Shelldrake's Zombie Wargame Blog

Next PBB?

2012-01-25T21:58:00.000+11:00

I am toying with the idea of running another Play By Blog game, only I want to do something different this time, and then revisit the survivors from the last game again.

I am tempted to run something on my other blog - maybe a dungeon crawl, or a horror skirmish (strange aeons).

Or if people still want to play a zombie game, I could do a mix and play a dungeon crawl against a necromancer that uses zombies as his minions.

Again the game will only be open to followers of this blog.

What do people think?

Do you want another PBB? What type of game do you want to play (as in setting)?

Any suggestions for a PBB setting?

PBB - End game

2012-01-15T11:05:00.001+11:00

My apologies for the delay in finishing the game - life and other projects got in the way.

anyway, here is how I played the game out:

Robert takes aim an fires at the zombies near by, taking the closets too him down.

Lucky adopts a stabilized position in the back of the pick up, takes aim and hits two zombies, the first shot killing the intended target, the second shot is only a wound.

Karen turns and moves to the corner of the farm house, and fires into the remaining zombies between the survivors and the pick up.

The last two zombies go down, clearing the road of the shambling undead.

Blink moves next to Karen for mutual protection.

Sandi moves to the far side of the yard he is in, keeping the wall between him and the zombies.

Leila moves down the road to where Robert is standing.

The zombies move ever closer as seven more appear near the ice cream truck and the billboard end of the road.

Sandi leaps over the wall and bolts down the road to the pick up, with Robert and Leila close behind.

Karen and Blink sprint down the road and make it to the rear of the pick up.

“come on” yells Jack. “Lets get out of here!”

The zombies moan almost as if annoyed that their dinner is getting away as they shamble in an effort to feed on those tasty braiiiiins.

With a reduction in gun fire only three additional zombies appear, this time near the river.

With many helping hands the survivors on the road climb and or are dragged into the back, people piling on top of each other.

“Go! Go! Go!” the yell as one.

Not waiting a second, Jack ‘floors’ the pick up and they make their escape.

This ends the PBB game.

* * *

From my point of view I enjoyed the game, but holidays and the Christmas period kind of killed the momentum and flow of the game.

If any of the players feel like posting comments on the game please do so.

Was it too long?

Did you like the way the orders and rules were submitted and played out?

Did you want more control over your survivor? Like creating your survivor and choosing which figure to use?

Would you play another game?

Is there anything else you would like to bring up about the game?

If there is enough interest in this game (and other type of settings) I will be happy to 'ref' the game, maybe even a small group of one or two players.

Anyway, I hope every one enjoyed the game, both players and readers of the game.

EDIT

I forgot to mention. There were many things on the playing area that survivors could have interacted with to gain victory points (not that I ended up listing what VPs the players gained :-P )

The newspapers near the dumpster - anyone reading them would have learnt more about what had caused the zombies.

The big truck... so glad you didn't open the back. It was full of zombies going to a research lab... which an inspection of the truck cabin would have turned up a shipping invoice.

Food could have been collected from the ice cream van.

Investigation of the toxic waste flow would have been awarded a VP for insight as to what was happening.

The gas bottle in the walled farm yard (the one near the ice cream van) could have been used as a bomb.

I had great fun when the chickens were overlooked in the heat of the moment as a food source.

And just one not related to VPs - I was surprised no one asked for molotov cocktails as their extra special item. Even not knowing the rules, the AAR I posted should have been a good hint as to how affective they are ;-)

Warm Acre figures

2011-12-31T08:52:00.000+11:00

I just noticed that Warm Acre have free postage world wide until the 2nd of Jan.

Typically I found out at the end of the promo, so I jumped on the web site and found a nice pack of civilian criminal types - including one carrying a baseball bat, which is high on my list for survivor figures.

The figure with the baseball bat is the one I want the most, but the others will be good for ~~zombie fodder~~ general low ranked survivors.

At 6GPB for a pack of six figures with free postage, these were too good to miss.

I know Brummie has at least one of the Warm Acre figures, and it looks pretty good, so I am looking forward to the pack of figures I ordered.

If you want to take advantage of the free postage before the 2nd of Jan then visit the Warm Acre site

PBB turn 16 - sans results

2011-12-26T08:47:00.000+11:00

As per a comment I posted in the comments section of PBB turn 15 this morning, does anyone have any objections of me playing out the remaining turns with every one making it to the pick up for a getaway?

It might turn out a bit like a scene from Platoon, but I am ok with that :-P

Merry Zombie Christmas

2011-12-23T10:57:00.000+11:00

Merry Christmas everyone - I hope you all have a good one and Santa gives you many zombies things to game with.

PBB Turn 15

2011-12-17T19:07:00.000+11:00

Blink moves forward, the taste of fresh tic tak in his mouth, and opens up on the zombies closing in on Karen. Two zombies are hit, with one of them redecorating the zombies behind it with it's brains.

Clutching the dead chicken to her, Karen moves away from the zombies firing a pistol as she goes. Two zombies go down after some accurate firing destroys their heads.

[I tend to lean towards only humans are eaten by zombies, but went with a dice roll, and it seems the thrashing of the remaining chicken is worth the zombies having a look]

Jack puts the truck into gear and gains speed as he plows into the small hoard coming on to the road. He squashes three of them and Niki cuts a fourth in half with her sword as they do the drive by. Even though this forth one has lost its legs it seems to still be 'alive'.

[the rules for using vehicles in "No More Room In Hell" really really suck - a fist with brass knuckles stands a better chance of killing a zombie that a vehicle at speed does! So I threw their idea out of the window and modified it to suit. After all, I didn't want the hard work of all of those crash test dummies to be in vain.]

Lucky fires at the zombies that present the best target, but the moving pick up truck hinders his aim.

Leila makes it outside and moves in on the truck. She gets a sinking feeling in her stomach as she sees Jack start up the truck and accelerate into a small hoard of zombies down the road, leaving Leila stranded in the middle of the road. There really was some shotting going on after all.

[hehehehehehehe]

Sandi moves to the wall and opens up with his Thompson SMG and puts two of the horrors down.

Dan follows the pick up down the road, but halts as he realizes that to move any closer would put himself within range of the zombies claws. Bringing up his pistol he soon makes short work out of one of the zombies.

Have they been left behind?

Some of the zombies slow to investigate the headless chicken while others just move towards the sound of gun fire.

chickeeeeens!

The zombies near Sandi move up to his position but Sandi is protected from their attacks by the wall.

Seven more zombies appear at different places.

PBB turn 14

2011-12-15T18:20:00.000+11:00

Blink remains in the open exchanging banter with Karen while waiting for something to happen, but unsure as to exactly what 'something happening' actually is.

[If this was not the intention please let me know and I might throw in a 'gimme']

Blink and Karen might be concerned here...

Sandi takes up position on the front door to the apartment, covering the those at the pick up truck .

Leila heads up stairs to do some searching, but passes Sandi who is on the way down. This causes her to hesitate half way up the stairs, unsure if she should continue up or join Sandi at the door.

[As I mentioned in the comments, the orders for Leila didn't match Sandi's, so I went half way with them instead]

Jack fires a burst at the zombies coming up behind Blink. Despite the range he manages to hit two of them, but only takes divots out of their flesh. Not waiting to see the accuracy of this shots he gets into the driver's seat of the pick up.

Karen shoots the chickens in the head, but misses the vital brain stem. Technically the chickens are dead, but they flap around a lot. She is able to pick one of the chickens up, but the other one flaps around too much.

[I made dice rolls for this, giving a slim chance the shot would not be clean. The dice must have have a sense of humor, as it made the chickens flap around. A second set of dice rolls to catch the chickens only bagged one of them. The saying "Running around like a chicken with it's head cuts off" is actually a reality :-P ]

Robert moves past the front of the pick up to take position to better help Blink and Karen should they need some firepower.

Lucky hoists himself in to the back of the pick up and very calmly takes down two of the closest zombies.
[Really good dice rolls here]

Niki gets in to the pick up, riding "shot gun" next to Jack.

Getting out of this one should be interesting.

The zombies really start to close in on the survivors and form hoards. Ten more zombies appear - five near the billboard, and five near the ice cream van.

PBB - turn 13

2011-12-11T14:17:00.000+11:00

Niki shakes the fog from her head as she stands up and makes her way to the pick up.

Lucky and Robert just make it to the pick up truck and hurls the chubby boy scout into the back. They stand next to the truck observing the zombies.

[as the movement and the action of putting the kid in the back used up all of their actions for this turn.]

Taking aim at the zombies nearing Jack at the farm house Karen drops the leading the pack.

[I went for the zombies that Karen had the clearest shot to].

Jack turns and bolts for the pick up. Clearing the stone wall he pulls up at the front of the truck.

Seeing Niki has recovered Leila follows Sandi into the house. Leila searches the first room and only finds the remains of the dead zombies. Sandi heads upstairs, clearing the corridor to make sure there are not hostiles lurking there. He notices there are three doors he could enter to find a good firing point... it just depends on what direction he wants the firing point to face.

