Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Post-Apocalyptic Tales => Topic started by: Bullshott on December 03, 2022, 05:12:29 PM
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In a previous thread I introduced Zona Albion as a British setting for Zona Alfa. Having started to collect suitable figures I had to put the project on hold due to Real Life getting in the way. I've recently started to pick this project up again. However, over the intervening period, I've decided to refocus the project setting to late 1970s Britain.
(see here for my pevious thread: https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=134665.msg1709638#msg1709638 (https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=134665.msg1709638#msg1709638))
This change in setting means I can bring in the aesthetics of classic 'old school' British influences such as the 1970s era of Doctor Who that I grew up with (3rd and 4th Doctors), Quatermas, John Wyndham Novels (Day of te Triffids, Midwich Cuckoos, etc.) and my love of British folklore (so I can throw in influences like the original The Wicker Man film).
This thread will my 'one stop shop' to track the development of this project.
Page 1 - Background: The Northmoor Exclusion Zone
Page 1 - Photos of completed stalkers
Page 2 - Abandoned 1950s vehicles (Bedford CA van and Morris Traveller)
Page 2 - Here be monsters - first zone hostiles completed - human mutants, hobgoblins
Page 2 - More zone hostiles completed - stag, barghest, green man
Page 2 - Zone Hazard: Phantoms
Page 3 - Advance Notice: Zona Albion game at Beachhead show, 11/12 Feb 2023
Page 3 - Ford Popular Royal Mail van completed
Page 3 - Scenario and AAR: Collecting the Post
Page 3 - Austin A35 added
Page 3 - Scenario and AAR: Bleakridge Farm
Page 4 - Scenario and AAR: The House in the Woods
Page 5 - New POIs: AA phone box, cairn and abandoned packs
Page 5 - Scenario and AAR: Saint Ninian on the Moors
Page 5 - Morris Minor police car added
Page 6 - Fletcher's Crew
Page 6 - Scenario and AAR: Troutbridge
Page 6 - New Stalker: Ingrid
Page 6 - Two more abandoned vans added (Morris J, Bedford O)
Page 7 - Mutant horses added
Page 7 - Scenario and AAR: Troutwater Transport
Page 7 - Scenario and AAR: Hunting Party Part 1
Page 8 - Scenario and AAR: Hunting Party Part 2
Page 9 - Banshee mutant added
Page 9 - New campaign: The Quatermass Run
Page 10 - Large Mutant, Landrover & Service Station
Page 10 - Scenario and AAR: The Quatermass Run, Part 1 - Ticket to Ride - PICTURE HEAVY
Page 11 - Scenario and AAR: The Quatermass Run, Part 2 - Three Hags at St. Ninian's Well
Page 11 - Scenario and AAR: The Quatermass Run, Part 3 - The Devil's Hump
Page 12 - Scenario and AAR: The Quatermass Run, Part 4 - Grimdale Ring
Page 13 - The Quatermass Run, Interlude (mid campaign break for the crew, promotions and advances)
Page 13 - Scenario and AAR: The Quatermass Run, Part 5 - St Hilda on the Moors
Page 13 - Scenario and AAR: The Quatermass Run, Part 6 - Its got a Bridge
Page 14 - Scenario and AAR: The Quatermass Run, Part 7 - Hunted
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Starting swiftly with background to the Zona Albion setting:
Zona Albion - the Northmoor Exclusion Zone
Background
Little is known about the nature of the incident in the late 1950s at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment site AERE Northmoor. The incident appears to have occurred during a routine high energy physics experiment, in which a previously unknown form of energy was released, killing all life within a one mile radius of the site and having a range of effects over a radius of several miles. The energy then dissipated, but its effects lasted.
Fortunately, the remote nature of the AERE site meant that the number of recorded casualties was limited. Within the irradiated area, those nearest the site fell ill and many died. Some survivors from the area nearest to the site showed genetic mutations, as did children born to survivors from further away from the reactor. Reports were also received of strange 'anomalies' that didn't obey the laws of physics. The government therefore initially set up a 15 mile radius exclusion zone around the site (the Northmoor Exclusion Zone). This area was later adjusted to take into account irradiated areas found further out from the original Zone and to conform to the local topography. Anyone living within the Zone was to be evacuated and all livestock in the area was to be killed. However, some local residents chose to stay within the Zone, hiding from the troops conducting the evacuation.
The government blockaded the entire zone. As per the UN Mandate covering such zones, security of the zone and control of artefacts found within the zone is the responsibility of the UN. Security of the perimeter is handled by a new government agency under UN oversight, the Exclusion Zone Security Force (ESF). The ESF holds powers equivalent to the police and provides armed checkpoints and patrolling of the perimeter. On occasions armed intervention within the Zone may be required. This intervention is provided through the services of specialist troops of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT).
No one knows for sure what the nature of the energy release was, as all involved in the were killed during the immediate energy release and a fire in the control room destroyed any data that might have been gathered at the time of the incident. Some say the experiment ripped through the fabric of reality, causing strange energies (and other things?) to break through from another dimension. Other nuclear incidents were subsequently recorded as producing similar energy releases, including at the SL-1 plant in Idaho in 1961. Although not confirmed by the Soviets, it is believed that a similar and much larger release of energy occurred at the Mayak plant in the Soviet Union. Reports also began to filter through of strange occurrences, similar to those seen in the Northmoor Zone, being observed in areas that had been subject to continued nuclear testing, such as the Nevada desert and Maralinga in Australia.
Into the Zone
By 1978, 20 years after the energy release, life in and around the Zone has become well established. The ESF provides security, with occasional assistance of UNIT.
The escorting of scientists and others requiring access to the Zone can be performed by UNIT. However, more recently, in order to reduce the high levels of death and injury to service personnel within the Zone, the government has approved the use of licensed armed 'guides' to provide such escort duties. Unlicensed stalkers also exist, evading ESF patrols to escort people into the Zone (for a price) or entering the Zone by themselves for their own purposes.
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Interesting background, now for some piccies I hope lol
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Nice I like the British angle and approve of following John Wyndham et. all :D
I had a similar idea of nuclear disaster but I thought about basing it around Windscale Except that disaster was caused by the Medusa man......
Following this keenly
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Nice I like the British angle and approve of following John Wyndham et. all :D
I had a similar idea of nuclear disaster but I thought about basing it around Windscale Except that disaster was caused by the Medusa man......
Following this keenly
Think of Northmoor = Windscale ;)
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That setting sounds very cool! I am looking forward to seeing how it progresses.
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Great background. 👍
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Think of Northmoor = Windscale ;)
Ahh - doh! :D lol, excuse my stupidity M'lord :)
Maybe it was the Medusa man after all?
Glen
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Northmoor you say? Is there a CIA operative and a Yorkshire policeman creeping around the area?
Really looking forward to see what you do with this.
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Northmoor you say? Is there a CIA operative and a Yorkshire policeman creeping around the area?
Really looking forward to see what you do with this.
Well done for spotting the llnk. There are.rumours of a cave system under AERA Northmoor. It would also be fun to do a military stalker team led by a large American in a cowboy hat :D
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There is also this https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-6884 to contend with :o
The SCP site is full of ideas, some quite disturbing, so beware......
Its the UFOs I tells ya!
Glen
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To start this game set-up I needed a collection of figures in suitable British 1970s military and civilian clothing, with correct weapons for the period.
For stalkers in military clothing I went for the Mofo Falklands War range from Gripping Beast:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-041222152216-57451656.jpeg)
These are mostly the SAS pack. With the exception of one head change and replacing a M16 with a British SLR (FN FAL), these are unmodified figures 'straight from the pack'. The SAS figures have a particularly good stalker vibe.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-041222152216-574522408.jpeg)
A selection from the British platoon command and Government House characters. With the exception of head changes, these are unmodified. A nice touch with the standard British infantry in this range is that they come with separate head options, including the knitted caps worn by some of these. Peaked cap heads are from Gripping Beast's Woodbine range.
For stalkers and bandits in civilian clothing I went for Killer B's Geezers range, all in a nice array of 1970s clothing:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-041222152216-574531291.jpeg)
All given rifles instead of shotguns. Heads unchanged other than the addition of one flat cap. SLR and M16 rifles from The Assault Group (SLRs are also available from Colonel Bill's)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-041222152337-574551464.jpeg)
The figure on the left has been given a SLR. Otherwise, these are unmodified.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-041222152216-574541959.jpeg)
Some of these have been given new heads and most have been rearmed and given rucksacks. Sterling SMGs from The Assault Group, most of the rucksacks from Warlord Games' plastic commandos.
Finally, a comparison of the Mofo and Killer B figures:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-041222152337-574561204.jpeg)
The three central figures are Killer B.
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Nice work there. Looking forward to seeing these in action.
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Looking good mate! Lots of character and 70‘s vibe. Groovy.
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I really like your world build - sounds like you can do a lot of fun stuff with it. Looking forward to battle reports and photos!
Mike Demana
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Yeah, well-done minis. Your game will look good.
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The Zone has been quarantined since the late 1950s, so abandoned vehicles will mostly be from that era. Here are the first two:
Morris Traveller:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-151222225937-575411893.jpeg)
Bedford CA van
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-151222225937-575421691.jpeg)
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Wow! Those look great. 👍
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Very atmospheric! :)
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A new Zone means the excuse to paint up new zone hostiles:
Hobgoblins:
Most zones appear to be inhabited by some form of ghoul mutation. Although they have similar characteristics, the appearance of these mutants can vary between zones. Within the British Northmoor Exclusion Zone these appear as hunched humanoids with yellowish green skin and grey/white hair. Unlike ghouls of other zones, they use crude improvised weapons. They also wear simple items of clothing made from scavenged/hunted materials, often decorated with bones and shiny pieces of metal. These British ghouls are officially named "hobgoblins", but are more commonly just referred to as "hobs" or "greenskins".
Figures are Corelocks from Lucid Eye.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-151222225937-575381573.jpeg)
Generic mutants:
Figures are Reaper Bones Lemures.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-151222225937-57539209.jpeg)
Alpha Predator mutant:
Flesh Colossus 3D print from Paragon Star (also available from Rocket Pig Games)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-151222225937-57540264.jpeg)
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Cracking work!
The whole project is truly inspiring
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Nice vehicles and figures.
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The weathering on the vehicle is amazing. Great job! :-*
Mike Demana
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Not all mutants started off as human.
Mutated Stag
Miniature is a Wendigo from Bad Squiddo.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-271222180711-576651404.jpeg)
Barghest
British folklore abounds with tales of savage black dogs roaming moorland. This mutant is named such a creature from the folklore of northern England.
Possibly a mutated dog, this black beast is noted for its metallic sheen and being very hard to damage.
Miniature is Shade Beast from Reaper Miniatures.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-271222180711-57687428.jpeg)
The Green Man
Was it once a man or a plant? Whatever it is, you'll probably need fire or explosives to take it out, as bullets and close combat weapons have reduced effects due to its lack of vital organs.
Miniature from Oakbound Studio
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-271222180711-576881509.jpeg)
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Those are excellent! Great ideas for re-purposing figures from other gaming settings.
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I liked the Moose best.
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I liked the Moose best.
It's a lovely miniature and was a joy to paint
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As well as hostile creatures and mutants, the Zone also has its Hazards (stationary danger areas to by avoided be all but the brave or foolhardy). Amongst the nastiest hazards are Phantoms.
Men who die a particularly bad death leave a psychic imprint on the area where they died. The more men who died at the time, the bigger the imprint. In some cases the Zone can amplify this psychic imprint further, causing it to manifest itself as a malevolent force capable of incapacitating men and driving them insane. Witnesses of this effect have said that it manifests itself as glowing spectral figures.
I used a slightly converted (daggers removed) GW Spirit Hosts model. The base is strewn with remnants of unlucky stalkers or soldiers (gas mask, rusted rifle, skull) to tie it into my Zone.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-311222131600.jpeg)
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I like that a lot! Another very flavorful addition to the project.
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Brilliant world building lore and great choices in minis, with your brushwork bringing them to life! 👍
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Wowsa! I love those spirits!! Very spooky... :o
Mike Demana
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Of course I like this whole thread. Never imagined GW figs in a ZA game but that totally works.
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For any southern UK based members on this group, I'll be running my Zona Albion game at the Beachhead show in Bournemouth on 11th/12th February
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-040123200651.jpeg)
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For any southern UK based members on this group, I'll be running my Zona Albion game at the Beachhead show in Bournemouth on 11th/12th February
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-040123101655.jpeg)
If I was still in the UK I'd have been there! Take lots of photos please :D
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Good luck with the game -- I am sure it will be amazing. Would love to see a battle report...
Mike Demana
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Another vehicle completed, this time a Royal Mail Ford Popular van. I think the post may be arriving a bit late!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-090123131701-578301946.jpeg)
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Loving it! 👍
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This solo/co-op scenario works as a good introduction to the game or (in my case) a chance to refresh my memory of the rules and see how Zona Alfa works in the 1970s, without luxuries like red dot sights.
Collecting the Post
'Windy' Miller died badly. Somehow he managed to make it to the crawlway under the fence, which was where Fletcher found him.
Lying in his bed, Miller bade Fletcher to come closer so that he could hear his words. "Listen Fletch," rasped Miller "everything here goes to the missus, that's all sorted in my will. She's well taken care of. But I do have a small stash in the Zone. You got me home, so it's yours for the taking. You know the pillar box by the junction in Grimdale? Have a look in the box. I've left some stuff in there. Hurry up mind you, before someone else has a look-see in it." Miller was now struggling for breath and getting incoherent, so Fletcher called his wife into the room. It wouldn't be long now. Best to let them have their last moments together.
As he left Miller's house, Fletcher thought about the stash. Grimdale was near the edge of the zone and generally avoided by stalkers. Close enough to the fence that any good pickings had be taken long ago. Also not far enough into the Zone for really juicy anomalies and artifacts. A good out of the way place to secrete stuff, yet close enough to the fence to get in and out quickly. "Should get back for tea time" thought Fletcher
This is a starter game, with low level encounters and none of the really nasty cr@p the Zone can throw at you.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-090123131701-57831361.jpeg)
Board layout
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-090123131701-57832785.jpeg)
Placing two crew members on Alert was a good idea. Fletcher's men seemed to have surprised a group of bandits having a smoke break. Despite the cover presented by the car, Fletcher's SMG plus two battle rifles placed on Alert managed to take out the entire group. A good start
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-090123131702-578332139.jpeg)
A bolt toss towards the pillar box alerted a mutant. Once again, placing 'Scot' McEwan with his SLR (battle rifle) on Alert worked nicely.
'Bunny' Warren the scrounger tossed a bolt at the mail van, waking up a group of hobgoblins, which appeared the wrong side of the hedge. English hedges are tall and impassable and neither Bunny or Lukewarm the medic could target the greenskins. However, on the plus side, the greenskins would have to move around the hedge to get at the stalkers. As the greenskins climbed over the stile two of them were dropped with 7.62mm rounds from Scot's SLR. The following turn they were quickly finished off.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-090123131825-578351960.jpeg)
A bolt toss towards the farmhouse alerted a pack of wild dogs.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-090123131825-57836581.jpeg)
Nothing a SLR and SMG can't handle
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-090123131825-578372207.jpeg)
The penultimate turn saw Scot run to search the farmhouse, while Fletcher used his Leader skill to encourage Bunny and Lukewarm to move towards the team's start point.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-090123131825-57838316.jpeg)
Any trip into the Zone where you get out unscathed is a good day, especially if you can get home in time for a cuppa and a slice of Mrs Fletcher's excellent fruit cake.
I ran the game with a new 10K team (2 veterans, 2 regulars) at Threat Level 1. The game went well. I didn't make any major mistakes with the rules and my crew got out unscathed with 1950 loot, a med-kit and 25 advance points. A couple of tweaks to my setting-specific rules and I'm ready for the next game.
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Very cool! 👍
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Awesome! Glad you got in a game...makes the time spent working on a project all worthwhile! :)
Mike Demana
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Good looking game. We also “backdate” some games to WW2 quite effectively.
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Another classic car of the 50s completed, This time I've gone for an Austin A35
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-140123132023.jpeg)
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For any southern UK based members on this group, I'll be running my Zona Albion game at the Beachhead show in Bournemouth on 11th/12th February
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-040123200651.jpeg)
Despite having the rulebook and collecting together a few minis and terrain pieces for ZA I'm yet to actually see it being played in the flesh so I'll put this event in my diary. Can't promise I'll make it as adult life stuff gets in the way sometimes, plus I'll have to take my wife's watch, meet up with the professor and the writer and get past the guards into the zone! ;)
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Despite having the rulebook and collecting together a few minis and terrain pieces for ZA I'm yet to actually see it being played in the flesh so I'll put this event in my diary. Can't promise I'll make it as adult life stuff gets in the way sometimes, plus I'll have to take my wife's watch, meet up with the professor and the writer and get past the guards into the zone! ;)
As long as your shopping at the show doesn't end up including a large black dog ;)
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Fletcher was not happy. Being summoned by the genial Harry Grout never resulted in anything good.
"Now Fletcher," said Grouty, "I've got a little job for you. Last week the army did a sweep around Bleakstone to take out the scum who've been causing grief to everyone. They overstepped their mark when they shot up some government scientists and the army gave them their just deserts. Anyway, good riddance to them, they were upsetting the natural order of things" (meaning that not only were they encroaching on the profitability of the bandits in Grouty's pay, but they had managed to bring the level of bandit activity in the Zone to the attention of the military).
On the face of it, the job seemed simple. The bandits had been based at Bleakridge Farm overlooking the Bleakstone road. Go to the farm and recover anything that the bandits had stashed. Grouty gets to keep half of the value of any salvage or artifacts. Any gear Fletcher finds are is his to do with as he wants (subject to the normal fee for anything he sells).
