Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Post-Apocalyptic Tales => Topic started by: Bullshott on May 18, 2021, 11:08:39 AM
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I've recently been getting into Zona Alfa. What I like about it is that games are played in a narrative style, with small teams performing defined missions and developing their experience as games progress. The system is perfect for both face-to-face and solo play.
To keep track of mt posts on this thread, here is a list so far:
Page 1 - First lot of stalker and zone hostiles photos
Page 1 - Log Houses
Page 1 - Abandoned Vehicles
Page 1 - Mission 1 - Laslo's Drone (mission introduction)
Page 2 - Mission 1 - Laslo's Drone game report
Page 2 - Ghouls
Page 2 - Mission 2 - Raid on Kotow (mission introduction)
Page 2 - Mission 2 - Raid on Kotow game report
Page 2 - Dacha house
Page 3 - Mission 3 - ABC Warrior (mission introduction)
Page 3 - Mission 3 - ABC Warrior game report
Page 3 - Wayside Shrine completed
Page 3 - New Stalkers (Pig Iron Productions)
Page 4 - Zombie Soldiers
To play Zona Alfa I needed some figures and game-specific terrain pieces but had little suitable in my collection. This has made it a perfect lockdown project.
Firstly, I needed some stalkers. Figures are Copplestone Neo-Sov partisans. Respirator heads are from Anvil Industry.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-010521225721-512231661.jpeg)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-010521225721-512251505.jpeg)
Next up are some Zone hostiles:
Rats. These are home casts, a gift from a friend.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-010521225721-51227925.jpeg)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-010521225721-51228895.jpeg)
Feral Dogs. These are Reaper Bones Dread Wolves.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-180521093302-513592271.jpeg)
Zombies. The five on the left are Copplestone. The three on the right are CP Models.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-180521093302-51361543.jpeg)
Bandits. A mix of Copplestone Neo-Sov partisans and scavenger scouts.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-010521225721-51226542.jpeg)
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I'm going to set my initial games in rural areas, as I can use my existing countryside terrain. However, I need some terrain that shouts Eastern Europe.
A lot of the rural houses in the Chernobyl area are single story dwellings with 'wriggly tin' roofs, with walls made of logs, plans or rendered bricks.
A trip to my FLGS produced a pack of Pegasus Hobbies Russian 'Izba' log houses in 1/72 scale. I reworked the doors, added wriggly tin roofs and log stores;
The door problem solved:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-180521093302-513631445.jpeg)
Completed houses:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-180521093302-513642175.jpeg)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-180521093417-51365287.jpeg)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-180521093417-51366404.jpeg)
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A look on eBay found some reasonably priced 1/43 scale Soviet era vehicles which, despite being over-sized, look ok with my Copplestones
UAZ van:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-180521093417-51367247.jpeg)
GAZ taxi:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-180521093417-51368824.jpeg)
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Just commented on these on Facebook; spectacular work as is usual from you.
Can't wait to see your zone when competed.
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Just commented on these on Facebook; spectacular work as is usual from you.
Thanks
Can't wait to see your zone when competed.
It will take a while. I'm in the process of moving house, so will be relying on using the tables and terrain at my FLGS for games in the immediate future.
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All of this looks gorgeous, great work! Miniatures and terrain all look awesome. Looking forward to more of your work!
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It was late. Laslo's bar was thinning out. In the far corner some of Laslo's girls were hustling three salesmen. A group of scientists from the Institute were engaged in a loud, vodka-fuelled discussion over the nature of the Zone's anomalies. Finally, some rookies were getting slaughtered. Maybe they had survived an expedition into the Zone, maybe they were building up Dutch courage for a trip tomorrow. It didn't matter, you weren't in the hiring mood and they weren't the sort you would consider. Even the interesting blonde in the red dress had departed the bar. Never mind, the vodka was good.
The big man was still behind the bar. He poured you a large vodka and the same for himself. He seemed distracted. "Look Nikolai" says Laslo "everyone has heard how the Bratva have come in from Moscow and started muscling in on the Zone. They've been in there picking off returning stalker teams and staking their claim. Well, things haven't gone well for them. Instead of bouncing a stalker team, the team their thugs took on was a Spetznaz team returning from a deep zone mission. Needless to say, it didn't go well. High body count and no prisoners. A couple escaped, but one ran into one of my crews. His last mistake!
