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

[Doug ex-em4]

I had a lot of catching up to do with this story so it provided me with a good, solid read and an excellent excuse for delaying finishing my own report (my middle name is procrastination).

I think it?s getting better and better. Lots of little details to add a sense of scene and a developing character that makes the reader want to invest in his (and his companions) progress through the devastated world that confronts them.

Excellent story telling and a very compelling solo campaign.

Then we come to the Gentlemen of Purveyance . A great name - I wish I?d thought of it myself. A cracking idea to put them in a stagecoach and a great way to get the gent in all his feathery finery on the table. I can tell they?re going to be splendid additions to your campaign; there?s something about them that?s very appealing?.🤔

Doug

[Legionnaire]

I had a lot of catching up to do with this story so it provided me with a good, solid read and an excellent excuse for delaying finishing my own report (my middle name is procrastination).

I think it?s getting better and better. Lots of little details to add a sense of scene and a developing character that makes the reader want to invest in his (and his companions) progress through the devastated world that confronts them.

Excellent story telling and a very compelling solo campaign.

Then we come to the Gentlemen of Purveyance . A great name - I wish I?d thought of it myself. A cracking idea to put them in a stagecoach and a great way to get the gent in all his feathery finery on the table. I can tell they?re going to be splendid additions to your campaign; there?s something about them that?s very appealing?.🤔

Doug

First of all, in the King's English, I'm truly chuffed that you have gotten this much enjoyment out of my gaming, sir! Having discussed out mutual interests in a narrative style in our previous correspondence, your words are high praise indeed and very much appreciated.

I was mainly looking to just share my own game and had hoped that some would find some enjoyment. However, credit where credit's due. Without the suggestions, input and involvements from members such as yourself, CapnJim, Mike Demana and Sunjester, it's unlikely that I would have spent this much time and effort in fleshing out the characters and trying to write up the AAR's in such a fashion.

We now arrive at the Gentlemen of Purveyance and how that idea came about. There is a Trading element in the rules, where communities can trade between each other for equipment. I wanted a Handgun for Billy-Ray, and having checked the values, the Video Game Console would cover that cost. I thought: "what if?" and then it struck me, my other collection is a wild west collection and "hey Presto!" the idea was born. When I actually googled the word purveyor, I was told: "a person in the employ of the Regent to buy and sell at reduced prices," (I paraphrase here) which fitted the idea to a T. Now that that idea saw table time, I'm having an idea to maybe give them a whirl in their own spin-off, but how I will find the time for that with a full-time job, other commitments etc is anyone's guess  . Tuesdays will be my main game days.

I really can't stress enough, that without the continuing engagement from the member's here, I wouldn't figure out the backgrounds of a mini I have painted: "and who would YOU be?", I wouldn't try to flesh out and describe that 10 I just rolled or what it would feel like to those little ladies and gents down on the tabletop, when I push a zombie on a 25mm base within 1" of the mini  .

Thank you very much for your time reading sir, and for posting and commenting letting me know.

With regards,

Legionnaire.

[Legionnaire]

         GAME TURN 6 PRELUDE (MISSION 1/2)

?What...the...f*ck...is...THAT!?? breathed Bernice. Her eyes large and fearful and I thought exactly the same. Together with Shivani and Billy-Ray, we had gone in the Volvo to, what we believed, a relatively untouched lot of storages at the back of a little retail plot. We were all having the same expression of bewilderment on our faces. After all this time, we had gotten used to seeing zombies on a daily basis, but this... this was something completely new.
?I really don't know Bernice, but I definitely don't like it! It's like the Rotten... evolve somehow.? I said, my jaw firmly set and my eyes on... THAT! Trying to figure out how to deal with...IT!
?Wait here, I'll do a quick recce.? I slipped away, very aware of this new, unknown complication.

