CapnJim's Post-Apoc Stuff: Zone Run #8 Report Complete...Pg 12...08 Mar 24

[CapnJim]

Yes.  After giving it the due consideration it deserves, I have decided to dip my toes into this genre.  Here is what I've decided so far:

1.  The Plumbrook Reactor is a federal facility located just south of Sandusky, Ohio, midwayish between Toledo and Cleveland not far from the shores of Lake Erie.  It was a NASA facility with a nuclear reactor that was on-line from 1961 to 1973. 

Or at least that was what the public was led to believe.  It's name was changed somewhere along the line to the Plumbrook Energy and Nuclear Investigation Station (yes, PENIS, so please, no snickering...).  6 months ago, an "event" occurred.  What exactly that "event" was has not been disclosed.   The immediate area was evacuated and cordoned off.  That cordon has expanded in these 6 months to a 20-mile radius.  No one is allowed in (or out) without proper credentials.

2.  That brings us to Dr. Zacharias Smith.   He is an Associate Professor of Cosmic Propulsion at the University of Toledo.  There are rumors that his side hustle is with a secretive quasi-governmental agency.  Those rumors are indeed true.  He is a Director with the Society for Anomoly Elimination (SAE).  He directs the activities of SAE Team #30, informally referred to as SAE30.  Dr. Smith tasks his team to enter various Event Exclusion Zones to investigate and eliminate any anomalies they find.  SAE30 is a fairly experienced crew, having (mostly) successfully operated in several Zones.  Dr. Smith can issue SAE30 those afore-mentioned credentials.

3.  Having returned from operations in another Zone, Dr. Smith will now direct SAE30's operations in the PENIS Exclusion Zone (PEZ, and again, please no snickering.  This is, after all, a serious business).  Anomolies will hereafter be referred to as PEZ Dispensers, and Threat Levels 1, 2, and 3 will be, respectively, Soft, Medium, and Hard.  We won't speak of Threat Level 0.

That's the gist of it.  I have the figures to represent SAE30 (Eureka's 28mm Blackwater Mercs).  I plan to start painting them up next week.  Once they are done, I will introduce you all to them.  I already have Dr. Smith's figure ready, as well as one for his secretary, Miss Hathaway.  I also have SAE30's vehicle ready, a 1980s Chevy Van I just posted in my Modern Stuff thread.

I plan to use elements of both Fistful of Lead and Zona Alfa.  I plan to do SAE30's exploits solo, but I will invite my gaming chums to participate, perhaps with their own crews, as well.

End of Message.  More to follow.

[Spinal Tap]

Really pleased that another Zone has emerged. Post apocalyptic time and space is so warped that literally anything might happen.

I do like your fluidity of rules and participants between ZA/FFOL and solo/versus gaming; it's pretty much my default position nowadays.

The rules are there to provide me with a coherent (ish) story and fun NOT a straight jack.

Looking forward to how your story develops.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Really pleased that another Zone has emerged. Post apocalyptic time and space is so warped that literally anything might happen.

I do like your fluidity of rules and participants between ZA/FFOL and solo/versus gaming; it's pretty much my default position nowadays.

The rules are there to provide me with a coherent (ish) story and fun NOT a straight jack.

Looking forward to how your story develops.

My thoughts echo these but Spinal Tap is more articulate than me.

[Vagabond]

  I knew you wouldn't resist this, it's right up your street.

Look forward to seeing where you go with the Plumbrook Energy and Nuclear Investigation Station, hope you have plenty of little blue or purple pills to keep your stamina up.

[Cat]

Miss Hathaway's heartthrob, Jethro, should make an appearance too.
: 3

[mikedemana]

Jim - glad to hear you're joining in. I look forward to your stories, as well. I'm also using FFOL for my Post-Apoc rules. I found their supplement Wasteland Warriors good for some new Traits/mutations, especially for the monsters or enemies. My world is more of the Terminator one rather than the Zone Alfa, but I can certainly see the appeal of ZA.

Looking forward to your figs and games...!

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Thanks, all!  I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops, as well.

[CapnJim]

Started work on the crew today.  Eight men (all Eureka Blackwater Mercs, with some odds and ends - backpacks, holsters on a couple that didn't come with molded holsters, etc. - added from the ol' bits box(es).  Haven't named or stat'ed 'em up yet.  All in due time, but here is the gist of the crew (they will mostly all have pistols):

1.  The leader, with an M4.
2.  The IT/commo guy, with an M$, who also has a drone he can operate (a small unmanned aerial vehicle that came with my Khurasan Miniatures modern Ukrainians.  Those guys will be used as some Balzsaki regulars in my modern games, and they won't need any drones in the early 90s...).
3.  The medic, with an M4.
4.  The breacher, with an AK.  No pistol for this guy.  His secondary weapon is a short-barrelled Remington 870 shotgun, which is also one of his breaching tools  .
5.  The recon guy, with a SCAR.
6.  The heavy weapons guy, with a SAW.
7.  The scrounger, with an M4 and a BIG knife.
8.  The grunt, with an M4.

I'm starting these guys out as an experienced crew.  The actual crew composition for each mission will depend on mission requirements.

