Protect and Survive

[Dean]

You may have read elsewhere that I’m working on my own rules, so this is no longer a 5 Klicks thread as I’ll be using these minis for Protect and Survive instead.  First full run today went as follows.

Turn 1 was a bit of positioning and no Adversaries could yet be clearly seen.  Oddly most of the movement actually seemed to be away from the farmhouse, but the farmers were clearly rattled, so our team headed on.

Turn 2 and the first of the adversaries start to appear from behind the farmhouse and the barn.  One plucky farmer hits one of them with his crook and runs off, the rest either scatter or are frozen with fear.

Turn 3 and blood starts to spill, with four of the team firing and dropping bad guys to the floor, though Derek’s gun jams straight away. Both of the bad guys get up and fire back, and the one by the barn gets a clean shot at Earl and he’s down! He even has the presence of mind to scuttle into cover behind the barn.

Turn 4 and team leader Aaron takes out the guy by the farmhouse, the one behind the barn decides to get further out of trouble, while over the other side one runs off and more start to show themselves.

Turn 5 and the team keeps moving up, making more bad guys appear around the farmhouse.  After what happened to Earl, Casey has taken cover behind the barn but then in a twist of fate, the last two adversaries turn up right behind him! The farmer who had headed towards Casey hits the deck, things are going to get hairy!

Turn 6 and Aaron gets another kill, but Casey shoots one but they shoot back and he’s wounded and prone, the other surprised by all this is rooted to the spot! Bad guys behind the farmhouse are cowering in fear but are still there.

Turn 7 and a gun battle is raging by the farmhouse. Two Team members and two bad guys trading shots, while Derek sidles up to the corner.

Over by the barn, The adversary duelling with Casey takes another wound but then gets off a good shot and Casey is down.  Meanwhile his mate, who still hasn’t fired a shot, runs off and the farmer is still flat on the floor!

Turn 8 and the battle behind the farmhouse ends when a fourth wound takes out one bad guy and Derek (using his jammed rifle as an improvised weapon), takes out the other.  Over by the barn, Aaron gets another hit on the adversary that downed Casey and he legs it.  The incident is over.

In the aftermath, we find that Earl was only concussed, Casey has a minor wound that will keep him out of action for two weeks, and. search turns up a military rifle that is salvageable.
 
Derek feels good about having won the hand-to-hand fight and gains confidence (2 Experience) but is still happy to find out that his rifle can be repaired.

[mikedemana]

Sounds like quite the fight! Looks like fun, too...

Mike Demana

[Dean]

Couldn’t resist these minis for when the team run into something unexpected.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Couldn’t resist these minis for when the team run into something unexpected.

Feed me Seymour!

[Spinal Tap]

Feed me Seymour!

Look better than my handmade ones.

[hubbabubba]

Those plants are excellent, nice pjs.

[Dean]

Civilisation has fallen apart since the Calamity struck in 1965. The community is centred in Oakwood village and built slowly over the years as fellow survivours congregated together for security, but the world is turning more dangerous by the day as other groups start to fight us for resources, and packs of wild animals seem to be thriving more than humans. Now the leader of the community has come to me saying, “We are all devastated by what happened to Bernard and his team but now we are placing our faith, and indeed our security with you!” Let’s hope their faith is warranted…

My Response Team is called The Crows and they refer to me as “Able” because we use the phonetic alphabet as call signs, necessary in a world where a shouted command or warning improperly heard could mean disaster.  We have been outfitted from a stash found in an old army surplus store and recommissioned weapons, so hardly state of the art gear, but it gets the job done.

Game 1 - Warn them off

This is a Low difficulty game set in the Valley.

Our first orders were to deal with some Zealots who keep attacking out of the hills. You hear they are on their way again, and it is time to give them a message that they should stay on their own side of the valley.

Round 1 - the Crows enter the south end of the valley and as no adversaries are yet in sight, and they had a good Entry roll that will skip to round 2 if they don’t uncover any, they all make “at the double” moves up the valley.

Round 2 - the Crows are still yet to uncover any adversaries and decide to keep pushing forward, moving at speed but ducking and weaving as they go.  Things now start to happen, there are signs of movement at the other end of the valley, including a Zealot moving into view, but then Dog also spots movement behind the team and there is another one there!

