County Roads Z Campaign (6/4/25 Mission 7 AAR with pics!!)

[mikedemana]

Close call! Great AAR.  Perhaps they got a little greedy on the supplies and should have secured the vehicle first? At least, I thought that was the main goal... 

Mike Demana

[Legionnaire]

Close call! Great AAR.  Perhaps they got a little greedy on the supplies and should have secured the vehicle first? At least, I thought that was the main goal... 

Mike Demana

Thanks Mike! Yes, close call indeed  !

I had some supplies that were well out of the way so I opted to secure those first. There were 5 Resource Markers on the table and 3 lay in very safe positions, and they were "along the way" to the car so in my head it made sense to take care of those. IF we had to run for it, at least we wouldn't come away empty handed.

I think it was sound to stay cool, carefully moving about and not shoot at anything, because that nasty horde (in the end, 10 or so zombies) would've eaten us  .

In any case, I have a story to tell about that 

Regards,

Legionnaire.

[Doug ex-em4]

Terrific report, Legionnaire. Lots of nice narrative detail which really brought the scene to life. And it shows how you can have a lot of interest and jeopardy in what was quite a small encounter with minimal characters and quite basic objectives.

Good stuff…..!👍

Doug

[CapnJim]

That was close.  Now to see how Obie and Co. fare, and what happens if/when the Zeds find the Fennel house...

Good luck!

[Legionnaire]

Terrific report, Legionnaire. Lots of nice narrative detail which really brought the scene to life. And it shows how you can have a lot of interest and jeopardy in what was quite a small encounter with minimal characters and quite basic objectives.

Good stuff…..!👍

Doug

Thank you kindly sir! I'm pleased as punch for your kind words. I try to make sense of the dice rolls and the decisions on the tabletop, enhancing the mechanics that every decision you make, every dice roll matters!

Only after posting did I realise I had completely forgotten to place one vehicle,  the scenario have 5 vehicles that can be repaired and up and running. I was supposed to have a third car, but again, it might actually have made the table look too cluttered.

I'm glad it all worked out without life loss. In CRZ, each character has a number of Health Points equal to Tier level (1 to 4). It also scales very well with what team you have in the scenario. More powerful characters  = more zeds, less powerful = less and I think its got a "just right " balance to make any encounter challenging and dangerous enough.

Regards,

Legionnaire.

[Legionnaire]

That was close.  Now to see how Obie and Co. fare, and what happens if/when the Zeds find the Fennel house...

Good luck!

Thank you for your time reading and enjoying this campaign sir!

That scenario will most likely be played Tuesday.

I have made some calculations and planning ahead, the missions are only half the fun  .

There is a Siege Threat Phase, which dictates how likely it is that zeds are trying to overrun the base. The more turns passing since last siege, the more noise (construction, manned facilities  etc) all contribute. I am most likely going to have 9-10 by the end of this turn, add a D10 roll and if 16+ the zeds are coming for us  .
 
So, that got me thinking. I would really like a Medical Facility now as people are starting to get injured and infected. The Small House has got no space for that  . Therefore, I think the group needs to relocate to a bigger place. I got my eyes on a two storey restaurant, which also could have a sentry post up top...

So, scenario 4 will most likely be a Claim a New Base mission, rather than to stay and fight for something that we will have to abandon soon enough anyways.

Regards,

Legionnaire.

[Sunjester]

This is all absolutely brilliant! I've just caught up on your adventures, I'd missed your updates for a while.

[Legionnaire]

This is all absolutely brilliant! I've just caught up on your adventures, I'd missed your updates for a while.

I'm very happy that you enjoy this thread! Thank you very much for reading and commenting.

Regards,

Legionnaire.

[Legionnaire]

         TURN 3 MISSION 2/2

We set out at first light, a light miserable drizzle accompanied us. Kelly-Ann's pink tracksuit and white trainers were not the most ideal clothes to wear, the ground was soaked with the heavy rainfall of the past days, her blonde hair was a mess and she had broken a nail. But to be fair, she did keep up with Shivani and I. The Rot had done Shivani good, she doubted anyone would recognise her from before. She had lost a lot of weight, for the first time in her life she was fit and the constant use of the bow had toned her muscles. As we drew closer to the farm, the sun broke through the clouds and the rain stopped, bathing everything in a golden glow.
“You two wait here, I'm going to go up ahead and see what's what.” I said quietly to them.