The THING, or actually THINGS upon closer inspection, were, for lack of better words, gatherings of the thickest imaginable London fog, moving unnaturally, with no wind blowing. The fog was so thick you could not see through it at all and it rose up high, at least two stories. Only after careful observation did I determine that there seemed to be... something, or someone at the centre, in some fashion actually generating this artificial mist. I reckoned it would be impossible to shoot that thing in the middle and even getting up close was going to be challenging. I counted 5 of these ?Misters?. Another thing was, that these didn't seem to be in the docile state that so many zombies were, on the contrary, they seemed to move with purpose and intent, being a lot more active and alert. Several issues arose, with them on the scene, they would obscure any other zombies behind them, you had to get up close and personal and I had no idea what other surprises they could spring on you, I'd rather not having to find out. Also, I spotted a large area that was littered with tins, broken toys and such, anyone going through it would cause such a racket that it'd be as if they had fired a gun. Finally, I thought there was a fair chance that some, or even all of the lock-ups were shut and needed ?convincing? to open, which also in turn would draw attention to us.

I returned with my findings to the group and we took a vote. Everyone considered the new information carefully but all were in favour of doing what we had set out to do. We were running dangerously low on food and with the Gentlemen of Purveyance turning up, if we could find some useful things to trade for other things that we could need, happy days.
?Ok everyone. The plan is for Shivani to take point and look for anything useful, with Bernice and Billy-Ray covering her. I'll be running interference if need be. We gather what she finds and move on to next pile of resources, rinse and repeat. We TRY to get hold of as much as we can, but if the situation becomes too dangerous, we bail out. This is NOT a regular day in Zombieland people! I need you to be at your absolute BEST, because I have no idea what other surprises we are going to have thrown at us today. Any questions? Good, Shivani take the lead.? I unsheathed my Kukri and checked that the riot shield was comfortably fastened one final time then we carefully moved out, Shivani bow at the ready, Billy-Ray and Bernice holding their guns in tight grips...

(Having had so much success in their initial 5 games, I decided to crank up the heat on Obie's team and introduce one of the Special Zombies in the book. In the rules toolkit, there is an option to get extra XP for a mission in the forms of Extreme Weather, Special Zombies, Difficult Terrain and/ or Unseen forces. Depending on how much you have and what form they take, you get bonus XP to share amongst the team. In this scenario, I rolled once for Special Zombies and once for Difficult Terrain. I got 5 Fog Zombies and a patch of 6? Noisy Terrain. If the team is successful, I get to allocate 4 extra XP for this.

Slight tweak to the Gather Material Mission. This time I'm after Food again, with a minimum of 8 units ideally, but also anything that'd be useful or that we can trade away. After deciding how many units of Food, I roll a D10 for each of the leftover Resources: 1-4 a Standard Quality weapon, 5-9 a piece of useful equipment and a 10 will be a Rare Item. The weapons and equipment will also be randomly generated, potentially ending up with something we can't use (lacking the appropriate skill), but can trade away.

Shivani will unearth 4 Resources per Material stack she investigates! She's our ONLY scavenger so vital to our survival! With the Volvo having 6 Inventory Slots, Obie 4, Shivani 4, Billy-Ray 4 and Bernice 0 (her .44 takes up that slot, being a Tier 1 Rookie), I could, potentially earn 18 Resources!!

Also, there is a 50% that a door to the storage unit is locked. Only when I am attempting to enter will I reveal that, making it a bit of a gamble. Enter, Break OR causing 2 points of damage, generating Noise as per weapon (minimum 2?) to gain access is required.)

A Fog Zombie with Bernice for scale. Conveniently, the area a Fog Zombie covers, is the size of a pint glass. I will get some plastic ones and spray them grey for effect. Rules wise it works like this: it blocks LOS in the whole area of effect, it can't be targeted by ranged weapons and the zone of fog counts as Difficult Terrain.

The patch of Noisy Terrain, just scribbled on a piece of paper with information as a reminder to what it does. It will be generated via Placement Points FIRST of everything on the board, so it could end up anywhere.

[CapnJim]

Hmmm.  Interesting. 

"Crank up the heat"?  It looks like you went from simmer to boil, in one fell swoop!    

Here's hoping your crew can handle it... 

[Legionnaire]

Hmmm.  Interesting. 

"Crank up the heat"?  It looks like you went from simmer to boil, in one fell swoop!    

Here's hoping your crew can handle it...

The short answer is: I have NO idea  . With Fog Zombies blocking line of sight for my shooters AND can only be targeted in melee, they will prove an "interesting challenge". Also that piece of Noisy Terrain which will provoke more attackers by merely stepping onto it...

