency, another heat wave hit. The 3rd, if you're counting. And SAE and SCP men went down. Again. And, now, both of those giant crabs were at the fence, eyeing a couple SAE men rather hungrily.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163415.jpeg)
Sensing an opportunity, 2 Cold Bloods decided to cross the road, and try to get into the compound at the NW corner. One made it. One didn't, thanks to the SCP grenadier's last grenade. The grenadier dropped down into the Bearcat, and swapped his grenade launcher for an M4. The rest of the crews either went about searching the compound, or trying to recover from the heat wave.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163357.jpeg)
The crabs sliced through the fence with their claws, and attacked. Accurate fire from 2 M4s (and Malloy's AK) sent the crabs scuttling back through the fence. It was obvious these were hard-shell crabs, as some of those shots should have been kill shots. The recovery from the heat wave continued, still slowly for the unacclimated SCP crew.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163335.jpeg)
The SAE boys were all back in the fight now (thanks to sterling work by DeSoto, their medic - have I mentioned he's good at what he does?). After shooing the frog away, 2 Cold Bloods were now cowering behind their pick-up on that side road. 3 SAE men began to head their way to take care of them.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163320.jpeg)
An SCP man worked frantically on their medic and officer, who were out from the heat.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163303.jpeg)
The search of the compound continued. An SCP man was at the last building to be searched, while the SAE boss was dumpster-diving.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163244.jpeg)
The 2 men at SAE's van shot up the crabs, finally killing one, and running the other off. 2 more deer showed up from the south, took one look at the situation, and promptly left. The 2 Cold Bloods behind their pickup weighed their options, and decided to get into the truck and back the heck up on out of there. Well, they managed to get in the truck. at least. SAE's medic, DeSoto, shot the driver dead with a double-tap to the head. The other Cold Blood got out of the truck, and made a run for it. 2 other SAE men shot him, but he managed to limp away.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163224.jpeg)
The Cold Blood who tried to get into the NW corner of the compound did so. Taking shelter behind a building, he tried to collect his wits. His partner that had been wounded by the SCP grenades bled out, so he collected his wits just enough to run away, heading north over the river and through the woods. But I don't think he was going to grandmother's house...
At this point all the tangos and critters were either down or gone. The SCP had managed to find 2 more artifacts in that last building, without triggering them. And in a last anti-climactic event, the SAE boss (Carter) found an artifact in the dumpster as well. But, he triggered it, freaking him out a bit but not injuring him. The heat blast from triggering the artifact did blow trash up into his face, so now Carter reeked of old trash...
The final artifact tally? SCP 5, SAE 3. With their missions accomplished, the crews headed back to their vehicles. All of SAE30's men were fully recovered from the heat, but 4 of the SCP ERT were still hurting. The crews got into their vehicles and left, with the SCP crew heading back to Camp Perry, and SAE30 heading back to Chambers "Hardware" Store. SAE30 would later find out that one of the SCP guys went into cardiac arrest on their way back to Perry and ultimately died, and their officer required medical attention for a few days.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163207.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-040324163152.jpeg)
And there you have it. Ted's SCP ERT won the artifact-finding contest, but at the price of one of his crewmembers. He has other crew members who did not participate in the fight, and one of them is a Sergeant, so even though his Lieutenant has to sit the next fight out, he'll still have a leader and plenty of crewmembers he can use.
As for the Cold Bloods, they ain't worth shit. They are d10, have body armor and AKs, have leaders, and in this fight, had a medic. None of that did them any good (the medic left on his first recovery roll). Their luck is consistently bad. For example:
1. Their body armor usually doesn't work. Take this fight, for example. They failed every one of their body armor rolls. Except 2. The 2 hits that last guy running from the pickup took in his back. He made those saves...
2. The have a tendency to be in the wrong place in the wrong time. In this fight, the chances of them showing up in the same place and time through which the National Guard would be leaving was actually quite limited. Yet, there they were.
3. And 2 out of the 3 times we rolled to see what they would do, they rolled the least best option (which also had the least chance for success on the die roll). And paid for it.
4. And all this has been pretty consistent in all 9 encounters so far.
I think the process that mutated their cardio-vascular systems to withstand excessive heat must have also affected their mental capacities (and their luck). And by now, with as many men and women as they have lost, they gotta be runnin' low on personnel.
But fear not. These heat waves with increasing frequency must be a harbinger of goings-on in the Hard Area of the PEZ. I suspect there will be other baddies, that have yet to be encountered... ;)
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Great stuff, Jim! I'm very proud of both you and Ted in "playing nice" with each other... lol
Hope you guys are having fun. Look forward to reading more of the adventures of the two groups.
Mike Demana
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Thanks, Mike.
But it'll be a while before there's another encounter. I'll be down in Florida visiting me brother the last 2 weeks of March....
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Well flippin’ ‘eck - that was all action. An interesting summary of the Cold Bloods’ campaign to date - they seem to be taking the rôle of the Germans in the war films of the sixties and seventies; basically, they’re targets. But the critturs gave you plenty of things to worry about and the heat waves appear to be the most threatening thing of all, they certainly can throw all your calculations up in the air for a while which makes for an interesting game situation.
I love the photo of the giant frog. It was just so unexpected. It was like a variation of Raymond Chandler’s advice on how to move a plot along - have a giant frog suddenly appear on the scene. To the characters, that frog would be the most terrifying of all the weird animals that have appeared so far.
The prize for the most sensible participants must surely go to the deer: "two more deer showed up for the south, took one look at the situation and promptly left"
Once again, a most enjoyable AAR. Thanks.
Doug
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Yeah, the Cold Blood have definitely been punching well below their weight.
And thanks for your comments. Appreciate them...
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Well, it has been too long since anything has happened in the PEZ. Technically that's not true (something has indeed happened), but no games have been played for a while.