“Is he always like that?” Kelly-Ann said when I had gone out of view.
“How do you mean?” Shivani asked as she looked around alert.
“Do THIS! Go HERE! STOP!” Kelly-Ann marched around in a comical fashion, splashing water and mud.
“Oh! That!” Shivani giggled.
“I suppose he is... decisive when we are out and about. He calls it “Not-Getting-Killed-Today” mode.”
“The two of you spend a lot of time together out there. Always on the go, scouting.”
“We do, we work very well together. So far, we are all alive.”
“You sure it's only, well, work?” Kelly-Ann smiled mischieviously and nudged Shivani.
“Look here, Kelly-Ann,” Shivani was not amused at that in the slightest, knowing fully well what she meant, it was an innocent remark said in jest, but it hit home in an unintended way.
“I have nothing but the utmost respect for Obie. He's kind, funny, always willing to help you out. He's the first one into a bad situation and the last one out, making sure everyone else make it. But my ex- husband has seriously put me off any kind of relations.”
“Oh, s*it! Shivani, I'm so sorry! I didn't know!” Kelly-Ann covered her mouth gasping and felt very stupid for having said those words.
“It's ok. It's not something I like to talk about. He used to beat me, badly... he was the first zombie I ever killed. With this very bow.” She wiggled the bow for emphasis.
“Every time I shoot a zombie, I picture HIS face.” She let that sink in and Kelly-Ann floundered around for words for a few moments.
“F***ck! That's... dark!” her eyes were wide open and she unconsciously took a step back. Sure, she had heard about how Shivani never misses a shot, but this revelation... that was some very heavy s*it! What Shivani DIDN'T tell her, was that the face of her ex-husband that she visualized every time she took the shot, was his face, when he was beating her, when he was human and when he knew exactly what he was doing.
“What are the two of you gossiping about?” I startled both of them, I can move quietly when I want to. Not as silent as Shivani, who's practically a ninja, but quiet enough.
“Oh, nothing! Just talking about the latest Paris fashion, the hottest pop diva's, girly stuff you know,” Shivani said deadpan. I didn't press for any more details.

“I've had a look. There seems to be plenty to have here, much more than we will be able to carry off this time around. Of course there's a sizeable zombie presence, but they mainly seem to be milling about by the barn and by the cows.” I watched both of them doing a double take at what I had just said.
“Sorry, excuse me? Did you just say... cows?” Kelly-Ann looked at me like I was pulling her leg.
“Yes, cows.”
“Ooooh, I love cows! They are so cute, don't you think?” She jumped up and down excitedly, squealing with laughter, smiling that innocent smile of hers. We had not seen much animal life at all since The Outbreak. The birds, cats and dogs, hardly any. I had some misgivings of what had befallen them, and after seeing the cows, I was more convinced.
“I'm sorry Kelly-Ann, but I have to warn you. You might not like what you are about to see, just saying,” I laid a hand on her shoulder and she sagged, I must've looked like I felt.

In cover in the tall grass, which would hide us for a little while at least, we looked over the farm. There was a barn, a chicken coop, a hand dug well. To the north was a small orchard with lots of crates and a corral with three cows, their lowing sounded forlorn and sad. They looked sickly, the flesh was torn and ripped in chunks, festering sores were covering their bodies and they looked frail and barely alive. Kelly-Ann wiped tears from her eyes but I'm sure we all felt for those poor animals. I gave us a few moments to gather ourselves, we were in no rush. We had to do this right, and with caution.
“Shivani, you're on point. You are to sort out the useful stuff from the rubbish and then we will pack as much as we can carry and get out of here. No unnecessary risks, no heroics, this is no video game,” this was aimed at Kelly-Ann to make her understand how important this was.
“Are you ready? Move out.”

The grass, growing unchecked and well watered was tall and glistened with the fresh rain. We could hear the cows lowing and saw the occasional shuffling from a zombie, but all were thankfully still some ways off. I hoped it would stay that way. Shivani moved with a quiet elegance, barely making a sound, Kelly-Ann did her best but I could see how nervous and scared she was, her little Hello Kitty backpack wouldn't be able to hold much, but better than nothing.
“I got something here,” Shivani said quietly and stopped to look at a promising pile of boxes and cartons that had been chucked on the floor. I nodded and stepped in front of them, bringing my riot shield in front of me, just in case. I had learned from experience, even if the zombies are far off, NEVER let your guard down, just because you don't see it, it doesn't mean that they aren't right there in front of you. I heard Shivani rummage around in the pile, like a magician pulling useful stuff right out of it. I might find a tin of baked beans, if I'm lucky.
“Kelly-Ann, grab what you can and head back, we won't be long.” I didn't want the poor girl to be here any longer than she had to be. While it was still reasonably safe, I decided to send her home. She didn't need much encouragement, shakily she gathered up as much as she could stuff in her backpack, dropping a tin in the process. Shivani smiled kindly and picked it up and pocketed it and nodded for her to go. We both kept an eye on her as she moved quickly towards home, glancing behind her as she went. I opened my big rucksack and packed it with lots of useful stuff, Shivani did the same, all the while we kept an alert eye at the environment, and it was well that we did that! A movement at the corner of my eye caught my attention! A zombie was rising up at the edge of the orchard, an uncomfortable short distance away. I reckoned any noise we made, would attract it's attention.