All shall be revealed Tuesday, fingers crossed for good dice rolls...

Regards

Legionnaire.

[Legionnaire]

GAME TURN 6 (MISSION 1 OF 2, Part I of II)

The place was a veritable treasure trove! Wherever you looked, there were things just lying there for your taking, but with all those zombies and those ?Misters? hovering around, it felt like Bilbo probably would've felt like in Smaug's treasure chamber. We were, however, no small hobbit's with a ring of invisibility. There were three lock-ups on one side with a small supermarket, a coffee shop and some kind of camping and fishing shop on the other. The air was thick and heavy with the fumes from these new unknown zombie types, I could almost feel how it was stinging my eyes. The place was literally crawling with the undead and it was clear that we would have to fight for what we wanted.
?I reckon we need to make a BIG dent in that zombie presence first before we start picking up things. Shivani, you'll go ahead, carefully to see what's of use to us. Bernice and Billy-Ray, I want the two of you, as quietly as you can to make your way up on the roof of that coffee shop. It's an excellent vantage point and you can provide covering fire from up there. I am going to see what those ?Misters? are about, there's one in that camping shop just up ahead. OK? Move out!?

I drew my Kukri and took up position by the backdoor to the camping shop, better to get this done with as soon as possible, I needed to find out what those Fog Zombies were about. The weight of my blade felt reassuring, it had seen me through so far and it wasn't going to let me down this time either, I hoped. I nodded to Bernice and Billy-Ray, guns drawn and also taking up position by the employees only entrance to the coffe shop. Shivani gave me a look and a nod, she was ready to go. Bow in hand and arrow drawn. In one smooth motion she let the arrow fly and the nearest zombie fell to the ground with an arrow through its eye socket. Shivani moved forwards, keeping low and very quiet. With that threat out of the way, the noise when Bernice and Billy-Ray shouldered the door to the coffee shop open didn't seem to attract any unwanted attention. They were soon inside and shimmied up the ladder through the roof hatch in short time, I saw the top of Billy-Ray's bald head bobbing up on the roof, Bernice gave me a thumbs up.
?Jaha, da var det min tur da,? I said to myself in Swedish and took a deep breath. There was no point in subtelty. I gave the door a firm kick and stepped into the doorway, the mist was immediately swirling around me, I could see shapes and forms in it but it was impossible to see anything definite in this pea soup. I felt disoriented and slightly nauseous, these vapors must be chemical in some sense. Suddenly, I more felt than perceived movement, there was a low gurgling somewhere around me, shuffling that echoed in a weird disturbing way. All this I experienced in what really must've been seconds but felt much longer. All of a sudden, something thudded against my shield! An impact and a guttural groan, a shape appearing out of the mist! Using the riot shield as my guide where the enemy was, I cut in several swift, decisive strikes with my Kukri, I felt it connect and like a deflated ballon, the mist seemed to evaporate and a horribly disfigured zombie with what looked like small airducts all over its body tumbled to the floor, with the head rolling in another direction and coming to a stop against a stand of fishing rods. I let out a sigh of relief, so you could kill them! That was good news! I heard the glass crunch underfoot over by the lock-ups when the zombies over there moved around, drawing slowly nearer.