Gotta build up their bases a bit and prime them.  Then painting will commence.

Other characters, who will pop up from time to time, will include (all of whom are already painted up):

A.  The already-mentioned Dr. Smith.
B.  The also already-mentioned Miss Hathaway, Dr. Smith's secretary.  She will have a pistol, as needed.
C.  With thanks to Cat for the idea  , Jethro.  He runs an old garage/gas station (which is in the mail, and will be built soon after receipt...) near the current boundary of the PEZ.  He has some kind of relationship with Miss Hathaway.
D.  Goober, who is Jethro's assistant at the garage.
E.  Alfred P. Chambers (known as APC), who runs a Hardware Store near Jethro's Garage.  He is married to Marilyn (no relation to HER, and no snickering, please...).

I also have SAE30's ride, a black 1980s Chevy Van, kitted with light armor, and some various electronic equipment...

That's it for now.  I hope to have SAE30 painted, named, and stat'ed up with a week or so...updates to follow...

[Spinal Tap]

That's significantly quicker than anything I do, looking forward to seeing this in action.

[Cat]

Other characters, who will pop up from time to time, will include (all of whom are already painted up):

A.  The already-mentioned Dr. Smith.
B.  The also already-mentioned Miss Hathaway, Dr. Smith's secretary.  She will have a pistol, as needed.
C.  With thanks to Cat for the idea  , Jethro.  He runs an old garage/gas station (which is in the mail, and will be built soon after receipt...) near the current boundary of the PEZ.  He has some kind of relationship with Miss Hathaway.
D.  Goober, who is Jethro's assistant at the garage.

I do like the cross-patching of the networks here.
: 3

[CapnJim]

That's significantly quicker than anything I do, looking forward to seeing this in action.

Thanks.  I may be putting a bit mush on my plate.  Getting ready for my Pulp "Matewan Massacre" game, prepping for a return to my gaming group's Top Secret RPG campaign I'm Admin'ing, getting more figures/vehicles/terrain done up my modern Northern Gambola and Balszakistan games, and now this. Gonna be busy for a while, but we'll see how things go.

I do like the cross-patching of the networks here.
: 3

You caught that, eh?  Wait to see what I come up with for SAE30s crew names...  

[CapnJim]

Well, here they are!  My crew is done.  The Society for Anomaly Elimination, Unit #30 (SAE30).  The figures, 28mm, are the metal Blackwater Mercs set from Eureka Miniatures, with extra gear (backpacks, holsters, etc.) added from some Warlord Project Z sprues.  FYI, their shirt colors are based on US Army branch colors most appropriate for their positions in the crew...for example, the breacher is red, for engineers...

The 1st thru 3rd pics are from left to right:

Robinson, the Tech guy.  He is the youngest member of the crew, and has a degree from MIT.  He is in charge of IT/commo stuff, and operates the crew's drone, named "Robot" (you can see Robot in the 1st pic).
Carter, the Leader.  The guys call him "Gunny", as he is a retired US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant.
DeSoto, the Medic.  He used to be a paramedic with the LA County FD.
McGuyver, the Driver/Mechanic.  He can do anything with duct tape and bailing wire...

The 4th and 5th pics are, also from left to right:

Newkirk, the Scrounger, is from England, and he is a career thief.  He spent time in a German prison.
Pyle, the Weapons guy.  He too was in the USMC for a while.  Word has it that the guy can sing...
O'Rourke, the Recon guy.  Half Heckawi Indian and half-Irishman, he was a Cavalry Scout in the US Army, stationed out west.
Malloy, the Breacher.  He is a retired LAPD officer, who spent most of his career in Road Patrol.

The 5th and 7th pics show SEA30 with their ride, a 1980s Chevy Van that Dr. Smith has dubbed "Jupiter 2" for some reason.  Something about an old space program he was involved with...  Jupiter 2 may be beefed up a bit...

There you have it.  These guys are starting out as a fairly experienced crew.  They will have traits/skills and equipment relevant to their positions in the crew.  As I mentioned, I'm mashing Fistful of Lead and Zona Alfa together, with maybe a bit of Black Ops thrown in for good measure.

I have a few miscellaneous minis to paint up before Dr. Smith sends SAE30 in for the 1st P.E.N.I.S. insertion (how many times have I told you guys - no snickering...).  A dog (from Wargames Atlantic's plastic German Sentries set, which will round out a pack of 4 feral dogs of various sizes), 6 dead bodies, and a civilian ambulance crew (metals from Offensive Miniatures).  I also want to flock the bases of some WizKids pre-painted D&D minis for some Zone Hostiles (large snakes, swarm of bats, that sort of thing).  Once they are done, it'll be time for a Zone run.  Of course, I will post an illustrated AAR after each run SAE30 does.

I'm getting there...

[Vagabond]

You are a powerhouse CptnJim. Swift work for a man with fingers in so many pies..

A well thought through crew that should be capable of taking on whatever is thrown at them. The drone is an exciting addition that should prove useful.

[tomrommel1]

really nice

[Bullshott]

Nice work Captain. I have that set if figures in my lead mountain, with the intention of turning them into  a crew at some point.

I hope that they don't get Lost in (the Zone) Space when out and about in Juniper 2