That will change next Saturday (the 31st). LAF's own mikedemana and some of his crew are venturing northward to get in a couple games at my ToyBox that weekend. Friday evening's game will be Ted's big Alamo game (a playtest for upcoming cons), but Saturday is gonna be some more adventures in the PEZ.
I don't have all the details nailed down yet, but I do have a general idea of the scenario. It will involve Ted's SCP ERT, the National Guard, the Cold Bloods, local looters, and local law enforcement. All will be tasked with investigating the area after an, um, "incident". Each 4-person group will have other groups they are friendly with, couldn't care less about, and/or are hostile towards. My SAE crew will be sitting this one out, as Richards has just got back from the Orientation Course, and is settling in with the SAE crew (i.e., I will be the GM and playing the zone hostiles).
Speaking of zone hostiles, I am painting a few new ones up. They will be making their first appearance in this game. I'm curious to see how they impact things...
Stay tuned...reports to follow after the 31st...
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Looking forward to the reports.
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LAF's own mikedemana and some of his crew are venturing northward to get in a couple games at my ToyBox that weekend. Friday evening's game will be Ted's big Alamo game (a playtest for upcoming cons), but Saturday is gonna be some more adventures in the PEZ.
Woo-hoo! :D ;D I am pretty psyched for it. Sorry that we have been slow about the final roster coming north. Jenny, Mike S, Jason S, and myself are definitely in. Keith is the waffling one. I prodded him today electronically (not electrically, which might actually work better... :o lol). He said he's coming. So, it is going to be a big group!
Mike Demana
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I've just caught up on the last 2 games, both excellent scenery and report wise.
I didn't realise deassing was a verb, it's not in the Oxford English Dictionary, must be in Miriam Webster's!
Just a question on the road pieces you are using, are they flexible and also homemade. They look good in either event.
Look forward to the next game and the new hostiles.
Cheers
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I've just caught up on the last 2 games, both excellent scenery and report wise.
I didn't realise deassing was a verb, it's not in the Oxford English Dictionary, must be in Miriam Webster's!
Just a question on the road pieces you are using, are they flexible and also homemade. They look good in either event.
Look forward to the next game and the new hostiles.
Cheers
1. It's "un-assing", by the way. It was (is?) a contemporary colloquial turn of phrase we used in the Army, when dismounting a vehicle...
2. The paved roads are model railroad roads, purchased from hobby shops along the way. The black-with-yellow-stripes roads were labelled for HO-scale (1/87) layouts, but they actually work for 15mm up to 28mm. The gray-with-white-stripes roads were labelled for O-scale (1/43, IIRC) layouts. Both work at 28mm.
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It has now been done. With the mid-Ohio crew's visit to the PEZ, things have been shaken up somewhat. I will get to the actual AAR within the next few days, but we played the actual game yesterday (30 Aug), at my wargaming building (dubbed "The ToyBox" by my darling bride).
Oh, how to begin...
OK. First, we used Fistful of Lead, with a few bits from Zona Alfa thrown in. Second, let's look at the playing area. It is based on an actual location, set at the western edge of the Medium Area in the PEZ. It is centered on the intersection of Ohio Rt. 18 and Township Rd. 34. Here is the Google Map view:
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-010924205718.jpeg)
And here is my depiction of it...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-010924205751.jpeg)
The numbers correspond to a chart on my page of GM Charts. Once a figures approaches the numbered area, the thing associated with it on the chart happens. Also on the page of GM Charts are the stats for Zone Critters, as well as the Random Event Chart (triggered when a player plays a Joker from their hand). Below is the page of GM Charts:
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-010924205645.jpeg)
For those of you that have been following along in my post-apoc stories, you may see a new kind of Zone Critter on those charts - Lizardmen. Yep, as the Cold Bloods, shall we say, underperform (and alas, continue to do so), and I needed some better bad guys for a thermal event-based story line, I built up a few Wargames Atlantic Lizardmen (with guns)! Let's just say, they made their mark. I plan to build up a few more, but here is what I have done so far:
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-010924205602.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-010924205542.jpeg)
Besides me (I GM'd and played the Zone Critters and civilians), we had 6 players. Here is the briefing I gave all 6:
Situation
The Plumbrook Reactor is a federal facility located just south of Sandusky, Ohio, midwayish between Toledo and Cleveland not far from the shores of Lake Erie. It was a NASA facility with a nuclear reactor that was on-line from 1961 to 1973.
Or at least that was what the public was led to believe. Its name was changed somewhere along the line to the Plumbrook Energy and Nuclear Investigation Station (yes, PENIS, so please, you in the back - no snickering...). About a year ago, a "thermal event" occurred. What exactly that "event" was has not been disclosed. The immediate area was evacuated and cordoned off. That cordon has expanded in this past year to a 20-mile radius (known as the Plumbrook Exclusion Zone, or PEZ). No one is allowed in (or out) without proper credentials. Threat Levels 1, 2, and 3 will be, respectively, Soft, Medium, and Hard. We won't speak of Threat Level 0. Incident Command is located at Camp Perry, Ohio, on Lake Erie just inside the western boundary of the Soft Area.
About 6 months ago, there was another thermal event, also cloaked in secrecy. At that time, the Medium Area was locked down by the relevant authorities. Since then, that lockdown has loosened a bit. In that year, there have been several incidents involving a number of factions. Local law enforcement, the 1-148th Infantry, a couple foundation teams (an SCP Foundation ERT and SAE30), secretive federal agencies, local looters, and a group of mutated eastern Europeans known as the Cold Bloods. There have also been reports of strange animals, including feral dogs, large lizards, and giant snakes, frogs and crabs.