Shivani moved towards the nearest pile of resources and rooted through it, unearthing a lot of useful stuff, but she left it there for us to pick up. The zombies wouldn't be interested in that anyways so it wasn't like it was going to go anywhere. I waste no time, I'm out through the window at the front, glass crunching, I am not bothered about the noise I make right now. I see two shambling towards me, I engage them and while I hold one off with my shield, I cut the other one down with a swift and decisive strike through the neck, severing the head from its body. I see Bernice taking up position at the corner of my eye, a little over 10 metres away on the roof of the coffee shop, the big .44 S&W revolver in a steady two-handed grip. I take a sudden step backwards, almost instantly there's a loud BOOM and I'm splattered with the brain matter of the remaining zombie as it drops to the floor. A slight wisp of smoke drifts from the barrel of Bernice's gun. Billy-Ray joins her up there, but I can also see that, beside the loud noise from the gunshot, the zombies for most part seem to gravitate in one uniform direction. I double check the vectors and it seems to me like they are homing in on where Billy-Ray is! I wonder if it can have anything to do with that sensation he claims he feels in his very own blood? But I won't have time to ruminate over that right now!
I am in a forward position, shielding Shivani so she can gather some of the supplies. That naturally attracts no only zombies, but also one of those Fog Zombies, their mist swirling around me. I know I have more than one enemy in here with me, and I am using all my skill to narrowly evade their savage hands and teeth, often coming at me right out of nowhere! When I have an opening I take it. I thrust my Kukri through one of the Fog Zombie's vents, which give a loud hissing noise, therefore I can locate it much easier. When the noise comes at me again, I step back and to the side, it falls flat on its face and I don't miss the chance to make it stay down for good, putting my boot at its back holding it down while I cut off its head, the mists evoraping once more, making it much more easily to see the other enemies. Bernice has patiently waited for an opportunity. She thumbs back the hammer and rests her arms against the parapet, letting the barrel hover over the mists.
?Comeoncomecome, come out, wherever you are,? she whispers to herself, focusing. Then the mists disappear like that and she doesn't waste the opportunity, the zed's head bobs in front of her gunsight and she squeezes the trigger. KABOOM! A textbook shot! The large calibre bullet tears in where the nose is, obliterating it and leaves a large cavity at the back of the skull where the exit wound is. She has been so focused that only now does she hear what Billy-Ray is saying:
?They are coming for us! They are inside the cafe underneath us, we must git very soon!? In the same breath, he raises his Sig-Sauer, just like his brother Aaron taught him and he fires one single shot. That's all he needs, the guns action is smooth and the precision is marvellous, it's like point-and-shoot. The bullet finds its intended target, 15 meters out another zombie falls to the ground with a bullet through its head. The loud gunshots have attracted LOTS of attention!
?Watch out Bernice, we got to go. NOW!? Billy-Ray shouts. Behind them, the trap door is flung open and a large cloud of mist swirls up from below, they can hear scratching and running footsteps from below!

I move to intercept and I see one of those Fog Zombies swirling towards me, but I can hear many, many different footsteps joining it, there seems to be a myriad of hands coming at me from all directions, raking against my shield, tearing at my clothes but luckily not drawing any blood. We are all obfuscated by this mist, I have no idea how many zombies are in here with me, but I reckon it's at least three, could be as many as five! But now I know what to listen for, that low hissing sound from the vents of the Fog Zombie. If I can take it out, the others will be able to see and shoot the zombies. I tune everything else around me out, motionless, Kukri ready to strike. There! I turn and strike behind me in one fluid swift motion. The Fog Zombie tried to sneak up on me and my Kukri takes the top of its head off above the eyebrows, a half cut brain and skull fall to the ground as the body falls against my shield, sliding comically down it making a squeaking noise. With the mist now gone, an arrow swisch past my ear and embed itself into the head of one of the remaining three zombies. I see Shivani move low and quiet like that artificial fog towards another pile of boxes.
?You need to go Bernice, NOW!? Billy-Ray tucks his Sig in the waistband and turns to face the Fog Zombie.
?What about you Billy-Ray?? she asks concerned as she hangs from the roof of the coffee shop and drops down to the ground.
?Don't worry about me, I'll take care of this motherf*cker!? The mist engulfs Billy-Ray and swallows him up! Bernice, revolver in hand raises it and thumbs back the hammer. A gunshot rings out and a zed has its head blown off. Bernice smiles coldly. She can hear scuffling up on the roof but can't see anything.
?I... said... get... the... f*ck... off... ME!? Billy-Ray's angry voice rings out. He's not very skilful, but he's big and strong, holding his own against the undead monstrosity. Using that to his advantage, he gets hold of the Fog Zombie, lifts it up high enough and chuck it over the edge of the roof. It lands with a wet crunch on the pavement, head first, the mist dissipating. Billy-Ray wastes no time dropping down from the roof following after Bernice. Bernice's gunshot has attracted a lot of attention. Another Fog Zombie with several friends are homing in on me, another one crashes through the cafe's window in pursuit of Billy-Ray and Shivani is being charged by a zombie. The floor is littered with bodies of the proper, recently dead dead, but they keep coming!