Simple? Not a chance. Bandits have a habit of boobytrapping their stashes. Also, army sweeps take prisoners away with them but leave the bodies behind. With the bandits gone, the Zone's creatures will have quickly moved back into the area to feast. With Grouty taking half the loot, Fletcher would need to salvage everything of worth at the farm to make the trip worthwhile.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-170123155947-578821860.jpeg)
Game setup. On the nearest side of the board, 2 vehicles and the ruined cottage are POIs. On the far side of the board, the remaining 2 vehicles and the 4 buildings are POIs.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-170123155947-57883349.jpeg)
A string of bad bolt toss/inspection rolls from Fletcher (leader) and Bunny (scrounger) succeeded in alerting a pack of feral dogs. Worse still, the dogs deployed within move distance of McLaren. McLaren sensibly used his Alert action to dive over the wall and open up to the distance between him and the dogs. Meanwhile Lukewarm (medic) used his Alert action to give one dog a 7.62mm surprise. in the following turn the group made short work of the remaining dogs.
There was nothing to salvage at the car, so the stalkers advanced towards the farm.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-170123155947-578841777.jpeg)
Bunny got lucky. A successful bolt toss/inspect roll revealed a group of bandits lying in ambush without activating them (must have been sleeping or otherwise distracted)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-170123155947-578851945.jpeg)
The stalkers didn't use their Alert actions. Instead they waited until the following turn so that they could all get the jump on the bandits. All successfully took out their targets, although Fletcher had to expend 2 actions (8 shots) before one of his SMG rounds hit true.
While Bunny quickly searched the bandits' hut for salvage. the others looked around the farm for potential locations that might hold salvage.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-170123155947-57886336.jpeg)
The Bedford van looked tempting. A successful bolt toss/inspect roll revealed another pack of dogs. Lukewarm was on Alert, so took gave two dogs a 7.62mm surprise. Unfortunately I had forgotten how fast dogs move and they closed in on Fletcher and Lukewarm. Fletcher killed his dog, taking a wound in the process (good thing he was loaded up with med-kits), while Lukewarm took out his dog without any problems.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-170123160149-578872320.jpeg)
While the team redeployed, Bunny raced over to search the van for salvage. Meanwhile McLaren checked out the farmhouse, finding a dead bandit. In addition to a bit of gear, he found a marked-up map of the Northmoor area on the bandit.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-170123160149-578882113.jpeg)
Inspecting the large barn revealed an anomaly pulsing within the barn's shadows.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-170123160149-578891528.jpeg)
Trusting to his luck (stupidity?), Bunny decided to search the anomaly. He managed to avoid triggering it and came out with an artifact
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-170123160149-578901846.jpeg)
In the penultimate turn Bunny the scrounger discovered a supply cache in the small barn, pulling out a couple of useful items in the final turn.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-170123160149-57891281.jpeg)
Meanwhile McLaren discovered an old lady who told him that, of the remaining two POIs in the fields, one contained nothing of interest and there was a mutant sniffing round the other
With no time left to check out the mutant (the stalkers needed to make themselves scarce before a patrol turned up) Fletcher decided it was time to head home.
Epilogue:
Fletcher was pleased and mulled over their success as they downed celebratory beers at the Winchester. The trip had gone far better than he could have anticipated (even if one of the dogs had bitten him). They had netted a reasonable haul of salvage and Bunny had excelled himself in beating an anomaly. Grouty would be very pleased. Even with Grouty's 50% cut for this trip, Fletcher would still walk away with over three grand. Against his better nature, Fletcher decided that Bunny deserved a reward, so he would buy him one of the new-fangled Quatermass anomaly detectors from Camp Tony* and a set of modified 58-pattern webbing to carry it on. Hopefully this investment would pay off in future Zone runs.
* Camp Tony is Fletcher's chosen supplier of weapons and equipment for zone runs.
This game was run with a 10k team in TL1. I had a couple of close calls, as I had forgotten how fast feral dogs move (my leader took one wound). Other than some bad initial bolt toss rolls and Fletcher's poor rolls shooting at the bandits, the team fared well. The two weakest (regular) members, 'Bunny' Warren and Lukewarm, both did well.
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That’s a great write-up, I thoroughly enjoyed it and the table looks excellent! I’m tempted to try something similar, set in an exclusion zone on the Canadian prairie (I worked for a year and a half at a place that’s a sort of real-life exclusion zone, CFB Suffield. It’s a big chunk of farmland the military bought in the 1930s and turned into a live fire range. Some of the old farm sites are still visible if you know what you’re looking at, and it is EMPTY of human habitation- a very odd place.)
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That’s a great write-up, I thoroughly enjoyed it and the table looks excellent! I’m tempted to try something similar, set in an exclusion zone on the Canadian prairie (I worked for a year and a half at a place that’s a sort of real-life exclusion zone, CFB Suffield. It’s a big chunk of farmland the military bought in the 1930s and turned into a live fire range. Some of the old farm sites are still visible if you know what you’re looking at, and it is EMPTY of human habitation- a very odd place.)
A good start would be to say that there was an incident on the 30s, after which the government quarantined it. Then you can choose your own timeline for when your games are set. It just depends how run down with age you want your zone to be
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That would certainly work. Another option would be to have the incident occur during the Cold War, or even later, since the (real-world) CFB Suffield had a section specifically for military research and trials (when I was there the area called “the Drez” after it’s old acronym for Defense Research Establishment Suffield. Parts within that area had additional signs and fencing and were marked on maps as complete no-go zones). It takes almost no imagination to picture something getting out of hand and turning into a sci-fi scenario. Heck, in the live fire areas the army even constructed a few fake villages for urban combat practice… There we’re also old tank wrecks that were used for target practice. Unexploded ordinance was a thing, too. (For the record, I was a civilian subcontractor’s employee. We traveled all over the range as part of our duties, but only following the protocols set by the base’s traffic controllers).
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Your crew has done well so far. Wonder how they'll do when the Threat Level goes up....
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Superb.
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Very atmospheric table :-*
Have you looked at the Modiphius Fallout Wastelands (https://www.modiphius.net/collections/fallout-wasteland-warfare) stuff?
There are several creatures there that would fit right in, although they're not particularly cheap :(
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Superb.
Probably badly. I'm debating whether or not to move up to the next TL to see how things develop (now that I have enough money banked to be able to hire additional members if required).
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Very atmospheric table :-*
Have you looked at the Modiphius Fallout Wastelands (https://www.modiphius.net/collections/fallout-wasteland-warfare) stuff?
There are several creatures there that would fit right in, although they're not particularly cheap :(
Thanks. I'll certainly hav we a look at Fallout stuff. However, I already have a good number of mutants ready to try out at higher TLs.
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Probably badly. I'm debating whether or not to move up to the next TL to see how things develop (now that I have enough money banked to be able to hire additional members if required).
I'm guessing your answer was meant for the comment above mine.
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I'm guessing your answer was meant for the comment above mine.
Oops. I was in a hurry!
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The House in the Woods
Fletcher looked again at the Ordnance Survey map of the Northmoor area that they had recovered from the dead bandit. It was heavily annotated and appeared to show places of interest to the (now deceased) bandits previously operating out of the Bleakstone area. If he had got it right, he reckoned that one set of marks indicated supply caches, while others indicated places to be either raided or avoided. One of the potential caches appeared to be at a building in Pogle's Wood, not far from the bandits' former base at Bleakridge Farm and still (just) within the blue zone.
Now that they were standing on the edge of the woods, Fletcher was starting to have second thoughts. This just didn't feel right for being blue zone. There was something about the woods that made his skin creep. Could the yellow zone have expanded? Whatever it was, they were committed now. There was no choice but to press on. Quickly too, before a patrol appeared.
I ran this game at TL1 with Fletcher's 10K team. Game duration was 10 turns, as the main objective was on the far side of the board and the stalkers had to exit at their start point. Any hostiles at the main objective would be run as if the area was TL2.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171414-57944416.jpeg)
Board layout. The main objective is the large house.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171414-5795798.jpeg)
A successful inspection revealed a mutant at the abandoned van. McLaren hit it but it shrugged off the hit. Fortunately Lukewarm's aim was also good and the mutant went down with a 7.62mm hole between the eyes.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171414-579582017.jpeg)
Bunny Warren put his scrounging skills to good use in the van. Meanwhile, Fletcher inspected the ruined cottage, revealing a wounded and rather scared young stalker. The stalker perked up after Bunny applied a med-kit and said his name was Godber. Fletcher said he could tag along if he didn't get in the way.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171414-579592105.jpeg)
Moving into position for the main objective.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171415-579601338.jpeg)
Bunny's bolt toss only succeeded in alerting the occupants of the house. Six(!) hobgoblins rushed out of the side door, straight towards McLaren.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171531-579611382.jpeg)
Lukewarm was on alert, but couldn't target the greenskins (he would have had to fire through the length of the treeline). Fortunately McLaren and Fletcher were also on alert. The Scot dropped one with his SLR and Fletcher took out three with his Sterling.
Two greenskins managed to get to McLaren. One missed him and the other's blade was deflected by the Scot's flak jacket. McLaren's knife did the job on one of his attackers (critical hit). With his free action he finished off the last greenskin.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171532-579622375.jpeg)
While Bunny searched the house, Fletcher successfully inspected the abandoned Austin, revealing a whirlpool anomaly.
Fletcher ordered the rest of the team to start to make their way back while, against his better judgement, he decided to investigate the anomaly (despite his new detector being with Bunny). Lady Luck was on Fletcher's side, resulting in successful retrieval of a high value artifact and 1 on his Will characteristic.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171532-579631462.jpeg)
Four men enter the Zone, five men leave it (with salvage worth 6,550 quid).
Epilogue:
Fletcher was happy. Although it initially appeared that this zone run would have very slim pickings in the short time they had available, they hit the jackpot with an artifact. For some strange reason, Fletcher's confidence in everything he did had also vastly improved.
They had also brought young Godber out of the Zone. He seemed a nice enough lad and Fletcher was minded to keep him in the team. An extra gun and pair of eyes would be useful. He was a bit green, but if he survived Fletcher was sure he had the makings of a good stalker.
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Another interesting game. Good fortune with handling those Hobgoblins so handily. 👍
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Excellent figures, board and write up!
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Brilliant narrative. Good to see that McLaren is still the hard man, his dealing so easily with the hobgoblins fit well with my minds eye.
Looking forward to the next installment.
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Brilliant narrative. Good to see that McLaren is still the hard man, his dealing so easily with the hobgoblins fit well with my minds eye.
McLaren actually has the Hard skill (along with Steady Hands). He has also now bought a machete for the next time it gets close and personal!
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I've been busy making POIs for my next game:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171638-579641877.jpeg)
Firstly, a cairn/stalker's grave. Building a cairn makes a fine grave monument or marker for a supply cache, as well as keeping animals and the less intelligent hostiles away from whatever the cairn covers.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171638-57965927.jpeg)
Abandoned packs. Some stalkers lightened their load and dropped their packs off while they went about their business. They never returned for the packs.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-250123171638-57966876.jpeg)
AA phone box. Prior to the widespread use of mobile phones, a common sight alongside rural British roads was motoring organisation (AA or RAC) phone boxes. One of the benefits of membership of these organisations was a key to unlock the organisation's phone boxes. These contained a telephone to request assistance from your organisation, as well as allowing you to make free local calls. A perfect place to stash stuff somewhere safe from the weather and most zone hostiles.
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Well done. They oughta do the trick!
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Great idea! I've been wondering what to do for my equivalents in my games... :-*
Mike Demana
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Bullshott, your write ups in this thread are top notch — a real pleasure to look at your pics and read the narratives. Many thanks for the awesome work!
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There are still 19 AA boxes in the UK, they were all originally restored by locals but now 9 of them have listed status and are formally maintained.
I regularly pass one coming into Grantown on Spey.
When in use they had a working telephone to the AA centre and all contained a gallon of petrol which you used to get to the garage to fill up and were trusted to return the filled can.
Because telephones were scarce an AA Man would patrol a given area looking out for stranded motorists; they were always well turned out and would salute any vehicle passing with an AA badge mounted to their car.
The RAC also operated in a similar manner and it was common for motorists to join both organisations if they travelled a lot.
There are no RAC boxes still in original locations as the organisation removed them whilst the AA left most of theirs to just rot and fall down.
You're most likely to see RAC boxes in motor museums as a result of this.
I can still remember my dad's Ford Popular with a chromed bar drilled and mounted to the front bumper - this bar carried chromed and enamel badges to identify you as a member.
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Fletcher was worried. The next potential bandit stash was in the Chapel of Saint Ninian on the Moors. As well as being on the edge of Northmoor it was also just inside the Yellow Zone. Most of his team were still fairly inexperienced, with young Godber even more so. Were they biting off more than they could chew? However, if they left the chapel for another day there was a good chance that someone else would get to the stash first. It was now or never. He hoped they didn't run into any bandits or tough mutants.
This game was run at TL2 with an 11K team (now including the rookie Godber). The game was limited to 8 turns, by which time the team needed to be back at their entry point in order to make their way to a safe place to hole-up overnight.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-010223154330-5799826.jpeg)
Board setup
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/57/164-010223154330-579991316.jpeg)
Things started badly. In order to perform a Bolt Toss and Inspect action, Fletcher had to move to where he could see under the bridge. This ate up available time and was exacerbated when the Geiger counter started clicking wildly (reducing the game duration to 7 turns). To add insult to injury, there was quite obviously nothing under the bridge.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-010223154331-580002493.jpeg)
Moving on to the church, the only way the team were going to find out what was inside was going to be to kick the doors in. Fletcher knew just the man and McEwan's size 10 boot revealed a group of four bandits skulking inside (fortunately the team hadn't needed to shoot at anything previously, so the bandits were taken by surprise). The Scot opened up with his SLR, killing two and pinning another. The fourth bandit was also hit but the shot was blocked by his flak jacket and he shrugged it off. Fortunately one of the shots was a critical hit, so the Scot fired again for one kill and a miss. Bunny then leveled his shotgun, killing the pinned bandit before he entered the church to see what he could salvage.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-010223154331-580012399.jpeg)
With the church dealt with and not much time remaining, Fletcher turned his attention to the AA phone box. An old lady poked her head out of the door and asked him if he had any ciggies.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-010223154331-580021767.jpeg)
In return for half a pack of Rothmans, the old lady said that there were mutants near the car by the river and revenants at the ruined cottage. The team didn't have time to clear both, so Fletcher opted for the mutants, being the nearest target and also closest to the team's exit point.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-010223154519-580041310.jpeg)
Godber missed with his shot at the mutants, but McEwan was on a roll and 7.62mm bullets tore through the old Austin. One mutant died immediately and the other was pinned, so the Scot fired again. This was not a good time for the surviving mutant to fluff it's armour saves.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-010223154519-580052069.jpeg)
Fletcher immediatly put his scrounger skills to use, finding two low level items of salvage.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-010223154520-580061917.jpeg)
Meanwhile Bunny Warren found two decent items of salvage and several useful items of basic gear.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-010223154520-58007577.jpeg)
The team made it out with no time to spare.
Epilogue:
The haul uncovered by Bunny Warren more than compensated for the low pickings found between the other locations they looked at. McLaren was the man of the match, dealing effectively with most of the hostiles. Young Godber certainly needed some more target practice and to get into shape to have any chance of keeping up.
Luck was certainly against the team with the high radiation level reducing their time available. Even without that, they would have been pushed to search maybe one more area. Fletcher therefore decided they needed another pair of hands. It would reduce everyone's split of the spoils, but would allow them to split into two teams and cover a greater area. Heslop had been working security at the Winchester. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the draw, but had been on a number of zone runs before and was very handy in brawl. Fletcher would see if he was interested in joining the team.
Post-game salvage and advances:
After deductions and selling on surplus gear (three sets of binoculars) the team had a stash of 7,533 quid. With no new gear required they could afford 2,500 to hire and equip Heslop (Regular, Hard, armed with shotgun and machete).
With 27 points in hand to cover experience advances, the team could afford a couple of stat line bonuses. Godber was made to do some serious exercise (+1" move to get him up to 6") and McLaren rearranged his gear stowage to give himself an extra equipment slot for a gas mask (increase from 3 to 4 equipment slots).
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Well, so far so good. Everything seems to be going Ok for the team. I wonder how long that can continue. I imagine Fletcher is wondering the same thing...
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Well, so far so good. Everything seems to be going Ok for the team. I wonder how long that can continue. I imagine Fletcher is wondering the same thing...
They have one more zone run using the bandits' map. It will be TL2 in an urban area, so plenty to block LOS and give the hostiles cover. Could get messy!
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They have one more zone run using the bandits' map. It will be TL2 in an urban area, so plenty to block LOS and give the hostiles cover. Could get messy!
Looking forward to it.
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Looking forward to it.
As am I!
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I'm still having fun painting abandoned vehicles for Zona Albion. This time it's a Morris Minor police car
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-030223205537.jpeg)
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That old Police car looks suitable decrepit. If I'm not out of line here, might I suggest adding a few bullet holes? Say, 7.62 in caliber? 7.62x39 and 7.62x51 make the same diameter holes....
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Very “Children of Men”
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My split screen with semaphore indicators was a pleasure to drive if you were not in a hurry. It had a hard time going up steep hills, though. It was an 803cc engine
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We had one of them when I were a lad. I remember turning the starting handle to get the thing going many a morning ;D
I really wish I'd kept all my toy cars from those days, even if they would have been far too small for 28mm :(
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I recently finished dedicated figures for new members Godber and Heslop in Fletcher's crew. I also produced a better figure for McLaren. All are from Killer B's Geezers range. With the exception of Bunny Warren, all have had weapon changes (from The Assault Group). Most have also had head swaps. Hopefully all will survive a few more adventures.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-050223132037.jpeg)
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Those are great! I really do need to look at that range more closely...
Mike Demana
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Those are great! I really do need to look at that range more closely...
Mike Demana
The available stuff on the Killer B site is only a reduced selection of the range. There will be a delay in restocking while Craig moves his molding operation.
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Great-looking crew you have there.
I reckon I should take a look at Killer B's stuff, as well...
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This weekend (11/12 February) it's the Beachhead show in Bournemouth, where I will be showcasing Zona Albion as a participation game. If you are at the show please do pop by to say hello, or even to spend some time in the Zone as a player.
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I wish I could -- thanks for the invite! Both Capn Jim and I are in the States, so maybe one day when I am also retired we can arrange a tour de force of the UK gaming shows. Have fun, and good luck with your games!