Here are the faction-specific briefs:
Army National Guard (played be Jenny (our own mikedemana's SO)
You are members of 1-107 Cavalry, and have just relieved 1-148 Infantry on PEZ duty. You should be on friendly terms with local law enforcement, but your unit has not yet had any dealings with the Feds or either the SCP or SAE. You are NOT on friendly terms with the Cold Bloods or the looters.
Move in and set up a road block at Ohio 18 and Township Road 34. NO ONE is permitted east of that roadblock. You have 4 troops (All d10, with one Leader, and all Dead-eye) with M4s, body armor (Armor 8+) and a Humvee (Medium, Damage 3, Armor 8+, 10” move, with an M2 .50-cal). Be warned: 1. Radio and cell phone communications can be unpredictable within the PEZ., and 2: It can be very hot in the PEZ – make sure you cycle your troops in and out of the air-conditioned Humvee.
Local Law Enforcement (Played my Mike S. (from the mid-Ohio gang)
You are members of local law enforcement agencies. You have been patrolling, and manning roadblocks at the perimeter of, the Soft Area of the PEZ. You should be on friendly terms with the Army National Guard, and are on friendly terms with SAE30. But have not yet had any dealings with either the Feds or the SCP. You are NOT on friendly terms with the Cold Bloods or the looters.
Patrol the area, and arrest on sight any local looters you come across. You have 4 officers - All d10 with one Leader with a shotgun, one with a patrol Rifle, and 2 with pistols. All are +1 to hit in HtH, and all have body armor (Armor 8+). You have 2 patrol cars (medium, Damage 3, 12” move). Your experience in the PEZ tells you: 1. Radio and cell phone communications can be unpredictable within the PEZ., and 2: It can be very hot in the PEZ – make sure you cycle your officers in and out of the air-conditioned patrol cars.
Federal Agents (played by our own mikedemana)
You are members of an undisclosed Federal Agency. You couldn’t care less about the other factions, and are frankly a bit dismissive toward them all. In particular, you think the Cold Bloods and the looters are just chumps.
You are more interested in reports and rumors of a new threat in the PEZ – Lizardmen? You want to find one and capture it for study, hopefully without any big fuss. You have 4 agents (One d12 Leader with a pistol, another d10 with a pistol, and 2 d10s with SMGs. All wear body armor (Armor 8+), and are Eagle-eyed). You have a government-issued SUV (Medium, 3 Damage, 12” move, Armor 8+). And you know these things: 1. Radio and cell phone communications can be unpredictable within the PEZ., and 2: It can be very hot in the PEZ – make sure you cycle your agents in and out of the air-conditioned SUV.
SCP Foundation (played by Ted - he has played in the PEZ before)
You are members an SCP Foundation ERT. Since you have already played in the PEZ, you may interact with the other factions as you see fit.
Your mission, however, is to investigate the presence of any anomalies in the area. Of course, you want to find, secure, and seize any you come across. You have 4 men (You may choose any 4 eligible members of your team, along with either vehicle). And you know from your experience in the PEZ: 1. Radio and cell phone communications can be unpredictable within the PEZ., and 2: It can be very hot in the PEZ – make sure you cycle your men in and out of the air-conditioned vehicle.
Cold Bloods (played by Jason S. - from the mid-Ohio crew)
You are members of the Cold Bloods – a cartel of eastern Europeans who go from exclusion zone to exclusion zone to see what trouble they can get into, and to grab any loot and artifacts they can find. Your group is here because this is a Thermal Event Exclusion Zone, and your cardiovascular systems have mutated, allowing your crew-members to tolerate high heat levels. Your crew is hostile toward all other factions in the PEZ, except maybe the local looters. You regard them more as a minor annoyance.
Root through the area looking for loot and artifacts, and seize them. You have 4 crew-members - all d10 with one Leader with a shotgun, and 3 with AKs. All have body armor (Armor 8+), and are immune to heat effects. You have 1 beat-up pick-up truck (medium, Damage 3, 10” move). Your experience in the PEZ tells you: 1. Radio and cell phone communications can be unpredictable within the PEZ., and 2: It can be very hot in the PEZ, but you don’t really care, now do you…
Local Looters (played by Keith, the 5th member of the mid-Ohio gang)
You are members of local gang of looters – you sneak into the PEZ, and find and steal what you can. Your crew tries to avoid getting caught, and is hostile toward all other factions in the PEZ, except maybe the Cold Bloods. You regard them as weird freaks of nature.
Root through the area looking for loot, and steal what you can. You have 5 crew-members - all d8 with one Leader with an M16, and 4 with various other weapons. You don’t have body armor, but all have the Dodge trait. You have a pick-up truck (medium, Damage 3, 10” move) at your disposal. Your experience in the PEZ tells you: 1. Radio and cell phone communications can be unpredictable within the PEZ., and 2: It can be very hot in the PEZ, so you might want to cycle the boys in and out of the air-conditioned truck…
Who played which faction was determined randomly, except for Ted playing his own SCP ERT. Starting/entry points were also determined randomly.
To whet everyone's whistle, here are a few teasers...
A. The Feds, the Cold Bloods, and the SCP ERT all got to look at a Lizardman up close...
B. The SCP ERT is now on the National Guard's shit-list...
C. The National Guard is now on local law enforcement's shit-list...
D. The Cold Bloods still suck...
That'll do it for now. News of events to follow, soon I promise....
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This looks very tasty. Eagerly awaiting AAR. The table looks great; your layouts are really appealing. The factions promise a very interesting game (and the teasers confirm this). Finally - love the lizardmen. I think I need some. I think I have some fantasy ones hidden away somewhere that could be repurposed.
Right. I’m sitting comfortable. Ready when you are. :)
Doug
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Looking forward to the AAR.
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Part 1. Just Another day in the PEZ...
The sun shone bright the other day. And it was hot. Damn hot. After the 2nd "event" 6 months ago, things heated up in the PEZ (literally), but then calmed down. Word was that the lab coats in the Hard Area (the Plumbrook site itself) were up to something. The regular Army had the Hard Area sealed off, snug as a bug in a rug. But whatever that something was, it didn't stick, It was getting damned hot again.