Blink pops another tic tac and moves a bit forward, blissfully happy that no zombies are in range at the moment.

Mr X herds the survivors in the pick up truck into better positions so as to allow more people to get into the pick up.

The zombies react to the only gun shots fired this turn and those closest move towards the chicken coop. The zombies near the billboard continue down the road towards the pick up.

Six more zombies appear near the ice cream truck.

More than one survivor is beginning to feel nervous with the zombies closing in with a pincer shamble.

PBB Turn 12 Part 2

2011-12-05T16:55:00.000+11:00

Again my apologies for the delay

Goman Nasai!

Niki moves to the second door and opens it, and recoils in horror.

Inside the first room of the second apartment are numerous severed zombie heads suspended from the roof. If this wasn't enough, the heads are still animated - their teeth nashing at the potential of a bite to eat.

Niki faints.

Leila fires two shots into the zombies in the room, killing one of them.

Sandi opens up on the remaining zombies, the heavy slugs of the Thompson SMG tearing large holes into the mass and three of the zombies drop.

The last two zombies in the room bear down on the two survivors in the room. One claws at Sandi but misses. Sandi wastes no time in clubbing the zombie's head in with the butt of this trusty SMG.

Leila tussles with the remaining zombie who finally manages to bite down on something. Unfortunately for the zombie it is the barrel of Leila's pistol. Pulling the trigger, Leila vaporises the unfortunate creature's head, clearing the room of all hostile occupants.

The zombies around the area close in even further on their human meal tickets and are joined by another ten zombies - four near the ice cream van, and six near the drainage pipe.

I had some bad dice rolls for Niki, with the charts indicating she fainted due to the shock of what is in the room (which is a random encounter, not my own idea). As such Niki must rally before completing orders for the next turn, but give the orders and I will act on them if the rally test is passed.

Leila and Sandy are now in the house and the first ground floor room as shown on the map on the previous PPB Turn 12 post.

Tadaima!

2011-11-27T09:06:00.000+11:00

Tadamia (a Japanese word meaning "I am back", or "I am home").

I will get back to the game on Monday and complete the orders submitted and post a the turn results sometime on Monday (AEST).

I thank all the players for their patience and hope they will pick up the game again.

PBB - turn 12 moves

2011-11-15T08:37:00.000+11:00

Sandi opens the door, but before he can rush up the stairs, or Leila and Niki can enter the house to search, their path is blocked by six zombies.

(I will give you the chance to react to this - you can either attack them, or move away from the house to put some distance between them and the survivors. I rolled a lot of high dice here :-\ )

Slightly less dodgy house plan

Getting into the chicken pen, Karen fires off her shots, but her accuracy is greatly reduced because of the fast movement she made to get into the pen. Despite this, one zombie drops, it's head exploding under the impact of the bullet.
Blink stops where he is to take aim, but is out of range of any zombies.

Lucky, Robert and the boy scout bolt down the road, putting some distance between them and the zombies.

Jack moves forward and sprays the zombies nearest him. The SMG rises as he fires his burst and although he hits three zombies, only one drops.

Mr X. does a three point turn and changes the direction of the pick up.

Note - this turn is incomplete as I need reactions for Sandi, Leila and Niki who were interrupted by the appearance of six zombies. Once I have those reactions I need to then move the zombies and roll for spawning zombies.
Again if the orders can get in by early Wednesday AEST I can complete the turn before leaving for my trip.

PPB - Turn 11 moves

2011-11-13T11:59:00.000+11:00

OK - The delay for this one is my bad - I thought I needed another set of orders submitted, but I was wrong.

So, without any further ado:

Sandi jumps the fence and covers the distance to the closest door, and quickly tests the handle to discover it is unlocked.

(With all the actions taken there wasn't enough movement left to enter the house).

Leila and Niki follow Sandi into the yard of the house, weapons at the ready.

Jack covers a lot of distance and jumps the wall to the second yard. The zombies he sights are just out of range of his SMG.

Karen bolts towards the chickens, with Blink close behind.

(Not enough movement in the turn to be able to get there to pick up the chickens as per the orders).

Robert hoists himself up on to the ice cream truck and drags the boy scout down. A bit of a whiff in the air suggests that the kid was in fact full of chocolate.

(The act of getting the kid off the truck reduced your orders down a lot - I gave you a small movement at the end, but not enough that you could fire your shots).

Lucky fires a burst at the closest zombies - two are struck, but with one shot being low, only one zombie is taken out.

"Braaaaaiiiiiiins" moan the zombies and they shamble ever closer to a free feed.

The shots from the Ice Cream truck area divert the path of the zombies - with no other loud noises to react to they move towards the sounds.

More zombies appear, this time to the area closest to the chickens:

Note: If every one can get their moves in before 0900 AEST on Wednesday I can post another set of results. If not, the results will have to wait until the end of the month when I get back from Japan.

'Viper' Plesskin

2011-11-11T12:17:00.000+11:00

I finished off one of my Hasslefree Miniatures survivors today.

This survivor is "Viper" Plesskin - most people thought he was dead.

Next to him is the car I purchased a few months back with the intention of it being his car - a Viper for Viper.

Viper and the car will be part of a scenario I am planning involving Viper going to retrieve his car from where it is kept in a self storage place.

Shocked and Stunned!

2011-11-09T20:18:00.000+11:00

The U.K. zombie gamers have been making posts on their blogs about the cool vehicles they can get at Tescos.

Needless to say, I was completely green with envy because I can't buy them here in Australia.

After posting a comment about Brummie's really cool truck and fork lift on his blog (seen here) and a few messages over at the Board of the Living Lead, Brummie was kind enough to buy one for me and send it across the other side of the world. Luckily he accepted pay pal, otherwise I would have been scratching my noggin trying to find a way to pay him.

The parcel arrived yesterday, and in my hurry to thank him before I had to head out for the afternoon/evening I didn't take the truck out to play with it.

I should have.

There was something inside the truck.

A complete surprise.

One that left me totally speechless.

For inside the truck was the survivor figure with the crossbow that Brummie had painted up after doing a bit of conversion work on it. You can read his blog post showing the figure here.

The photos do not do the figure justice - the painting is far better than the photographs show. This is one cooooooool figure.

One thing that really makes me speechless at the amazing generosity Brummie has shown is that over the last few years I had become a little jaded at man kind in general.

Last year I had my life savings stolen from my bank account through credit card fraud. For about 5 months leading up to Christmas I had next to no money.

My bank paid back the money on the day before Christmas. A bit too late for a decent Christmas, but at least I was able to knock something together.

On top of that, while I was away 'playing' with 81mm mortars this year, some mongrel stole a brand new brush cutter and a chainsaw from the garage. I just hope the scum bag either cuts a leg off or overdoses on drugs depending on if they stole them for their own use, or sold them for drug money.

A few toe rags can really put a different slant on how people are viewed.

But every now and then one person does a single act of kindness that makes you marvel at how kind people can be.

I hope I can repay this kindness in like. At the very least I would love to buy Brummie a beer or ten.

Thank you very much Brummie - the are a gentleman and a top bloke. You get my "Shelldrake's Thumbs Up Smiley" award, and, as I said in a 'pm', the best way to convey my thanks is to do it in Japanese, as a simple 'thank you' isn't enough.

So, domo arigato gozaimasu Brummie-san!

PBB - Turn 10 Moves

2011-11-07T18:59:00.002+11:00

Karen fires at the two zombies she can see from her position in the building, the shots amplified by the confines of the burnt out building. One zombie goes down, its head exploding, the other staggering from the impact, but otherwise ok.

Blink fires at the remaining zombie near by; with a suppressed 'pffft' sound two bullets strike the zombie in the head making sure it wont harm anyone anymore.

As soon as the survivors, Leila and Niki get into the pick up truck Jack drives towards the intersection and gets out again.

Karen and Blink follow on foot, forming a rear guard action.

Robert yells to the boy scout, urging him to climb down from the ice cream van. The boy scout starts to cry as he is either too scared to climb down by himself or unable to climb down.

(I have left Robert where he is due to the lack of action by the boy scout. I am happy to move Robert towards the farm if you want Dan ).

Following Robert down the road, Lucky fires a burst at the latest zombies, hitting three of them. Firing on the move put his aim off and only one zombie goes down.

Sandy moves forward to the corner of the furthest rock wall and watches down the road for any more appearing zombies. From his position he watches the second big group of zombies move behind the farm house out of sight as they shamble towards the burnt out house.

The pack of zombies nearest the ice cream van turn milky white eyes towards Robert and Lucky and move towards them.

The gun fire attracts more zombies to the area - the most so far. Three zombies appear near the ice cream truck and seven on the opposite end of the road down past the bill board.

I moved Sandy without any orders, but based them on previous orders given... i.e. the intention to move towards the cabin of the truck with the intention of getting in.

The dice rolls for Luck's shots were worthy of an professional sniper.. unfortunately the rolls to kill them didn't match them.

Rogue Miniatures archer figure

2011-10-29T07:01:00.001+11:00

Rogue Miniatures now have the figure carrying the bow up on their web site for those that want to buy one.

Including postage this is costing me just over $7AUD - worth every cent in my opinion.