I will be playing in a Saga tournament this Saturday, so will be getting some gaming in, as well...
Mike Demana
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Fletcher looked at the map they had recovered from the bandits. It seemed that, with the bandits gone, every stalker of note had been to their area of operations to see what loot they could find. However, there was one potential stash that may still be viable, as it was in an unfashionable part of the yellow zone, that had a reputation for being overrun by hostiles. Not ideal, but they had been lucky with the previous two bandit stashes and this was their last chance. According to the map, the bandit stash was secured somewhere amongst the houses on the outskirts of the village of Troutbridge. If they could get in and quickly search the area they should hopefully be able to get home without too much hassle.
With Heslop having joined them, Fletcher's crew now numbered six men, meaning that they could search a large number of locations much more quickly than before. He just hoped that young Godber would keep his nerve and Heslop would live up to his reputation as a good man in a fight.
I ran this game at TL2 with an 8 turn duration. The team size had increased to 13K with the addition of Heslop.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-080223174342-580602266.jpeg)
Board Setup. There are 9 POIs (6 buildings, the van and trees in the foreground and the trees at the far side of the board).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-080223174342-580621422.jpeg)
The team immediately split into two. Fletcher sent Godber and Heslop ahead while he used his own actions to give McLaren, Bunny Warren and Lukewarm additional movement actions to be able to quickly investigate the van. McLaren inspected the van and quickly ascertained that it was gutted and completely overgrown (no salvage), but some hobgoblins were on the far side of the van (completely out of angle for any of the crew to fire).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-080223174342-580631641.jpeg)
McLaren still had an action in hand, plus a free action from his critical success rolling to inspect the van. He therefore ran around the van and threw a hand grenade at the hobgoblins. A direct hit and all failed their saves!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-080223174343-580641664.jpeg)
With no salvage at the van, McLaren did a bolt toss at the pile of packs under the trees. No hostiles emerged, so he sent Bunny to investigate the packs, while he and Lukewarm went to cross the river. In the following turn Bunny's Scrounger skill came into good use and he picked up some useful gear, including a Scope and a Chest Rig.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-080223174343-58065159.jpeg)
Meanwhile Fletcher investigated the first house over the bridge. An old zone witch popped her head out of the window and asked "got any ciggies son?". In exchange for a handful of Rothmans she said that there was a pack of feral dogs in the pub and that some bandits were waiting to ambush the stalkers amongst the trees on the other side of the road.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-080223174554-580661779.jpeg)
Warned over his walkie-talkie about the dogs in the pub, McLaren did a very noisy bolt toss (or in this case a brick toss through a window) to alert the dogs, which he subsequently heard barking inside the building. Going onto Alert, McLaren and Lukewarm waited for the dogs.
As expected the dogs poured out of the pub, to be met by a well thrown satchel charge from Lukewarm. Two of the dogs were killed, while one was pinned and another two remained unscathed, only to be disposed of by McLaren's SLR.
The following turn McLaren disposed of the pinned dog and took positions with Bunny opposite the pub's garage. Meanwhile Lukewarm entered the pub to see what he could salvage.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-080223174554-580671271.jpeg)
Fletcher decided to make the most of having the jump on the bandits, so his team took up firing positions in the house. The following turn they all opened up on the bandits. Godber hit two, but both were saved by their flak jackets (although one was pinned). Heslop's shotgun did good work on the two nearest the telephone box, killing one. The second was killed by a hail of shot from Heslop's second action. Fletcher used his SMG to engage the two bandits that had survived Godber's fire. Three hits (one of them critical) from hot load ammunition dealt with the bandits.
With his remaining actions, Fletcher crossed the road to search the bandit's car hidden beyond the trees.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-080223174554-580682320.jpeg)
Having directed Godber and Heslop to start making their way back, Fletcher looked for salvage but found only slim pickings in salvage and no useful gear.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-080223174554-580691293.jpeg)
The garage door was ajar, so McLaren couldn't see what was in it. With time running out, he decided that the best course of action was to kick the door open and rely on Bunny to cover him. As soon as he kicked the door he regretted it, being met with a foul stench. What was worse was that directly the other side of the door were two revenants that he would have to fight immediately. Fortunately they both missed, while his new machete decapitated one. With his next action McLaren needed to make his escape. Continuing his lucky streak, the revenant missed Mclaren and he was able to get to a safe enough distance to be able to hurl his satchel charge into the garage doorway.
The garage exploded spectacularly, but out of the dust two unscathed revenants appeared. Bunny opened fire with his shotgun but missed them.
With the garage destroyed and no chance of salvaging anything, McLaren and Bunny decided to abandon the surviving revenants and join the others in leaving the village. As they passed the pub Lukewarm joined them, clutching a good haul of salvage from the building, which included a load Load Bearing Harness.
Once again the team got to their exit point. All unscathed and with a reasonable haul of loot.
Epilogue:
Fletcher was pleased. Although the salvage haul wasn't as good as previous runs, Lukewarm's haul more than made up for the amount of explosives and ammunition the team had expended. They had also picked up some very useful gear.
The crew had worked well too. All of the original members were now old hands at this work and could be considered veterans of the Zone. Heslop had proved himself on his first zone run with the crew and even young Godber was starting to find his feet.
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Sounds like the team, even with the new members, is starting to gel. Is their success so far due to luck or skill or both?....
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Nice AAR.
Sounds like a good game.
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Born on a farm just before the Incident, Ingrid's parents were forced to quit their farm when the government quarantined the area. With their government compensation payout, her father set up a garage and vehicle repair business just outside the Zone.
Ingrid is a large girl, tall and heavily built, some would say statuesque. A bit of a loner, she was happiest when out running on the moors or repairing a vehicle in her dad's workshop. She grew up listening to her parents' memories of living on the farm and hearing stalkers' tales of the Zone. It therefore wasn't really a surprise that the Zone's magic got to her and she found herself sneaking under the fence with her father's shotgun. Unlike many wannabe stalkers, she survived her trips into the zone (her fitness and familiarity with being out on the moors certainly helped).
She made her mark on the day she walked dirty and disheveled up to the bar in the Winchester and placed an artifact on the counter. She had tamed her first anomaly. Now an experienced stalker, she has a reputation for being reliable in a difficult situation and for being a skilled wrench. With a preference for travelling light and avoiding hostiles rather than getting involved in a shoot-out, her preferred weapons are her Sterling SMG, backed up by a very sharp machete that she forged herself.
Converted Bad Squiddo figure with SMG and pack from The Assault Group.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-260223155438-582362087.jpeg)
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Great conversion. :-* :-*
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Great figure. Will she join your crew on any of their trips into the Zone?
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Great figure. Will she join your crew on any of their trips into the Zone?
Yes, she will be making a guest appearance soon
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Great story to accompany her as well! I like the carefully crafted background. :)
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Two more abandoned vehicles comleted:
Morris J van
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-310323161751-58546311.jpeg)
Bedford O series box van
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-310323161751-585482110.jpeg)
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Nice models.
Who made them?
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Nice models.
Who made them?
Both Corgi finds on eBay. The Morris van is 1/43 scale, while the larger Bedford is 1/50 scale. They work well together because the Bedford is such a big beast.
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Most animal life cannot survive on the moorland at the heart of the Northmoor Exclusion Zone, due to the combination of contamination and occasional emissions emanating from the epicentre of the Zone. However, the wild fell ponies not only survived but appear to have thrived, albeit with mutations. The ponies have now grown to a much larger size and supplement their diet of contaminated grass with the blood of living creatures.
Bad Squiddo zombie horses painted with Army Painter Speedpaints.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-310323161751-585491772.jpeg)
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Really enjoyed rereading the whole thread - love the background you’ve woven together, and some great models/figures.
8)
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Those are horrifying- nice work!
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Great undead horses.
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Those horses are fantastic. Just read through all your AARs too - really characterful, and the crew have all developed personalities. Roadside picnic is one if my favourite scifi stories, so it's really cool to see you apply your own spin and British setting
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Very nice and real british. Maybe a PA Stonehenge or the Towerbridge???
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Very nice and real british. Maybe a PA Stonehenge or the Towerbridge???
A stone circle and circular burial mound will certainly be making their appearance
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Troutwater Transport
As the stalkers made their way back from Troutbridge towards their safe shelter, the ever observant Bunny Warren noticed the telltale flickering glow of an anomaly in the fading light, up a lane amongst a cluster of farm buildings. A quick check with Fletcher's binoculars showed that that the anomaly was near a fenced compound containing a large box van and some shipping containers.
The crew wanted to investigate the anomaly, but Fletcher decided they would have to come back another day, as the light was going and the weather was closing in. He didn't want to be stuck in the open at night in the Yellow Zone, let alone in the middle of a storm. The sign on the lane leading to the buildings said "Troutwater Farm". Fletcher noted the name for future reference and the stalkers hurried on.
While his crew rested and re-equipped, Fletcher made some discrete enquiries regarding the fenced compound. It transpired that the compound probably belonged to Troutwater Transport, a pre-incident transport company based out of the farm. As well as the anomaly they were going for, the transport yard might provide them with some useful salvage.
With the full crew this would normally be an easy zone run. However, what had promised to be a simple job suddenly got a lot more complicated. The genial Harry Grout summoned Fletcher and requested he provide two of his best men to immediately accompany a crew of his salvaging some stuff in the north of the Zone. You don't refuse Grouty's 'requests', so that meant sending McLaren with Bunny away to do his bidding.
To add to this complication, other stalkers appeared to have got wind of the anomaly too. If the crew were to have a chance of investigating it they would have to go back straight away, without waiting McLaren and Bunny. This wasn't a good situation. It left Fletcher with an understrength crew with only himself and Lukewarm being veterans of the Zone. He really needed another experienced body in the crew for this trip.
Fletcher always did his best thinking over a pint in his favourite corner at the Winchester. He liked his corner. From it he had a good view of the bar and the entrance, as well as a clear run to the back door if things looked like they might get messy. Mulling over who might be available to accompany his crew at short notice, he saw Ingrid ordering a pint at the bar. He had heard a bit about her recently. She mainly operated alone, but had apparently worked well with other crews. She also had a reputation for being a good wrench, which might be useful with those shipping containers. Fetcher also liked no nonsense girls who drank pints. He signalled over to Dave the landlord "stick that pint on my tab Dave".
I ran this game at TL2 with a duration of 8 turns (get out before more stalkers arrived). With the anomaly on the opposite side of the board speed was going to be of the essence. Anything that delayed the crew would eat into their available time to check out the POIs for salvage.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-060423102424-585811455.jpeg)
Board layout. It's a long way to go to get to the anomaly.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-060423102424-585852464.jpeg)
Entering the farm.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-060423102424-585861818.jpeg)
A successful inspection revealed the area round the van in the lane to be covered with the shimmering strands of a cobweb hazard. The crew would therefore have to detour to get to the anomaly.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-060423102424-58587291.jpeg)
New member Ingrid ran up to the chain link fence and quickly opened a large enough hole to let the crew get through (normally I say it's 2 actions to cut a hole in a fence, but I reduced it to 1 action as Ingrid had the crew's tool kit).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-060423102424-58588809.jpeg)
The crew carefully skirted between the web and the barn (a POI that they didn't want to trigger yet).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-060423102539-585892439.jpeg)
Ingrid opened another hole in the fence for Fletcher to pass through to get to the anomaly. Meanwhile the rest of the crew took up positions to check out the shipping containers.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-060423102539-585901291.jpeg)
A successful bolt toss revealed the anomaly to be an arc welder. Unfortunately a failed Will and Armour save caused Fletcher to have a shocking experience! After patching himself up with a med-kit, Fletcher tried again and got 4,500 quid worth of artifact that would give him a movement bonus if he decided to keep it. Lack of time meant that he wasn't going to get another hit at the anomaly with his scrounger skill (he knew he would need to sacrifice some of his forthcoming actions to encourage young Godber to hurry up when they left the farm).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-060423102539-585911041.jpeg)
Meanwhile Heslop did a bolt toss and woke up a group of bandits searching one of the containers.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-060423102539-585921036.jpeg)
As four bandits burst out of the container they were met by a well aimed satchel charge from Lukewarm. Boom! Three were killed immediately, while the last one was pinned. Well aimed 7.62mm rounds from Godber finished him off in the following turn.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-060423102539-58593437.jpeg)
With time running out the crew decided to make their way back through the fence and home.
Epilogue:
It was a run of mixed results. They had snagged a good artifact but circumstances prevented them gaining any salvage. On the plus side, the artifact more than covered the cost of hiring Ingrid.
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Sounds like another good day in the zone. 👍
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Hunting Party - Part 1
The client sat across from Fletcher at his usual table in the Winchester. They shook hands on the deal and downed their pints. His name was MacKay. Ex-military, rich, Scottish and a big game hunter. He had come to the Zone for trophies to add to his collection. Fletcher's crew was to get him into the Zone, to somewhere where he could bag some mutants. No rats, dogs or zombies, but proper mutants would get Fletcher five hundred quid for lesser types and a grand for anything really nasty or unusual.
The area Fletcher had in mind was the abandoned village of Grimford in the Yellow Zone. The area had been well looted by other stalkers so wasn't frequented much. As no one went there the area had been effectively taken over by the creatures of the Zone. There probably wouldn't be much salvage. However, on the plus side, they should certainly get the chance for some good kills and probably wouldn't get any trouble from bandits or other stalkers.
McLaren and Bunny Warren were still working for Grouty and Heslop had to visit his ailing mother. That meant a crew of four to provide security; Fletcher, the ever reliable Lukewarm, young Godber and Ingrid.
Fletcher smiled and signalled over to the bar "Two large ones of your best malt please Dave. He's paying".
I ran this game at TL2 with a game length of 9 turns (to get out of the Zone by nightfall).
MacKay's stats:
2 Actions, Move 6", CA 5, Armour 5, Will 5
Marksman Rifle (Range 48", Firepower 1, Damage 2, aimed shots gain +2 bonus instead of the usual +1)
Machete
Scope, Med-Kit
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-110423143953-586412019.jpeg)
Board layout
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-110423143953-58642271.jpeg)
Inspection.of the cottage revealed a pack of hobgoblins feeding on something. MacKay rushed his shot and missed. However, Lukewarm took out two with his SLR and Ingrid moved up to killed another two with her SMG.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-110423143953-58643248.jpeg)
The two surviving Hobgoblins charged Fletcher, but only one could reach him. Both the Hobgoblin and Fletcher (despite having 4 attacks) missed. In the following turn Fletcher killed the Hobgoblin facing him (it missed him again). MacKay now had a clear shot and got his kill.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-110423143953-58644667.jpeg)
While MacKay took his kill's head with his machete, Lukewarm successfully inspected the ruined house over the road. Unfortunately it turned out to be covered with shimmering 'cobwebs'. A pity as, in addition to there being no salvage, this prevented Fletcher from placing Godber in to provide them with some cover.
Meanwhile, Ingrid moved into the ruined cottage to search the Hobgoblins' lair, finding 500 quid worth of salvage.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-110423143953-58645529.jpeg)
Just as the mist closed in and reduced visibility, Lukewarm spied a group of revenants in the trees by the riverbank.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-110423144154-586461957.jpeg)
The crew poured fire into the revenants. Lukewarm got a couple of hits with his SLR but only got one kill. Ingrid opened up with her SMG to get two hits before it jammed (critical miss). Unfortunately her standard 9mm ammunition had no effect. Fletcher then opened up with his SMG for 4 hits including a critical. His hot load ammunition tore through the revenants, leaving just one standing. With his final action Fletcher encouraged Ingrid to pull herself together and sort out her SMG.
The surviving revenant couldn't reach any of the crew and Fletcher hosed it down with more 9mm hot load in the following turn.
Encouraged by her search of the cottage, Ingrid had a look at what was left of the revenants, to be rewarded with another 500 quid worth of salvage, plus an intact med-kit and a working flashlight
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-110423144154-586471181.jpeg)
Time to inspect the houses over the river. A nest of vermin to be avoided in the house on the left.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-110423144154-58648894.jpeg)
And even more revenants in the house on the right. Fortunately the occupants of neither house seemed interested in the stalkers
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-110423144154-586491307.jpeg)
Inspecting the area around the wrecked van revealed the whole junction to be covered with the sticky green goo known as Witches' Brew.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/58/164-110423144154-586501711.jpeg)
The stalkers were running out of time so moved towards an abandoned camp fire in a patch of trees, which was the nearest unchecked point of interest to their exit point. With no hostiles being visible Lukewarm went closer to the camp fire and noticed some gear hidden under a tarp. A check of the gear revealed a bag of 40mm grenade launcher ammunition (heavy weapon reload) and a satchel charge.
With their time run out the stalkers made their way home with their client and his trophy.
Epilogue:
As Zone runs go, it wasn't a bad run. Five hundred quid from the client for his trophy, a grand worth of salvage, a couple of bits of kit plus a bag of 40mm grenade launcher ammunition that Fletcher could sell on for a good price. All in all, not a bad haul, despite having a close call with the hobgoblins.
The haul from this run nicely covered additional kit for the crew, in the form of chest rigs for Godber and Ingrid and hot loads for Fletcher and Ingrid's SMGs. Also, young Godber finally seemed to have found his feet (promotion to Hardened experience level) and both Godber and Ingrid sorted out improvement to their armour (using 20 advance points gained for this run).
Unfortunately for the client, he only got to bag a hobgoblin. However, he also came away with a taste for the Zone and was now asking Fletcher when they could return.
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A stone circle and circular burial mound will certainly be making their appearance
Five rounds rapid...
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Five rounds rapid...
There 'may' be some references to 1970s Dr Who in my games in this setting ...
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Keep the tales flowing! I like the narrative style, with what is going on in between missions for the stalkers.
Mike Demana
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Still enjoying your work over here.
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They're showing re-runs of Dempsey and Makepeace(*) at the moment, and McLaren is one of the cops in it. Very confusing to see him on the side of law and order.
I think you've got most of them already, but there are one or two more characters who could yet make an appearance - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Porridge_characters
(*) shockingly bad, just... Worse than that, I remember watching them the first time around :( I prefer not to think about how many/few of them are still with us.