I put in a major effort, my arms are aching from all the cutting and chopping and violence against the shield, sweat runs down my back and in my eyes. I don't dare to think about what other fluids are covering me. I lop both arms and one leg off the Fog Zombie before I finally manage to get in a killing blow, all the while fending off a regular zombie with the riot shield. With the Fog Zombie, last one that we can see, out of the way it's a simple thing to dispatch the zombie hammering against my shield. With the mists cleared, Shivani takes aim and kills a zombie with an arrow from her bow, there's a heck of a lot more dead than standing up zombies here now, maybe, just maybe, we will get out of this alive. I see a zombie rush forward to Billy-Ray. The big guy grabs it around the head with his big hands and slams it forcefully against a convenient lamp post until it stops moving. He's breathing hard but looks ok. He turns to a pile of supplies that Shivani found and starts loading it into his backpack. Good man. Bernice moves closer and raises her revolver, it thunders again but I hear her shout:
?OH! Fu*king S*IT!? and when I look, I see that she's put a hole through the shirt of the zombie, she might as well just blown it a kiss, it would've reached the same effect. The zombie rushes Bernice and swipes at her, she cries out in fear and back peddle, scrambling to get away from it. I hear her cry out in pain...

Part TWO is being written and will follow below later today.

[Legionnaire]

TURN 6 MISSION 1 OF 2, PART II


...but luckily it seems like the zombie has only managed to snag some tufts of her red hair! I have more pressing matters though, her gunshot has made another zombie rushing me and trying to kill me, I employ the riot shield to good effect stopping it from doing that.
?Out of the way Bernice, DUCK!? Shivani commands as she draws her bow. Bernice flings herself on the ground and the arrow leaves the string, humming slightly in the air. Shivani turns around and picks up some supplies, THEN the zombie drops down dead. It just took a little while for it to realise it was dead. Shivani didn't even have to look, she KNEW her aim was true! I cut down another zombie and move towards the supplies, joining up with Billy-Ray who's putting more stuff in his backpack. I look around us and I can see only 3 zombies moving about, we have gotten some breathing space now.

?Let's pick up as much as we can and then get the hell out of here! Anyone injured?? I call out and I'm assured they are all fine and well. We kill a few more zombies as needed, but focus now is for everyone to take as much as we can, fill the car boot and drive off. It's a pretty much cut and dried affair from here on so within a short time we are all loaded up and with me in the driving seat, we are heading for home,having a sing-along of The Beatles ?Penny Lane? along the way, as absurd as it may seem. We are all very impressed with ourselves, in high spirits, but I wonder how its gone for senor Vidal, Gloria and Kelly-Ann in their search of another vehicle. They are not back yet, so I hope for good news, but still, I put Shivani on lookout in the crow's nest up top.

(Another mission that went well! The dice were once more in my favour but you really have to keep your attention on where the enemies are and which ones would activate when you make Noise. I had a few hairy moments, but it went my way this time as well. Barely anything was inside the locked storages so I decided to grab the ones in the open.

Even though they might not have any combat skill, ALL survivors are counted as having some sort of defensive weapon (a sharpened screwdriver, a pocket knife or as in Billy-Ray's case, brute strength), which doesn't take up any space and can be used in melee with their Strength score. To get a ?Kill Shot? on a zombie in general, you need to roll 6+ (with Skill, if any, plus 1D10) a Natural 1 is ALWAYS a failure.

The area had 15 Resource Points (roll of 9 plus Obie's Scout 6), literally showered in stuff! With so many zombies we had to go in aggressive to thin them out before picking up things.

The team earned 1 XP each for participating, 4 Bonus XP due to Noisy Terrain and 5 Fog Zombies to deal with and the usual 1 Bonus XP. Obie pulled in 3, all the others 2 each. With that, Bernice is now going to be levelled up to a Tier 2 Citizen! She's going to get the Skill Traps and also next turn going on a Story Mission (still to be decided). Exciting stuff!

I'm currently saving up Obie's XP to (possibly) buy Defense 7, but not decided yet. Billy-Ray is saving up to become a Tier 3 Leader (costing 6 XP) and Shivani... well I would like for her to become a Tier 4 Hero (costing 8 XP), but that also means I need a bigger better base to facilitate TWO Heroes! Decisions, decisions.