Those wanting their own can get one here:

Rogue Miniatures

EDIT - Just in case some people are wondering, I have only just ordered this mini and it is on its way to me in Australia. Thus I didn't paint the mini in the photo. That is a link to the photo from the Rogue Miniatures shop photo.

PBB - Turn 9 moves

2011-10-28T17:22:00.000+11:00

Blink again takes down two zombies with amazing accuracy .

Jack runs around to the other side of the pick up and gets in. Driving to the burnt out building he resists the temptation to turn the lights and siren on.

Karen continues to aim at the two remaining zombies, ready to open fire if needed.

Leila fires at the zombies, hitting one of them, but the jerky movement of its limbs save it from a head shot at the last second.

Niki helps the two (formally) trapped survivors down to the ground level and they dash for the pick up. Turning back to the window Niki appraises the situation outside.

Over by the big rig, Sandy takes a knee to give him better stability when aiming, and to make himself a smaller target for the zombies to notice.

Robert takes a shot at the closest zombie to him, but in his haste to get away he misses the shot.

Preparing himself for the worst, Lucky fires a controlled short burst into the zombies, taking two of them down. With only one zombie remaining Lucky has the guts to take it one rather than fleeing in fear.

The zombie closes in on Lucky, its teeth nashing and biting at him, and in a desperate struggle Lucky manages to keep his rifle between himself and the zombie. With his SWAT training kicking in, Lucky side steps the zombie and smashes its head in with the butt of his rifle in a loud cracking sound. The zombie falls to the road, all reanimated life extinguished from it.

Closer to the farm, six zombies appear, drawn to the area by the sound of gun fire.

Lucky was very lucky with the dice rolls - I felt for sure his 'last stand' would be just that - a last stand.

I am very interested to see how the game will play out in the next few turns.

PBB - Turn 8 moves

2011-10-26T18:46:00.000+11:00

Leila moves to the right side of the dumpster and takes aim at the zombies. She knows that when she takes her shots that they must count, as the zombies are almost upon them.

Jack opens up on the zombies closest to him. All the rounds fired in the burst hit their targets taking two of them down, with the third striking the zombie in a non vital area.

Taking aim and firing, Blink takes down the next two closest zombies, the suppressor on his barrel adding to the stability of the bullets' flight. Blink thinks to himself that those shots deserve a tic tac as a reward, because he bought some breathing space for the group... well, that and the shots Jack made.

The group has done well so far, but they must focus as there is plenty of danger in the area still, brought home by the continued advance of the zombies.

Karen takes careful aim at the zombies, waiting for the best time to open fire.

Sandy moves to the rear of the truck. Taking aim he realises he is out of range for his SMG to take a shot, so he aims at them in preparation for making them eat lead. He is not sure, but Sandy thinks he can hear something within the truck.

Lucky runs to cover a likely area that zombies might appear almost reaching it, with Robert close behind him.

Niki helps the trapped woman down from the third floor and then climbs down after her, taking up a position near a window again.

Taking aim and firing, Blink takes down the next two closest zombies, the suppressor on his barrel adding to the stability of the bullets' flight. Blink thinks to himself that those shots deserve a tic tac as a reward, because he bought some breathing space for the group... well, that and the shots Jack made.

The group has done well so far, but they must focus as there is plenty of danger in the area still, brought home by the continued advance of the zombies.

The Boy Scout (or Bot - which ever you prefer) starts to scream his lungs out as five zombies appear near Lucky and Robert!

Being partially ready Lucky fires a full burst into the appearing zombies but panics and misses. Robert, with a cooler mind doesn't hesitate and delivers head shots to the two closest zombies in front of them.

I had some good dice rolls for the survivors this turn, including a reaction test to the zombies appearing in front of Lucky and Robert. The rolls I made for Lucky indicated he wouldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat, but the rolls for Robert were worthy of an assassin.

Note - these new zombies are just out of range of the zombie lunge thanks to the front two being shot. This means Lucky and Robert can move with out the zombies lunging at them... unless they want to stay there and shoot at them.

PBB - Turn 7 moves

2011-10-25T16:45:00.000+11:00

Niki climbs to the top floor of the burnt out house with the assistance of the survivor there. Once up, she takes a position near a window frame where a commanding view can be gained.

Blink fires a burst towards the approaching zombies and takes two of them down with aimed shots.

From the house comes the loud roar of heavy calibre pistols as Karen fires at more of the zombies. "Crap!" she curses as she misses with all of her shots.

Leila moves towards Blink, keeping the dumpster between herself and what ever is approaching on the other side.

The Bot Scout nods to Sandy, who moves down the road towards the big rig.

Lucky and Robert head towards the rear of the ice cream van in order to prevent zombies coming up on them from that direction.

Jack moves to the front of the pick up, takes a knee and aims his SMG at the zombies.

The zombies continue forward in a brainless shuffle, hungry only for brains.

I rolled some good dice for Blink, but every roll for Karen was a bad one... fortunately I passed the checks for ammunition and she doesn't need to reload.

Lucky and Robert will need at least one more turn to reach the spawn point, and another turn to attempt to destroy it.

I deemed the zombies on the far side would move towards the sound of gun fire rather than towards Sandy, and another four zombies appeared from the same area. That was lucky, as a potential 15 zombies could have appeared for this turn.

PBB - turn 6 moves

2011-10-24T18:45:00.000+11:00

Leila dashes from the house and moves towards Karen to offer any assistance needed. Jack also bolts from the house and heads towards the pick up truck so he can drop off the chainsaw.

Blink moves to the side of the dumpster and steadies his SMG and takes aim at the approaching zombies.

Karen tells the hapless survivors in the house to remain calm and be quiet and then melts into the shadows of the building herself.

Niki uses her rope and climbs with ease to the first level of the burnt out house. The kid on the first floor stares with open mouth with the sword she carries.

Mr X. sees Jack with the chainsaw and jumps down and takes it from him and puts it in the back of the truck for safety.

You can just make out Karen and Niki in the house.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the farm Lucky and Robert move to provide support to Sandy, who shouts his thanks over his shoulder.
"Hey, Kid!" says Sandy, "Can you get down".

The Boy Scout whimpers and cries "Don't make me climb down, I'm full of chocolate"

"Hey, Kid!"

"Braaaaaains" moan the zombies and they get closer to the survivors.

Blink steadies himself and takes aim

another view of the zombies.. note the rear door.

Over near the bill board and truck four move zombies make their way in to the area

The last photo gives a better idea of the range to the zombies from Blink. They wont make it there next turn, but are getting very close. Blink wasn't actually given the order to fire his SMG, but he will get a bonus for next turn if he fires due to aiming.

Remember that you can ask questions about what you see before giving orders such as ranges,which I would give as an 'estimation' such as 'close', 'short' or 'long' for example.

PBB - turn 5 move

2011-10-20T17:02:00.001+11:00

Entering the last room in the farm house Jack and Leila find a fully fueled chainsaw in what appears to be a bit of a store room. The chain saw looks sharp too...

Getting the all clear from Jack and Leila, Robert moves to the rear of the farm house where he can keep an eye out in case he is needed as back up and begins to pack fresh veg into his back pack.

Taking cover near the chickens, Lucky scans the area for zombies, but no more seem to appear near that area.

Sandi makes a bolt for the boy scout trapped on the ice cream van before any zombies can get their hands on a soft serve ice cream.

Karen waits for Blink and Niki to come to her assistance with the trapped survivors, while Blink and Niki meet at the corner of the farm house and head towards Karen.

Mr X grabs the bag of cans and dashes for the safety of the pick up. Climbing up he checks on the movement of the zombies.

"Oh give me a break!" he curses. The zombies approaching in a shambling gate are joined by even more zombies!

I don't know what it is with my dice, but the zombies sure like turning up near the sludge pipe!

As mentioned in the previous post's comments I turned off the need for me to approve comments in order for the players to coordinate their moves and speed up the game. One follower is deciding it is fun to post comments as if he was one of the players. If it continues I will be going back to moderating the comments.

PBB - Turn 4 move

2011-10-19T17:22:00.001+11:00

Leila follows Jack deeper in to the house looking for more items to scavenge. Entering the second room she gags at the putrid smell.

Jack enters the next room in the farm house and to his relief there is nothing to find in the room.

Turning sideways in the main door to the farm house Robert keeps an eye on the survivors in the burnt out house while ready to react to any calls for help from Jack and Leila.

"Lucky" ventures forth from his position in the trees while Niki starts collecting fresh vegetables. From behind his new position behind the chicken coup Sandy notices a boy scout trapped on the top of an ice cream van on the main road.

Karen brandishes her pistols in the general direction of the two survivors in the ruined house. They don't appear to be hostile. Rather they are very scared and pleading to be rescued: "Please! Hurry! We have been up here for days! Please!!!"

. You notice there is no easy way to the first floor as the stairs have burnt down.

Blink moves next to Karen ready to 'stitch' the survivors with suppressed lead should they turn nasty.

Mr X. jumps down from the pick up truck to collect the bag Blink placed on the ground and in a loud tense whisper hisses to Blink that more zombies are approaching.