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They're showing re-runs of Dempsey and Makepeace(*) at the moment, and McLaren is one of the cops in it. Very confusing to see him on the side of law and order.
I think you've got most of them already, but there are one or two more characters who could yet make an appearance - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Porridge_characters
(*) shockingly bad, just... Worse than that, I remember watching them the first time around :( I prefer not to think about how many/few of them are still with us.
Alas, I'm old enough to have watched it the first time around too!!!
More characters from Porridge will appear in due course. At some point soon Blanco may appear in the team
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Your crew seems to be doing well enough. But why do I get the feeling the other shoe will drop sometime soon...?
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Your crew seems to be doing well enough. But why do I get the feeling the other shoe will drop sometime soon...?
Have you been peeking at the horror on my painting table? lol
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Have you been peeking at the horror on my painting table? lol
No! I swear! Honest! :D
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Thank you for your creativity sir!
I am a very sporadic user of the forum and happened upon your thread by chance. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your creation of the setting, looking at the pictures and reading your AAR's. So much, that despite not doing much miniature wise these days due to chronic pain issues, I'm very much inclined to start something up at my local club, using the aforementioned Zona Alfa rules.
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Just catching up on this topic and enjoying it a lot. Great narrative and AARs. It’s got me wondering. I also have mainly British scenery. Would this work in a pre-war setting? Looks like another rules purchase is called for.
Look forward to seeing more on your incursions into the zone.
Doug
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Just catching up on this topic and enjoying it a lot. Great narrative and AARs. It’s got me wondering. I also have mainly British scenery. Would this work in a pre-war setting?
Most of my terrain is generic European, with my British terrain being based mainly on half-timbered buildings, so useable from English Civil War through to VBCW and beyond. To bring the terrain to 20th century settings I'm just adding the odd era-specific building and street furniture (e.g. garage, phone boxes, road signs, abandoned vehicles). I'm currently making up an abandoned art deco style garage, to be used in my next Zona Albion story arc.
If you decide to look at Zona Alfa in a British setting message me and I'll let you have my Zona Albion play sheets with 1970s era weapons, etc. Also look up the Stalker7 Facebook group, which is well supported.
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Most of my terrain is generic European, with my British terrain being based mainly on half-timbered buildings, so useable from English Civil War through to VBCW and beyond. To bring the terrain to 20th century settings I'm just adding the odd era-specific building and street furniture (e.g. garage, phone boxes, road signs, abandoned vehicles). I'm currently making up an abandoned art deco style garage, to be used in my next Zona Albion story arc.
If you decide to look at Zona Alfa in a British setting message me and I'll let you have my Zona Albion play sheets with 1970s era weapons, etc. Also look up the Stalker7 Facebook group, which is well supported.
Thanks - pm sent.
Doug
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Really enjoyed reading through the thread, the campaign seems to join all the games together in a comprehensive way and allows your character's character to grow with each new game. The setting is also very appealing.
You seem to be able to deal with any opponent the game throws at you and the main enemy is time i.e. number of turns to complete the scenario. Would that be a fair assessment or are the games just going your way at present and the tide may turn in the future?
Anyway hope to read more on this.
Cheers
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Really enjoyed reading through the thread, the campaign seems to join all the games together in a comprehensive way and allows your character's character to grow with each new game. The setting is also very appealing.
You seem to be able to deal with any opponent the game throws at you and the main enemy is time i.e. number of turns to complete the scenario. Would that be a fair assessment or are the games just going your way at present and the tide may turn in the future?
Anyway hope to read more on this.
Cheers
Thanks for the positive comments.
The stalkers have had a good deal of luck in their draw of POI cards, e.g. Grandma pointing out the location of a bandit ambush, which allowed the team to get the jump on the bandits (walking into a bandit ambush is a good way of receiving a lot of pain). Also, the team haven't yet had to brave the horrors of the Red Zone (something I'm rectifying with the next story arc).
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Apologies for the late posting of this conclusion to Fletcher's hunting party, but I thought I had already posted this.
This game gets Fletcher's crew to the point where they should be able to venture on multi-game campaigns, having now survived their first run into the Red Zone.
Hunting Party Part 2
Fletcher, Lukewarm, Godber, Ingrid and Heslop were gathered in Dave's back room at the Winchester. They were hidden away here so that they could plan the next run without evesdroppers.
MacKay, their client, badly wanted to go back to the Zone to bag more trophies. Realistically the only place to go would be the Red Zone. Fletcher had for some time had an area in mind that they could try, up on the moors beyond the abandoned village of Grimford, where they had just taken their client for his first Zone hunt. It was an unfashionable isolated part of the Zone and now overrun with the Zone's creatures. However, the road over the moors to Stonehaven ran through the area.
After the first incident everyone in a wide area was either evacuated by the government or made their way out if they had the means. Some left it too late to leave and were caught by the second, much larger, energy emission as they tried to escape. The Stonehaven road still bears testament to this, being littered with vehicles that got caught by the emission. Their occupants instantly killed or worse.
As well as the prospect of good kills for their client, Fletcher had been waiting for the opportunity to check out the vehicles on the road. With so many mutants in the area to deter lone stalkers, there was a good chance that at least some of the vehicles might contain salvage of worth.
Fletcher thought that, with Heslop having returned, his crew probably now had enough experience between them to face the Red Zone. Even young Godber seemed to be ready. He checked off his shopping list. Chest rigs and hot loads for their SMGs were at the top. Oh, and remind their client to get a gas mask for himself.
The game was run at TL3 with an 8 turn duration.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623135740-590201588.jpeg)
Board layout
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623135740-590231090.jpeg)
Entering the Red Zone
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623135740-59024171.jpeg)
As the mist came down Ingrid's inspection of the ruined farmhouse succeeded in alerting a trip of mutated moorland ponies. A horse lover, Ingrid was shocked by the sight of the mutants (her bolt toss was a critical miss, resulting in a pin)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623135740-59025937.jpeg)
MacKay the client got a good clean kill on the first mutant. Lukewarm got a second, but Godber succeeded in only grazing his. Heslop then vaulted the wall to finish off the last one with his shotgun. Good teamwork!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623135740-590261325.jpeg)
Fletcher got into position so that he had a good view of both the road and under the bridge. He didn't expect to see a horde of revenants.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623135915-590271642.jpeg)
Heslop moved into position too quickly and fumbled his attack (three misses) but Godber nailed the first one. Then the rest of the revenants surged over the bridge. Fortunately they were slow and couldn't close on the stalkers.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623135915-590281682.jpeg)
Concentrated fire took out the revenants, but Ingrid's SMG jammed (critical miss). Meanwhile the client finished taking and bagging up a trophy of his kill.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623135915-590292380.jpeg)
Inspecting the trees by the river bank revealed an anomaly. Jackpot!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623135915-590302178.jpeg)
While Heslop headed towards the anomaly, the rest of the team investigated the first van. Lukewarm wasn't having a good day, as his bolt toss rattling on the van's roof woke something nasty inside.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623135915-590311661.jpeg)
As the huge mutant climbed out of the van Godber opened fire with his SLR. A double tap of 7.62mm took the lumbering brute down.
Before the dust had settled, Fletcher raced past the car to investigate what was in the van and Ingrid headed toward the ruined cottage.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623140034-590321625.jpeg)
Meanwhile Heslop the scrounger successfully grabbed a low level artifact from the Whirlpool anomaly. However, he became overconfident and tried to grab a second artifact. The anomaly's gravitational field slammed him to the ground and he found himself stuck in place!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623140034-59033364.jpeg)
Fletcher put his scrounger skills to use and made a good search of the van, finding some decent salvage together with a load bearing harness and an intact starlight sight. He then shouted instructions to Heslop to help him free himself from the anomaly.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623140034-59034215.jpeg)
Meanwhile Lukewarm led the rest of the team to check out the cottage. In the poor light he made out the swirling glow if phantoms. Best to leave well alone.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623140034-59035191.jpeg)
Moving on they checked out a tarp covering something amongst the trees. A careful inspection revealed nothing hostile, so Lukewarm went to check it out.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-070623140034-590361527.jpeg)
It was a cache of ammunition, including a satchel charge, some 40mm grenade launcher ammunition and some SMG magazines of 9mm hot load ammunition (perfect to replace some of what Fletcher and Ingrid had been firing).
With insufficient time remaining to investigate the other points of interest, the crew then started to make their way home.
Epilogue:
It was a good run and the crew performed very well. They came away with a good haul, in addition to the client's payment. Heslop got his first artifact and Godber amazed everyone in taking down the big mutant. The client was very pleased too and gave Fletcher a grand on top of Fletcher's red zone fee. He was very happy with the trophy from his kill.
The crew were now ready for bigger and better runs. This was a good thing, as Fletcher had a meeting at the Institute tomorrow with a new client, for what could potentially be some lucrative work.
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Another good story, and you survived the Red Zone.
Cheers
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Another good story, and you survived the Red Zone.
Cheers
Glad you liked it. The next zone run won't be so easy (a 5 or 6 episode campaign, taking a reduced strength team into the Yellow and Red zones)
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That was another entertaining read. Plenty of variety in the encounters and a well constructed narrative. Keep up the very good work.
Doug
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Best to leave well enough alone.
Good example for the rest of us.
Well stated.
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One of the most feared mutants in the Northmoor Exclusion Zone is the Banshee (also known as the Screamer in some zones). With 3 actions and large teeth it is bad enough, but its terrifying scream attack makes it a lot worse. The banshee may spend an action screaming. All figures within 6" of the banshee must make THREE SAVING ROLLS AGAINST THEIR WILL. For each fail take one Pin. Cover and being out of LOS have no effect on the scream attack.
The banshee has no eyes, so is unaffected by smoke. However, its sensitive hearing means that flashbangs cause 2 Pins instead of the usual 1.
Miniature is by Crooked Dice (pack of 2 figures, I'll be basing the second one differently for use in another Zone)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080623142016.jpeg)
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Very cool rationale for the model and it’s abilities! I expect that when it shows up in games it will seriously inconvenience some stalkers.
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Very cool rationale for the model and it’s abilities! I expect that when it shows up in games it will seriously inconvenience some stalkers.
That's the plan. My stalkers have had it a bit too easy ...
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Cool use of the miniature.
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Like it 👍🏼
Crooked dice do some great stuff
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I adore this thread, and the quality of the modelling and narrative etc.
Your wide shots of the boards really take me to some blasted, forsaken heath.
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My my what big teeth you have grandmother....all the better to eat you with.
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Ugh. That thing is ugly. But in a good way... ;)
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I'll shortly be starting a multi-game campaign for Fletcher's crew in my Zona Albion setting, so I present you with:
The Quatermass Run
Sitting in the sun, Fletcher allowed himself the luxury of rest, a rare commodity in the Zone. Lukewarm and Heslop were keeping watch, while Ingrid and Godber worked on the landy, so Fletcher shut his eyes and thought about the events of the last couple of days.
When Fletcher left the Institute building he had allowed himself a smile. His client was none other than Professor Quatermass and, on the face of it, this job looked like it could be a good earner. If they did this run right they may well get more work from the Institute.
Quatermass had explained that the seemingly random energy emissions in the Zone had always been assumed to radiate from the AERE Northmoor site, where the first incident was identified. However, measurements taken during recent emissions appeared to show that their point of origin might not actually be at the AERE site itself. Locating the actual point of origin was complicated by what he termed "echoes" of the emission at other points in the zone, that distorted the energy profile of the emission. Quatermass had therefore installed a number of instrument packages in the Zone to monitor these echoes and help him triangulate the true point of origin of the emissions. It was now time to recover the instrument data. As emissions and other effects of the Zone could disrupt radio transmissions and corrupt transmitted data, the only reliable way to retrieve the data was to recover it manually.
Not being a boffin type, Fletcher was a bit confused over Quatermass' explanation, since everyone knew that the first emission was centred on the AERE site research site, caused by an experiment there. However, regardless of Quatermass' theory, it didn't affect the fact that they would get five hundred quid a piece for picking up the first three instrument packages that had been monitoring emissions inside the Yellow Zone, plus a grand for the fourth package in the Red Zone. This would be a difficult run, especially without McLaren and Bunny Warren (still on that job for Grouty), but made a bit easier because Quatermass had arranged for an access pass for Fletcher's crew to get in and out of the Zone.
It would be best to try to get the first three instruments in one hit, rather than going in and out of the Zone each time. Fortunately Ingrid knew of a working motor that they could use to get between the instrument sites (she had almost completed repairing it and just needed a couple of hours to fit some replacement parts before it should be roadworthy).
So far so good. Ingrid picked up second hand parts via her father's garage business. Quatermass' pass allowed them to waltz past the security checkpoint and Ingrid led them to an abandoned farm in the Green Zone. True to her word, she took them to a ramshackle barn hidden amongst some trees. Opening the doors she revealed an old Landrover, which must have been about the same age Ingrid and Godber. Old enough that they would be able to get it going using a starting handle without worrying about electrics fried by emissions. Good girl Ingrid!
The noise of an engine and a shout of jubilation stirred Fletcher from his thoughts. Ingrid had got the landy going. Time to press on to collect the instruments? "No" said Ingrid. The landy was breathing fumes, so they needed to get some fuel. Fortunately she knew of a jerrycan of diesel stashed at an old garage roughly on the way to the first instrument.
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This is going to be good.
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I’m primed and ready…..
Doug
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Fantastic stuff, great story and all very well done.
How do you paint the abandoned vehicles they are excellent?
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And now we wait....looking forward to news from The Zone...
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All aboard...! Who's riding shotgun? lol Looking forward to the report. Doing a little post-apoc gaming myself tonight... :-*
Mike Demana
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In preparation for my upcoming Quatermass Run campaign, I needed a few more items for my games:
Large Mutant:
This is a slightly converted Reaper Miniatures clay golem. I think it has the right look for a big and nasty mutated human
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-040723133643-5914467.jpeg)
Landrover:
This campaign requires my stalkers to have some suitable transport. The vehicle is a Corgi diecast model, suitably repainted an aged.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-040723133643-59156304.jpeg)
Service Station:
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-040723133803-5915730.jpeg)
The first scenario of the campaign features a service station. The building is a 1950s Kleeware Littletown kit (similar era and concept to the more well known Bachmann Plasticville buildings) in nominally O Gauge (1/43) scale. I added new signage, an internal wall and flooring, as well as a bit of texturing on the walls to improve the look of the exterior of the building. The 1950s advertising signs and petrol pumps are 1/43 scale and were found on eBay (the pumps supplied with the kit are horrible and went straight into the bin).
Although you can probably get cheaper buildings in MDF, what attracted me to this one was the bowed shop entrance. Very mid-20th century British!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-040723133803-591582061.jpeg)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-040723133803-591592073.jpeg)
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-040723133803-59160260.jpeg)
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The Quatermass background story sounds good, giving plausible reasons for trips into the Zone although I'd be a bit worried about the reliability of the Landrover after all these years unused. Mind you I ran a 1972 Perkins diesel engine in an old boat until recently and it never missed a beat. Old and simple is a good combination.
The garage is a nice set, I was looking at the Plasticraft trailer park set yesterday but could only find it for sale in America, postage was more than the set. :?
Looking forward to the continuation of Fletchers exploits.
Cheers
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That Landie and the gas station both look good. And I like the large mutant. I have a couple trolls in my D&D mini collection I think will do the trick for my large mutants...if I use mutants. My Zone ain't gone radioactive yet...it has other hazards...
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Looking forward to reading about the Quatermass missions. Great stuff! :-* :-*
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The Quatermass Run - Part 1: Ticket to Ride
This scenario is a variant of one from the Black Dawn campaign. The game was run at TL2 with a 12k team (Fletcher and Lukewarm were Veterans, the other three were Hardened). As usual, details of the game can be found in the photo captions.
Despite the Landrover being stuck in low gear, they had made it to the service station at Staggered Cross in good time. Ingrid parked the landy on the forecourt of the service station and Fletcher's crew scanned the buildings for signs of trouble. All quiet, so far so good.
Next to the delapidated service station building stood an American style diner and to the rear of these stood a couple of garage buildings, one of which contained the fuel they were looking for. Although the landy provided them with a means of getting about the Zone, Fletcher was concerned that the sound of its engine would alert hostiles. Best they moved quickly to get the fuel and head for the first instrument.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151310-59229254.jpeg)
Game setup. The stalkers start on the service station forecourt.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151310-592312264.jpeg)
The crew could barely see any distance through the thick mist (just my luck to pull a Zone Event card in the first turn). Lukewarm hefted his SLR and powered up his starlight sight. Scanning the perimeter he caught sight of moving creatures. Then the crew heard them, all around; a mix of barking dogs, shrieking hobgoblins and the unearthly neighing of mutated moorland ponies. They better move fast to secure the fuel.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151310-59232336.jpeg)
Fletcher, Ingrid and Heslop headed for the garage building containing the fuel. Across the perimeter wall they saw a pair mutated moorland ponies rapidly advancing on them. Fletcher opened-up with his Sterling and 9mm hot load ammunition tore through the ponies. As Fletcher's magazine emptied his gun jammed (critical failure roll).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151310-592331392.jpeg)
The Hobgoblins advanced to the treeline across the road from the forecourt. Unfortunately for them Godber and Lukewarm were waiting for them with their SLRs. Godber killed one, while Lukewarm got a second and pinned a third.
More hostiles arrived on the perimeter, in the form of another pack of dogs, a horde of revenants and a particularly nasty looking mutant. Things were going to get messy.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151310-59234789.jpeg)
Using his starlight sight, Lukewarm took down two of the first pack of dogs. He then turned and gave his full attention to the hobgoblins, killing all of them (2 actions worth of battle rifle fire including a critical hit, for a total of 5 lethal hits). With no targets remaining that could be seen in the mist, Godber went on alert.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151423-592351465.jpeg)
A lot of growling heralded the first pack of dogs charging across the forecourt. However, Godber was ready. He leveled his SLR and let off two shots for a hit and a critical hit. With his free action he let off a couple more rounds, giving him a total of two kills and a pin.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151423-592361018.jpeg)
Over at the garage, Ingrid went inside and recovered the jerrycan, while Fletcher and Heslop provided cover.
