Bulshotski in the Zone - New Stalkers (Pig Iron Productions)

[Grumpy Gnome]

Great work mate!

[Bullshott]

I've been somewhat amiss and have just realised that I didn't post a game report on 'Laslo's Drone', my first ZA game.

My first game in over 18 months was my own starter scenario, Laslo's Drone (see post on page 1 of this thread). Two stalker parties trying to recover data from a crashed drone, complicated by a group of bandits having got to the drone first.
Thanks to some lucky shooting at the end of the penultimate turn, I had a clear run in the last turn to grab the objective and sweep up some salvage bring carried by the bandits. My opponent, Russ, was hampered by to many rookies in his more numerous force, which significantly slowed down getting his force to the main objective, thus not being able to get enough men into position to secure the drone. This also left him in the position of not being able to divert anyone to look at Hot Spots.

My winning haul: 14 Advance points plus 1350 Zone Script to replace used grenades, E juice and med-kits, to plus a little bit left over. On the down side, my medic got a battle scar (I forgot to send someone over to heal him after he had previously used up his med-kits), so now has an obsession with finding salvage.

Things we learnt: grenades and gunfire are deadly, don't send rookies across the length of the table (unless your leader is with them to give them extra actions), if you have smoke grenades use them and finally don't be obsessed with the main objective to the extent that you ignore the opportunity to raid a hot spot right next to you!



My team advances.


The opposition.


A quiet road in the Zone?




A group of Bratva had got to the drone first, but two bursts of assault rifle using the Unload skill sorted them out.


The other stalker team then opened fire from the treeline to the left and wounded several of my team. Thank goodness for Med-Kits!


Return fire pinned or wounded the opposition's sniper and LMG, givig me a clear run at the drone, plus time in hand to salvage from the Bratva.

[Bullshott]

I needed some ghouls for Zona Alfa and decided that these Reaper Bones ones looked perfect (once I had carved off chunks of gravestone from the bases and removed the skulls being clutched by a couple of figures)

[Kikuchiyo]

They do look good

how do they scale?

[Grumpy Gnome]

Those ghouls look great!

[Bullshott]

They do look good

how do they scale?

If standing straight, I guess the smaller ones would be maybe a head taller than larger 28s (e.g. Copplestone, Eureka), the larger one even taller. Being fairly skinny build, I think they fit in nicely as the mutated rad-ghouls of the Zone. I'll try to remember to take a comparison photo next time I have them out for a game.

[Kikuchiyo]

I use Eureka minis so I'm thinking of using these as mutants rather than ghouls

[Bullshott]

I use Eureka minis so I'm thinking of using these as mutants rather than ghouls

That would work. After all, ghouls in ZA are really just another form of mutant

[Bullshott]

The leader of the stalker team you encountered on your last foray into the zone was already seated in Laslo's office. He got up with a start and was about to say something when Laslo cut him off. "Sit down both of you. I have a little job in the Zone that needs both of your teams, preferably without trying to kill each other!"

Laslo unfolded a military map of the zone on the table. "The drone you brought back was an Orlan 10, an expensive little special forces surveillance toy. An investment like that means the prize must be worth a lot to the Moscow gangsters. The footage in its memory has given us enough information to work out that its control station is on the edge of the village of Kotow, on the edge of the Amber Zone. They appear to be based in house surrounded by a walled compound.

I want you to take out the radio equipment and mast they were using to control the drone. It would good if none of them escape. This will put a big dent in their attempts to muscle in on the zone. If you can find anything that will give us a clue as to what they were using the drone to search for then all the better.

You each  get 2K of zone script if you can eliminate the Bratva and destroy the mast. There'll be a bonus if any one can bring back evidence that will lead to what they were searching for."

After a few minutes of studying the map, the big man poured three large shots of vodka and handed them round. "To success!"

[KD47]

No Killer Cockroaches?    RATS!

Well done.  This setup looks great.   Visually reminiscent of something like..... the rural outskirts of Pripyat or something.

[Bullshott]

Well done.  This setup looks great.   Visually reminiscent of something like..... the rural outskirts of Pripyat or something.