PBB - turn 3 move

2011-10-15T10:50:00.000+11:00

Blink scavenges through the bin, and to his complete amazement finds some canned food in a shopping bag. And the food hasn't passed its 'use by' date! Someone obviously has been using the dumpster as a hiding place for their stash. Blink rewards himself with a celebratory tic-tac.

Leila enters the first room in the farm house and picks up the first aid kit. Whilst not useful when a zombie eats your brains, the first aid kit will be valued back at the colony.

Robert follows Leila and Jack into the farm house to provide back up.

As Jack cautiously opens the next door the overpowering stench of rotting corpses causes him to involuntarily gag. Apart from that, there is nothing else in the room.

Karen moves towards the door of the burnt out house and can see there are two survivors in the ruins - a child on the first floor, and a woman on the second floor (Note - this may be the second and third floor depending on what country you live it... in Australia we have ground floor, then 1st floor, then 2nd floor and so on).

Niki watches the back yard to the farm while Sandy moves up to cover the rear door. Niki feels much better with the retired Gunny there to back her up.

"Lucky" makes a lucky shot and takes down the approaching zombie with an well aimed shot.

Mr. X on sentry in the pick up truck spots three zombies enter the tiny village...

That concludes turn 3. "Lucky" was very lucky with the dice rolls I made. I wonder if such rolling will continue when it is needed most.

A very fast turn around with orders this time.. only delayed by my horrible hay fever. I am actually wondering if this type of blog game would work for other settings, such as a fantasy dungeon crawl......

PBB - Turn 2 Move

2011-10-12T16:05:00.001+11:00

Jack kicks the door with such force that it almost takes it off its hinges. Heart beat racing with fear and expectation, Jack peers into the gloom and relaxes when nothing comes out to attack him.

Leila peers in through the window and notices a first aid kit sitting on a table in the room.

Taking caution not to expose herself to danger Niki notices the back garden area is clear, but sees movement in the tree line behind the garden.

From the burnt out building comes the noise of people yelling "Hey! Over here! Help us!".

Blinks pops another tic tac as the tension builds.

Birds eye view of this turns movement

close up of the action at the farm house.

braaaaaiiiiiiiins!

Dodgy drawing of inside the farm house. 1 = first aid kit. Doors only on the inside, and only the ones that can be seen.

(So far all dice rolls have been lucky for the players - hardly any zombies and a great kick to open the door included.)

PBB - Turn 1 move

2011-10-10T08:30:00.000+11:00

Ok, the results for Turn 1 are in.

Nothing exciting so far - just a bit of movement.

I hope I have filled out the orders as close to what the players intended.

Note: despite the appointment of a leader and some plan discussion not many people actually changed their orders when given the chance.

As I took control of "Mr. X." for the turn I had him get into the back of the pick up truck for a bit of elevated defense. I will probably do the same with Sandy, as it looks like Irqan may not be able to play. So both of these figures will remain at the truck in the hope the players can give them orders at a later date.

So - one week to ask questions, come up with a plan and get your new orders in. If it helps with orders players have permission to save the photos and edit them with a line or an arrow to indicate where they want their character to move to... just include a link in the comments to where you have saved your edited move photo.

New from Eureka Miniatures

2011-10-09T07:27:00.000+11:00

Eureka Miniatures is releasing some new 28mm modern USMC figures:

These photos were hosted on TMP where a kind gentleman was showing them off (I have only used links to the photos and not taken possession of them).

I am happy to see a sniper, and I really like the SAW gunner and the last figure shown in the photos.

New figures from Zombie Smith

2011-10-09T07:17:00.002+11:00

Zombie Smith is releasing some new survivor figures "Wedding Hunters":

These figures look great, but surely they would change out of their wedding clothing as soon as they could as it can't be practical. It does bring new meaning to "Bridezilla" though.

Survivor with bow!!!

2011-10-07T07:13:00.000+11:00

All things come to those that have faith...

Today I saw a photo on LAF for a (new?) company called Rogue Miniatures and they have a modern figure with a bow!

According the the LAF posts these should be available on the web store by the end of next week.

AWESOME!

The figure also has a big knife hanging off a belt

Rogue miniatures also has many other figure perfect for survivors, from a 'not John McClane' (Die Hard) to MiB agents, although these last are called CPU agents, so the might be from "The Matrix".

Either way there are many figures that are very useful on this site: Rogue Miniatures

Scenario idea

2011-10-06T15:36:00.000+11:00

While I was working today I came up with what could make for a really interesting scenario in the world of zombie apocalypse wargaming.

The idea is kind of a gladiatorial / running man scenario where a gang of survivors has barricaded the streets of a city block.

The barricades are built in such a way that they can not be climbed easily, and even if they were, the gang members stand on raised platforms behind the barricades.

A small barricade...

...but this is more of what I had in mind.

Apart from a few controlled entry/exit points there is no way in or out of the city block; at least as far as the gang knows.

These twisted survivors throw captured survivors that are not from their gang (or maybe they are, and this is a form of punishment) into the city block arena without any weapons. These captured survivors are known as 'sport'.

Hidden within the city block arena are some useful melee weapons. The 'sport' have no idea where they are hidden, so they need to search for them if they want to increase their chance of survival.

I don't think this is what the 'sport' could expect to find,

But this could be easily found.

The sport has a certain amount of time to prepare themselves for the 'competition' before zombies are released in to the city block.

Depending on the excitement level of the spectators more or less zombies could be released in to the arena, and to make things interesting there could be traps around as well.

The scenario would end when one of the following conditions are met: all zombies are destroyed, the 'sport' is eaten, or the 'sport' finds a way out of the arena that the gang didn't know about and exacts revenge upon the lot of them before clearing out to safer climes.

I think this could make for an interesting game that would have a lot of tension in it. Plus it would give me another reason to use biker miniatures for my games.

PBB thread on the "Board of the Living Lead" forum

2011-10-05T10:08:00.002+11:00

For those interested in discussing the game, planing tactics etc I have created a thread dedicated to it on the Board of the Living Lead forum: here

Chooks!

2011-10-03T10:32:00.001+11:00

I didn't want to spoil the surprise of the chickens I painted up for the PBB, but now the game has started I will show them off close up:

I actually bought these due to the Mrs wanting me to have something other than men with guns... I haven't asked her what she thinks about those said men with guns taking them for food :-P

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have also put a pages link to the top of the forum to make it easier for people to hone in on the PBB sections of the blog.

PBB - Mission Brief

2011-10-01T15:20:00.000+10:00

The survivors approached the small rural town from the west. Parking the pick up truck across the road the group escaped from the cramped confines of the truck to spread out across the road.

The group had been sent on a "supply run" mission by the head of the survivor pack they had been living with. They had a compound some miles back with a lot going for it, but supplies were starting to get low.

The primary goal for the mission was to survive. If they could all manage that, then the group was to search for and collect as much food, ammunition or medical supplies as they could.
Anything that could be used would also be welcome, but only after the essentials were found.

Anyone bitten was not to return to the compound.

With this in mind, the survivors quickly formulated a plan of action for the mission...

Primary Mission: to survive.
Main Mission: to collect as much essentials as possible (food, ammunition and medical supplies).
Secondary Mission: find anything that will be useful for the survivor compound you are currently living at.

The table has been set up as follows:

There are currently four (4) zombie spawn points that you know of. Two are not shown in this photo, but will be shown later in this briefing.

The Survivors all start in the same location as shown in the photo.

The Farm to the immediate front right of the survivors

The house to the top left of the road the survivors are on

The burnt out house to the immediate front left of the survivors

Note the two spawn points

The house to the upper right of the road the survivors are on

A crashed truck

Note the two spawn points to on the left

A look a the board from the other side

This concludes the mission brief. If anyone has any questions now is the time to ask them.

Players have one week from today to ask questions and give their orders for game turn 1.

Players may also discuss the mission with each other before giving their first orders - they can discuss who has what tasks, what they think would be a good plan of action or any other thing they wish to go through before the mission starts.

Once survivors move apart they will not be able to talk to each other unless they are within a short range of each other. Of course they could yell if they want to talk to each other.... (mwhahahahahaha)

Oh, and as you can tell, there are no zombies on the table right now... a 'handful' will be placed as soon as I post this blog. But don't worry too much... they wont be in range of you just yet ;-)

Notes for players: if you haven't already read the following posts please do so:

Your surivors

Introduction (how to play)

PBB - the Survivors

2011-10-01T14:25:00.000+10:00

Here is an image of the survivors for the game (sorry about the dodgy photo):

Left to right they are:

Leila Rose

Leila has an automatic pistol and carries a med kit.

Leila' special skill is "Medic" (gives bonus to first aid tests).

(Played by Brummie)

Jack Burton.
Jack has an SMG and a knife. His SMG has a laser sight and carries extra reloads for the weapon. The ammo for his SMG is hollow point. Not street legal, but, hey, who is going to arrest him right?
Jack's special skill is "Mr. Personality" (gives bonus when searching locations)
(Played by the Extaordinarii)

Sgt Wonby "Lucky" Wivmee
"Lucky" is a SWAT officer, or was until 'zombie happened' to the world. As he was on the job when the outbreak happened he is still equipped to take the fight to the zombie hoard.