He was a tough little bastard, but we soon got him talking. It turns out that they were using a military surveillance drone to help them look for something valuable in the Zone (it must be very valuable to justify using that sort of hardware). Anyway, the drone crashed. Maybe a blowout caught it or maybe it got too close to anomaly. Whatever the reason, we now know roughly where the drone crashed in the Blue Zone. There's a K of Zone Script in it for you if you can bring me the drone's hard drive before the Bratva get their act together and bring in more men to recover it. This should be an easy run for your team.
The guy we caught? We threw what was left of him back into the Zone for the dogs to dispose of ."
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Interesting . . .
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You need more modern Buildings. Something like the houses in Tchernobyl, the famous Pool-room. Very great work.
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You need more modern Buildings. Something like the houses in Tchernobyl, the famous Pool-room. Very great work.
More modern buildings are on the way, in fact one is sitting on my work bench!
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Excellent work.
Nice work on those buildings. Those rats are great.
I used Sarissa Russian Village houses as Dacha with 7mm corrugated iron and home made siding roofs.
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Wow! Cracking stuff :-*
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looks really great - particularly like the narative
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All very nice. looking forward to more.
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That's one of the nicest weathering on the sedan I've seen. Nice touch with the burnished leaves stuck on the car. Envious.
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Great work mate!
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I've been somewhat amiss and have just realised that I didn't post a game report on 'Laslo's Drone', my first ZA game.
My first game in over 18 months was my own starter scenario, Laslo's Drone (see post on page 1 of this thread). Two stalker parties trying to recover data from a crashed drone, complicated by a group of bandits having got to the drone first.
Thanks to some lucky shooting at the end of the penultimate turn, I had a clear run in the last turn to grab the objective and sweep up some salvage bring carried by the bandits. My opponent, Russ, was hampered by to many rookies in his more numerous force, which significantly slowed down getting his force to the main objective, thus not being able to get enough men into position to secure the drone. This also left him in the position of not being able to divert anyone to look at Hot Spots.
My winning haul: 14 Advance points plus 1350 Zone Script to replace used grenades, E juice and med-kits, to plus a little bit left over. On the down side, my medic got a battle scar (I forgot to send someone over to heal him after he had previously used up his med-kits), so now has an obsession with finding salvage.
Things we learnt: grenades and gunfire are deadly, don't send rookies across the length of the table (unless your leader is with them to give them extra actions), if you have smoke grenades use them and finally don't be obsessed with the main objective to the extent that you ignore the opportunity to raid a hot spot right next to you!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-210621152238-518261311.jpeg)
My team advances.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-210621152238-51828505.jpeg)
The opposition.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-210621152238-518291363.jpeg)
A quiet road in the Zone?
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-210621152238-51830819.jpeg)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-210621152238-518312025.jpeg)
A group of Bratva had got to the drone first, but two bursts of assault rifle using the Unload skill sorted them out.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-210621152417-5183376.jpeg)
The other stalker team then opened fire from the treeline to the left and wounded several of my team. Thank goodness for Med-Kits!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-210621152417-518342110.jpeg)
Return fire pinned or wounded the opposition's sniper and LMG, givig me a clear run at the drone, plus time in hand to salvage from the Bratva.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-210621152417-51835635.jpeg)
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I needed some ghouls for Zona Alfa and decided that these Reaper Bones ones looked perfect (once I had carved off chunks of gravestone from the bases and removed the skulls being clutched by a couple of figures)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/51/164-220621111258.jpeg)
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They do look good
how do they scale?
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Those ghouls look great!
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They do look good
how do they scale?
If standing straight, I guess the smaller ones would be maybe a head taller than larger 28s (e.g. Copplestone, Eureka), the larger one even taller. Being fairly skinny build, I think they fit in nicely as the mutated rad-ghouls of the Zone. I'll try to remember to take a comparison photo next time I have them out for a game.
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I use Eureka minis so I'm thinking of using these as mutants rather than ghouls
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I use Eureka minis so I'm thinking of using these as mutants rather than ghouls
That would work. After all, ghouls in ZA are really just another form of mutant :)
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The leader of the stalker team you encountered on your last foray into the zone was already seated in Laslo's office. He got up with a start and was about to say something when Laslo cut him off. "Sit down both of you. I have a little job in the Zone that needs both of your teams, preferably without trying to kill each other!"
Laslo unfolded a military map of the zone on the table. "The drone you brought back was an Orlan 10, an expensive little special forces surveillance toy. An investment like that means the prize must be worth a lot to the Moscow gangsters. The footage in its memory has given us enough information to work out that its control station is on the edge of the village of Kotow, on the edge of the Amber Zone. They appear to be based in house surrounded by a walled compound.