Thanks. That's the look I was going for

[Bullshott]

Despite our teams being enemies (after I shot up Russ' team in the first game), our employer insisted we work together to take a the base from which the previous game's drone was being flown from. The main objective was a defended building containing 2 locations to be searched (of which one location had to be destroyed), plus a separate radio mast that also had to be destroyed. We also had 8 further POIs placed around the board (of which 2 triggered bandits with an anomaly and a third triggered another anomaly).
As a complication, all stalkers had to be off the 4' x 4' table by the end of turn 10, at which point a drone strike would hit the area.
No stalkers went out of action this time, although Russ' leader took a wound (good thing it was the leader, as the previous game used up all his Med-Kits and he had such slim pickings in that game that he couldn't afford replacements).
After we had neutralised the objective by turn 6, Russ dealt with an anomaly and some bandits, while at the same time trying to get his rookies of the table with their single action turns. Fortunately for Russ the anomaly yielded a high value artifact, which made up for the poor returns from his previous mission.
Meanwhile, my smaller but more experienced crew were able to capitalise on their multiple actions and mop up the salvage from the base and several POIs before leaving the board. As a bonus, my salvager also walked off with a laptop from the base, that contained data on what the drone from the previous mission was searching for (1K zone script extra for securing it).



First guard taken out


Satchel charge attached to the radio mast


Boom!


Never trust a rookie to throw a grenade through an open doorway. This one bounced off the lintel, straight back on him. Good thing for him it was only a stun grenade!


Russ got distracted by a nearby POI, which revealed an anomaly, plus a group of bandits


This time the grenade throwing was much better


With the occupants of the house eventually being taken out, my team went in to recover destroy the radio room and recover the laptop


More bandits appear as my team investigates a POI on the way home.


That was easy


Just time to investigate the anomaly before heading home

[Kikuchiyo]

Great report

the table setup looks cool too

[Bullshott]

For my birthday a friend gave me the Sarissa Precision kit of a Russian dacha. It's a nice size building, not too large and fitting in perfectly with the houses I've previously posted on this thread. Unfortunately, being laser cut, the planking looks far too pristine. After a bit of work on the planking and the addition of a 'wriggly tin' roof, I'm really pleased with the end result.

[KD47]

If you happen to have a building that looks too clean, and Laser-Cut kits do indeed run in that direction, do this:

If you have light-colored walls, very lightly dry-brush the walls with a dark gray color.   Go along the edges of objects (door frames, shutter edges, building edges) a bit heavier.   Dry-brushing is usually done with a flat brush.   For the object edges, scrape along the line with the flat outer part of the brush instead of using the brush head.   If you have dark colored walls, use the same process but a medium/light tan color to simulate dry-rot.

Concrete is usually a light color but is typically stained.  A light wash with a darker color will break up the flat surface. Maybe give a light-colored dry-brushing to the concrete if it has a rough texture.   Dry brush some parts of the edges of the concrete a dark color per above as the edges are usually worn and chipped.   If you want,  glue some tiny pieces of grass or flocking where the concrete plates meet, or in a noticeable crack, or where the concrete edge meets the dirt or wall.  You see this all the time in natural urban environments.   Look to nature and you'll rarely go wrong.

Rub dark pastel chalks into the recesses with a brush.  Stiff, worn-out old dry-brushing brushes work well here.  Go light at first, you can always add some more later.  Be sure to flat/seal the model after, but DON'T LET THE FLAT GET ONTO ANY CLEAR WINDOWS.

The bottom 1/2 inch or 1cm of the building is usually darker than the rest of the walls due to water accumulation and mold.  Use chalks, dry-brushing, or some light wash to make it happen.   I've even used a quick spritz of darker rattle-can paint to get this effect.    There's always the airbrush, but what a mess and clean-up process for so simple an operation!

In dusty environments, use some tan colored chalk on the flatter surfaces of the doors and walls (not in the recesses) to give an overall dusty look.

Pre-built O scale model railroad buildings have the same "clean new" problem and you can use these techniques with those models too.

This Dacha doesn't look like it needs any more.  The corrugated tin roof is really well done.  I think it's a great little model.

Enjoy.