Round 3 - Deeming the guy behind them to be the bigger threat, Able and Dog both turn and shoot, causing a wound each.  Fox crests the hill on the left and spots another Zealot, she fires off a shot and surprises herself when the target slumps down dead. This leaves Easy to join the fusillade to the rear, and another bullet tears through their would be assailant, but she’s still standing!  Baker’s turn, another shot rings out and the threat is over, or at least that one is. Just leaving Charlie to crest the hill on the right, and although he thought he saw movement in the trees ahead, there is nothing there.

This is all too much for the first enemy that appeared, they head away from the Crows, though stop before completely disappearing as if considering how it will look to their comrades.  There is no sign of anyone else though, it’s like they are waiting for the Team to come and find them.

Round 4 - Fox tries the same gag, but this time her shot ploughs into the bush the Zealot was behind, shredding it and leaving them exposed.  Easy moves up to get in range with his SMG and the spray of bullets does some damage and forces his target to the floor, opening sight to what turns out to be another Zealot behind them.  Able just has range so shoots at the hesitant adversary getting a wound.  Dog is not so lucky and misses.  Baker goes on another run forward as he can’t see anything useful where he is, while Charlie still has the high ground and can see another two Zealots. Charlie pulls the trigger on his reconditioned Sten gun and is dismayed by the clicking noise and lack of firing!

Five Zealots in plain sight.  The one that was lieing bleeding on the floor legs it!  The next is so close to the edge they go with him.  The one that had been indecisive and since got wounded is so scared they dive behind the hedge instead of running off too. The next guy is made of sterner stuff and fires off at Baker who would have been in trouble but his weaving run behind the tree saves him (though not the tree!).  The last one also draws a bead on poor Charlie and with the tree down he’s hit and incapacitated.  Then two more Zealots come into view, and the team feel like that must be all of them, though it is more than they thought they were facing at the start.

Round 5 - “Baker is down” shouts Charlie, helpless to do anything with his jammed sten, who decides to try and outflank the enemy.  Fox and Easy start slamming bullets into the hapless Zealot cowering behind the hedge. Able and Dog both plug the one that shot the tree.

The Zealot behind the small hill decides to stay there, the one taking the awful pounding goes back to being indecisive at the edge of the valley, the tree killer has had enough and limps off, the other two are still game and fire at Dog, without even coming close.

Round 6 - Fox and Easy start easing forward, firing as they go.  Fox gets a second round into Mr  Hesitant and he’s down and out.  Easy gets a head shot on the Mr Tree Killer and he’s dead too!  Dog gets a bead on Baker’s nemesis and hits him, and Able realising Dog has the better position screams at him “shoot him again!” Which he duly does, forcing him to the floor and bleeding heavily, but not out yet.  Charlie has had enough and is charging through the trees.

Mr Timid behind the hill has seen enough, he’s off!  Baker’s shooter is cowering behind a hedge, and the last standing zealot is edging away.

Round 7 - Charlie charges into Baker’s shooter, wounds him by smacking him in the face with his useless sten, he totters backwards and Dog plugs him in the back without a second thought.  He’s dead and good riddance!  The others fire shots at the final adversary hovering at the edge of the battlefield getting a couple of good wounds on him and that’s his final shreds of courage gone.  It’s over! 

Aftermath - Charlie rushes back to Baker, and is torn between relief and anger when he discovers Baker sitting and shaking his bullet scarred head but no lasting damage.  A search of the bodies turns up a couple of bandages. The attempt to repair Charlie’s sten gun ends in failure, and they throw it away. Charlie did learn from the experience though and now has 4 Experience points.

What they learnt - Sometimes you need to protect members of the Community from external threats.

[Dean]

More terrain

[Dean]

And more

[Kourtchatovium104]

Inspiring well-made sceneries! 

[Dean]

Thanks!

[Dean]

Game 2 - Prey

This is a Low difficulty game set at the Crossing.

We were out on patrol heading for the bridge across the river when we happened across a small party of our people clearly fleeing from something on the other side. 

Round 1 - the Crows enter from the south and sensing that something is amiss send a couple of guys wide and the rest head up to the bridge, all moving at-the-double. One Markers is sneakily lurking behind a Bystander. The Bystanders make some surprisingly good choices and mostly start funnelling over the bridge.

Round 2 - the Crows, thinking ahead, take up positions south of the river, waiting for the Bystanders to cross so they can get a clear field of fire. Finally the first signs of the adversary as a tiger appears over the wooded hill. At which point most of the Bystanders make entirely appropriate decisions to head towards their rescuers, apart from one who cowers on the bridge, and the damned priest who actually heads back over it!