Heslop opened fire on the Revenants, killing one with his shotgun but also getting a jam (critical failure) so had to waste time clearing it. While he was sorting that out Fletcher encouraged Ingrid to bring the fuel out (transferred action using his Leader skill). He then went on alert.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151423-59237349.jpeg)
Just as the stalkers were getting confident things went pear-shaped. More hostiles arrived in the form of another mutant and two groups of four bandits (I rate my bandits as Hardened, so they can be particularly dangerous).
Time to change plan. While Ingrid lugged the jerrycan to the Landrover, Fletcher and Heslop covered her back. The revenants were slow and could be ignored. However, the mutant was another matter (2 actions, so not to be ignored). Heslop moved to were he could get a shot at the mutant and let rip with his shotgun. Two shots missed but one hit. However, the mutant kept on coming. Jeez it was tough. Fletcher then moved up and finished off the mutant with a burst of 9mm hot load from his Sterling. Once again his gun jammed. Fletcher was going to have to have serious words with Camp Tony about the hot loads he sold him.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151423-592381553.jpeg)
The second pack of dogs had now reached the treeline, but Godber was waiting for them. The dogs were met by a hail of 7.62mm, that tore through the trees and undergrowth. Four hits including a critical, which produced two more hits, taking out the entire pack.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151423-5923924.jpeg)
Not to be outdone, Lukewarm watched the first group of bandits approach through the mist. They couldn't see him but, with his starlight sight, he could see them all. He opened fire. Four hits including a critical, that gave him another hit and a jam. Although the intervening cover foiled two hits, three of the bandits still met their maker.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151626-592401596.jpeg)
Meanwhile the second group of bandits advanced to the cover of the treeline and a dry stone wall. As they took up their positions the bandit on the left opened fire on Godber, scoring two hits with his SMG. Fortunately for Godber his flak jacket stopped the SMG rounds.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151626-592411010.jpeg)
To their surprise, another mutant bounded round the corner of the garage building next to Fletcher and Heslop. This one was once a ... sheep! It immediately charged Heslop, Fortunatly Heslop had the presence to stand as it hit him. He emptied his shotgun into the mutant, killing it, However, the dying mutant knocked him to the ground (Pin result). To add insult to injury, Heslop's last shot was a critical failure (a second Pin).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151626-592421177.jpeg)
More hostiles arrived, in the form of a pack of Hobgoblins and more Revenants (I drew a Nothing of Interest card for the third hostiles arrival). The stalkers were now facing two groups of revenants and pack of hobgoblins, with the prospect of more hostiles still to arrive. Time for an exit plan.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151626-59243750.jpeg)
Fletcher moved onto the forecourt. The surviving dog from the first pack had stopped cowering by the service station garage doors(shaken off its Pin) and now growled menacingly at him. He cut the dog's growl short with a burst from his SMG.
Across the road Fletcher could make out one of the bandits in the treeline. Another burst of 9mm hot load, another kill.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151626-592441091.jpeg)
Godber took out the bandit on the other end of the treeline. That left two more bandits behind the wall. They thought they were safe in the mist, but hadn't counted on Lukewarm. His starlight sight picked them out easily and he got a hit and a critical hit, followed by two more hits. Dry stone walls do not provide much cover against 7.62mm NATO ammunition!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151730-592451598.jpeg)
Just as it looked like the stalkers should get a clear run out of the area, another unwelcome surprise faced them. The survivor of the first bandit group cut down by Lukewarm had now worked his way behind the service station. Poking his shotgun around the corner of the building, he opened fire at Fletcher, the nearest target on the forecourt. One of the shells hit and wounded Fletcher.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151730-592461350.jpeg)
Things were looking decidedly dodgy. Fletcher had taken a hit and the revenants and hobgoblins were approaching and threatening to cut the stalkers off. They could also hear more approaching hostiles further out into the mist.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151730-592471764.jpeg)
Standing next to the landy, Ingrid quickly leveled her SMG at the bandit that shot Fletcher. Four hits including a critical sorted the bandit out. She then got into the Landrover and (using her free action) tossed the starting handle to Lukewarm standing in front of the landy.
Lukewarm turned the starting handle and the Landrover engine spluttered into life. He then ran to Fletcher and applied a med-kit.
Godber and Heslop clambered into the landy and Fletcher told to Lukewarm to get in too (transfer of action using Leader skill). Fletcher then climbed into the back, banged on the cab roof and shouted to Ingrid to go. She didn't need any further encouragement.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151730-592482422.jpeg)
Shouting to everyone to hang on, Ingrid reversed the Landrover to clear the forecourt's pumps, then spun it towards the exit as hostiles approached the forecourt from all sides. However, the Zone had one last surprise.
Charging out from behind the treeline, a mutant leapt at the manoeuvring Landrover. Its frenzied attack ripped the landy's bonnet off. Coolant spurted out as a hose came free.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-090723151730-592491534.jpeg)
Leaning out from the back of the Landrover, Fletcher emptied his last magazine of 9mm hot load into the mutant, which exploded into a bloody mess. Ingrid gunned the engine and they were out of there.
Epilogue:
Well that was a bit of a rollercoaster ride. The stalkers secured the fuel and racked up a lot of kills. However, both Fletcher and Ingrid used up all their hot load ammunition. Fletcher, Heslop and Godber also had close calls.
Hiding up in the shelter of a ruined farmhouse, Ingrid did the best she could to repair the damage to the landy's engine. Meanwhile Fletcher, Heslop and Godber set to patching their wounds and repairing their flak jackets.
The stars of the show had to be Lukewarm and Godber calmly standing on the forecourt and taking out all comers before they could get close or, in Lukewarm's case, before they could even see the stalkers in the mist.
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Excellent report and pics as usual.
This crew are doing very well.
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Excellent description, and busy adventure. Well done.
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Another great game! Loving it.
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Great report! Sounds like the theme of the day was "Body Armor and Hot Loads"... :D
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Great report! Sounds like the theme of the day was "Body Armor and Hot Loads"... :D
Unfortunately the crew went straight into the next scenario, without the chance to revisit the stalls. So no resupply of hot loads for the time being. Report on what they did next coming shortly.
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Your guys made mincemeat of the inhabitants of the zone, I lost count of the number of separate groups they came across and laid them low. They're rocking and rolling through the English countryside, although maybe running low on hot loads and a jerrycan of fuel isn't going to get them far either.
Great action packed report and as I said to Dan it's really nice to read some good AAR's on here, I'm looking forward to the next one.
Table layout is top quality, the diner and garage stand out but it's all good.
Cheers
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Cracking report, great looking game. :-*
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Your guys made mincemeat of the inhabitants of the zone, I lost count of the number of separate groups they came across and laid them low.
Thanks. The trick is to have a plan and stick to it. Also don't get distracted by the possibility of more salvage unless you have secured your objective and made sure you have enough turns (plus an extra one in hand for unforeseen events) to get out safely. This is particularly the case for slower team members with less actions (use your leader's Leader skill to donate actions to keep the slower members moving). It also helps to position one or two team members with good shooting skills on Alert, such that they can cover the rest of the crew and deal with unforseen nasties.
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I’m enjoying following your project 8)
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Thanks. The trick is to have a plan and stick to it. Also don't get distracted by the possibility of more salvage unless you have secured your objective and made sure you have enough turns (plus an extra one in hand for unforeseen events) to get out safely. This is particularly the case for slower team members with less actions (use your leader's Leader skill to donate actions to keep the slower members moving). It also helps to position one or two team members with good shooting skills on Alert, such that they can cover the rest of the crew and deal with unforseen nasties.
We played out the next game yesterday and tried to do pretty much what you suggested and it went well. That is until we got ambushed by some savage looters but that's another story. :D
I like how you are creating a contents section on page one. Presumably you just modify the page, I'm wondering if I should copy that idea, initially I was just going to throw out a few AAR's but I'm developing quite a storyline of ideas for linked games so it might be more sensible to follow suit. Hummm....
Cheers
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We played out the next game yesterday and tried to do pretty much what you suggested and it went well. That is until we got ambushed by some savage looters but that's another story. :D
I like how you are creating a contents section on page one. Presumably you just modify the page, I'm wondering if I should copy that idea, initially I was just going to throw out a few AAR's but I'm developing quite a storyline of ideas for linked games so it might be more sensible to follow suit. Hummm....
Cheers
I use the alternative Point of Interest (POI) system to Hot Spots in the rulebook. This uses a deck of encounter cards rather than the hostiles table in the rulebook (have a look at some of my game photos for card examples). Most of the hostiles still activate at the end of the turn. However Bandit Ambush activates immediately after the character that triggered them finishes his turn. This can be a particularly lethal time when the bandits open up with everything (especially as my bandits are Hardened with two actions). Hence I usually try to use an inspect action with a bolt toss to identify POI cards without triggering them. I also try to have a couple of stalkers on Alert, who can then dive in with an activation to fire immediately after a character triggers a Bandit Ambush. This gives me fist shot at the bandits before they get their shots. Another useful way to avoid being shot at is to pop smoke. They can't shoot what they can't see (having someone with night vision then allows you to shoot through the smoke).
If you get bounced by a hostile that dives into melee with you, one your crew can always try an aimed shot. A successful aimed shot allows you to hit someone in melee (needs 2 actions: AIm + Shoot).
For the contents section I update it after each new item/game report I post on, remembering also to modify the title of my contents page too
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Wow - that read like an Aliens movie...bad guys popping up left and right while the heroes do their best to keep gunning them down. It seemed like a lot more encounters than previously, and they were certainly focused on charging into and taking out your gang.
I bet there were some sighs of relief when they finally exited the table. What an adrenaline ride!
Mike Demana
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The Quatermass Run - Part 2: Three Hags at St. Ninian's Well
The stalkers and their transport were hidden from sight of the road, in the shelter of a ruined farmhouse. In the evening light, Fletcher and Ingrid studied their OS map of the moors. Despite the poor condition of its gearbox, the Landrover was still a luxury, allowing the stalkers to move about the Zone fairly quickly. However, after their recent fight at the service station, Fletcher didn't want to either risk further damage to the vehicle or to alert hostiles with its engine noise. They therefore needed to plot a route to the instruments via roads crossing open moorland, to avoid the risk of ambush. Once near to each instrument they would proceed on foot to avoid alerting local hostiles.
The first instrument package was located in the well house at St. Ninian's Well, near a long abandoned village and a group of standing stones known as the Three Hags. There was enough dead ground in the area where they could hide the landy, before proceeding on foot. Best get some sleep before an early start in the morning to trudge across the moors to the well house. An early start might even give them some extra time to see if they could snag some salvage.
Game duration: 9 turns
Threat Level: 2
As usual, comments on the game are in the photo captions.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201149-59293401.jpeg)
Game setup. The well house is on the opposite corner to the stalkers' entry point.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201149-59295354.jpeg)
First things first, Fletcher wanted Godber to be able to cover most of the area with his rifle, just in case they ran into some serious trouble. The best place would be from the ruined farmhouse to their right. The crew quickly moved into position to investigate the building.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201149-592961840.jpeg)
Lukewarm scanned the building for signs of trouble (a critical success) and saw an old woman beckoning him over. "Got any ciggies son?". Using his free action, he went over to chat to her. For the cost of a handful of smokes he found that there was a nest of zone rats in the van they passed and a mutant was in the ruined farmhouse over the road.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201149-592971483.jpeg)
The team split up. Fletcher and Heslop headed for the well, while Lukewarm and Ingrid went to check out the anomaly amongst the Three Hags. Meanwhile Godber took position on the upper floor of the farmhouse to get a clear view.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201149-592982292.jpeg)
Fletcher tossed a rock into the well house. Just a sploosh as it hit the water. It didn't look like anyone was home. However, as they headed toward the well, Fletcher's Geiger counter started clicking. Best to reduce their time in the area (game length reduced to 8 turns).
Fletcher found the instrument package. Lugging the whole thing back would slow them down, so he removed the data recorder (2 actions) and headed back with Heslop.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723202357.jpeg)
Meanwhile Lukewarm proceeded up to the anomaly. A successful Will check and he scooped a good artifact.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201320-593001871.jpeg)
Ingrid decided to have a close look at a cairn being used to mark a stalker's grave. Taking care to inspect the area for trouble, she spied a pair of mutants behind the wall. Both she and Lukewarm opened up on the mutants. However, despite scoring several hits, only one mutant was taken down.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201321-59301335.jpeg)
The surviving mutant charged Ingrid. It failed to hit her, but Ingrid's SMG did its job and the mutant fell.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201321-59302188.jpeg)
Ingrid's mutants had no salvage, so Lukewarm took a close look at the farmhouse that Grandma had told him contained a mutant. He spotted the mutant climbing out over a ruined wall (probably alerted by their gunfire). A couple of 7.62mm rounds from his SLR ruined the mutant's day.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201321-593032116.jpeg)
While the others prepared to head back, Heslop investigated the mutant's lair, to be rewarded with a couple of good bits of salvage (using his Scrounger skill to score the second item).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201407-593041871.jpeg)
With Fletcher's Geiger counter still clicking, the team started to make their way home. However, Lukewarm and Ingrid still had time to check out the vermin nest. A successful inspection showed the nest to be at the back of the van, in perfect position for them to dispose of the rats with their guns.
Having killed or dispersed the rats, Lukewarm braved the smell and checked out the van. He was rewarded with more salvage, a working flashlight and a med-kit (which would replace the one he used on Fletcher at the service station).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-170723201407-59305757.jpeg)
Another successful day. Time to get back to the landy and get the kettle on. Hopefully the next Instrument would be just as easy as this one . . .
Epilogue:
Well, that was a lot easier than getting hold of fuel for the landy. The artifact and salvage would sell for about six and a half grand. Things were looking up. Hopefully finding the rest of the instruments would be just as lucrative.
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Another nice game with lots of good things in it. The positioning of Godber was thoughtful, he didn't have a lot to do but even so, he was in the right place should he be needed.
Unlike last time this seemed a fairly quiet game, not so many opponents and pretty lucrative as well.
Smart use of the transport, was this down to your story or had you decided that the noise would attract morw vermin?
Good looking buildings, are they printed or resin, they are an asset either way.
Cheers
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A joy as always. I seem to be getting my gaming fix by living vicariously through these adventures!
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Unlike last time this seemed a fairly quiet game, not so many opponents and pretty lucrative as well.
Smart use of the transport, was this down to your story or had you decided that the noise would attract morw vermin?
Good looking buildings, are they printed or resin, they are an asset either way.
Cheers
Thanks. This was a bit 'back to normal, but sets the scene for the rest of the campaign (when things will gradually get nastier). I was lucky in that I rolled 9 turns for game duration (down to 8 with the high radiation card), so had time to search for salvage. Getting the Grandma card early and no bandits also helped (Godber was positioned just in case bandits or anything really nasty appeared).
Not playing the vehicle was part of the story (although it will appear in a game or two later in the campaign).
The buildings are made from the Warlord Games ruined village plastic kit (comprising three of their ruined farmhouses). It takes a bit of work to make these look good (cleaning up mould lines and filling gaps with greenstuff), but I'm really happy with the end result. These buildings are generic enough to use from pike and shot games through to present day.
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I'm not a big buyer of figures or terrain, so don't come across this sort of stuff. Looks interesting through and I'll have a look at the Warlord site, the buildings are pretty good, and you've made the best of them.
Cheers
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I'm not a big buyer of figures or terrain, so don't come across this sort of stuff. Looks interesting through and I'll have a look at the Warlord site, the buildings are pretty good, and you've made the best of them.
Cheers
One reason for my doing Zona Alfa in a British setting was that it would encourage me to expand my British terrain; including the ruined buildings, matching dry stone walls, moorland terrain and the abandoned garage. I'm trying to feed in new figures and/or terrain as my games progress.
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Nice battle report, and probably good for the nerves of your scavengers. They must have been pretty frayed after the previous nail biter! lol
I agree that Warlord box is a good pickup for generic, post-apocalyptic ruins. I made mine less complete than you did. Here's a link to my description of the set and what I did with them:
http://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com/2022/04/ruined-wall-sections-for-post.html
Looking forward to the next installment!
Mike Demana
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Well, that run was a bit easier. Well done. Looking forward to more of your crew's exploits...
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The Quatermass Run - Part 3: The Devil's Hump
The second package was located in a ruined farm building near an ancient burial mound called the Devil's Hump, on the outskirts of the village of Devil's End. After another early start, the stalkers drove to the village and hid their Landrover in a crumbling barn. They then carefully skirted round the village until they could see the top of the mound poking above the thick mist. On top of the mound they could easily make out the siren glow of an anomaly.
As they approached, the crew began to make out the shapes of not one but three ruined buildings near to the mound. Which one contained the instrument?
This game was run at TL2 with a 9 turn limit.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-050823110731-595121085.jpeg)
Game Setup
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-050823110732-595132366.jpeg)
The first thing to do was to check out the AA phone box on the junction. The good news was that the mist lifted. The bad news was that the heavens opened and Lukewarm could see the raindrops shimmering as they contacted a cobweb hazard. As well as severely reducing visibility, the rain would slow everyone's movement down. Not an auspicious start.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-050823110732-59514553.jpeg)
Ignoring the cobwebs, the crew split up to cover more ground. Lukewarm and Heslop headed for the furthest ruin, via the abandoned van. Meanwhile Fletcher led Godber and Ingrid to investigate the other two ruins.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-050823110732-595151910.jpeg)
A successful inspection revealed a mutated sheep in the ruins. Fletcher wasted no time and hosed the mutant down with 9mm bullets. Unfortunately his Sterling jammed as the magazine emptied (critical failure = Pin).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-050823110732-59516834.jpeg)
Lukewarm's bolt toss landed on top of the van, rattling loudly off the roof. Nothing stirred so he had a closer look. Smashing a window and peering inside revealed a completely empty van.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-050823111000-59517696.jpeg)
While Fletcher and Godber moved on to the ruined cottage, Ingrid checked out the mutant's lair. Neither salvage or an instrument could be found.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-050823111000-5951825.jpeg)
Lukewarm carefully inspected the second ruined house. A silvery haze seemed to emanate from something in the ruin. As Lukewarm and Heslop dug out their gas masks they saw an ominous darkening in the sky as black clouds rapidly rolled towards them accompanied by thunder and lightning. A flash storm. Time to get under cover.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-050823111000-59519767.jpeg)
With their gasmasks securely fitted to protect against the fumes, Lukewarm and Heslop made for the shelter provided by the ruin. Whilst waiting for the storm to roll over they made use of their time and searched for an instrument, but there was nothing to find.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-050823111000-595204.jpeg)
With time running out, Fletcher inspected the ruined cottage. There weren't any hostiles present, but there was something covered by a tarpaulin. As there was no cover nearby and they were running out of time, Fletcher sent Godber to join Ingrid in the shelter of her ruined house, while he checked out the tarpaulin and did his best to brave out the flash storm.