In addition to his Assault rile, pistol and body armour, "Lucky" carries a SWAT device used to look around corners and under doors.

Lucky's special skill is "Nerves of steel" (gives bonus when making morale checks)

(Played by Ulu Elsomalien)

Blink

Blink is a well prepared adolescent that was over joyed when the zombie outbreak occurred. Armed with a silenced SMG and knuckle dusters Blink pops orange tic taks and carries a screwdriver with assorted heads - perfect for any job.

Blink's special skill is "Handyman" (gives a bonus when constructing barricades)

(Played by Lord Siwoc)

Niki Winter

Niki is the youngest survivor in the group... either that or she is into Cosplay in a big way.

Armed only with a katana and a cold hard need to take down as many zombies as she can get her hands Niki also carries a grappling hook fastened to the end of a light weight yet very sturdy rope.

Niki's special skill is "Blade Master" (gives a bonus to melee)

(Played by Shintokamikaze)

Robert Jackson

Robert is a mild mannered quite type armed with an automatic pistol. His 'pre-apocalypse' profession is a closely guarded secret, but some thing he was a librarian due to the patches on the elbows of his jacket.

Robert came prepared for this mission with a hiking backpack for carring extra supplies.

Robert's special ability is "I think we can slow them down" (able to destroy zombie spawn points)

(Played by Dan)

Sandy Horne

Sandy is the eldest member of this group of survivors. This retiree carries a Thompson SMG and has a grenade. he carries his trusty zippo lighter with him where ever he goes. Everyone is jealous of his shirt too.

Sandy's special ability is "Sterner Stuff" (is hard to kill and with the right die roll could ignore wounds that kill him)

(Played by Irqan)

Mr X?

Not much is known about this man except that he carries an automatic pistol and is very well dressed. Mr X is coming along on this mission to act as security for the group's vehicle.

Mr X's special skill is "Ninja Stealth" (can moe 6" without attracting attention and possibly avoid zombie lunges)

(To be played by Cmnash at a later date if possible. Until then he is controlled by the referee).

Karen Fox

Karen is the last member of the group. She carries twin .45 SOCOM automatic pistols and has a bowie knife hidden away inside her long protective coat.

Karen's special skill is "Guns Akimbo" (can use two weapons at once with no penalties)

(Played by Vampifan)

PBB - introduction

2011-10-01T11:34:00.001+10:00

Ok, after much anticipation the game is ready to start.

Players will no know their stats, but I am will be using "No More Room In Hell" as the rules. Two survivors will be Shot Callers, while the rest will be Back Ups. I will not be letting anyone know who has what. This was randomly determined.

As no one asked for a companion as part of their special equipment etc. there are no sheeple under player control.

The way the game works: as I post each turn the players are to post their orders for the turn in the comments section when I make a blog post. All movement will be simultaneous so there is nothing to be gained being the first or last player to post an order for the turn. The zombies will move last in a turn.

The sooner all orders are in the sooner the next turn can begin, although I hope for a turn around of no later than one week, and if the game is still being played in November there will be a slight delay due to me going on holiday.

Order types:

Players can give one order per turn: Move, Move and combat, Combat and move, Combat or Special action (which can include some movement if needed).

Move: sneak, walk or run. Sneak is quiet and least likely to get you noticed by zombies, but has a low movement rate. Run is a lot faster, but could alert zombies to your presence.

Combat: either shooting or melee. Moving and combat incurs a slight penalty and movement is reduced.

Every shot fired has the potential to attract more zombies, so please state if you are firing single shots, or bursts (you can issue orders such as "I fire a single shot at the closest zombie and if that doesn't kill it, then I will put the full ROF into the sucker")

Notes on shooting: you can run out of ammo in this game. Unless you state you are firing a single shot, I will assume you are firing to the full ROF allowed for your weapon of choice

Special action: anything that is not covered above such as using a special item, searching a room, barricading a door or window.

Giving Orders: I will execute your orders to the best of my ability, based on how precise you are.

If you say "Mr Wiggles runs down the road" I will move that figure straight down the guts of the road for all the world to see, maybe even into the welcoming arms of a zombie.

If you state "Mr Wiggles will walk cautiously down the left hand side of the road taking care to keep any object on the road between himself and any zombies" I will do my best to ensure he is not the next meal.

Please do not issue an order that has conditions that carry over to future turns, as I am most likely to forget those orders. (Exampe: Mr Wiggles will always move around a building in such a way that his back is to the wall at all times).

As each turn progresses I will post photos of the move. Players may ask questions about what they see before giving their orders for the turn, and if needed I can post extra photos to help in anyway.

EVERYTHING on the table can be interacted with in some way provided the survivors have the right tools (if tools are needed that is). I just wont tell you what you can do with items.

Unless I have a dyslexic moment when reading your orders (which may occur seeing as I am slightly dyslexic) once I have played out your orders no discussion as to the way I interpreted your orders will be taken.

All Dice rolls will be made by myself, and at no time will anyone know what I rolled.

Turn around time for game turns:
As mentioned I hope each turn will take no longer than a week. If you find you can not give an order during that time please let me know so I can give an appropriate order on your behalf. Player's not submitting orders may find their survivor left in the open facing a zombie hoard, but I might also move the figure to a safe place until a player can submit orders again.

Winning the Game:
Players win the game by meeting the scenario objectives (this will come out in the mission briefing). There will be a team Victory and an Individual victory.

The team will get a Victory Point for meeting scenario objectives. They will loose a VP for each survivor killed.
Individuals will gain VPs for interacting with the items on the table in such a way that they either learn something about the zombie world, do the 'right thing' or are able to entertain me with dialog or how clever they are.

I am not playing this game to kill of survivors for some weird perverse enjoyment. Instead I am hoping for an entertaining game for all involved as a way of bringing zombie wargamers from around the world to one game table as it were.

I am sure I forgot something in this introduction to the PBB, in which case I will edit the post when I remember what it was at the back of my mind nagging me at the moment.

Please feel free to ask questions on how the game works and what you can and can't do before the game starts.

Edit: I remembered what it was! Random events will be apart of this game mwhahahahahahaha

Getting famous?

2011-09-29T08:47:00.001+10:00

I was browsing sites for more zombie goodness and came across this:

As the invitation was put out to drop by I visited the site and left a comment.

Edit - I thought I might include a link for this :-P

craigdilouie.com

Zombie forum

2011-09-27T22:28:00.000+10:00

Over on LAF some folks were discussing whether or not to start up a zombie forum - so I went ahead a made one.

If no one want to use it I will delete it, otherwise shamble on!

Board of the living lead

PBB sneak preview

2011-09-26T19:06:00.000+10:00

While I am awaiting for one more reply in regards to the game I thought I would tease the players with a sneak preview of the playing area.

The area is not complete yet as I have a few more things to add, but it will give you a fair idea of what you are up against sans zombies.

When the times comes to play the game I will give detailed photos of the environment as well as game objectives.

PBB - "a poke with a stick"

2011-09-21T10:27:00.000+10:00

Yes, I am alive - sorry it has taken a while to get back to this; real life, work and other things get in the way from time to time.

Ok, the break up for players is as follows:

The Extraordinarii: Figure #9
Irqan: Figure #7
Ulu Elsomalien: #4
Dan: #3
cmnash: #1
Vampifan: #10
shintokamikaze: #12
Lord Siwoc: #13Brummie: #2

Next Step:

if players' could please name their survivors and nominate one special item/piece of equipment they would like to have. This thing can not be extra firearms (what the figure carries is what they have) but can be a molotov, a first aid kit or extra ammunition.

I am not providing a list of items/equipment that players may pick - it is up to your imagination. If it is too outrageous I wont allow it (so not tanks please gentlemen).

As soon as I get these returns the game will begin.

PBB - round one results, and a second round of voting needed

2011-09-05T07:18:00.000+10:00

The first round of bids are in.

Unfortunately one player must have been on holidays (I hope this is the option rather than a personal disaster) and by the rules of the PPB they are out of the game. I did have someone waiting in the wings to play and they will take his place.

So, to the results:

The Extraordinarii: Figure #9
Irqan: Figure #7
Ulu Elsomalien: #4 (replacement player... still need to confirm)

Everyone else chose figures that were the same.

To my utter surprise no one chose #13 as their first pick.

So, as per the first bidding post, players now need to enter into a second round.

This time please chose which figure you want to control the most and the figure you want to control the least.

#4 has been taken

#7 and #9 have been taken

Again there will be a week for players to get their votes in, but if all vote before the week ends I will post results sooner.

'PBB' - Gentlemen, choose your survivor

2011-08-29T15:47:00.001+10:00

I finished painting some extra figures today (they are the ones in the first photo) so now the process of the "Play By Blog" (PBB) can begin.

Because of various time zones around the world I am going to have players chose which survivor they want by posting comments indicating the survivor figure they want to play the most.

If you are the only person to chose a figure then you will get to control that figure for the game.