Other than that, it was just another day in the PEZ. A new National Guard unit had just rotated in, and they sent a crew out to set up a roadblock at Ohio 18 and Road 34. Nobody knew how they would approach things. But they were about to find out...
Unknown to the Guard unit, some local looters had holed up in the house west of the intersection on the south side of 34. In it, they found a stash of hot load ammo. One of them came out on the front porch to see what some stray dogs were up to. The dogs ignored him. They also ignored the Fed's dark-colored SUV and the SCP ERT Bearcat that whizzed past them. The Feds belonged to a shadowy DHS agency - the Division of Extra-environmental Investigation, or DEI). The SCP's Bearcat was right up the ass of the Fed's SUV, and they had to break hard as the Fed's SUV slowed to pull into the drive of the house on the north side of 34.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-040924000148.jpeg)
While all that was going on, a pair of local police cruisers came up 18 from the SW. The local cops were sending out cars in pairs now, just to be safe. And a beat-up pickup full of Cold Bloods came in from the east on 34, and pulled into the drive of the house at the NE corner of the intersection. Of course, they were probably up to no good...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-040924000130.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-040924000052.jpeg)
No one had any idea that the fecal matter was about to collide with the rotary oscillator...
As such, the Guard troopers went about their business. 2 of them got out of the Humvee, to go around to the back to grab the barricade parts. Another stayed in the drivers' seat, while Sarge manned the .50-cal.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-040924000107.jpeg)
While the stray dogs were ignoring the now 2 looters on the front porch of the house (the dogs must have been rooting around some roadkill), a 3rd looter crawled out a window to get to their (presumably) stolen pick-up. That one, apparently, didn't like and/or trust dogs. One pair of the police thought that suspicious, stopped their car, and got out to investigate. The other police, having just heard shots fired from the direction of the house where the Cold Bloods were, hit their lights and siren and sped off to respond to that. They decided to drive around the Guard checkpoint, in spite of the newly set-up barricade and warning sign...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-040924000039.jpeg)
The Feds had pulled into that driveway to check things out there. 2 went left, and 2 went right, including their boss. He, of course, got out, took off his sunglasses, and assumed a commanding air...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-040924000026.jpeg)
The 2 Guardsmen manning the barricade fired warning shots across the hood of the police car, shouting orders to stop!.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-040924000010.jpeg)
The police car, responding to those shots fired, kept going. The Guardsmen fired at the car, disabling it. The police got ut to confront the Guardsman. It was then, a heat burst hit. One of the Feds had wandered into the woods by the house they were checking out, and tripped an anomaly, releasing a heat big ol' burst. He dropped, out cold (hot?). A Guardsmen went down from the heat, and a few other folks nearby got a bit woozy. And three of the 4 dogs dropped dead from heat stroke. One of the SCP ERT guys popped the top hatch of their Bearcat, as they approached the confrontation between the Guard and the cops. The SCP ERT had serious issues getting their detectors to work, but did manage get a brief reading from the abandoned pick-up near the intersection.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-030924235951.jpeg)
The police who had stopped to check out the looters got into a largely ineffectual gunfight with them. The 4th dog, now crazed from the heat, had charged into the house to attack the looters.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-030924235933.jpeg)
The shots fired that the cops had heard, and tried to respond to, came from a Cold Blood, who was lurking around that house. He had seen someone inside, and opened fire through a broken window, wounding that person. The other Cold Bloods went inside to see what the deal was. They found a punk in a hoody, lying on the floor with a gunshot wound, and NOT in a good mood. After the punk in the hoody told them that there wasn't anything around there (he lied), he the told them to go f*** themselves. It took all three Cold Bloods to beat him up, and 2 were injured for their troubles...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-030924235918.jpeg)
The Guardsman who went down from the heat recovered, and got into a pissing contest with one of the cops (the local cops were getting tired of the Feds and the Army coming into their jurisdiction swinging their, um, manhood around... :o). The SCP ERT blew past the Guard checkpoint as well. This time, Sarge lit up the SCP Bearcat with his .50-cal, damaging it. The SCP's driver managed to keep from crashing, and got the bearcat into position next to the abandoned pickup.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-030924235900.jpeg)
Things kept getting more screwed up. The looters had killed the 4th dog, and had all fled the house and gotten into their pickup (save for one who had already fled from the cops. Maybe he had a warrant out on him). The driver put it in reverse, and hit the gas, trying to ram the cop car through the split-rail fence. Then fence didn't budge...and did I mention that the gunfight between the cops and the looters was pretty ineffectual? But wait - there's more. A civilian car drove up 18 from the SW, and slowed as its occupants took it all in.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-030924235845.jpeg)
The clusterf*** at the checkpoint continued, with arguing and periodic gunfire punctuated by grenade blasts from the SCP's grenade launcher (one such blast blast took Sarge out of the fight).
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-030924235828.jpeg)
Over at the Feds, the Boss and an agent made their way through the trees toward Rt. 18, while a 3rd dragged their unconscious agent toward the SUV.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-030924235815.jpeg)
That's it for now. Stay tuned for PART 2: Where the Hell Did They Come From?
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Absolutely fantastic.
This thread never disappoints and is improving post by post; you have a great talent for both world building and storytelling.
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It was a fun game. :) As CapnJim says, I played the Feds. About midway through the game, I honestly thought my federal agency had played a weird game of "telephone." That there were no Lizardmen and that the Cold Bloods were the actual Lizardmen I was supposed to grab and bring one back for examination. The boss and another agent were on the way (on foot) to go grab one of Jason's guys, which I am sure they wouldn't cooperate in.
