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Author Topic: Return to Zona Albion - AAR: The Quatermass Run, Part 7  (Read 26194 times)

Offline Bullshott

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - new POIs: AA phone box, cairn and abandoned packs
« Reply #60 on: January 26, 2023, 02:39:29 PM »
I've been busy making POIs for my next game:


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.


Abandoned packs. Some stalkers lightened their load and dropped their packs off while they went about their business. They never returned for the packs.


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.
Sir Henry Bullshott, Keeper of Ancient Knowledge

Offline CapnJim

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - new POIs: AA phone box, cairn and abandoned packs
« Reply #61 on: January 26, 2023, 06:17:44 PM »
Well done.  They oughta do the trick!
"Remember - Incoming Fire Has the Right-of-Way"

Offline mikedemana

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - new POIs: AA phone box, cairn and abandoned packs
« Reply #62 on: January 27, 2023, 03:18:32 AM »
Great idea! I've been wondering what to do for my equivalents in my games...  :-*

Mike Demana

Offline Manchu

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - new POIs: AA phone box, cairn and abandoned packs
« Reply #63 on: January 27, 2023, 03:37:33 AM »
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!

Offline Spinal Tap

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - new POIs: AA phone box, cairn and abandoned packs
« Reply #64 on: January 28, 2023, 04:54:31 PM »
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.

Offline Bullshott

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - AAR: Saint Ninian on the Moors
« Reply #65 on: February 01, 2023, 04:09:35 PM »
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.


Board setup


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


Fletcher immediatly put his scrounger skills to use, finding two low level items of salvage.


Meanwhile Bunny Warren found two decent items of salvage and several useful items of basic gear.


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).

Offline CapnJim

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - AAR: Saint Ninian on the Moors
« Reply #66 on: February 02, 2023, 10:17:00 PM »
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...

Offline Bullshott

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - AAR: Saint Ninian on the Moors
« Reply #67 on: February 02, 2023, 10:58:15 PM »

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!

Offline Spinal Tap

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - AAR: Saint Ninian on the Moors
« Reply #68 on: February 03, 2023, 08:56:56 AM »

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.

Offline CapnJim

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - AAR: Saint Ninian on the Moors
« Reply #69 on: February 03, 2023, 08:36:13 PM »

Offline Bullshott

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - Morris Minor police car added
« Reply #70 on: February 03, 2023, 08:57:58 PM »
I'm still having fun painting abandoned vehicles for Zona Albion. This time it's a Morris Minor police car

Offline CapnJim

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - Morris Minor police car added
« Reply #71 on: February 04, 2023, 04:30:25 PM »
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....

Offline sir_shvantselot

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - Morris Minor police car added
« Reply #72 on: February 04, 2023, 04:38:52 PM »
Very “Children of Men”

Offline Khusru2

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - Morris Minor police car added
« Reply #73 on: February 07, 2023, 11:01:07 PM »
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

Online zemjw

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Re: Return to Zona Albion - Morris Minor police car added
« Reply #74 on: February 08, 2023, 09:25:38 AM »
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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