I want you to take out the radio equipment and mast they were using to control the drone. It would good if none of them escape. This will put a big dent in their attempts to muscle in on the zone. If you can find anything that will give us a clue as to what they were using the drone to search for then all the better.
You each get 2K of zone script if you can eliminate the Bratva and destroy the mast. There'll be a bonus if any one can bring back evidence that will lead to what they were searching for."
After a few minutes of studying the map, the big man poured three large shots of vodka and handed them round. "To success!"
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No Killer Cockroaches? RATS!
Well done. This setup looks great. Visually reminiscent of something like..... the rural outskirts of Pripyat or something.
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Well done. This setup looks great. Visually reminiscent of something like..... the rural outskirts of Pripyat or something.
Thanks. That's the look I was going for :)
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Despite our teams being enemies (after I shot up Russ' team in the first game), our employer insisted we work together to take a the base from which the previous game's drone was being flown from. The main objective was a defended building containing 2 locations to be searched (of which one location had to be destroyed), plus a separate radio mast that also had to be destroyed. We also had 8 further POIs placed around the board (of which 2 triggered bandits with an anomaly and a third triggered another anomaly).
As a complication, all stalkers had to be off the 4' x 4' table by the end of turn 10, at which point a drone strike would hit the area.
No stalkers went out of action this time, although Russ' leader took a wound (good thing it was the leader, as the previous game used up all his Med-Kits and he had such slim pickings in that game that he couldn't afford replacements).
After we had neutralised the objective by turn 6, Russ dealt with an anomaly and some bandits, while at the same time trying to get his rookies of the table with their single action turns. Fortunately for Russ the anomaly yielded a high value artifact, which made up for the poor returns from his previous mission.
Meanwhile, my smaller but more experienced crew were able to capitalise on their multiple actions and mop up the salvage from the base and several POIs before leaving the board. As a bonus, my salvager also walked off with a laptop from the base, that contained data on what the drone from the previous mission was searching for (1K zone script extra for securing it).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150523-520761532.jpeg)
First guard taken out
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150523-52078961.jpeg)
Satchel charge attached to the radio mast
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150523-52079728.jpeg)
Boom!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150523-520801615.jpeg)
Never trust a rookie to throw a grenade through an open doorway. This one bounced off the lintel, straight back on him. Good thing for him it was only a stun grenade!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150709-52081478.jpeg)
Russ got distracted by a nearby POI, which revealed an anomaly, plus a group of bandits
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150709-520831393.jpeg)
This time the grenade throwing was much better
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150709-520841893.jpeg)
With the occupants of the house eventually being taken out, my team went in to recover destroy the radio room and recover the laptop
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150709-52085341.jpeg)
More bandits appear as my team investigates a POI on the way home.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150808-520862101.jpeg)
That was easy
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150808-52087574.jpeg)
Just time to investigate the anomaly before heading home
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-060721150808-520881722.jpeg)
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Great report
the table setup looks cool too
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For my birthday a friend gave me the Sarissa Precision kit of a Russian dacha. It's a nice size building, not too large and fitting in perfectly with the houses I've previously posted on this thread. Unfortunately, being laser cut, the planking looks far too pristine. After a bit of work on the planking and the addition of a 'wriggly tin' roof, I'm really pleased with the end result.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-100721160213.jpeg)
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If you happen to have a building that looks too clean, and Laser-Cut kits do indeed run in that direction, do this:
If you have light-colored walls, very lightly dry-brush the walls with a dark gray color. Go along the edges of objects (door frames, shutter edges, building edges) a bit heavier. Dry-brushing is usually done with a flat brush. For the object edges, scrape along the line with the flat outer part of the brush instead of using the brush head. If you have dark colored walls, use the same process but a medium/light tan color to simulate dry-rot.
Concrete is usually a light color but is typically stained. A light wash with a darker color will break up the flat surface. Maybe give a light-colored dry-brushing to the concrete if it has a rough texture. Dry brush some parts of the edges of the concrete a dark color per above as the edges are usually worn and chipped. If you want, glue some tiny pieces of grass or flocking where the concrete plates meet, or in a noticeable crack, or where the concrete edge meets the dirt or wall. You see this all the time in natural urban environments. Look to nature and you'll rarely go wrong.
Rub dark pastel chalks into the recesses with a brush. Stiff, worn-out old dry-brushing brushes work well here. Go light at first, you can always add some more later. Be sure to flat/seal the model after, but DON'T LET THE FLAT GET ONTO ANY CLEAR WINDOWS.