Players may nominate a second or third figure they would like to play on the off chance (more than likely) that someone else wants to control the same figure, but you are willing to control another one when it comes down to it.

If two or more people still want to control the same figure, I will then put those figures up for a second round of nominations. Again players will nominate the figure they want to control the most, as well as indicating the figure they want to control the least.

On the highly likely chance that this second round gets no results I will randomly allocate a figure for each remaining player, with the guarantee that they wont get lumbered with the figure they want to control the least.

I am open to bribes or a strong missive as to why you need to control a figure more than anyone else, but threats will see the player removed from the game.

wow - I didn't notice until posting the photo that all figures have blue pants in this photo!

Players for the game are:

The Angry Lurker
Dan
cmnash
Vampifan
shintokamikaze
Lord Siwoc
The Extraordinarii
Brummie
Irqan

Each survivor has no name - that is for the player to come up with, but each figure has a different level of ability and different skills. What the ability and skills are will not be revealed at this stage. Figures you think look cool and nasty might turn out to be complete wimps, where as the timid librarian type might turn out to be the most promising of the lot.

The Survivors:

#1: man in suit with automatic pistol
#2: woman with automatic pistol
#3: man in casual suit with automatic pistol
#4: man wearing body armour with military automatic rifle and pistol
#5: man in sports attire with SMG
#6: woman with SMG
#7: man with SMG and grenade
#8: man with automatic rifle
#9: man with SMG and knife
#10: woman with long protective coat and two heavy calibre pistols
#11: teenage girl with unknown modifications for SMG
#12: teenage girl with katana
#13: teenage boy with silenced SMG and knuckle dusters

Each player for the game has one week to post a figure nomination in the comments section (and no one will see them until all nominations are in). Any longer than the week will put a player out of contention.

Good luck Gentlemen, and chose wisely...

Another Survivor

2011-08-27T22:01:00.000+10:00

OK - I haven't forgotten about my 'play by blog' game.

I am busy painting a few extra figures so that there are enough for every one interested to be able to play.

I finished off the Hasslefree "Baker" figure today and this is what it looks like:

It wasn't until I was painting the figure that I realised that the jacket and the hoodie are two separate pieces of clothing and that the jacket looked very much like what you see American College students wearing in movies, so naturally enough, I tried to paint the jacket this way.

I am rather pleased with this figure.

I have a few more figures nearing completion for the game, so I hope to have those ready soon.

Once all the figures are ready I will post a photo of them all so that people can start choosing which one they want to control for the game.

New Poll - would you participate in a 'play by blog' game?

2011-08-23T21:07:00.000+10:00

I have an though lurking in the back of my mind: a play by blog game where followers of my blog get to play a game through my blog.

The idea works like this:

I generate some survivor characters and post them to the blog. A photo and information on each character is included.

Those interested in playing stake their claim on which character they would like to play by posting comments.

When the game starts I take photos of the table, including notes on items of interest etc that could help with the game. Scenario objectives are also included.

With each turn the players post their orders in the comments section (and they will not be made public until all orders are in).

I then use the gaming area to play out those orders and make all the necessary dice rolls needed.

I then post new photos of the playing area showing where the figures are after every one has moved.

New orders are then given and so on until the game ends.

Anyone interested?

What should I name my city poll finished

2011-08-23T20:56:00.000+10:00

The poll on what I should name my city has finished - and more people voted that are followers of my blog, and more people voted for 'other' than actually left a suggestion as to what 'other' should be.

and the results are:

malediction 8
perdition 10
brimstone 7
other 9

Well, I will cast a vote myself, and based on some great suggestions for 'other' I will use my vote to tie the results to:

malediction 8
perdition 10
brimstone 7
other 10

I will use all of the names for satellite towns, but come up with a name for the big city.

I will reveal what it is once I have made some street signs for it.

Thank you to all that voted, and an extra big thanks to anyone that left a comment - there were some great ideas in the mix, and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to help out.

Now that poll is closed I will be opening another poll to see if there is any interest in an idea I have in the back of my mind...

Zombie Golf - the rules

2011-08-21T09:49:00.001+10:00

Ok, a long time ago when I first blogged about zombie wargaming I made mention of 'zombie golf'. Now seems a good time to revisit the idea - this way I can play some casual rounds of golf while building scenery needed for my campaign.

Basic Rules

Each hole has a Par rating. To score par for the hole, you need to kill as many zombies equal to the par for that hole. Killing more than the par rating gives you a better score.
Example: a par 4 hole means you have to kill 4 zombies to reach par. If you kill 5 zombies you are 1 under par. If you only kill 3, then you are 1 over par.

Once you have taken a shot at a zombie then you must continue to play that zombie until it is killed or you are chased off the hole.

Killing a zombie in a bunker or the rough adds one to your score (deduct one from your score; thus a 2 over par becomes a 3 over par).

Set Up

The Golf Course

To make it easy I suggest using your favorite local golf course as a guide, or 'google' golf courses to find out what the par for each hole is.

For example, the Royal Melbourne Golf Club has a few courses on their web site, and lists each hole:
Royal Melbourne GC

By looking at this, I see the first hole is a Par 4, the second a Par 5 and so on.

Determine the Zombie Threat Level: I suggest using the rating of the golf course: a 5 star rating = 5 ZTL.
There are web sites that give star ratings for course. This site lists the Royal Melbourne as a 5 star course.

Place your teeing area, putting green and any hazards or features that you feel would enhance the hole.

Put your players on the tee. A gentleman's agreement should suffice to determine who will tee off first, but failing that roll a dice and the highest roll wins (re-roll ties).

Playing a hole

Roll to determine the initial number of zombies vs the ZTL as per the zombie game you are using. These zombies are place of the far edge of the putting green facing the 'golfers'.

Players now take it in turns to shoot at, and hopefully kill, the zombies on the hole.

Once all players have taken a shot move the zombies towards the golfer.

This completes one turn.

Remember to roll the basic ZTL plus an extra die for each shot taken during a turn. These zombies are ones that come on at the same spawn point as the initial zombies.

Should no zombies be in play at any stage roll to spawn zombies until some appear.

Play on the hole continues until the best score for the hole is achieved or both players agree to abandon the hole (zombies are too close and will be in melee).

A golfer that is killed playing a hole automatically concedes the game to any surviving players.

Edit: thanks to a question in the comments, the following rules have been added:

playing a zombie in a water hazard adds one to your shot. It is only a 1 penalty because the zombie wont remain in the water... unless you kill it.

The players can move off the tee, but as soon as they come into contact with the zombies (i.e. melee) they must stop play on the hole.

The players may not move any further away from the zombies than the rear of the teeing off area.

Still here - working in the background

2011-08-16T08:14:00.000+10:00

It has been over a week since my last post, but I am still working in the background.

I was away on exercise with the military a couple of weekends ago, and that usually throws my mojo out for a number of days.

As it is winter here, I managed to catch a nasty cold a few days after coming home, and that has put a huge "dampner" (apparently 'dampner' isn't a real word) on the mojo as well.

I haven't done any gaming, but I have been making a forest. Trees are something I never seem to have enough of for my games, so I have started to fix this problem.

This is a new method of making trees for me - they are cheap model railway trees I bought on ebay. I then cut pieces of cardboard into various shapes, covered the edges with masking tape, hot glued the trees to the card board, painted the bases brown and then flocked the bases.

The picture shows a variety of trees at the different stages of being made. The pine trees are actually for a friend: a wargaming mate of mine gave me the trees as he didn't know what to do with them. He is currently on holiday, and when he gets back I will give him the trees back as a surprise.

The few trees I was making in the past took a lot of time - the method I am using now allows me to knock up a forest in next to now time by comparison. I only wish I had though of it sooner.

I also have my next road section near completion and I should get off my arse and finish it this week - I just need to slap my mojo into action.

I also have a hankering for some historical wargaming, so I might play around with that for a little while until I can get my next lot of zombie scenery up an running. As indicated in previous posts, that isn't a small task and I want to get it right.

For those interested in my other wargame projects, please visit my other blog: Shelldrake's Wargame blog

Planning my 'burbs or "google maps is my friend'

2011-08-03T12:30:00.000+10:00

I am currently designing and building a suburban area for my next game which will take a while to finish.

I am in the process of making a new road section for the game. This time I am making a T-intersection and doing a photographic record of the steps for posting once it is finished.

As part of my planning for the playing area I used Google Maps to help with my designs.

First I chose an area that matched what I imagined my suburb to look like:

I then zoomed in for a closer look, which also showed me the road markings I would need:

Next I 'cruised' around the block to find a house design that I could easily make:

All of this helps my planning a lot:

I will have no centre markings on the side road for my t-intersection, put in a stop line (I wont put in the double white crossing markings so the road can be a bit more generic).

A nature strip and a footpath will go in front of each house. This will help me pad out the scenery I need to make rather nicely.

I noticed there aren't many fences between the houses in this area, but I will put them in as it is a nice way to slow down zombies, as well as help channel them into back yards before survivors jump the fence to get away.

The house is a nice easy design - my houses wont look exactly like this, but it make a good basic design from which to work from.