I tapped Shivani on her shoulder and pointed out the zombie. She gave a slight nod and drew an arrow from her quiver. I never tire of seeing that woman shoot, it's almost like she gets in another mental state, where the bow and she act as one. The bow string sang softly and I heard the muffled THUNK as the arrow tip went clean through the stationary zombies cranium. It dropped out of sight, like a ragdoll. As she moved a bit further ahead to a promising pile of spilt cans, bottles and boxes, she drew another arrow. I moved forwards as quiet as I could, again taking up post in front of Shivani with my shield. We could both hear and see a large group, a horde really, of zombies moving about to the east, but they seemed to gravitate towards the corral and the cows. I fervently hoped that that would be the case, but they were unpredictable at best. I glanced behind me and slowly, slowly drew my heavy brush knife from the scabbard. Shivani saw me doing it and knew why. A zed was just pulling itself out of the mud, only about 20 feet away. We had done it before and both of us knew exactly what to do now, no words were needed.

Keeping an eye on it at all times, Shivani sifted through the pile and picked up some stuff, making more noise than she had to. We saw the zombie stirring, as if a switch was flicked, making it aware. I made some more noise putting more stuff in my backpack. I knew what was going to happen next, I saw it jerk into motion and shamble towards us. I waited for the right moment...

I rose up quickly, my riot shield slammed into the zombie, throwing it off balance. As it flailed around, tilting markedly to the left, I hooked the back of it's leg and swept it out from underneath it. As it rolled over, snarling, trying to get up, with both it's hands for support in the mud, I cut deeply through it's exposed skull, severing whatever made it come alive and it toppled over in the mud, still once more. I had to put my boot against the body to bring leverage to free my blade.
“Show off,” Shivani smiled.
We could hear the agitated lowing from the cows as they were surrounded by half a dozen zed's, but there was nothing we could do for them.

With the most imminent threats dealt with, we wasted no time. Under Shivani's keen eye we soon found more useful stuff, so much in fact that we couldn't carry it all. As quickly and as quietly as we could, we filled our backpacks and exited the same way as we came in. My knees were complaining under the heavy weight I was carrying so Shivani made it out before me. I cast one last look behind me and felt sorry for the cows but pulled myself together and caught up with Kelly-Ann and Shivani. We all tumbled into the Fennel residence very tired but we knew that we had done a really good job of it.

We all noticed the white Volvo parked in front of the house and even though senor Vidal had been hurt, he seemed fine for the moment. We looked at each other and all the resources we had gathered, we even had a working car. We allowed ourselves a celebratory drink and everyone, even Bernice, let their hair down for a short while, it was a welcome break from the bleak reality...

“Come here everyone, gather around. Uncle Hector has got some presents for you!” With his white hair and moustache he looked a little like a healthier version of the Big Jolly Guy in Red!
“These are the things Gloria and I found when we went to get the car.” He rummaged around in the sack that was at his feet.
,”
“And here we have, for young Bernice, who likes things that go bang!” He pulled something out of his sack and it took a few moments for us to figure out what it was.
“Well uncle Hector! You shouldn't have! A smoke grenade!” Bernice played along and looked suitably impressed showing the present to everyone.

“Next up, in our little impromptu pinata, something for everyone!” we all laughed and giggled. It was so absurd that it was funny, and the drinks had done their thing. Senor Vidal reached in with both hands and pulled out a game console with two joypads. We had electricity so the device was set up in no time and we all took turns, having fun for a little while. As we were breaking up, tidying up and resuming normal duties, senor Vidal took me aside.