Under the tarp were several wrapped packages of gear, plus the instrument. Protecting the instrument with his body, Fletcher braced himself for the storm. Huge hailstorms battered Fletcher's back, but his body armour protected him well.
When the flash storm subsided a rather battered Fletcher picked up the instrument package. He couldn't afford to waste time to strip out the data recorder, so he grabbed the heavy package in both arms and made a run for it. It went against his best instincts to leave the other salvage unchecked, but getting out safely with the instrument was the priority.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-050823111000-5952115.jpeg)
With the flash storm having quickly passed over, the team just had to cope with trudging through the persistent heavy rain to get out of the area. Heslop struggled to keep up, but encouragement from Fletcher helped him to catch up (action donated using Fletcher's Leader skill).
As the crew left the area they could see the flickering of the untouched anomaly still sat on the mound. In his mind, Fletcher imagined the anomaly was laughing at them.
Epilogue:
The rain gradually subsided and the sun came out, although by now the stalkers were soaked through. However, the back lanes that they were using would be awash and it made sense to wait to let them dry out. Ingrid knew of an isolated but intact cottage not far away, so they made their way there. The cottage was mostly dry and in a defensible position. Its empty garage also made a good home for the landrover, perfect for Ingrid to work on it. While they unloaded their gear, Heslop had a scout around. A shout of success and he came back lugging a sack of anthracite. Perfect, thought Fletcher. They would be able to get a good fire going to dry their gear without any telltale smoke. "Get that in the hearth and lets get a good brew on. We'll rest up here tomorrow".
Not a particularly successful run. On the plus side, the crew all got out alive and recovered the instrument. On the minus side, they didn't manage to salvage anything else. Oh well, just one more instrument to collect from the Yellow Zone before they can get out to recuperate. The stalkers could almost taste the first round of pints waiting for them at the Winchester.
I particularly liked the way my POI cards and placement of the instrument and dummies played out. It completely changed the feel of this run. The game became a race against time to find the instrument, complicated by the flash storm forcing the crew to cover and the heavy rain slowing everyone down and reducing bolt toss/inspection ranges. Let's see what the next run brings
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I always like the look of your boards; there’s something very appealing about them.
On to the game. Can you just run through the POI cards procedure again? The Flash Storm card was drawn twice, once at the "furthest ruin" and again at the "ruined cottage" - is that correct? When a second card was drawn for POI, Fumes followed on from the first time and Hidden Supplies from the second. Or have I misunderstood completely?
Thanks
Doug
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I always like the look of your boards; there’s something very appealing about them.
On to the game. Can you just run through the POI cards procedure again? The Flash Storm card was drawn twice, once at the "furthest ruin" and again at the "ruined cottage" - is that correct? When a second card was drawn for POI, Fumes followed on from the first time and Hidden Supplies from the second. Or have I misunderstood completely?
Thanks
Doug
Flash Storm was drawn only once. I just placed it next to Fletcher as he got caught in the open and therefore needed to make an armour save against its D3 attack.
My system of POI cards incorporates Zone Events into the POI deck rather than rolling for them separately. This does mean that it is possible to draw multiple Zone Events in a game or, in this case, in the same turn. On investigating a POI, if a Zone Event is drawn the player then draws another POI card for what was actually at the POI (i.e. Cobwebs and Fumes in this game). Both the Zone Event and whatever was at the POI are then played as normal. If the second card drawn was another event then that is also played and you draw again for the POI (hence mist at the start of the game dispersed with Weather Lifts, only to be replaced by Heavy Rain on the next card drawn for the AA phone box POI.
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Great stuff Dave. :)
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Not much loot, but at least they got their instrument. Too bad about the flash storm, though. Sh*t happens.... ;)
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Great AAR and a nice board.
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Flash Storm was drawn only once. I just placed it next to Fletcher as he got caught in the open and therefore needed to make an armour save against its D3 attack.
My system of POI cards incorporates Zone Events into the POI deck rather than rolling for them separately. This does mean that it is possible to draw multiple Zone Events in a game or, in this case, in the same turn. On investigating a POI, if a Zone Event is drawn the player then draws another POI card for what was actually at the POI (i.e. Cobwebs and Fumes in this game). Both the Zone Event and whatever was at the POI are then played as normal. If the second card drawn was another event then that is also played and you draw again for the POI (hence mist at the start of the game dispersed with Weather Lifts, only to be replaced by Heavy Rain on the next card drawn for the AA phone box POI.
Thanks for the explanation - all is now clear. Having had a couple of games to get to grips with the rules and, for simplicity, using the charts in the rules for Hot Spots, Effects etc, I think it’s now time to adopt your system.
Looking forward to more Zone Albion entertainment.
Doug
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Thanks for the explanation - all is now clear. Having had a couple of games to get to grips with the rules and, for simplicity, using the charts in the rules for Hot Spots, Effects etc, I think it’s now time to adopt your system.
Looking forward to more Zone Albion entertainment.
Doug
The nice thing about using your own POI deck is that you can use your own cards to fit in the flavour of your campaign or to include scenario-specific encounters, be they hostiles, loot, hazards or Zone events.
I often used a reduced deck (typically 50 to 100% more cards than there are POIs in the game) with a number off scenario specific encounters and the balance made up of random cards from the main deck. This increases the probability of drawing particular hostiles you want to play (sometimes the 'special' I've added doesn't come into play and other times I get the special monster I wanted, along with random high level hostiles I didn't expect). It means you never can quite be sure what you're going to encounter, which is a real bonus for my solo game. You can also load the deck to ensure a particular card is drawn in the first 5 or 1O cards
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Excellent Bat Rep. Thanks for posting.
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Thanks for the explaination of your POI deck of cards, I usually do something similar in my own solo games. I've given a rough interpretation in the AAR I'm working on.
As you say it allows lots of buggeration factors to creep into a game and provide more interest and challenge than is normal. I like the weather effects, that you've chosen, neat.
Good game and a successful outcome, so onto the next instrument. :)
Cheers
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The nice thing about using your own POI deck is that you can use your own cards to fit in the flavour of your campaign or to include scenario-specific encounters, be they hostiles, loot, hazards or Zone events.
I often used a reduced deck (typically 50 to 100% more cards than there are POIs in the game) with a number off scenario specific encounters and the balance made up of random cards from the main deck. This increases the probability of drawing particular hostiles you want to play (sometimes the 'special' I've added doesn't come into play and other times I get the special monster I wanted, along with random high level hostiles I didn't expect). It means you never can quite be sure what you're going to encounter, which is a real bonus for my solo game. You can also load the deck to ensure a particular card is drawn in the first 5 or 1O cards
The game I’m planning now will benefit from your system. I also need to work out the best way to have hidden POI’s. The terrain is wooded with limited visibility so I want the team to have to search for the POI rather than make a beeline straight for them. This will probably necessitate giving them longer that the usual number of turns. Any suggestions welcome.
Doug
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The game I’m planning now will benefit from your system. I also need to work out the best way to have hidden POI’s. The terrain is wooded with limited visibility so I want the team to have to search for the POI rather than make a beeline straight for them. This will probably necessitate giving them longer that the usual number of turns. Any suggestions welcome.
Doug
I did that in my most recent game (to be posted here shortly). The main objective was hidden at one of four POI locations. The stalkers coul do a normal Bolt Toss/Inspect to see if they could see any hostiles, etc at the POI (a successful Inspect allows them to reveal the card contents without triggering any hostiles). However, in order to find the objective they had to physically go to the POI and spend 2 actions hunting for marks on a tree that indicated the objective was hidden there. With my normal luck the objective was at the final POI (as usual), so I had to clear and search four locations before securing the objective!
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Hmm. Great minds must think alike. I'm considering my crew having to search for a Hot Spot too, as in "Gunny, there's something in those woods, but I can't quite make out where." "Okay. You, you, and you, go in there and find it...".
I'm thinking they enter those woods, and have to roll progressively easier task rolls (in FFoL terms) until they find it.
And I'm thinking it'll need more game turns, too.
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Hmm. Great minds must think alike. I'm considering my crew having to search for a Hot Spot too, as in "Gunny, there's something in those woods, but I can't quite make out where." "Okay. You, you, and you, go in there and find it...".
I'm thinking they enter those woods, and have to roll progressively easier task rolls (in FFoL terms) until they find it.
And I'm thinking it'll need more game turns, too.
That's the rub. Searching for these things eats up game time, especially if you get zone events like Flash Storms sending you to cover or High Radiation reducing the number of game turns. Players that get distracted investigating nearby POIs/Hot Spots/Anomalies or involved in protracted fights soon find themselves running out of time to clear the main objective or not getting out of the area if they need to do so by the end of the game. It makes players become a lot more focussed on the main objective, hence in the last game (and the next one) the main objective was recovered but the crew couldn't afford the extra activation needed to see what other salvage was with it (getting out in both games literally needed all remaining player activations to safely escape the area).
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Hmm. Great minds must think alike. I'm considering my crew having to search for a Hot Spot too, as in "Gunny, there's something in those woods, but I can't quite make out where." "Okay. You, you, and you, go in there and find it...".
I'm thinking they enter those woods, and have to roll progressively easier task rolls (in FFoL terms) until they find it.
And I'm thinking it'll need more game turns, too.
I’m probably going to use a method Vagabond has suggested to me. Place maybe 12 small counters round the board. Take one suit of playing cards and nominate 4 (or however many POI you want in the game). The rest can be considered either "Nothing To See Here" or random encounters. Whenever the team gets to within effective range of a counter, turn a card to see if it’s a POI or not. Discard card so the chances of finding something get better as you proceed.
That's the rub. Searching for these things eats up game time, especially if you get zone events like Flash Storms sending you to cover or High Radiation reducing the number of game turns. Players that get distracted investigating nearby POIs/Hot Spots/Anomalies or involved in protracted fights soon find themselves running out of time to clear the main objective or not getting out of the area if they need to do so by the end of the game. It makes players become a lot more focussed on the main objective, hence in the last game (and the next one) the main objective was recovered but the crew couldn't afford the extra activation needed to see what other salvage was with it (getting out in both games literally needed all remaining player activations to safely escape the area).
Yes, indeed. I think I’ll allocate a bit more time than usual with E POI and a main objective but still keep the time allowance tight.
Doug
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The Quatermass Run - Part 4: Grimdale Ring
The third instrument package was concealed in the woods around Grimdale Ring. Fletcher had been given directions to find the package and told to look for markings carved into trees on the north side of the ring. He suspected that it might take a while to locate the instrument if it was well hidden.
Fletcher was always a bit of a worrier, but this one he liked least so far. He really did not like any of the old woods in the Zone. They gave him the jitters and this was compounded by these particular woods being very close to the Red Zone. As they entered the woods all of Fletcher's fears returned when he saw toadstools taller than a bus. The sooner they got out of here the better.
This game was run at TL2 (although there was a TL3 mutant hidden in the deck) with a duration of 9 turns.
As usual, see photo captions for what happened.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210057-59559681.jpeg)
Game setup. Four possible locations for the instrument are at POIs on the far side of the ring.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210316-59564760.jpeg)
Taking the shortest route through the woods, Godber and Heslop went on Alert, while Lukewarm inspected the camp fire in the woods. He had a critical success and spotted a pack of hobgoblins.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210316-595652432.jpeg)
The hobgoblins hadn't noticed the stalkers so, using his free action, Lukewarm took down two of them with his SLR. Godber and Heslop came off Alert and joined in the shooting. Godber got one greenskin, but Heslop missed them.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210316-595661659.jpeg)
Now it was time for the hobgoblins to play and they charged the stalkers. An inconclusive round of combat ensued. Both the hobgoblins and stalkers shrugged off hits, except for Lukewarm who was winded.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210316-595671765.jpeg)
Ingrid dived in and helped Heslop takedown his hobgoblin. With the greenskin well and truly dead, Heslop dived into the woods to investigate the fire pit Lukewarm had seen. Unfortunately there wasn't any salvage to be found.
Godber was struggling with his opponent, so Fletcher joined in. Pressing the barrel of his Sterling into the hobgoblin's side, he pulled the trigger and the greenskin was no more.
Lukewarm was still slugging it out with his opponent, so in the following round Ingrid joined in and emulated Fletcher by taking out the greenskin with her SMG at point blank range.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210316-59568212.jpeg)
Moving on towards the first possible site for the instrument, Lukewarm spotted some armed men waiting in ambush. Godber came off Alert and killed the nearest to him. Heslop tried to do the same and missed abysmally.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210448-59569204.jpeg)
The ambushers now opened fire, stunning Godber (Pinned) and wounding both Lukewarm and Heslop. Things weren't looking good.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210448-595701903.jpeg)
Thank heavens for Med Kits. Heslop and Lukewarm both fixed themselves up. Lukewarm used two actions to un-pin himself, then used his third action to kill the nearest ambusher. Godber also recovered and took out the next ambusher. That left one remaining. Fletcher moved up and quickly despatched him with a magazine of 9mm.
Ingrid then rushed up to check the area. She found some good salvage but no instrument. Glancing at the nearest dead attackers she noted that they wore what appeared to be monks' habits over their clothes. Very curious.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210448-59571635.jpeg)
Moving round the ring, Fletcher inspected the next possible location, only to see a mutated stag. Another burst of 9mm solved the problem. Unfortunately a subsequent check found no instrument in this area either.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210448-595721927.jpeg)
Lukewarm checked the next location and found nothing. Time was running out with one possible location remaining. Fletcher signalled to Ingrid and Heslop to start heading back, while Lukewarm and Godber checked out the final location.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210448-59573323.jpeg)
Another successful inspection by Lukewarm resulted in him spotting a pack of large dogs. He couldn't get a good angle on the dogs, so moved up closer.
Taking Lukewarm's lead, Godber came off Alert and killed two of them (one with a critical hit). Using his free action he took down another. Fletcher then used his Leader skill to donate all three of his actions to Lukewarm. One action was sufficient to take out the two remaining dogs, allowing Lukewarm to move over to the dogs' lair and start searching. He quickly found the instrument package. However, time was running out so he didn't stop to look for salvage.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-080823210528.jpeg)
The crew hurried out of the woods, with Lukewarm struggling with the bully instrument package. It was a close run thing and Godber only just made it.
Epilogue:
That was a lot closer than Fletcher liked. First the hobgoblins that just wouldn't go down when you hit them. Then there was the ambush that wounded two of the team. They weren't the run-of-the-mill zone scum either. For a start, they were armed with foreign assault rifles (Heslop said they were Kalashnikovs). Then there was the fact that they wore robes like monks' habits. Something about them just wasn't right.
The whole episode was a race against time. Trudging through thick undergrowth and having to look for marks on trees was always going to take time. The greenskins and the ambush just served to eat up any time they had left. Once again, they didn't get a chance to hunt for salvage, although the bit that Ingrid found certainly helped. They didn't have time to check out the anomaly either.
Overall, the team had done well. Between getting the Landrover on the road and finding the three instruments, they had amassed a reasonable amount of salvage and an artifact (total value 6,525 quid after Grouty's cut) and had gained a lot of experience (53 advance points accumulated, Ingrid and Heslop were now veterans and Godber was not far off). Quatermass was happy too, so that was another grand and a half in the kitty.
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Another rollicking read. A good job that the TL3 mutant didn’t appear by the looks of it - it may have held you up when time was tight. Once again, the limited turn factor makes for a taut game. Lukewarm spotted the hobgoblins by having a critical success but how did he spot the ambush by the armed men before it was launched?
Med-kits are your friend…. :)
It’s coincidental that the table I have set-up waiting for a chance to play my game 3 is almost totally wooded and there’s a good chance that the team will meet some blokes dressed a bit like monks but with pointy hats.
Good stuff, as ever.
Doug
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Another rollicking read. A good job that the TL3 mutant didn’t appear by the looks of it - it may have held you up when time was tight. Once again, the limited turn factor makes for a taut game. Lukewarm spotted the hobgoblins by having a critical success but how did he spot the ambush by the armed men before it was launched?
Hi Doug
In both encounters Lukewarm did a standard 2-action Bolt Toss/Inspect to see what was at the POI. In the case of the ambush Lukewarm was successful, so got to see what was on the POI card without triggering it (must have noticed some movement in the woods). He had no more actions (having used his third action for movement), but Godber and Heslop were on Alert (overwatch) so got to fire on the ambushers first. In the case of the Hobgoblins, Luke warm also moved (1 action) before using his other two actions for Bolt Toss/Inspect. However, in this case he rolled a critical success (natural 1), so as well as spotting the Hobgoblins he got an additional free action for the crit (which he used for shooting at the Hobgoblins). Once again, others in the crew were on Alert so got to fire before the Hobgoblins moved.
Note that the armed ambushers were a normal Bandit card. However, I rule that if there has been any firing or explosions earlier in the game any human hostiles are deployed in ambush position and can fire as soon as whoever triggers them finishes their activation (instead of waiting until the end of the turn to activate as normal for hostiles). This makes bandits, etc much more dangerous, as they can shoot before the rest of the stalker team have moved. Hence I always try to place one or two crew members on Alert before another member investigates a POI. Of course, in this instance, it would have helped if a certain member of the crew had gone to Specsavers and not missed with every shot!
Dave
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Dave - thanks for the explanation. It highlights something else I’ve been doing wrong - bolt toss/inspection but I know better now.