Round 3 - Baker has a shot at the tiger and wounds it. The Bystanders clearing out of the way gives Dog a clear view of a blank panther on the path behind them, he takes a shot and wounds it. Then the hairs start to rise on the back of Able’s neck and he realises there is a cheetah on the path behind them!  He turns and shoots but it goes wide, Easy turns and lets rip with his Sten that knocks it over. George next, another wound.  Fox is last and her gun jams!

The cheetah reacts first, but with two bullets in it all it does is get to it’s feet and snarl.  The panther is even less happy and heads back the way it came, but the Tiger is just annoyed by its wound and heads straight for the bridge. Then another tiger appears from cover!  Meanwhile the bridge is still blocked with Bystanders!

Round 4 - Dog moves for a better shot at the second tiger, but misses.  Baker wounds the first Tiger again.  Easy and Able both get hits on the cheetah, so that’s down.  George and Fox head over the bridge.

The first tiger stops to lick at its wounds, and the second cheetah and puma seem undecided what to do, but the second tiger has no hesitation in barging past the Bystanders on the bridge and leaping straight at George who takes a wound and is pushed back so that when the panther decides to charge it goes for Fox instead, who in a feat of desperation slams it with her broken rifle, and kills it!  Another cheetah appears on the far side of the river, then a puma appears near Baker and on his side of the river!  That at least is all of them though, no other signs of movement anywhere. Meanwhile the Bystanders continue to be so shocked by all this they either cower on the ground or a rooted to the spot!

Round 5 - Dog gets a shot on target wounding the cheetah.  Easy and Able get to positions where they can shoot and wound the tiger that attacked George, after George is so rattled by the attack that he misses!  At which point, Fox clearly full of adrenaline from her kill, unwisely takes on the wounded tiger.  That does not go well and she’s down, apparently tigers can get in an incredibly lucky blow too!  Baker has his owns problems and shoots at the puma, wounding it.

That tiger is out for blood now and turns it’s attention back to George, wounding him again.  The puma charges at Baker and he’s down!  The other tiger however, has had enough and hightails it off the battlefield, while the cheetah gets a tree between it and Dog. The Bystanders are still mostly in a daze and milling about, but a couple have made it away safely.

Round 6 - Dog and Easy between them take down the tiger on the bridge, leaving Able and George to fire at the Puma, which George wounds. Both the puma and the cheetah stay where they are, put off by all the loud noise no doubt, but it’s all too much for the last Bystander on the bridge, who seems to be having a heart attack!

Round 7 - Able and George fire again at the puma and both hit this time which puts it down. Leaving Dog and Easy to try and hit the cheetah behind the tree across the river. Two good shots plough into it causing wounds bad enough to knock it to the ground.  That’s enough to start sending it on it’s way.

Round 8 - Able follows up and plugs the cheetah again, and that’s enough to finish it off.

Aftermath - Baker and Fox both got of lighter than they might have, with minor injuries that will need a couple of weeks to heal. That’s twice now Baker has been a casualty! Being a fight against beasts there was nothing to find of any use, and the attempt to repair Fox’s Military Rifle failed, so the Team is short another weapon, and need to start making some better finds soon! Nobody gained any experience either.

What they learnt - Often you are just out patrolling and waiting for trouble to start.

[Spinal Tap]

This thread is awesome, love the work you've put in and the story.

[Dean]

Game 3 - Rescue

This is the first of the special battles in this Arc, and takes place in the ruins.

“Word comes through that a foraging team have managed to get themselves into some trouble, and need our help, preferably before more trouble turns up.  With Baker and Fox out injured, I check up on the rest of the team and find that Easy and George are a bit worn down.  Unfortunately Jig is too, so even with How and Item joining the Team this time, I make the difficult decision that George still has to go along, but he’ll be less capable of standing up to multiple wounds this time and I’d better keep an eye on him.  At least our entry goes to plan and we can see the foraging team, though there also seems to be movement on both sides of them.”

Round 1 - Charlie thinks he’s heard movement to our left, and heads round to see, but there’s nothing there, and the rest of us start moving cautiously up towards the foragers.  Just as we think we are in the clear though, Scavengers do start appearing on the left! Meanwhile the foraging team realise they are in trouble, three start moving towards us, two are rooted to the spot and one bizarrely hits the deck!