Needless to say, you know how wrong I was... lol lol
I'll post some pics after Jim finishes the report. I don't want to spoil any surprises. :D
Mike Demana
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Another enjoyable AAR and another good looking game. But something tells me this is an hors-d’oeuvre and the main meal is yet to come. I’ve got to be honest, I’m waiting for the lizardmen…..! Still, it gives me time to work out who is who and where each who is and which who is fighting the other who.
This is multi-player skirmish gaming done the way it should be. Part 2 please.
Doug
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Thank you, Gentlemen! Now let's finish our convoluted story...
Part 2: Where the Hell Did they Come From?
While the scrum at the roadblock went on (and on, and on), and the local cops and the looters were trying to have it out over by that house, and the Feds were dealing with their issues, the 3 Cold Bloods had just finally managed to beat up that poor unarmed punk with the hoody in the 2-story house. The 4th Cold Blood went upstairs to see what he could find up there. BUT, the tussle in the house caught the attention of the until-now undiscovered occupants of the barn. They came out of the barn, and headed for the house to see what they would find there. The Lizardmen were on the loose!
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924162237.jpeg)
Meanwhile, the local cops who were arguing with the Guardsmen knocked a Guardsman to the ground unconscious, and backed away toward the tractor out in the nearby field. Three SCP ERT men unassed their broke-dick bearcat to check out the anomaly in the bed of the pickup. National Guard gunfire dropped the SCP guy who got to the pick-up's bed first.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924162220.jpeg)
And then, as if the first heat burst wasn't enough, another one swept through the area. This time, it hit the SCP ERT and the Guardsmen particularly hard.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924162203.jpeg)
The Fed's Boss and his 2nd made their way through the trees to Rt. 18, while their 3rd had dragged their heat stroke victim to their SUV. He stuffed his fellow crewmember into the SUV, got in himself, and backed out of the drive onto Rt. 34.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924162148.jpeg)
At this point, 2 more civilian cars came on the scene, one from the southwest on Rt. 18, and another from the east on Rt. 34. The car coming up Rt. 18 (the red one) slowed, trying to figure out how to to get past this mess. The one coming in on Rt. 34 (the orange one) became the target of the tan lizardman. Too bad for the Lizardman. He misjudged his lunge, and got hit by the car, taking him out of the fight. The orange car's driver panicked, lost control of the har, and careened into the SCP's bearcat, wrecking both vehicles. The 3 green lizardmen headed that way, smelling blood. The SCP Sergeant had his back to the whole thing, focusing on the anomaly in the bed of the pick-up. He had, moments before, treated his downed man in the pick-up, and that guy retreated into the safety of the bearcat.
As those Lizardmen came out of the barn earlier, the 3 Cold Bloods downstairs at the house wisely beat feet to their truck, leaving their 4th man upstairs to his own devices. That guy would be taken down by a lizardman as he tried to flee the house. The 3 Cold Bloods hauled ass in their truck across the street and into the field there. They took pot-shots at the local cops taking shelter at the old tractor as they drove by. Now, both of those local cops were down.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924162132.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924162111.jpeg)
The driver of the red car hesitated, still trying to figure out what to do. The local cops who had been after the looters watched as the looters backed away from the fence, and went over the the house where the Feds had been. The looters had hoped to find loot there. They didn't...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924162051.jpeg)
The Lizardmen opened fire on the SCP Sergeant, and one of the Lizardmen jumped him, and took him out of the fight.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924162037.jpeg)
It went from bad to worse. The Lizardmen's rampage continued, as they swarmed the orange car and the SCP Bearcat. And, 2 giant crabs scurried out of their hole under that tractor. One of the local cops had recovered a bit from his injuries, and tried to get away from the crabs. Unfortunately, one of the crabs caught him...that was it for that officer. The other crab tied to chase after the Cold Bloods' pick-up, but they got away.
Meanwhile, the driver of the red car decided to try to get past the Guard roadblock, but lost control of his car while doing so. The car spun out, blowing right through the barricade, and narrowly missing the Guard's Humvee. Since it appeared everyone was ignoring their checkpoint, the Guardsmen just left (leaving one of their own just lying there, alone and out of action).
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924162006.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924161951.jpeg)
The Fed's SUV arrived on scene on Rt. 18. The Fed's boss and another man went through the trees to see what they could find, and to their amazement, they found an unconscious actual Lizardman! They dragged him back to their SUV, and bundled him inside it.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924162021.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924161936.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924161921.jpeg)
And then, as if this story wasn't convoluted enough, the crabs attacked the Lizardman, and the they all duked it out.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/63/16550-050924161905.jpeg)
At this point, the humans had had enough. The remaining Guardsmen had already left up Rt. 18. The Feds followed them out. The local police who had tussled with the looters had thought about trying to rescue the cop who was attacked by the giant crab, but once the crab took care of him, they slammed their cruiser in reverse, and back on out of there. The 3 Cold Bloods split the scene, as well, following the cops out. The looters, pissed that there wasn't anything in that last house they ransacked, got in their truck, and left west on Ft. 34.
That just left the SCP ERT. Well, the 2 who were still up locked themselves in the tits-up bearcat. They just waited for some kind of help to show up, while the crabs and the Lizardmen went at it just outside.
Oh yeah - the civilians. The driver of the orange car, after watching a Lizardman shred his passenger, had gotten out and ran for his life. The 2 civilians in the red car, just rolled their windows up, locked their doors, and soiled themselves...
And that concludes our story. I will post an epilogue (maybe even later today), as this little incident definitely shakes things up in the PEZ...
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Great AAR, thanks for posting.