I like the idea of human hostiles reacting to shooting in the way you describe. I was having a discussion with Vagabond earlier today about the effect of shooting on hostiles. His idea is that they would start moving towards the noise but that would only work if they’d already been discovered and deployed. I like your ambush idea.
Doug
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Another successful outing for your team, as Doug said the limited turn mechanic concentrates the mind somewhat.
Solo games in particular lead to inovative ways to simulate the enemy and look for objectives and this will be different for each game and scenario. Searching for something can be done in loads of different ways and depends on what you want the outcome to be. Taking CptnJims example of reducing dice rolls, he is always going to find the objective he just doesn't know when. I've used a search mechanic where the result is, found it :D didn't find it and move on :( didnt find it but carry on searching ::) this obviously means I might never find the object.
As Doug said, sometines I've had possible enemy counters move towards the sound of firing but that only works if all encounters are mobile and interested. I like the ZA approach to bandits, so that having heard firing earlier in the game then they are in an ambush situation when you do find them. However this ignores any effect that shooting would have on say zombies or ghouls, maybe they are considered so unintelligent that they just ignore it?
When two groups meet I tend to use an In Sight Test based on the 2Hour wargame rules, to resolve who goes first. Basically some form of opposed roll taking into account troop quality and a couple of situational factors. It just means in an encounter I never know who will react first until they do.
I'm enjoying reading how you use various mechanics to play the game, there's lots of ideas to consider borrowing.
Cheers
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Been away and while so it's nice to catch up with your campaign - hopefully I'll be well enough soon to get a game of my own going again.
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The Quatermass Run - Interlude:
It had made sense to leave the Zone after getting first three instruments, allowing the stalkers to recuperate and resupply before going back in, as the final instrument was on the other side of the Zone and within the more dangerous Red Zone area. Quatermass was happy with the instruments they had recovered so far, but expressed the urgency of getting the final instrument package back. Fletcher would therefore need to take the crew back into the Zone within a couple of days.
Fletcher didn't like doing back into the Zone so soon, as he was two men down. Both Lukewarm and Heslop had been shot in the last run. Fortunately they had only minor wounds, but they would both need to rest up and recover for at least a couple of weeks. Fortunately, McLaren and Bunny Warren were back from Grouty's job, so they could fill in while the guys recovered. It would be good to have the big Scot back in the crew.
The crew had all benefited from the last run. Ingrid and Heslop could both now be considered veterans of the Zone. In tending Lukewarm and Heslop's wounds, Ingrid also demonstrated that she had a natural ability to repair people as well as cars. Lukewarm praised her work and said she had the makings of a good medic.
While Ingrid tended their casualties, Fletcher and Godber visited Camp Tony to see what gear he had and spend some of their earnings. After a bit of haggling they came away with med kits and 9mm hot loads to replace what they had used, plus a couple more chest rigs and some grenades. That lot should help make sure they were ready to face the Red Zone.
Promotions (following four games without leaving the Zone):
Ingrid becomes Veteran, gains Bone Doc skill
Heslop becomes Veteran, gains Hard skill
Advances (54 points available):
Fletcher gains 1 point of Combat Ability skill (10 advance points)
Ingrid, Godber, Heslop and Lukewarm each gain 1 point of Armour Rating (40 advance points total)
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Your crew is doing pretty well, even without checking out all the Hot Spots/Anomalies. They seem to know their business, that's for sure.
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The Quatermass Run: Part 5 - St. Hilda on the Moors
The final instrument package was hidden in the ruins of the Abbey of St Hilda on the Moors. Skirting round inside of the Green Zone in the Landrover (their access pass would get them past any patrols) then cutting in towards the centre via the shortest route to the abbey would minimise their time in the Yellow and Red Zones. With the exception of Godber, the crew were all now veterans of the Zone. Fletcher hoped they were all ready for the horrors of the Red Zone.
The crew approached site along a tree-lined driveway. At the end of the avenue the drive continued into a large open space, in the centre of which were the ruins of the abbey. Blocking the drive to the front of them was a bullet-ridden Morris Traveller, while to their left was a van partly sunken in a pond. Fletcher scanned the ruins with his binoculars. No sign of movement, but he did notice the ominous marking of automatic weapons fire traced along the stonework, as well as markings that could only have come from heavier ordnance.
Ingrid knew the history of the abbey and told Fletcher that it was believed to have been built on the site of a pagan temple, evidence of which could be seen in the form of standing stones around the perimeter of the ruins. Although much of abbey was destroyed in the reign of Henry VIII, the main building was taken over by one of Henry's favourites as a residence. The building went through a succession of owners until the Second World War, when a German bomber trying to escape British fighters dumped its bomb load over the moors, right on top of the abbey. The ensuing fire burnt the abbey to the ground, leaving only the shell of the building. After the War the abbey's owners moved abroad and, soon after they departed, rumour had it that an unscrupulous builder had 'harvested' the ruins for stone. What remained of the abandoned ruins gradually collapsed through lack of repair. Eventually nature reclaimed the site and what was left of the abbey became overgrown.
More recently, the ruins became infamous for a pitched battle between a well-armed group of veteran stalkers and an a large group of unidentified attackers. Only one stalker made it out alive to tell the tale, telling of well-armed attackers who were far more aggressive than the usual zone scum.
As if the prospect of heavily armed bandits wasn't enough to worry Fletcher about as they set out, Bunny and McLaren compared legends of creatures said to haunt the moors; including the Black Beast (said to be a huge dog from Hell) and the fearsome Great Wyrm of Northmoor. At least they wouldn't have to contend with ancient woods this time.
Game run as TL3 with 9 turn limit.
As usual, details of the game are in the photo captions.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172334-598581826.jpeg)
Game setup. The instrument package is in one of the four sections of ruins surrounding the anomaly.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172334-598591301.jpeg)
Entering the area.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172334-598601565.jpeg)
Ignoring the distractions presented by various POIs, the crew headed for the first piece of ruins that could hide the objective.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172334-598611434.jpeg)
After both Ingrid and Bunny Warren failed their inspection rolls (the rocks tossed in both cases went very wide), Bunny got fed-up with subtlety and lobbed a rock straight into the ruins. What he didn't expect was to see the shimmering black form of the Black Beast of the Moors that he had speculated about the night before.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172334-598622154.jpeg)
As the beast charged Bunny, both McLaren and Godber came off Alert and opened fire. The beast appeared to shimmer, making it hard to target. However they still got three hits with their SLRs. To their surprise, these hits had no effect (three 2s rolled as armour saves). The beast continued its move and attacked Bunny (with three actions per activation it was able to move twice and attack).
Bunny held his nerve and slam fired his shotgun as the beast sank its claws into his flak jacket. The shotgun did its job and the beast was no more. Bunny was momentarily dazed after the beast landed on him (successful armour save against the beast's attack, followed by a failed Will check = Pin).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172536-5986349.jpeg)
Ingrid helped get the dead beast off Bunny, then the two of them headed over to the beast's lair to look for the instrument (they found neither instrument or salvage). Meanwhile, Fletcher successfully checked out the next ruins, revealing a pack of hobgoblins under the cover of its wall. McLaren and Godber came off Alert and both lobbed hand grenades. McLaren rushed his throw and it went wide, killing only one of the greenskins. Godber's throw wasn't much better, falling short and only getting two more.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172536-59864916.jpeg)
Three hobgoblins rushed McLaren and the remaining two headed for Godber.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172536-59865450.jpeg)
In his activation McLaren had to fight his three opponents. Two rounds of inconclusive fighting featured a couple of hits with successful armour saves. In McLaren's third action he went for the greenskins again. He missed, but a blow from a greenskin's spiked club caught him and he went down.
Fletcher rushed in and killed one greenskin. The remaining two launched themselves at Fletcher, who took them out with his Sterling.
Meanwhile Ingrid had taken out the remaining two greenskins with a couple of bursts of 9mm hot loads.
McLaren patched himself up with a med-kit, while Bunny the Scrounger checked out the ruins, finding 1,750 quid worth of salvage plus a chest rig and a scope sight. Unfortunately no sign of the instrument.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172536-59866787.jpeg)
Another successful inspection by Fletcher revealed an injured stalker sheltering in the next piece of ruins.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172536-59867966.jpeg)
Ingrid rushed over to apply a med-kit, while Bunny looked for the instrument. Once again he drew a blank.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172630-598682247.jpeg)
With time running out, McLaren and Godber deployed on Alert to cover the last set of ruins, while Ingrid scanned the last rins for signs of trouble. She couldn't see any signs of movement, but there was a telltale shimmer of fumes in the air.
Adjusting his gas mask, Bunny ran to the ruins and a quick search revealed the elusive instrument.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/59/164-250823172630-598692162.jpeg)
Time to escape, with only two turns to get out. Everyone ran. Fletcher was last out, as he had to donate some of his actions (using Leader skill) to the injured stalker.
Epilogue:
That was a little too close for comfort. Bunny was almost dogfood and McLaren was lucky that he only had a minor gash from a greenskin's wespon (better make sure the big Scot sees the doc for some antibiotics when they get out of the Zone). after Bunny's ghost stories about the Black Beast he told them all that he was now vindicated and it did exist. As evidence he produced one of its paws that he had hacked off, still shimmering with a metallic gleam in the light of the light of their fire. "We'll never hear the end of this," thought Fleycher "at least we didn't see the Great Wyrm that McLaren had talked about".
The wounded stalker introduced himself as Blanco and was an old hand at this game, with the emphasis on old. He was easily old enough to be Godber's father, possibly even Bunny or McLaren's. Certainly the oldest stalker Fletcher knew of. Once they had got away from the abbey, Ingrid got him undressed and looked at his wounds. Blanco's flak jacket had saved him from the worst, although he probably had a couple of cracked ribs (nothing some surgical tale and painkillers couldn't resolve in the short term). The wound to his left arm looked bad. However, a bit of cleaning up revealed the bullet had gone straight through the flesh of his upper arm with nice clean and small exit wound. The blood made it look a lot worse. He wouldn't be hefting a heavy rifle for a while, but had certainly got off lucky.
Blanco certainly had a healthy appetite. While he ate a hot meal with the crew he told them what gad happened to him. He was part of a crew investigating some workshop buildings nearer to the centre of the Zone, when they came across a large group of heavily armed robed men holding some sort of ceremony and chanting in a language that none of the stalkers recognised. They must have had a guard on alert, as someone opened fire and killed the stalkers' leader. Then all they could do was run. The robed men caught up will Blanco at the abbey. When he took a couple of hits he though he was done for. The men circled his position in the ruins but then abruptly left. Just before he lost consciousness Blanco swore that he herd something large moving nearby. Maybe it scared off the men hunting him. At this point in his story Blanco slumped forward, asleep (Ingrid had laced his food to make sure he rested).
While Blanco slept, the crew took turns on watch, doing their best to shelter from the persistent rain. At least the rain should deter the armed men Blanco mentioned. Godber swore something large was moving out there, but the wind played games with his hearing and he couldn't pinpoint where it was. None of the others heard anything and they put it down to Blanco's story telling. In the morning, just to placate Godber, McLaren checked the area outside their camp. When he came back he looked visibly shaken (Fletcher said he looked white). Something very large had circled the camp at least a couple of times. McLaren couldn't discern any footprints, but its body appeared to have crushed a wide trail through the undergrowth where it had passed.
This run obviously wasn't over yet. They finished their brew and hastily broke camp. After his night's sleep, Blanco seemed a new man. He thanked the crew profusely for saving him and asked what he could do to help. Not being one to say no to an offer of help in the circumstances, Fletcher took up the offer. Blanco would have to make do with his pistol for the time being, but some spare 9mm ammunition and a med-kit from the crew's gear should hopefully heep him alive until they could find a replacement for his broken rifle.
Game notes:
Despite using a loaded POI deck, the crew were lucky not to encounter any armed cultists or the alpha predator that I had snuck into the deck!
As per previous games, the instrument was in the last of the four possible locations, forcing the crew to once again take it to the wire to get out in time.
Blanco was played as a Green stalker, but with Armour 5 (flak jacket), pistol and load carrying vest (rolled as salvage when he was found). Following his treatment and night's rest he will be played for the rest of this run as Hardened with skill Hard. If he gets out of the Zone and gets a chance to properly recover he may come back at Veteran level.
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The scenery was a bit sparser than your usual but the account of the game was absorbing. It must have been tense whenever you turned a card, wondering if the big predator or the intimidating cultists were going to appear.
The next day’s adventuring could be challenging. Looking forward to reading about it.
Doug
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The scenery was a bit sparser than your usual but the account of the game was absorbing.
Don't worry Doug. The Scenery on the next game will be a lot more restrictive!
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Don't worry Doug. The Scenery on the next game will be a lot more restrictive!
😀I ain’t complainin’, Dave😀. Loving it all….!
Doug
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An entertaing story, looks like it was a close run thing for the guys. Nice touch with the unknown alpha predator prowling around the camp. Crushing undergrowth but leaving no footprints. Humm, scary.
Interesting version of the barghest, yours looks very modern, almost mechanical rather than the normsl black shaggy dog. Different but good.
The moors looked suitably moorish, did you base this on Whitby Abbey or just made up?
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The moors looked suitably moorish, did you base this on Whitby Abbey or just made up?
Thanks. I think I've achieved the right level of moorisness for my games. As for the influences on the abbey, certainly a bit of Whitby plus various ruins I've visited around the country over the years. Also memories of watching many Hammer Horror films when I was (much) younger .
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Another interesting story there. Well done!
But, man, your crew keeps getting out just in the nick of time. I hate to say (type?) this, but one of these times, the odds are bound to catch up to them...hopefully, as (mostly) veterans, they'll be able to get through that if/when it happens... ;)
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Also memories of watching many Hammer Horror films when I was (much) younger .
Ingrid Pitt remains as one of my all time favourite vamps, I think we're on the wrong board here ;)
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Your storyline definitely has a unique flavor. The horror aspect adds just the right touch of "tall tales" and uncertainty to the tone...
Mike Demana
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The Quatermass Run - Part 6: It's Got a Bridge
With the final instrument data package secured, the stalkers could finally leave the Zone. The revelation that something large had circled their camp overnight was worrying, as was the prospect of large numbers of armed robed men with a thing about killing stalkers (from Blanco's description these could well be the same ones that ambushed Fletcher's crew at Grimdale Ring).
The Landrover was on its last legs. Its gearbox was now stuck in first gear, so it would be a slow drive out, especially as last night's rain had turned the roads into muddy streams. However, it should still have been an easy run out of the Zone; cross the next river at the ford, then over the open moors towards home.
Then they saw the state of the ford, now impassable due to the torrent that flowed over it. Fletcher looked ,at the map,"We have only one real option, short of going back deeper into the Red Zone. If we double back a quarter mile we can take the fork to Stoneybridge. It's got a bridge, a stoney bridge".
They were committed to their route now. However, as they approached Stoneybridge something didn't feel right to Fletcher. It was just too quiet. He told Ingrid to stop the Landrover and let Blanco drive. They would proceed on foot while Blanco.
This scenario is a variant of one from the Black Dawn campaign, run at TL3 with a 9 turn limit and a somewhat loaded POI deck!
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142019-60218741.jpeg)
Game setup. Blanco gets to drive the Landrover, while the rest of the team approach the village cautiously on foot. With the river in full flood the stalkers have no choice but to go over the bridge at the far side of the village.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142019-602191436.jpeg)
As the moorland mist closed in McLaren checked out the garage, revealing a mutant wandering around the forecourt. It hadn't noticed the stalkers yet, so they decided to check out the house opposite before they opened fire.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142019-602201347.jpeg)
Fletcher crouched behind the wall by the garage, from where he could get a better view of the house. A couple of well aimed stones went through the windows, but nothing responded. With there probably being no hostiles inside, Bunny Warren raced towards the house to search for salvage. Unfortunately he forgot about the mutant, which raced across the road towards him. However, Godber was alert and took the creature out with his SLR. Unfortunately the gunfire might alert other hostiles to their presence.
With the mutant out of the way, Ingrid entered the mutant's lair in the garage, finding 500 quid worth of salvage plus a med-kit and some E-juice (she would have found better salvage if I had remembered to roll on the TL3 column instead of TL2). She stuck the E-juice in her rucksack and fixed the med-kit on her webbing for immediate access. Meanwhile Bunny entered the house and found an equipment cache including a load-bearing harness containing a flashlight and a med-kit.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142019-602212411.jpeg)
The stalkers advanced towards the Post Office on the right, with McLaren moving to cover the rear of the building and Godber advancing up to the forecourt fence to cover the front.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142019-602222055.jpeg)
McLaren had a good view of the Post Office, but nothing could be seen inside, even using his starlight scope.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142145-602232101.jpeg)
As he was nearest the front door, Bunny kicked open the door and almost walked into a tripwire attached to a boobytrap. Feeling lucky, Bunny successfully defused the bomb. Using his keen Scrounger skills, a search came up with 1,500 quid worth of salvage.
With the Post Office appearing to be clear, McLaren moved up its side and took cover behind the pillar box. Meanwhile Godber and Ingrid scaled the fence at the rear of the garage forecourt to cover the rear of the next building, while Fletcher covered the front. While Godber covered the building, Ingrid gave it a good look-over and pronounced it to probably have no hostiles inside.
Time was pressing on so Fletcher told everyone to leave searching the building and check out the one on the left over the crossroads. Everyone took their positions and Fletcher aimed a large stone at the building. As he threw the stone his foot went through a rotten floorboard and he ended up on his back (critical failure on bolt toss/inspection roll) The stone hit the building roof and clattered loudly off the tiles.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142145-602241220.jpeg)
Bunny and McLaren were both on Alert. Bunny saw movement of armed men behind the windows, so he lobbed a smoke grenade in front of the building. Seeing couple of a hooded figures skulking at the side of the building, McLaren let loose some 7.62 from his SLR, killing one with a Critical Hit. Using his free action he took a shot at the other, but a successful hit had no effect on him and McLaren's normally reliable SLR jammed (Critical Failure).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142145-60225527.jpeg)
A gunman in the first floor window let loose burst from his AK-47 at McLaren. On bullet hit the Scot, but he was saved by his flak jacket. However, the second gunman at the side of the house was more lucky and succeeded in wounding McLaren.