Round 2 - Charlie opens up with a borrowed sten an his target takes a wound and falls prone. Dog doesn’t do as well, he misses. Able moves up for a shot and his target is hit. 

On the right, Item sneaks along the side of the cargo container and spots an Adversary hiding at the other corner.  He fires almost point blank but just hears a “click” and looks at his gun in dismay! As the target swings towards him that gives their position away to Charlie and How who both gets good shots on target, the Scavenger is scrabbling in the dirt, bleeding from two wounds, and hops up and heads away from the battle.

Back on the left, Charlie takes a bullet from his opponent, but the other one’s shot misses Able.

No other Adversaries appear and the Bystanders keep out of the way

Round 3 - Charlie is incensed at having been shot, a plugs the scavenger right between the eyes! Able and Dog both gets shots into the other one on the left and they are bleeding heavily but not incapacitated yet. Item sees his target getting away and throws caution to the wind, charging into hand-to-hand combat, and getting in another wound.  George and How have no targets so move up to better positions.

There is now a badly wounded scavenger on each side of the battlefield heading away as best they can.  Meanwhile How has become a Bystander magnet and has three of the foragers converging on him.  The Team is also starting to wonder if the one that hit the deck right at the beginning might have actually died?

Round 4 - on the left, Dog misses the retreating scavenger, but Able puts a fourth bullet in her and she’s permanently down.  Charlie runs up to confirm, spots movement in the ruin ahead, it’s another scavenger.  Then all hell breaks loose, that guy appearing triggers movement on the right and a scavenger appears at the edge of the battlefield, but he’s not alone and another appears.  According to the intel that should have been all of them, but Able gets a prickling sensation on the back of his neck and spins round to find two more coming up behind them!

Oh boy, How spins away from the mob of foragers and clips one, George also hits him, but that leaves Item with no firearm and three enemies ahead, so he ducks back to cover! The Scavengers start to react, the one with two wounds behind the Team runs off, and the one with him scuttles off to cower behind a wall.  The badly wounded one on the right halts where he is while his two rescuers head for where they saw Item disappear behind the wall.  The new one on the left notices his dead comrade and starts heading off the battlefield.  There are no Markers but the remaining Bystanders are freaking out.

Round 5 - Charlie takes a shot at the scavenger wandering through the ruin in front of him, but misses.  Dog knows there is one skulking behind the wall so moves to get a clear shot and plugs a bullet into them. Able can’t get a shot so commands Dog to fire again, which also hits home and drops the scavenger to the floor. Item slinks around the container, while George hops over the wall and fires at the pair heading after Item, but the shot goes wide.  How is now hemmed in between three foragers and a stack of tires, so uses his only exit route, which takes him straight towards Item.

The scavenger lying in a pool of blood by the wall realises he has no cover from Dog and legs it.  The one on the left keeps on heading away.  The guy with three wounds on the right takes a shot at George who foolishly left cover and pays for it, he’s down! The last pair split up, one goes behind the container, following Item still, while the other one appears to be thinking about leaving as he goes back to the edge of the area. Two of the Bystanders finally decide to clear the area but the other three still don’t seem to have a clue what to do.

Round 6 - Charlie plugs a shot into the guy skulking on the left edge and knocks him to the ground.  Dog then moves to a good position and draws a bead.  With the scavenger prone and rolling about in pain he doesn’t expect to make the shot, but amazingly the shot rings out and the scavenger goes stops moving. Item and How take up positions behind the container, and Able moves over to support.  The scavenger all on his own now on the side of the container thinks better of it and heads back to his mates, who both have decided to make a run for it!

Round 7 - How pops out from behind the container and plugs the last scavenger from behind, Able shouts “and again” which How is happy to do, and “Billy no-mates” the final scavenger decides it’s time to go.

Aftermath - Able feels really bad about poor George having come with them in the first place, so applies one of their precious bandages himself and thankfully by the time the get back to base George is feeling much better.  They found enough bits to make a set of Scrap armour, which Able in his guilt gives to Charlie. Just for a change they manage to repair Item’s rifle, plus How’s first mission proved a learning experience and he gained 4 Experience. So not a bad day after all, certainly better than it looked when five bad guys all appeared at once!

What they learnt - people always seem to be able to find imaginative ways to get themselves into trouble and then you need to bail them out.

[Dean]

In case anyone is interested, the rules are now available from Wargame Vault - https://www.wargamevault.com/product/534433/Protect-and-Survive?affiliate_id=4612915