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Here's my take on the action... :D Staring out with a photo of Capn Jim posed in front of his Toy Box! lol
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqlLal4Yx0BHwZPoSsc-cgHMk_Q94eRL-BNuqU7pJvrRkpAXJu2RAav5hTzSje9r9tojaiIy4PxMWoR_jgGYfvbI5beSWkQFDzQc7tY3qMKfarrB0q5vLlbQRen-n3u7nzksLjRbjU5DJ__QnKVM3EWJRAniLFMHoZFlo8hEfjlPlmChgYoMKkSOLhVc/w640-h466/JimToyBox.jpg)
I was playing a crew of four from an unnamed government agency driving in a black SUV (of course). My goal was to investigate reports of "lizardmen" in the zone, and if possible, bring one back alive or dead to study. I wasn't friends or enemies with any of the other five factions played by Jenny, Ted, Mike S, Jason, or Keith. In fact, my briefing said I was fairly "dismissive" of them! Jenny was a Michigan National Guard unit rotating in to keep trespassers out of the zone. Ted's group was another army unit taking on a semi-independent role exploring the exclusion zone. Mike S was the local police in two patrol cars. Jason was the "Cold Ones" -- Eastern Europeans who have been mutated by their forays into other exclusion zones and show up to loot them. And speaking of Looters, Keith was simply local looters hoping to score some stuff and make some money.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77INcDTLBGJ_Rei-ZaQOKTOq0q0wdobVD-ABFs2HJCmTdzlEhQqMLghAXchxlea2W56D68QMQsLScjQ84VIXEEpopv2gyVx8-RzfYEocm-SmisQNLtQmYL7CIttm6kIFVdV-EDSX4fv1L_TSfH-ZbJpiUo6HtI6TGXPq7PbKogzIbguq7UzWKL8XU7ek/w640-h372/ZonaBlissfield_BG%20Roadblock.jpg)
The action began when Keith's looters were accosted by the zealous local law enforcement, who saw one of Keith's guys suspiciously exit a home via the window. The two would engage in a running gun battle which saw none of Mike's officers or Keith's looters actually get knocked out of action! Shooting was very Hollywood style (LOTS of misses!). Meanwhile, my government SUV passed them by and parked in a driveway between two patches of woods. Two of my agents got out to investigate each patch of woods. We were looking for Lizardmen, and animals live in the woods, right?
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrud30VHyNMozqnHCZdFmNdJVfbVjZZNeRLJzl-NQ2mAgrHRWcWk6cgCEsXmeEg3ZYR7b8yte_Exbe1avHfB00yxVMEikpASkbCBW31X_BskXfoKYdET9UQQBLr7jjpMZL4UTg9h0n6xMn2hf4S2nFtQWAABa_e2r1fG8no4KsSFzjeHxloaGMDqpwQ2s/w640-h600/ZonaBlissfield_PoliceArrival.jpg)
What we found was not what we were looking for, as an "anomaly" sent a massive heat blast scorching its way across the board. Apparently, these happen frequently enough in the exclusion zone that we'd been warned about it in our briefings. Of course, it happened right after my four guys exited the air-conditioned SUV! The agent nearest the anomaly was knocked out of action, two others were wounded, and the leader momentarily stunned. Similar effects happened to everyone else on the board not inside an air-conditioned vehicle (or not a Cold One -- Jason's guys were apparently immune).
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaS5pf_s_3EvNPo8Y0C6JBp7Ze7_-I-D_evJMlZjOBJTZ8zuTxOtTnp8nSSMRRbngCMRHAJJWWxcmFs1Y-AWJHZDtCpjB_D3oN8hIDUN324s-5j2hxobSvMcil6231irJPJ1s1TeNdS9LqCiBbRb2yhRai4gGEMeTXFp70D3Fc9MCrpFz7sffU8iVZ7nM/w640-h298/ZonaBlissfield_FederalAgents.jpg)
The wounded agent spent several turns dragging the unconscious one back to the SUV, plopping him in the back seat, and getting back behind the wheel. Meanwhile, my leader and his pal explored the other woods, finding nothing. My leader, skeptical from the beginning about "lizardmen," began to think that a giant game of "telephone" had taken place at his agency. You know the game, right? Someone at one part of a circle whispers something to his neighbor, who is supposed to repeat it to the next in line. By the time it makes its way back around to the original one, the message is unrecognizable. Hmmm. "Cold Ones?" Lizards are cold blooded. Maybe I am supposed to capture one of Jason's Cold Ones? That became my leader's new goal as he worked his way through the woods.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60rHxpMjds0goY_HNpJJKq9iuSy7cOKDJghNs53cAN2VeGzR0nOKAvS6PCCaTiCZiJhe1L5uBaVS9LlPhnuvTj7PJJf_ZjmT-PVGkHLbTcUvxX4ljnxvgckI68tUTztuUeF4LOUP8yPgEctKdXI_jCVI-LIsr8Nr1NLCbmPj8A5XIbsafOuaBl5xA5Uk/w640-h360/ZonaBlissfield_FedsThruForest.jpg)
Incidentally, in the Wiley Games rules, you can heal wounds/stun with a Queen of Hearts/Spades, or any Ace which you play and declare as one of those cards. Jim even included a Joker in this deck, which also acted as an Ace. On the very first turn of the game, I was given two Aces. For the next 11 turns, not only did I not receive a queen, I also did not receive an Ace in the four cards I was given each turn. That's 44 cards out of the deck of 53 with no Queen or Ace! Needless to say, it appeared that my luck was continuing from last night!