The bottom 1/2 inch or 1cm of the building is usually darker than the rest of the walls due to water accumulation and mold. Use chalks, dry-brushing, or some light wash to make it happen. I've even used a quick spritz of darker rattle-can paint to get this effect. There's always the airbrush, but what a mess and clean-up process for so simple an operation!
In dusty environments, use some tan colored chalk on the flatter surfaces of the doors and walls (not in the recesses) to give an overall dusty look.
Pre-built O scale model railroad buildings have the same "clean new" problem and you can use these techniques with those models too.
This Dacha doesn't look like it needs any more. The corrugated tin roof is really well done. I think it's a great little model.
Enjoy.
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Back in Laslo's office again. This time the big man is accompanied by a slim girl in designer jeans and sneakers looking at a laptop resting on a map of the Zone. You recognise her as the blonde in the red dress who was in Laslo's bar on the night he asked you to hunt for the drone.
"Right" says Laslo "let's get started. Nina here downloaded the data from the laptop you recovered. It was very interesting. Tell him what you found Nina".
Nina turns the laptop round to show you the screen as she starts her explanation. "In the 80s the Soviets had a secret research programme to develop fighting capability in a post nuclear or biological war environment. One of their projects was called Gigant and involved developing remote controlled warriors that could operate in a atomic, biological or chemical warfare environment. ABC warriors if you like. Anyway, following the fall of the Berlin Wall the project was shelved.
Five years ago the project was relaunched by the Russians, this time using stolen Western Artificial Intelligence technology to create fully autonomous fighting machines, using platforms built under the previous project that had been kept in storage."
Nina tapped on the keyboard and brought up an image of a humanoid machine, perhaps 3m tall and with what might be a weapon pod on the end of its right arm.
"It appears that the object of the revived program was to create robotic soldiers that could operate deep in the Zone to investigate anomalies and perform other missions, without being affected by environmental effects and being tough enough to fight off any hostiles they might encounter. Anyway, the program appears to have been only partially successful and, despite the use of rad hardened components, the energy fields emitted by anomalies still disrupted the operation of the robots. This disruption could temporarily or permanently shut down the robots. The program was therefore refocussed back to it's original military aims and any thoughts of using these robots in the Zone with their current technology were put aside."
"This brings us to why you are here" says Laslo. "Nina mentioned that anomalies disrupt the robots. Well, it appears that one of the shut down robots is still somewhere in the Zone. Nina thinks that it's tracking circuits may have been affected, so the Russians couldn't locate the robot to recover it. It's obvious what a useful asset a working one of these would be to the Bratva, hence the efforts they have been putting in to locate this one.
From the drone footage on the Bratva laptop you recovered, it looks like they were concentrating their search here". Laslo's finger stabbed the map, onto a village in the Yellow Zone, a bit too close to the Red Zone for your liking. "I want you to check out the village and see of you can find the robot. If you find it and bring it back there's 4K in it for you. If you can't bring it back download its program instead. Take Nina with you to deal with the robot. She can handle herself in the Zone, so she shouldn't be a burden to you."
Nina
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-120721155229-52141763.jpeg)(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-120721155229-521422291.jpeg)
The Objective
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-120721155229-521431174.jpeg)
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Great painting and storytelling.
May this thread go on and on.
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Fantastic thread, really nice work on the buildings and figures
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Both teams had been sent into the Zone to search for a deactivated military robot (see my previous post for the intro to this scenario, ABC Warrior). We both started in corners on the same edge of the board, with the intention of searching the village for the missing robot (the robot could have been in any of the seven building POIs, plus there were an additional five more POIs scattered around the board).
This was the most challenging game so far, notable for a bandit ambush that occupied my opponent, Russ, for three turns, several failed Will tests forcing my bone doc to wander off looking for or salvage and an incredible streak of lucky shooting by Russ' rookie.
I came out on top in salvage and advances, but Russ wasn't far behind, thanks to good use of his scrounger in making second searches of POIs.
Adding leftover advance points from my team's previous game, I had enough advances to do three upgrades; which were used to upgrade armour on my leader and veteran, as well as give my LMG gunner a movement bonus (obviously the experience of plodding along behind with his support weapon made him get some fitness training in).
The teams advance onto the board. It was raining, so visibility was reduced for several turns (so no long shots against each other).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-140721180300-52158275.jpeg)
My team advances to the first building.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-140721180300-521651645.jpeg)
I drew 'Nothing of Interest', so better luck next time. On towards the next building.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-140721180300-521662096.jpeg)
Meanwhile Russ's team moved in to investigate the dacha in front of them ...