Campaign Game 3 - On the Road: part 2 Batrep

2011-07-31T13:28:00.000+10:00

The survivors move forward, wary of the fact there are not many zombies around.

[I rolled using the zombie threat level for the game and only 3 zombies were placed at the start of the game]

The survivors move cautiously forward

The zombies, some how sensing live flesh is nearby move forward for a feed.

As Jack and Celina chew up some ground and make it up on to the top of the bus. Ned hesitates as four more zombies appear.

Jack and Celina breath a bit easier.

Even zombies like ice cream!

Three more zombies appear - somehow they know there is flesh to be eaten.

Jack, knowing what it is like to be cornered wastes not time and makes his way up the truck and across the top of the trailer.

While Ned climbs onto the top of a car, Celina joins Jack on the truck.

The higher they are, the safer they feel

Jack moves to the end of the trailer, but Celina stays put – that way she will be in range of Ned should he need some ballistic assistance.

[Random even allows Celina to buy a new skill at ½ cost after the game… provided she lives.]

Why is the back of the truck open? What was in there?

Jack jumps onto the icecream truck, while Ned makes it on to the front of the truck just as zombies appear behind him and to the his flanks.

Hurry up Ned!

While waiting for ned to catch up both Jack and Celina wait for him to catch up as the zombies start to form hoards around the truck.

Will Ned make the jump across to the trailer?

[My rolls for zombie spawning is not so great – most of them are turning up at the end of the truck… right where the Survivors need to exit the table.]

Ned tries to jump from the cab to the trailer but falls between the two. There is no way he will be able to climb up on to the back of the truck safely, so he will have to bolt on foot and try to get out if he can.

Celina dashes across and successfully jumps onto the ice cream truck.

Not wasting time, Ned sprints along the side of the truck hoping to make it to the exit point.

Jack fires into the mass below him, taking out a zombie.

Nope, he wont make it

This is our ice cream - get your own!

The zombie dying to zombie appearing ratio picks up a bit as Jack and Celina drop eight between them, and Ned takes down one.

Ned gets to the end of the truck and halts… there is a zombie to the rear of the ice cream truck - can he get past it?

Run Ned, Run!

Jack thinks he sees a zombie that used to be someone he knew. He takes a guts check and passes, deciding it wasn't any one important if he did know them.

[Random event had a survivor make a gut check thinking they saw a zombie they used to know before the apocalypse]

The zombie lurking behind the ice cream truck rushes at Ned and a furious combat begins. Ned lands a couple ineffective hits before the shock and pain of numerous bites drops him to the ground and he comes zombie food.

Look out!

[After a lot of shooting last turn I have a record dice grave of 24 dice. My luck changes a bit as only 6 zombies are spawned from this lot]

Jack and Celina continue to fire away at the zombies blocking their escape route.

The red counters indicate how many turns Ned will be chomped on

[Seven zombies are spawned this turn but most appear on the far end of the table]

Jack and Celina kill two zombies each, clearing a way to safety. Jack jumps down ready to make good his escape.

Jack doesn't bother to get himself an ice cream

Just when he thought the nightmare would end, a zombie appears right in the path Jack has to take to get away.

Fortunately Jack gets to move before the zombies do and puts two rounds into the new zombie's head.

With escape so close Jack runs for his life, with Celina moving to join him on the road.

As she gets off the roof, Celina notices a bag next to the car with some molotov cocktails sticking out of the top

[This was a random even, and a most welcome one indeed!]

So close... can Celina make it to safety?

Picking up the bag Celina catches up to Jack and both make it to safety.... for now.

The zombies at the end of the game

Once in a safe area Celina opens the bag and find a pamphlet that must have been placed there by the original owner when they were fleeing. It says that there is a pick up point in the city where survivors can be rescued and be taken to a safe haven. It also suggests that the CDC has a vaccine for the zombie virus, and that all major cities have an immunization point that people can head to.

[These two were rumor events that happened during the game and I used the molotov bag to tie it into the story]

So ends game three in my campaign.

Ned was eaten - so now I am down to two survivors. Again I am not that upset at loosing Ned, as he was only intended as a fill in survivor for my first game.

Now that I have my Hasslefree Miniatures I can add new survivors to the game, but I would not be so casual about it should they be eaten.

The choke points I made using the cars was useful... it stopped the zombies moving freely in a direct path, thus slowing them down a bit.

If it wasn't for this, I am sure Celina and maybe even Jack would not have survived the game.

The events worked well and I will add extra events into the deck so new survivors can appear.

In my next games I will use the initiative deck they way it is used in 'The Rules With No Name' and allow a character to hold back their action until they want to use it or when the turn ends.

Had I done this, I think Celina and Jack would have been able to protect Ned from the zombies near the escape point.

My next game will be a "supply run" scenario, simply because the survivors need to eat, and they have eaten the supplies they were carrying.

I have a new road that I am making for future games and I will have to make a few buildings too. Between this and work it may be a few weeks before I get to play my next game, but I have something in mind to fill in the gaps between games that I will post.

Campaign Game 3 - On the road: part 1, the set up

2011-07-30T12:30:00.000+10:00

"I'm gonna tell you about an incident, and I don't wanna hear 'act of God!'
My name is Jack Berton. I'm a reasonable guy. But, I've just experienced some very unreasonable things.
Take for example the other day - we were chased by zombies and just managed to escape in a car by a hair's width, only to have it run out of fuel on the highway."

"We had to make it down the road, dodging zombies as we went, and it was going to take crackerjack timing.
Celina pulled out those hand cannons of hers and turned to me and asked if I was ready. Ha. I was born ready!"

This is the setup for my next game. I would like a few more cars, but it doesn't bother me that much.

The game only has the three survivors in it, and as such I am reducing the number of zombies that appear in the rule book for this scenario to reflect the lower point value used.

I also placed the vehicles in a convenient way - provided the survivors can climb on top of the vehicles I have given them a bit of a risen path way to the other end by using the bus and the truck to walk along. Now they just have to get up there and get down again.

I will be playing this game over the weekend, and hopefully get a battle report up soon after.

My Zombie Campaign - what I want to do with it and where it is headed

2011-07-28T12:20:00.000+10:00

I just thought I would take the time to ramble on about my zombie campaign and what the game objectives are.

The primary objective is simple - to have the characters survive. Seems fairly simple, but the zombies want to throw a spanner into the works.

The next important goal is to find a safe location to hole up and use as a base of operations.

Going hand in hand with objectives one and two are collecting supplies to ensure survival - the three f's: Food, Fuel and Firearms.

With this 'under control' my survivors will begin the next phase - finding other survivors, find out what happened, and establish a colony to ensure the continuation of survival.

As part of the last one, I will have rumors in the game about safe havens, why the zombie apocalypse occurred, and even a chance to find a cure.

Each time a survivor is found I will make a roll on an 'occupation' table to see what skills, if any, these survivors will bring to the colony. Tradesmen and health practitioners will be in high demand, but so are workers to help protect the colony and act as laborers.

Of course tradies and doctors are not the only skills on offer but I need to come up with a good list of skills to see what I can do for my fledgling colony. Military and Emergency services are also very useful.

On a game side of things, I will need to make up a lot of scenery, but once that has been done I should have to spend less time on buildings etc and a lot more time playing the game.

It might be ambitious, but I want to make part of a housing estate for suburb settings (as well as shops to go with them) and a city block or two for bigger scenarios.

To this end I will need to make a list of useful shop types and the useful things that can be scavenged from within them. This is intended to help the survivors build their colony.

Things like tools, clothes, power sources, food, medical supplies and so on will all need to be considered, as will the chance of other looters having already taken useful items.

Obviously not all of these things will happen at once, but I will build up to it and see where it all goes.

Happy Campers, Ice Cream and a retired Marine

2011-07-25T15:42:00.000+10:00

I wasn't able to do to much over the weekend due to other commitments, but I was able to finish off a few things today, as well as another vehicle arriving in the mail.

First up I have finished painting some more "Loads" (I might rename the "Loads" to "Zombie Bait").

I saw these Reaper Miniatures on their web site and had to have them for the game:

Next up I have an Ice Cream van - commonly called "Mr Whippy" here in Australia, and they always seem to play "Greensleeves" as they drive around. Personally I think they are like clowns - creepy.
When I saw the van on ebay I knew I had to have it:

And last up is my new survivor character: USMC Gunnery Sergeant (Retired) Thomas Freeway:

This figure is from Eureka Miniatures and meant to be a WW2 Pulp figure, but I decided to paint him up in a Hawaiian shirt (well, I attempted to).

What Thomas Freeway was hiding in his house when the zombie apocalypse came along should prove useful - a .45 Thompson SMG and some grenades: "Oorah!"

I have yet to base him up, but I will do so soon.

Kameko and Kamiko painted, plus some new vehicles

2011-07-22T15:38:00.000+10:00

My Hasslefree Miniatures arrived this week, and I have been working on painting them up.

The first to be finished are Kameko and Kamiko. I painted them in the uniform from "St Agnes", which is the school featured in a Japanese comedy drama called "My Boss My Hero".