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLMK_poSiJTgK8TrPmLOkLTk2CIEk7z5yIxldGTWG6An25igHYmnIRxxT2a5FWrc01N_LAq1ySxlcaA_fziDiXW6oc_Yoq7xl6umuoi8ABjrwJtUo_h1d4xtG0qMSh2HwqwupVmA2iB3AJ0oLBbdYkRQ1H6K27GgcXrUJ0qPDv36XqV6phVZEKxWLu48/w640-h498/ZonaBlissfield_LizardsCar.jpg)
Of course, no one was paying attention to my skulking around by this point. Jenny had decided to enforce her road block in the center of the table zealously and enthusiastically. When anyone tried to pass -- including local law enforcement or fellow soldiers (Ted's faction) -- she blasted away at them, disabling their vehicles. This began a running gun battle between the rival U.S. Army soldiers and anyone else that decided to join in. Meanwhile, Keith and the local cops were continuing to fire away at each other ineffectually. Jason's Cold Ones on the far edge of the board shot a young, hoodie-wearing man when they spied him through the window. No questions -- just shoot first! Eastern Europeans!! When they went into the room to ask him where they might find artifacts, the man was unsurprisingly uncooperative. In fact, it took three of the Cold Ones several turns till the wounded local was knocked out.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3Kf5yqpQNB0PqVCFuYx8YTn2K4YCHXhwxXj9TbXevKQC6oL6ZPIonIrKICjjlBu-P8VMZtniR3csf3lhILLy9ngtB2yGeUcB6r0V988U1ObPn3pDQOcSfW8svk0q4Qv4WN-YJAKai07kJjUL1vBGhqxq181pc48ZnJxlICMQ_geiwkPQj5_olCRwYfo/w640-h506/ZonaBlissfield_ArmyVsLizards.jpg)
About this time, Jim made a decision. He may have noticed me shaking my head every time I looked at my cards, but he decided it was time for the Lizardmen to make an appearance. REAL lizardmen! The leader of my agents whipped off his sunglasses cinematically and muttered, "I'll be damned...there really ARE lizardmen in here!" He called the wounded agent to bring up the car. He headed towards the house which Jason's Cold Ones were hurriedly vacating at the sight of humanoid lizards carrying guns. The Cold Ones piled into their pickup so fast that they left one of their own behind upstairs. The truck peeled off and headed to the opposite board edge, encountering Mike's two patrol officers afoot (their wheel had been shot off by one of Jenny's trigger-happy guardsmen). Because the local police were being played by his dad, Jason opened up on them -- of course!
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsx4YDCLliSBsyZ2rVxMCqlWzoKi5MMURJr1KPuPEIABgAy2U1pwdrQYN1BmVqZcpTnaFLzoig1Cio30NdCo8Fx0GLSju5tunNeo5W13cw71cEKzm26Y662_Of-0K-aOsNq7ocgco0VsWfc0Z6HGHlUxfYuadfwVHdDRK3qWLuVs2damIuII3nQmM86pQ/w640-h536/ZonaBlissfield_ColdBloodsVsPolice.jpg)
The lizardmen, robbed of their cold-blooded prey, began to track down a civilian vehicle that had unwisely driven onto the tabletop. One chased the car, stuck its head inside the window, and was knocked senseless when the driver floored it and smacked him with the car as it sped away. The other lizardmen were having none of that and chased the car. That led them straight to where the Cold One who'd escaped out the second story window was stalking the soldiers battling each other. The lizardmen proved once and for all that being reptilian beats simply having cold blood, and knocked Jason's unlucky guy out of action. The other lizards smelled blood from the gun battle raging between the two army units and stalked forward, as well.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkszv-yx7-iIdoMqvq35vtwNz1mGEzwz70KYDz4gQ1tOf58Xe4XIcAfe5ZeZbyvnOxxgXk62JnJ6rVjx4daUEc26dq6FsPlMkspc02qYHQatVzjLk93xX2JTFv0APF0yNWRaPE3WlvZf52SuUUB0REP0T621z5y6Fy07y7vOB6lNqb9MPV4NKnAGaJ5yw/w640-h466/ZonaBlissfield_LizInSUV.jpg)
Perhaps the most humorous part of the gun battle for me was Jenny's sergeant firing her turret-mounted .50 caliber machine gun at Ted's guy armed with a grenade launcher. Each was about 10 feet from the other, but as turn after turn went by, neither was knocked out of action.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqG9j1QSYemr3Ol8MgFhVftD0JH48fVRZCjEkUqDQrTBGcwFLWFp4kp2ArYNG_Rr9al8NfC4HDG22r-_Y9tHIDDz68M5NdBBcjhiElPwrjCyP42RAOd3YoyiXZt0vjltEF2rDzzXXYr96Bd0QCvF3iPEJ4JWMgsldROrhfgh05Vjfxk46woSF8j-t4E-c/w640-h488/ZonaBlissfield_Endgame.jpg)
Meanwhile, Jim had done my federal agents a huge favor. The other three lizardmen left their unconscious egg-brother laying in the dirt by the house. My agents crept as quietly through the woods, trying to remain as out of sight as they could. Once they were near the house, my leader darted out, picked up the lizardmen, and drag him off into the trees. He was joined by another agent, and together they carried the creature back to the SUV. They bundled him into the back and got ready to drive off. By the way, this was the final turn of the game. After 11 turns of drought, Jim had dealt me an Ace and a Joker! Still, it helped speed our way back to the vehicle, and make good my agents' escape from the table. Once or twice, Jenny said she'd been tempted to shoot up our SUV with her .50 caliber machine gun. However, since I wasn't bugging her, and Ted's soldiers were actively shooting back, she left me alone.
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QX1yccOPkLJZf8Cacmuzk68y6Msn9lScG87pdW_IcjTtTsF3jBEPHvpIKAM0QBgwxzwJQI2_amyrmD9RKQNJjA24kCApRBfYhgegE1EOPB5A7Gd9CNaXDSiguyMsjLsOvYJJ2-s7vn6WmiuQalEe18XHiAUV8tUW56ibu-QsFC1U0wVA7CzELiQk3HE/w640-h418/ZonaBlissfield_AngryPoliceman.jpg)
So, we decided to call it a game. Although my four agents had fired only once the entire game (long range at a lizardmen), we had accomplished our mission. I was kept entertained by the success and failures (mostly the failures) of my friends as they tried to carry out their missions. We had a more than two hour drive back home to Columbus, so we said our goodbyes and headed out. We enjoyed our two days of fun gaming in Blissfield, and were heading home with loot in the back of Mike's SUV from Michigan Toy Soldier & Figure Company (but thankfully, no unconscious lizardman!), and lots of stories to recount on the drive home.