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-140721180300-521671329.jpeg)
... only to draw 'Bandit Ambush' Three turns later they had despatched the bandits, after a lot of poor shooting rolls and using up several Med-Kits and novel use of a smoke grenade (engulfing several of the team in smoke so that they couldn't be shot at, but also couldn't treat wounds or shoot).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-140721180300-521681189.jpeg)
While Russ struggled wit the bandits, my team moved on to the next two houses. They found a wounded stalker in one (using up a Med-Kit to get him on his feet). The next one contained the main objective (the robot), but was also home to a pack of ghouls.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-140721180500-521692141.jpeg)
Fortunately Crazy Ivan (my veteran hiller) and my LMG gunner had been placed on alert. As the ghouls swarmed round the building they met with a hail of ammunition, including hot load ammo from my LMG.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-140721180500-52170409.jpeg)
With the ghouls out of the way my scrounger and tech specialist (accompanying my team just for this mission) climbed through a window and started work on the robot. With several actions required (open casing, disable tracking circuit, power up robot and activate it), this took three turns to complete due to failed tech rolls.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-140721180500-521712219.jpeg)
Russ dealt with the original ambush and a second group of bandits who popped up at another POI. I therefore did a bolt toss at a building between us, in the hope that it would spawn something to keep him occupied. It spawned an infestation of zombies. However, to our surprise, Russ' rookie opened up with his shotgun and kept getting critical hits, wiping out the entire group of zombies single handedly.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-140721180500-521721911.jpeg)
With Russ busy mopping up whatever salvage he could find on the board, my force casually strolled off with the main objective. Any mission into the Zone that you can walk back from is a good mission!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-140721180500-52173102.jpeg)
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Wayside shrines can be found on the main roads and trails through the Zone, where superstitious stalkers leave offerings and say a prayer to Saint Strelok for good fortune (or at least getting out unscathed). Sometimes the offerings are ammunition or booze, sometimes they are Roubles, sometimes they are items of useful gear.
This was made a a Point of Interest for my ZA games. A rare opportunity to gain something without having to fight for it lol
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-160721141449-521881656.jpeg)(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/52/164-160721141449-52193610.jpeg)
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The gasmask is a nice touch
on another subject - did you buy or scratch build the radio mast? Always on the look out for more POI terrain
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on another subject - did you buy or scratch build the radio mast? Always on the look out for more POI terrain
The mast came with an old Plasticville TV station kit. I'm in the process of converting the building from the kit into a Soviet era gas station
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very cool
Liking the blue building with the green roof too
is that a sarissa kit or something else?
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very cool
Liking the blue building with the green roof too
is that a sarissa kit or something else?
I think it's a 4Ground building. It's party of the terrain collection at my FLGS
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Great battle report. But that shrine... :-*
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I think it's a 4Ground building. It's party of the terrain collection at my FLGS
Thanks - found it Damaged Shotgun Shack
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After an enforced break due to moving house, I'n now back on a roll painting up stuff to Zona Alfa. To start with, I'be just finished a new group of stalkers. These are from Pig iron Productions. The heads for the two female stalkers are from Statuesque Miniatures.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/53/164-111121105106-532611077.jpeg)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/53/164-111121105106-53259275.jpeg)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/53/164-111121105106-532601480.jpeg)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/53/164-111121105106-532581905.jpeg)
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Your Zone and its 'inhabitants' are great! Your female stalkers particularly :)
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They look cool
how do they scale?
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Shrine was a nice touch. Handy and useful depending upon what you find there. Would you say a Roadside Shrine is typically a European phenomenon? In the States I see structures like Little Free Libraries and maybe rarely a Little Free Pantry. That's as close as I'd come to a Roadside Shrine in Illinois. Just don't see them.
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The Roadside Shrines I've seen are usually on some crazy steep winding raod and there because of a fatality
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Lovely work 8)
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Aye, nice camo, they look the biz.
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Not all soldiers leave the zone. Some are dead, others would wish they were dead (if they still had human emotions).
These zombie soldiers still clutch their now useless weapons. They also atill wear military body armour, which should make killing them a bit more of a challenge!
The figures are Copplestone Castings zombie troopers. Heads are WW2 Soviet heads from Westwind, with the gas mask filters removed.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/53/164-181121131304.jpeg)
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Those zombie soldiers look great!
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Nice touch about no filters on the end of the gas mask hoses. Sad, forlorn detail. Love it.
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not a big fan of those models as they look a bit too static for zombies
but the heads is insprired
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Another nice addition to your growing collection Mr B