Another gunman behind the rear fence tried to get a shot at Ingrid. However, she was too well obscured so he went on Alert to wait for her. To his surprise, Ingrid moved into the open and advanced firing at him. He was so surprised by her move that his shots went wild. Ingrid was more lucky and a burst from her Sterling pinned the gunman and allowed her to move up to the fence.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142145-602261181.jpeg)
Ingrid's blood was up. Now standing at the hole in the fence she had a clear view of the prone gunman picking himself up. A burst from her Sterling had the desired effect, including a Critical Hit. Using her free action, Ingrid scaled the fence and move to the corner of the house. Looking around the corner she saw not one, but two robed figures with AKs. Not being one to waste an opportunity, she lobbed a hand grenade that somehow failed to affect either gunman. With an action remaining, Ingrid resorted to her Sterling. That sorted them!
With one gunman remaining on the first floor, Bunny moved up and let loose his shotgun, succeeding in stunning his target. Fletcher yelled "finish him" (2 actions donated using his Leader skill). Rushing over the road, Bunny entered the building and ran up the stairs to the gunman cowering next to the window.
Bunny was now so close to the gunman that the gunman had no choice but to try to use his rifle butt on his shotgun-armed assailant. It didn't go well for the gunman, who ended up smeared across the wall.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142145-602271332.jpeg)
One house to go and they would be at the bridge. Fletcher signalled to Blanco to bring the Landy and try to get it through the gap between the police car and the pillar box. Cautiously approaching, Blanco only succeeded in stalling the engine (failed Will test = Pin).
McLaren applied a med-kit to his wound, using his remaining actions to remove Pin markers. Meanwhile, Bunny's thieving instincts kicked-in. He ransacked the house, finding 1,500 quid worth of salvage, another load-bearing harness and a box of AK-47 hot loads. Not being one to miss an opportunity, he picked up the gunman's AK and wiped the blood from it.
The rest of the team moved into position to look at the final house. They couldn't afford the time for Bunny to reappear and McLaren to recover, so Ingrid checked out the house, seeing more robed gunmen moving into ambush positions. Without the full team in position, a couple of well placed smoke bombs obscured any vision from the occupants of the house.
Since they were unable to see their attackers I made each occupant of the house roll a Will test. If they passed they would hold their ground and go in Alert. If they failed they would exit the house to regroup with others to the rear of the building. Two failed, so they joined up with others outside the building.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142311-60228994.jpeg)
Securing his gas mask and powering up his starlight sight, McLaren entered the smoke. His opponents couldn't see him but he knew where they were. Four shots, four kills.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142311-60229198.jpeg)
Ingrid advanced through the smoke and hurled a grenade at the window. She fumbled the throw, the grenade bounced off the window frame and sailed back over her head into the street. Fortunately none of the stalkers were near where it landed. Fletcher swore loudly. Godber also moved up to the window with a grenade. This one went into the building. Unfortunately it rolled to the back of the room and had no effect. Fletcher swore again, moved up to the window and showed them how it was done.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023142311-602301841.jpeg)
As the smoke cleared, that left one gunman remaining on the first floor. Bunny moved up to shoot at the figure in the window, but the gunman got his shots off first and Bunny went down.
The gunman didn't last long, as Godber moved to a better position and filled the window space with 7.62mm rounds.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-051023154625.jpeg)
Ingrid rushed over to Bunny to tend his wounds. As she applied the med-kit she heard Blanco force her Landy past the police car and pillar box. She winced as she heard the scrape of metal on metal.
With just the bridge in their way, Fletcher had a close look at it. Although there were no hostiles in sight, this had to be the next worse result. Cobwebs! Webs of silvery filaments that could paralyse a man if he brushed against them. The bridge was covered with the webs. If they drove the Landy over the bridge it would also get covered and someone was bound to be affected, if not when they drove over then when they got out the other side. There was only one option. They would have to abandon the Landy and work their way between the webs on foot. So close, but it was the only option. Fletcher would miss the Landy and Ingrid would certainly be upset.
Epilogue:
After getting over the bridge the crew put some distance between themselves and the village before going to ground in the cover of an old sheep pen.
Ingrid had checked Bunny and McLaren's wound dressings and Godber was now comforting her over the loss of her Landrover. At least Blanco was happy, now that Bunny had given him the Kalashnikov and box of hot loads that he had picked up.
Fletcher checked his pack to make sure that the data recorder he had removed from the last instrument package was safe. He then mused over their situation. That was a close run thing. Where did all those robed fanatics with assault rifles come from? They were fortunate that Bunny and McLaren both only sustained flesh wounds.
The crew had also used too many grenades in flushing out the hostiles (note to self: teach Godber and Ingrid how to throw grenades when they get out of the Zone). However, he shouldn't run them down. Godber was his usual reliable self with his SLR and Ingrid did an excellent job of taking out most of the first group of fanatics single-handed (only surpassed by McLaren wading through the second group with his SLR). On the plus side, they had found some good salvage and gear.
The thing that really p*ssed off Fletcher was that they had left his spirit stove and tin of tea in the Landrover. This made it personal. Those fanatics were going to pay for this.
There was no sign of anyone pursuing them, so maybe their luck was finally in. Then Godber chirped up that at least whatever was stalking them the night before hadn't been seen yet. All of the crew stared at him. If looks could kill ...
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Brilliant report as usual, I thoroughly enjoyed that
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I'm not a tea drinker, but if someone came between the Mrs. and her tea, they should watch out. So I can understand why Fletcher's pissed.
Lovely report. Well done! Looking forward to more...
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The Quatermass Run: Part 7 - Hunted
The crew did their best to stay warm and dry overnight. Blanco found some not too damp wood and got a smoky fire going, onto which he stuck his mess tin. Godber produced some tea bags, so they got a brew on. McLaren topped up their tea from a flask of Bells he had secreted in his pack. To finish their repast, Bunny Warren produced a handful of Mars Bars he had brought along 'just in case'.
Fletcher ordered McLaren and Bunny to rest and allow their wounds to heal. The others took turns in pairs to go on watch. To their surprise, they had a quiet night. In the morning the crew had a quick brew then started off to get out of the Red Zone. If they had no trouble they should get completely out of the Zone by the evening.
It was only a couple of miles to the edge of the Red Zone. If they could get into the Yellow Zone quickly Fletcher would be a lot happier. Then the keen-eyed McLaren noticed figures on the horizon behind them. They were being followed. Fortunately the moorland provided plenty of dead ground and cover from gullies, stone walls, rocks and the like. Using this cover they should be able to hide from anyone looking for them.
Looking at the map, McLaren pointed out that if they headed North for a couple of hours they would come to Grouty's base in Yellow Zone, that he and Bunny had been guarding. If they could get there they would be safe. The quickest way to the base was to head through a valley, which the map showed to be partially wooded with some clusters of buildings.
Although they saw armed groups on the horizon, none saw the crew as they approached the valley. As they crossed the last rise the valley came into sight and the crew were taken aback by what they saw. It was a vision of Hell. The valley must have been hit hard by one of the early emissions. The road, now long since washed away, was littered with rusted vehicles that had been trying to escape the area. The trees looked to have died instantly from a massive dose of radiation and were now just bare orange trunks, with the ground littered with orange pine needles and dead shrubs, although poking up through the muddy ground and orange needles in places were new growths of green. As for the buildings, they were long deserted ruins that would provide little to no cover. At various points in the valley they could see the tell-tale flickering of anomalies. "Keep an eye on your Geiger counters as we cross that" said Fletcher.
McLaren went ahead of the crew to see if any of their adversaries had got in front of them. Even with his size and recent injury he moved silently as he went down the wooded slope into the valley. After a while he came back looking visibly shaken. Fletcher joked that he looked white, but McLaren ignored him. "They got here first, but they're not going to bother us." said the big Scot "I think we've got a bigger problem".
The path led through a gulley surrounded by the orange trees. In clearing ahead they saw what had shaken McLaren. None of them had been prepared for this and both Godber and Ingrid brought up the contents of their stomachs. Scattered around the clearing were the fresh remains of several men. They couldn't tell how many, as the bodies had been ripped apart by something in a feeding frenzy, with pieces scattered around the area. The undergrowth in the clearing had been completely crushed and some of the smaller tree trunks had been snapped. Fragments of gore-stained robes showed these men to have probably been from the same group that had been following them. Maybe this was an ambush party that had been surprised by something. Something very big.
McLaren and Bunny nervously scanned the woods while Fletcher sorted out Godber and Ingrid. The only crew member not phased by the sights in the clearing was Blanco, who whistled as he went through the remains of broken equipment and bodies, cleaning and pocketing Kalashnikov magazines and the occasional valuable.
Meanwhile Bunny looked around in the woods beyond the clearing. He found a wide trail from something big that had moved through the woods, possibly circling the clearing before going in for the kill. There were no discernable footprints, just crushed undergrowth like the trail from whatever had circled their camp a couple of nights ago. It was time to move on, fast.
This scenario is loosely based on the final mission in the Zone Ravens campaign in the Kontraband rules. The game was run at TL3 with an 8 turns limit. The sodden ground means that all movement is reduced by 1".
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171524-603451222.jpeg)
Game Setup
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171524-603482437.jpeg)
The first obstacle to be passed was the abandoned Morris Traveller. The crew moved into position to cover this point of interst, going into Alert (overwatch) mode. Fletcher then took a good look at the car (Bolt Toss and Inspect actions), confirming no movement in the area. However the back doors were ajar and it looked like there was some gear in the back of the car. Ingrid moved up and found a large metal box with a badly rusted lock (Damaged Container). Using her Wrench skill with her tool kit made short work of the lock and she discovered the chest was mainly filled with army webbing. A quick rummage through the webbing produced a serviceable chest rig and load bearing harness, as well as 750 quid worth of other salvage.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171524-60349560.jpeg)
Next up, Fletcher tossed a large stone into the ruined cottage on their left. The stone overshot and clattered off the back wall, disturbing a mutant from whatever it was doing. None of the crew could get a clear shot, so they had to wait for it to come into view. Sure enough, the mutant exited the ruin in search of fresh meat, charging straight towards Fletcher. The mutant went down hard, taking a total of four hits from the combined firepower covering the ruin.
While the rest of the crew moved up the road, Bunny Warren checked out the mutant's lair. Using his Scrounger skill he amassed a detector, another chest rig and 2,750 quid worth of other salvage.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171524-603501643.jpeg)
Exiting the ruined cottage, Bunny decided to try his luck at the Anomaly in the road. He tossed a piece of rock in the direction of the anomaly, but couldn't ascertain what type it was (failed Bolt Toss). A second rock produced the desired effect, as he observed the rock to be displaced several yards from the anomaly. A Teleport anomaly! Annoying, but not usually lethal (unless it teleported you inside a wall or somesuch).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171524-603512284.jpeg)
Bunny approached the anomaly and pulled out a medium value artifact worth three and a half grand. Trusting to his luck and his Scrounger skill, Bunny reached towards the anomaly again. Unfortunately this time he triggered the anomaly (Critical Failure rolled), which bounced him around several times until he was finally thrown over a wall and out of its area of effect. A somewhat disorientated Bunny ended up lying stunned on the ground (Pinned after Critical Failure roll).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171656-60352770.jpeg)
While Bunny tried to recover his senses, the rest of the crew moved up to cover the ruined farmhouse over the road from the anomaly.
Bunny scurried back over the wall (well away from the anomaly) as Fletcher checked out the ruined farmhouse. Unfortunately Fletcher couldn't get a clear view inside, so all his Bolt Toss did was to wake up a pack of hobgoblins lurking inside. It was at this point when things were about to go wrong for the crew.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171656-603532399.jpeg)
As the hobgoblins surged out of the farmhouse the crew opened fire. Always reliable, McLaren killed the pair nearest him. Blanco only got one hit, which his target shrugged off. The same happened for Godber, but his SLR also jammed (Pinned). That left Bunny facing three greenskins intent on carving pieces off him. Slam-firing his trusty shotgun he took all three opponents out, although the last one managed to catch him with a blade just before its head disappeared in a green mist.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171656-60354173.jpeg)
To add to the crew's woes, they heard something large approaching from beyond the anomaly (something nasty that will appear at the start of the next turn). Bunny was injured and Ingrid with her Bone Doc skill was nowhere to be seen (she had wandered off up the road), so Bunny applied one of his med-kits and slowly sorted himself out (recovered the two Pins for self-applying a med-kit). Leaving the remaining greenskin to McLaren to dispose of, he snuck behind it towards the farmhouse. McLaren then croseed the road towards the farmhouse and went inside. The rest of the crew took up positions to wait for whatever was approaching.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171656-603551452.jpeg)
The creature that was approching was huge and hideous. Its long sinuous body had elements reminiscent of both a snake and a centipede, but it was far removed from both species. This must surely be the creature that had been stalking them, the Great Wyrm of Northmoor. On seeing the terrifying creature both Bunny and Godber froze (the Wyrm is Terrifying: TWO Will checks required per stalker seeing it for the first time, one Pin for each failure).
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171656-60356474.jpeg)
McLaren climbed to the remains of the farmhouse's first floor in order to get a shot. When he saw the beast he too froze. He used the rest of his turn to shake off his two Pins. Bunny shook off his two pins, then letting rip with his shotgun. However only one shot found its way through the creature's armour and his gun also jammed (Pinned). Godber shook off his Pin and opened-up with his SLR, getting another good hit on the beast. So far the Wyrm had taken two hits and was still coming towards them!
The Wyrm lunged at its nearest target, the pinned Bunny (desperately trying to unjam his shotgun). Bunny dodged a lunge from its slavering jaws, but was caught by a heavy blow from its tail, that smashed him against the stone ruins. Seeing another target (Fletcher) close by, the Wyrm ignored the wounded Bunny and surged forward to engage him in rather one-sided combat.
[Game Note: The Great Wyrm used the Alpha Predator stats from the Kontraband supplement, but with 4 Wounds]
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171752-6035712.jpeg)
With Fletcher now in danger of being eaten by the Wyrm, Godber opened fire on it, with one of his hits getting through its armour. Blanco moved into position to get a shot, only to freeze when he saw the terrifying creature. Following Blanco, cool-headed Ingrid moved up, saw the hideous creature, swore at it in a distinctly un-ladylike way and let loose a burst from her Sterling. Somehow one of her 9mm rounds found its mark and got past the creature's armour. The Wyrm reared-up, thrashed around and fell motionless to the ground.
(https://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/60/164-171023171752-603581204.jpeg)
The crew had spent too long in the area (exceeding the game's 8-turn limit), so needed to press on and escape the area before anything else came to seek them out. Still, that wouldn't stop them from taking advantage of any salvage opportunities on their way out of the area.
While Bunny applied another med-kit (he was sure he had a couple of cracked ribs for starters), Fletcher darted into the farmhouse to check out the hobgoblins' lair with his Scrounger skills. He was rewarded with yet another chest rig and detector, a scope sight, a box of 9mm hot loads (which he pocketed for his Sterling) and 1750 quid worth of other salvage.
With Fletcher and Bunny pre-occupied, Ingrid and the others had a look at the crashed lorry blocking their way along the road. A careful check revealed a large mutated pig snuffling around the lorry, although none of the stalkers could get a decent shot on it. Trusting her companions to cover her, Ingrid moved into the road to get sight of the beast. A burst from her Sterling sealed its fate.
With the rest of the crew making their way out of the area along the road, Ingrid checked out the crashed lorry, only to find nothing worth salvaging.
Epilogue:
The stalkers were running behind time and wouldn't now make it to the safety of Grouty's base before sunset. There was now the real danger that the time lost fighting the Wyrm and the sound of their gunfire would have their pursuers on top of them. To make matters worse, movement was going to be slow on the sodden ground and Bunny wasn't in a good way. Ingrid had done her best to treat his wounds from the greenskin's blade and the hammering he took from the Wyrm, but he certainly was going to be far from being on top form for a while.
Overrunning the game turn limit must have consequences. In this case it means the crew will have to fight another action trying to escape their pursuers before getting out to safety. With the crew having used up most of their grenades and eaten their way into their med-kits, the next game is going to be a challenge.
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Excellent as always.
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It’s the narrative that makes this topic so special. The next game should be a nail-biter as a consequence of the degradation of the crew’s assets.
Looking forward to it.
Doug
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Two games for the price of one, I guess that's the advantage of not keeping up. I enjoyed both the AAR's, the first because it looked like hard work slowly working your way through the village and the 2nd because of the revealing of the Wyrm.
I'm not sure how it felt in game terms. i.e. did you think there was a reasonable chance of loosing people in the 2nd game. Reading it you seemed to have the situation in hand although the fear factor, freezing combatants must have made it harder they all seemed to recover fairly quickly and the Wyrm didn't seem as dangerous as it might have.
Either way a good outcome and your guys must be fairly wealthy by now with all the salvage they are picking up.
Good luck witht the next game getting out of the zone and back to safety.
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Same as Vagabond I've just caught up too.
Loving how the story is developed but am seriously worried that Slade's finest are going to be in dead lumber in the near future.
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@Vagabond: The crew have had more than their fair share of luck, as well as ploughing money between missions into med-kits to improve their odds. Finding Blanco as a wounded stalker at a POI gave them an extra body to shoot at hostiles. Ingrid was very lucky to take out the Wyrm with just a SMG (with its armour save of 8 most shots bounced off it, but it rolled a 10 Ingrid's final shot)
@Spinal Tap: The next game will certainly involve armed cultists, as well as a somewhat loaded card deck for additional hostiles entering the game from the edge of the table. Expect a lot of shooting, which is usually where the stalkers start taking casualties.
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I really liked stumbling upon the Wyrm's shredding of the cultists. That really gets the tension going as readers wonder what the beast that caused it will be...
Fun read!
Mike Demana
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I really enjoyed reading that!
The whole set up looks great but I particularly like your anomaly. I might try painting one like that myself (not sure what I would use it for but it looks really cool)
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Well, that was interesting. It sounds like your crew will have their work cut out for them as they try to get to the relative safety of the Yellow Zone. If they make it to Grouty's Base, I wonder what they will find there....