Thanks, Jim, for having us up to your Toy Box, again! As usual, it was a blast!
Mike Demana
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I love the chaos; I love the visuals; I love the scenario and I love the AAR’s. Capn Jim looks exactly like I would have pictured him and in future, I won’t forget to include Capn if I address him by name - anything less would be foolish.
Mike, I’m glad you explained what the "telephone game" is. It sounds like what I would call "Chinese Whispers". Can someone tell me what SCP ERT stands for, by the way?
Doug
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]
I was playing a crew of four from an unnamed government agency driving in a black SUV (of course).
Was that a vague but menacing government agency?
.
https://topatoco.com/products/cpb-wtnv-vymga-jk (https://topatoco.com/products/cpb-wtnv-vymga-jk)
Interesting to see another side to an encounter
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Thanks, fellas. Appreciate it.
And thanks, Mike, for you guys coming up to play, and posting your side of the story.
As for the SCP ERT, they are an Event Response Team from the SCP Foundation. They seek out and grab anomalies for their own study and to secure them. SCP is an acronym for Secure, Contain, Protect.
And I like that jacket...
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Thanks, fellas. Appreciate it.
And thanks, Mike, for you guys coming up to play, and posting your side of the story.
As for the SCP ERT, they are an Event Response Team from the SCP Foundation. They seek out and grab anomalies for their own study and to secure them. SCP is an acronym for Secure, Contain, Protect.
And I like that jacket...
Ah-ha! another delver into the SCP files ;) :D
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Yeah, Ted decided to go with the SCP, to give my SAE team some competition...
Now, a couple things...
1. As it turned out, I was running an errand down in Ohio, and had the opportunity to drive through the actual intersection at where this "incident" occurred. While I didn't perfectly replicate the actual terrain, I did a pretty good job capturing its essence, if I do say so myself, which I just did. As I drove westward on Rt. 34, slowing down for the stop sign at Rt. 18, i could picture things like "That's where that truck drove", or "That's where the Lizardmen came out", or "That's where the cops went". It was kinda cool... 8)
B. An Epilogue of sorts, by faction. I rolled a few post-game dice to see what happened...
The National Guard: The rest of the National Guard platoon went down from Camp Perry and secured the site to clean it up. They found their injured Guardsman, and provided medical attention. He would survive. They also found the wrecked SCP Bearcat (with all 4 of its crew inside it), the wrecked police car (and the 2 injured officers lying in the field), and the wrecked orange civilian car (with a dead civilian and a scared civilian inside it). The red car was gone. They also found a seriously injured Cold Blood, and the 3 dead dogs lying by the street on Rt. 34. They DID NOT find any Giant Crabs or Lizardmen. They arranged for the police car to be towed away, and for the SCP Bearcat to be towed to Camp Perry. They then "escorted" the 4 SCP crewmembers to Camp Perry, where which the National Guard and SCP would "have words". The members of the Guard unit that left their assigned roadblock would be subject to Article 15 investigations. In fact, the whole incident sparked an Article 32 investigation.
The SCP Crew: See above. They tried to call for their extraction team, but their radio was on the fritz. Their 2 injured men were not hurt badly, as it turned out. They did not require much medical treatment.
Local Police: 2 got away, and 2 were injured and see above. The National Guard saw to their medical treatment - they would both require some more medical treatment. The local Police Chiefs and County Sheriffs filed a formal complaint with the National Guard, and have threatened to pull their officers from patrolling their assigned areas of the PEZ. This complaint led, in part, to the above-mentioned Military's Article 32 investigation.
The Feds from the DEI: The Lizard man they captured was still alive. He made the trip to the Holding Facility for Zone Critters at Camp Perry interesting,, but they got him there in one piece. 2 of the Feds required medical treatment for their injuries.
The Cold Bloods: 3 got away uninjured. The 4th was seriously injured by the Lizardman, but he received medical care (and new quarters) from the National Guard at Camp Perry.
The Local Looters: They all got away, with nothing more than some hot-load ammo.
There it sits for now. There are things afoot at the actual Plumbrook site, but that will all come out in the wash in due time. Meanwhile, my SAE30 crew will be heading back out into the PEZ not too far down the road...
We'll see how the above Epilogue affects things as we go...till then... ;)
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The Feds from the DEI: The Lizard man they captured was still alive. He made the trip to the Holding Facility for Zone Critters at Camp Perry interesting,, but they got him there in one piece. 2 of the Feds required medical treatment for their injuries.
Did two bigwigs from the agency come down with a little "flashy thing" to interview the folks who saw the Lizardmen? lol
Mike Demana
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I imagine some suits from DEI came in to "interview" those folks involved, yes... 8)
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These games look great!
How does one get access to the Toy Box? ;)
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These games look great!
How does one get access to the Toy Box? ;)
It helps if you find yourself in SE Michigan or NW Ohio here in the States...
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And if you are, let me know, too. I would love to drive up and game with you, too! Us LAF members gotta stick together!! lol
Mike Demana
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Hmm. I wonder how many LAFers are, or could be, around here. I'd be up to hosting an LAF game or 2...
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A US LAF Event could be a fun get together. It'd have to be some planning ahead of time. I'm currently down in the badlands of central Texas.
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Kentucky isn't that far from NW Ohio....
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Columbus, Ohio, here. Great idea, CapnJim! Chime in if you are an LAFer and would like to do a US meetup... ;D
Mike Demana
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Tampa Bay Area…. I’d enjoy meeting some other folks in the U.S.
David