We came away with 19 Materials, 10 of which I decided to be Food. We got 1 Hardware and 1 Fuel with the remaining 9 Resources either weapons or equipment (all randomly generated) as follows:

1 Standard Pistol
1 Throwing Axe
1 Binoculars (Obie)
1 Trap (Bernice)
1 Reinforced Clothing
1 Standard Bow (Shivani)
1 Medicated Wrap
1 Standard Revolver (Bernice)
1 Standard Rifle

I still have to play the second Mission this Turn, which is a Retrieve a Vehicle Mission for senor Vidal, Gloria and Kelly-Ann. That MIGHT happen Friday, but otherwise probably not until next Tuesday.

[mikedemana]

Exciting report! Things definitely could have gone sideways in the mist and confusion of the Fog Zombies. It is always interesting when you have to adapt your small unit's tactics to a new situation, like you did here.

Good luck on the next one -- hope they find a suitable vehicle? An RV, maybe? 

Mike Demana

[Legionnaire]

Exciting report! Things definitely could have gone sideways in the mist and confusion of the Fog Zombies. It is always interesting when you have to adapt your small unit's tactics to a new situation, like you did here.

Good luck on the next one -- hope they find a suitable vehicle? An RV, maybe? 

Mike Demana

Thank you sir! Glad you enjoyed it  .

With a solo game, I have the luxury of being able to take my time and consider carefully my options. CRZ is pretty much: "IF I make Noise here, which zeds will activate?"

That'd be quite nice but unlikely within senor Vidal's capabilities  . He has currently a total skill of 3 in Tinkering. An RV or pick-up truck, van or similar vehicles are Tier 3, needing 12+ (D10+skill) to Repair. IF there is such a vehicle available, he needs to roll a 9-10 and each attempt will generate Noise... Doable, but probably take many attempts, when you consider that each attempt is a risk and none of the ladies accompanying him have any combat skills... probably only a fool would try  . I'll see what comes up in the generation.

Regards,

Legionnaire.

[Sunjester]

Another great report, well done Obie and co!

[CapnJim]

Another great report.  I like your story-telling style.  It rings true, even though I don't understand a lick of Swedish...

BUT...I have a concern.  I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but your crew has been incredible skilled/lucky.  I've heard that Lady Luck can be a fickle b**ch...so watch out...

[Legionnaire]

Another great report, well done Obie and co!

Thank you very much sir! All the credit goes to my dice rolling, high when needed and low when also needed  .

Regards,

Legionnaire.

[Legionnaire]

Another great report.  I like your story-telling style.  It rings true, even though I don't understand a lick of Swedish...

BUT...I have a concern.  I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but your crew has been incredible skilled/lucky.  I've heard that Lady Luck can be a fickle b**ch...so watch out...

Thank you very much for your kind words CapnJim! Just some sprinkling for flavour  .

I've heard that too! In too many games to remember things have been going swimmingly turn one and turn two, only to come crashing down to a disaster in turn 3  . I'd like to think, if I don't talk about... HER you know... SHE won't bother me... Nice and quiet, like Obie sneaking around the Horde's like...

Behind the scenes: When Obie is in a Mission, the group has a collective FIVE (5) rerolls. These can be both used to re-roll one failed team roll OR a zombie attack roll. Most times I use these up, this time around I actually only used one (for a successful zombie attack).

The Riot Shield makes it much easier to fight multiple enemies, effectively cancelling the FIRST attack from a zombie each phase. So with only one attacker I can prevail, with two or more there's still a chance Obie get's injured.

With the exceptions of Obie and Shivani, who only fail to kill a zombie in most circumstances on a 1-2 (D10), Beatrice will need to roll at least 6+ for the same, Billy-Ray needs at least 3+. Sure, maybe not the most difficult rolls, but... Beatrice can only fire once per turn, same with Shivani, so if they miss, they can't fire again. Billy-Ray can fire twice, but a Nat 1 means his Sig-Sauer has also jammed and it'll take him actions to sort that out.