“And... for you, a very special gift. From all of us. For all the good you've done for us.” I suddenly felt ambushed, in a good way, because everyone were standing in a circle around us. Senor Vidal took my hands in his, they were rough and strong.
“You brought us together and have stood by our side in these difficult times,” his pleasant barytone carried well.
“A stranger in these parts, with no ties nor obligations here. You have done more than anyone could rightly ask for. You've given us a home and hope. Hope that we will see these dark times through. Let us all bow our heads and give thanks,” I barely heard his whispered Amen. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside, my vision was blurred and I realised I had tears in my eyes. I wiped them off with the sleeve. He once more dug into his sack and withdrew a beautiful sturdy bladed weapon. I accepted it as the others clapped their hands. I unsheathed it.
“It's a Kukri I believe,” as I grasped the handle. It felt just right, the balance was amazing and the edge looked like it would cut you just for looking at it.
“Thank you! Thank you all!” I had to say it more than once as the words caught in my throat. Yes, I think we will be alright...

(This mission really went as well as it possibly could! The 5 Scout skill that Obie has allows me to move up to 5 Resources/ Zombies up to 3”. So some zombies were moved away, and some resources were moved closer. That made an incredible difference.)

(With only 1 Inventory Slot and 1 Health (Tier 1 Rookie), I decided even before setting up, that Kelly-Ann should gather the first Resource and then get off the table into safety.)

With the two missions now played, these are the XP awards and what was bought. Sr Vidal 2 XP bought Tinker 1 and Utilities 1. Gloria 1 XP, bought Medicine 1. Kelly-Ann 1 XP bought Rationing 1. Obie 2 XP bought Scout 2 and Shivani 1 XP which was banked for later use.

Gains:

1 Volvo (Tier 2 Vehicle. Seat 4, 6 Inventory Slots)
10 Food
1 Hardware
1 Fuel

Senor Vidal (Utilities 3) transformed ALL 3 Fuel tokens into rolls on the Rare Items table. Receiving a Smoke Grenade, Quality Bladed (+1) weapon and a Video Game Console.

[CapnJim]

Well, well, well.  That went, well, well...

I don't want to rain on any parades, but I suspect more trouble will find our group of survivors.  But they seem capable of handling what may come their way. 

Looking forward to seeing more of this!

[Legionnaire]

Well, well, well.  That went, well, well...

I don't want to rain on any parades, but I suspect more trouble will find our group of survivors.  But they seem capable of handling what may come their way. 

Looking forward to seeing more of this!

Indeed sir! I was VERY happy with how it turned out, as with any CRZ games it still keeps you on your toes. The way the mechanics of spawning works, is that my gaming table is 34"x34". Using the alternate spawning mechanic, I roll D10+3 and from the centre point put the zombie, resource, vehicle, survivor etc that many inches away in the direction of there the point on the die is indicating. So literally, anything can pop up anywhere on the table. That makes the Scout skill an incredibly useful tool, as I can move X number of items around by up to 3" in any direction, but not things in a building to outside and vice versa.

I have the next mission figured out and I suspect you will be right on this point. By necessity, we have to take a much more aggressive approach which, accompanied by the Noise of gunfire, will draw the zombie menace and danger. I hope the dice rolls will be in my favour but I also suspect, that the Medical Facility that I have as a priority to build, will be used...

I'm very happy to hear that you are enjoying this sir, so thanks for taking your time reading and commenting. All being well, due to circumstances outside of my control, I MIGHT get the next game done tomorrow Friday  .

Regards,

Legionnaire.

[mikedemana]

Enjoyed the tension of the game report. The characters are definitely gelling together as a team. 

Mike Demana

[Legionnaire]

Enjoyed the tension of the game report. The characters are definitely gelling together as a team. 

Mike Demana

Thank you Mike! I always enjoy cooking up what I think would make an interesting read in the tabletop action.

I think Obie's and Shivani's Skill sets work very well together, also their weapons of choice, Archery (T) and Bladed (T) make very little noise. It certainly doesn't hurt, that Shivani can't fail to score a Kill Shot on a Passive zombie and only need to roll 3+ for an Aggressive one. Obie, now with a Quality Bladed Weapon +1 (Kukri), can't fail to get a Kill on an Aggressive zombie (Skill of 5 with that weapon  ). Still, even with those statistics in mind, there's plenty that could, and probably would, go wrong  . Certainly when you add in the chaos of gunfire...

Regards,

Legionnaire.

[Legionnaire]

         GAME TURN 4 (End of March) PRELUDE

We ate very well over the next week, Kelly-Ann's cooking was superb and we had plenty to spare, so much in fact, that some got spoilt as we ran out of storage space. Senor Vidal spent his spare time tinkering with the Volvo, making sure it was running as good as he could, lacking a proper garage. It turned out that Billy-Ray had green thumbs, the garden was bountiful and I'm sure the rain helped a lot. We were very low on building materials after Bernice had cobbled together some makeshift beds but we had enough petrol to last us for a while. Things were looking up, but last night senor Vidal, Shivani and I had had a long discussion and reached an agreement.