That "centre shot, fail to kill" was a measly 2 I rolled for Bernice which I reckoned wouldn't be too much of a problem, conserving the re-rolls in case I needed them later on.

I still have senor Vidal, Gloria and Kelly-Ann to sort out, so will do that now  .

[Legionnaire]

TURN 6 (MISSION 2 OF 2)

This wasn't a part of town that senor Vidal frequented. It had always, for as long as he remembered, had a bad reputation and was talked about in whispers. There had been rumours of gang criminality, drugs and everything unsavoury. The neighbourhood was run down, graffitti plentiful and even before the Outbreak it had been a sanitary disaster. The streets lay empty and deserted, it was hard to tell if the decay already had been there before or appeared after The Rot. Senor Vidal held the Remington pump-action shotgun in his hands, just in case. Gloria had a small satchel with medical supplies and Kelly-Ann that Hello Kitty backpack that didn't take much. But they were not out on the scrounge. Sometimes you had to go dangerous places. Senor Vidal reckoned, that this place would have some vehicles that a) would run and b) not be missed. He hoped they wouldn't run into trouble. They were hardly equipped for that...

His heart sank a little as they came closer. The place was very much a dump. A run down gas station in desperate need of a new paint job with what can only be described as a dive bar, and that's being kind, at the edge of the parking lot. Senor Vidal reckoned it was the owner's trailer parked to one side and the picturesque copse of woods had probably mostly been used as a bathroom. The place looked liked it had been more or less picked clean only a few sorry looking items of interest could be seen and yes, there were some vehicles that looked like they could run. He saw a big motorcycle, probably belonging to a biker, three servicable mid-range cars and a tractor trailer! He knew, even with a proper workshop fully fitted out, servicing such a beast was beyond his modest skills, never mind that he only had some wrenches and screwdrivers on him. 
?I'm sorry ladies, I had hoped we could have something easier to pick. It looks like, whatever vehicle we want we are going to attract attention as soon as we get close. That tractor trailer is completely out of the question, I won't be able to make that run, even with all the luck in the world! Can anyone of you shoot??
?I... I don't like guns mister Vidal,? Kelly-Ann said softly and looked at her shoes.
?I've only shot once or twice, mostly tranquiliser rifles, but if I have to I could!? said Gloria, but not very confidently. She smiled reassuringly at Kelly-Ann and patted her on the shoulder.
?I reckon, our best bet is that little ambulance by the gas station. But I'll be needing both hands to sort it out so you Gloria will have to shoot and keep them off us, when, not if, they are coming for us. All ready? Let's go then ladies, follow me,? Hector sounded more confident than he felt. He hoped they couldn't see how his hands were shaking...

They snuck up behind a turned over dumpster, the car that was their goal only a dozen yards or so away, what might've been one of the original paramedics was standing there almost motionless, gargling wordless sounds. Hector licked his lips and put his fingers through his thick white hair:
?I'll go first, just keep an eye on that one, because as soon as I start moving it's going to twitch, you know that. Ok, here goes,? he grunted as he got up from the hunched over position. He was certainly no spring chicken anymore, but all those people depending on him, he couldn't let them down. That was not a Christian thing to do. He quickly crossed himself and mumbled a prayer to Santa Maria, kissed the crucifix around his neck and got going...

Sure enough, as soon as he started moving forwards, that undead abomination stirred, as if it had caught his scent, turning towards him, like it had an invisible homing beacon. Hector felt that there was something... impure in his blood after being injured not that long ago, festering, simmering, biding its time under the surface. Maybe that was what the zombie percieved at some metaphysical level. He shook his head, focusing on the here and now, otherwise he'd be in big trouble.
?Nice zombie, just stay there,? he whispered under his breath as he popped the hood to the car as quietly as he could. The zombie rustled and took a shuffling step, as if trying out going for a walk, in his direction. Hector tugged at the bushy mustache and got to work. He slowly inserted a tool in the engine room and a drop of sweat from concentration dripped from his nose. With a loud expulsion of air, he knew he had done it. That's when he realised the feet next to him, he looked up into a rotten decayed face, with lifeless eyes...