They were all tucking into their breakfast when I seized the moment.
“Morning all, we had a talk yesterday evening about what we thought would be the next step. Senor Vidal, would you please tell them what we talked about?” He chewed and swallowed before speaking.
“Well, as much as we like this little house that we have spent some time in, we are going to have to leave, soon,” there was an uproar of protestations and it took a bit of coaxing to get them to simmer down.
“Yes, we have spent sweat and labour fixing this place up. Yes, we have a roof over our heads. Yes, we are safe... for now,” I said.
“But, consider this. Only because we didn't have much going on, keeping the noise down, did we not see many zombies roaming around out here. We barely have enough storage for all the things we need, even with the garden and Kelly-Ann's excellent cooking, we are, let's face it, only a day away from starving at the best of times.” I sat down and indicated for Shivani to take over.
“Therefore, we are considering moving to a bigger, better place. Not very far from here. It's an old restaurant that we would be better off in. There's more space. We think a sick bay would be a very good idea to have and we could put a watchtower on the roof, amongst other things. It has a lot more potential than this house.”
“Now, of course, if anyone of you have some objections to this we will of course listen to your concerns. We will give you this day to think it over and come forward if there are any issues that need to be resolved.” We all continued eating but it was clear that this was something many of us were thinking about during that day.

No one came forward to object though, so the next morning I said:
“Good morning all. Thank you for listening and thinking about the impact of our suggestion. I have not heard any objections, so with that in mind we are going forward. Senor Vidal, Shivani, Bernice, Billy-Ray and myself, we are going to be the team. For the simple reason that we are armed, because this is going to be a very dangerous affair. We are expecting the place to be crawling with zombies so we HAVE to go into combat. Ideally, clear every one of the zeds out giving us enough time to strengthen the position. I'll see you down here in 10 minutes, grab your guns and gear.” I was wearing my brand new Kukri at the belt and the riot shield was already leaning against the wall.

Ten minutes later, Billy-Ray and Bernice checked their guns over, Bernice rolled the cylinder on her .44 S&W revolver and Billy-Ray put a clip in the Browning HP he had found somewhere. Senor Vidal carried his pump shotgun and looked determined, Shivani... well she had her bow and knew how to use it. Everyone except me had ranged weapons, I was ok with that.

I gave a slight nod to everyone and then we moved out, The riot shield on my left arm and the weight of my brand new blade against my hip felt reassuring...

(There were very few issues with sleep, having 5 beds for 7 people and more than enough Food to feed the community. In fact, I had 5 Food left, but could only store 4 so one unit rotted away. With only the Kitchen and the Utility Room manned and no Project groups, the total of 5 Siege Rating would not give any chance of a Zombie Siege this Turn. Everyone seemed quite content (Unrest at 7) so no one was at risk of leaving, like Damon had done. Our spare Resources at this point are: 4 Food, 4 Fuel, 1 Hardware. We also have a Video Game Console laying around, which, when I introduce the Rare Goods Trader, most likely will be bartered for something more useful.

Having looked through the rule book, I thought a Greasy Spoon (Tier 1 Base) would be a better place than the initial house. I would like to build a Medical Facility, another Bunk Room (Extra Beds), Watchtower and Utility Room (which supplies Power and Water). I will be able to store more Resources there as well than in the Small House we are currently in.

I'm not throwing caution to the wind, having worked very well in the previous games, but this time there'll be combat and guns blazing! With the team doing the mission, I will have 13 zombies on the board from the start and I need to start cracking at those numbers, having a completely different kind of game. Going on the offensive this time, with loud, noisy firearms. This could potentially go very wrong... let's hope not!)

Senor Vidal tinkering with the white Volvo V40, lacking a proper garage he's doing it as best as he can.

Billy-Ray reaping the rewards of his hard work in the garden plot.

Obie and Shivani take the lead, followed by senor Vidal, Billy-Ray and Bernice. Gloria and Kelly-Ann watch them go, anxiously awaiting their return. Soon afterwards, they return back in to start packing the things they will be taking with them to the new base.

[CapnJim]

Hmm.  My guess is that your guess is right.  To paraphrase Elmer Fudd, "Be vewy, vewy quiet.  We're hunting zombies..."

By the way, is there any chance anything might occur with Kelly-Ann and Gloria, while Obie, et. al. are out taking care of business?