?Get... into... the... car...? Hector breathed, keeping an eye on the creature. Gloria was the first to get moving, Kelly-Ann let out a frightened scream as the zombie tried to strangle him! He struggled against it, it was strong and the decaying flesh slippery. Gloria tested the passenger door and it opened. Hector's attention slips for a moment and searing pain erupts as the zombie sinks its surprisingly sharp teeth into his neck, drawing blood and a chunk of flesh!
?Let him go! You... you MEANIE!? Kelly-Ann shouted and he heard her run up trying to push the zombie away from him. Brave girl with a kind heart! But maybe not too bright he reflected. Maybe it was because of Kelly-Ann's spirited rush, but at least the zombie failed to do him any more harm, except for some torn clothes but he felt the blood running down his neck, warm and sticky.
?Watch out! Behind you!? Gloria pointed and just what they needed! Another undead rose up less than ten yards from them, by the side of the gas station.

?ENOUGH!? Hector grunted. Kelly-Ann was holding onto the zombie or at least slowing it down by hanging onto it and he turned the shotgun around and slammed the stock of it right into its face. The abomination's head cracked open with a sharp snap and it hung at an unnatural angle on the stem. The zombie dropped down to the floor. Hector dragged himself along the side of the car to Gloria, who had already opened her bag. He knew he left a smear of fresh blood on the paintwork and she looked a bit pale as she fumbled with the lock of the bag.
?Ohshitohshitohshit, what do I do? Think!? she muttered to herself, on the verge of panic.
?Stem the bloodflow, apply pressure, lay the patient down to encourage blood flow to brain and heart,? she recited to herself as if she was reading from a book.
?Okokok, I got it,? her hands only shook a little as she came up with some gauze and applied it firmly to the wound, pressing down on it.
Kelly-Ann moved fast to the car and slipped into the back seat as quietly as she could, the zombie by the gas station that's just turned up to the party jerks alive and give chase, but seems to lose track of her as she lies down in the backseat, her breath misting the window slightly. Instead the zombie gets wind of Gloria and comes snarling after her. Gloria is lithe and very agile, almost embarrasingly easy she dodges the zombies attempt at killing her, slipping back, opening the passenger door and sliding in beside Kelly-Ann,  it's cramped but they make do. The frustrated zombie turns towards Hector...

Hector does not waste the chance provided. One hand pressed against the gauze and the other opening the driver's door, he pops open the dashboard and engages the wires. As the zombie bangs on the window, trying to get in, the car roars to life! Hector slams it in drive and presses the accelerator down, seeing the zombie getting smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror. They made it out alive!

(Well, this mission probably took longer to set up than to play it! I didn't have lots of easy options, so I hoped for a quick in-and-out. Especially considering that neither Gloria or Kelly-Ann are fighters. IF it had come to that, I would make a Scenario Special Rule that Gloria could shoot the shotgun at only +1 due to her unfamiliarity with it.

To fix the motorbike, which would not be ideal, Hector would need to roll 2+, one of the cars 5+ and the articulated lorry (semi trailer) he needed a Natural 10.

Once more Hector got injured (1 Wound), he's now got 2 Infection points and when he's got at least 5 Infection points, there's a risk he succumbs to the Virus and turn. Even if you heal your Wounds, which Gloria did this time, the Infection is healed seperately and stays and accumulates between missions.

The XP awards: Hector Jesus Vidal (1), with the 1 saved from previously, he bought Tinker 2 (5). Gloria (1) bought Enter 1 (3) and Kelly-Ann is saving up her XP to be able to advance to a Tier 2 Citizen (need 4, have 3).

I got a Tier 2 Vehicle (paramedic car) which has 4 passengers and 6 Inventory slots.

I just discovered I have played the vehicle rules ?not quite right? but will continue as I've played, just need to subtract more Fuel (vehicles consume Tier level in Fuel on missions, not just one unit).

I will figure out what duties to assign people (Billy-Ray and Senor Vidal will probably be in Sick Bay, tended to by Gloria to sort out that nasty Infection and Kelly-Ann will man the Kitchen. Which leaves Bernice, Obie and Shivani to do Bernice's Story Mission, still to be decided which one and fleshed out as a story, but I have some ideas ...)

[mikedemana]

Yikes!  Never good when a zombie bites your neck...!

Hope Senor Vidal is okay...

Mike Demana