I painted the SMG carried by one of the twins in pink, and if I could have painted it, I would have put a "Hello Kitty" picture on the side of the gun.

I went with the pink as Japanese seem to really like 'cutesy' things alot, and as the SMG is a modified ingram, I thought "why wouldn't a Japanese school girl want one in pink?"

which one is Kameko and which one is Kamiko?

I also had two 1:43 cars turn up in the mail today after I bought them on ebay. The first one I will use as my Government Agents vehicle for scenarios when the Agents are involved.

The second one is a police ute (pickup truck = ute in Australia) that will be useful for traffic, or to putting stores in the pack when I play supply run scenarios. Who knows, it might even have gas bottles in the back for the next game I play.

Biotek Billboard

2011-07-20T17:56:00.000+10:00

I finished making my biotek billboard to go next to my road today.

I should have re-enforced the actual board itself, as it buckled a little when I painted it, but apart from that I am happy with how it looks.

I was intending to put a wash over the reverse side to give it a dirty look, but I decided not to after seeing how the cardboard was warping.

Number Crunching

2011-07-19T16:15:00.000+10:00

I had a "Professor Farnsworth" moment last night.

While watching TV last night I did a bit of number crunching during the commercials and statistically my survivors wont last many more games in my "No More Room In Hell" campaign.

Percentage wise my current three survivors will be able to hit 2.4 zombies when they shoot at them a turn.

Of the 2.4 zombies they hit, they will only be able to kill off 1.68 zombies.

Of all the shots fired to kill this 1.68 zombies, they will attract 9 zombies per turn. (Based on a medium Zombie threat level)

And this doesn't factor in the chance of running out of ammunition, which I have found to happen quite easily.

Why did I work all of this out? Well, I was taking a look at my "On the Road" scenario set up and trying to figure out the best way to have my characters survive the game, and it doesn't look good to say the least.

Now admittedly I am down about 600 points worth of Survivors as laid out in the actual scenario in the rule book, so this doesn't help one bit. This is compounded by the fact that I am using the suggested number of zombies.

This means I may have to do one or more of a few things:

a) get more survivors. I don't want to use this option because I don't want to fit the extra characters into the story line I am working with just yet.

b) make the weapons stronger. By ignoring the AZ value of weapons and using the AP rating only I double my chances of killing a zombie. This means some weapons go from a 30% chance of killing a zombie to a 60% chance. I could argue that survivors know that they need to shoot zombies in the head to stop them, otherwise they probably wouldn't be survivors, but it throws a few survivor skills out the window making them useless.

c) scale down the zombie numbers. This is most likely the option I will take. Rather than use the full number of zombies that start in some games I will reduce the starting number of zombies, and or drop the zombie threat levels down a level, so a ATL of 5 becomes a ATL of 4.

I will play test a few different options and see how they go. Hopefully they wont unbalance game play, and I suspect option c) will be the best. If I played the "On the road" scenario as it is meant to be played, then 10d10 + # rounds fired each turn zombies can show up. Not only do I not have that many zombies, but the chances of surviving what is supposed to be the second scenario in a campaign would be very low indeed.

Brmm Brmm

2011-07-16T16:32:00.000+10:00

I was out paying for my travel insurance today and I took a look around the big franchise toy shop in the same area. They had mostly small matchbox sized cars or big remote control types, but they did have a couple of 1:43 scale trucks on special.

I found this one hidden behind other stock - so maybe someone saw it and hid it until they could come back with some cash. Either way, I don't care, as this little beauty cost me $14.00 AUD.

The great thing about it is the trailer is detachable, and the back doors open on the shipping container, which means I can have some nasty surprises in the back as part of the plot I am developing.

A photo of the truck with Jack standing next to it

The truck with the trailer detached and showing the doors at the back.

I have seen 1:43 scale trucks online for $80 plus dollars, so I snapped this up quickly. The other two trucks left at the store were a live stock carrier and a flat bed truck with two tractor things on the back. I considered getting this last one, but the tractor things looked like cheap nasty plastic toys.

I am happy I found this truck - the sheer length of it will give a bit of zombie free movement.. if survivors can reach the top that is.

Lace War Zombie Apocalypse?

2011-07-14T12:33:00.000+10:00

As mentioned in a previous post (about the Napoleon Zombie figure) I was contemplating a zombie game set in different eras.

The horse and musket period is one of my favorite historical periods... in fact it was the first period I ever played as a wargamer.

After a bit of thinking I decided it might be more fun using Seven Years War figures instead of Napoleonic figures, especially as I can get mounted and dismounted cavalry figures; something that isn't that common with Napoleonic figures.

With this in mind I painted up a Hussar figure I had purchased from Eureka Miniatures a while ago as a sample.

To play a game I would have to make a few changes - such as not having so many zombies to swarm on the table, as well as come up with a different reason for zombies to be around - after all the modern science we have today wasn't around in the 18th Century.

I am thinking that the occult might be a better way to create the zombies for this game, and only a set number are created per game. The bites of zombies would be less likely to turn characters as they were raised from the buried dead due to dark arts and not some kind of virus.

While not high on my list of things to do, I will keep working on the idea and see where it goes.

Event Cards & Event Deck

2011-07-13T12:09:00.001+10:00

As part of the game I am creating an "Event Deck" to enhance game play

The back of the event card - I like the syringe, as it 'injects' something to the game

.

In the initiative deck I have two cards: one allows for an event if drawn before the turn ends, and the other kills off the chance for an event if drawn before the other card.

This can make the occurrence of an event possible, but not so frequent that it controls the game.

Why events?

An event can change the way the game is played and adds the "Murphy" factor. Some events are good - like finding some ammo or food. Maybe a friendly survivor comes to the character's help for the remainder of the game.

Other events can hinder the characters and really throw a spanner into the works.

Another kind of event is a 'plot' event - something that drives the story behind the campaign.

I prefer an event deck to a chart, as you can re-arrange the deck with a minimum of effort and cater it to what figures or scenery (if needed for the event) rather than roll on a chart and find you don't have a figure needed, or that the result rolled on the chart totally blows.

You can also include more than one card of a particular event to increase the likely hood of an event happening, or not happening as the case may be.

I make the cards like I do the initiative deck cards - print a front and reverse side and them laminate them to protect them from excessive handling.

So far I have 80 event cards, with more to be added as I go along. I don't use all the cards at once. Instead I select a certain variety of cards to suit the scenario.

The type of cards I have are:

Bonuses - anything that helps the survivors with dice rolls
Penalties - anything the doesn't help the survivors with dice rolls
Items - an item that can be used during the game or essential supplies
Rumors - used to drive the plot: who caused the apocalypse, news of safe havens
Encounters - good or bad guys that turn up during a game: Government Agents, Corporate Soldiers, other Survivors, Bikers, SEAL Teams, Delta Force, Military - both local or foreign.
Story - a card that develops the story and drives the campaign a certain way.

my first road

2011-07-12T08:49:00.000+10:00

Over the weekend I started to make a road section for the next scenario "On the Road".

I had looked at the excellent roads that Zombie Ad had made (you can see them here) but didn't have access to the boards to be able to make these.

So, I had a rethink, and after coming up with a few ideas, and changing my mind a few times, I decided to go with what I already knew, only with a few modifications.

I taped out my road using paper masking tape on a large board and then spread caulking over it. Whiles it was still wet I sprinkled fine sand over it.

As it is winter here and rather wet and cold at the moment, I left the 'road' to dry over the weekend. This also gave me time to duck down to the local 'cheapie' shop and buy some cheap black paint to paint the road.

With the caulking/sand dry I painted the road and because of the cold I left it to dry until Sunday afternoon and then painted the reverse side to stop it sticking.

First thing Monday morning I painted a bit more black on to the road over the bits I missed, and while that was drying, I cut myself a jig (a tool, not a dance) to would allow me to paint my road markings in the right spot and at the right length.

A quick search to find out what colour to paint the road lines later and I decided to use yellow. The jig worked perfectly and I left the road to dry completely for the rest of the day.

Now that I have waffled on a bit, here are two photos of the finished product:

This last photo also shows the signs I made for the game. I want a few more cars before I play this game, and I will make some more signs and my billboard before I play the next game.

Campaign Game 2 - Rescuing Jack part 3

2011-07-11T18:44:00.000+10:00

Turn 9

Johns previous gun fire has attracted 3 more zombies to his “little party”

John, fires his smg into the group, hitting two, but causing no damage. To make it worse for him, he needs to reload!

Celina heads towards the car where jack is.

John swings wildly with his smg club at the zombies but misses.

Jack gets the car to kick over, but it doesn’t start

Ned dashes after Celina, leaving the "loads" to catch up.

Jack still cant get the car started as Celina screams at him to get his act together.

The zombies "slush" (shamble rush) over the gate and after the fleeing survivors.

John somehow survives a deluge of blows and doesn’t get any further injuries

Celina makes into into the neighbours yard and takes up a firing position behind the wall

Turn 10

6 zombies appear over the far side of the action…[phew]

Celina goes on over watch to protect the loads incase the zombies get too close.

Ned catches up with Celina and takes up position behind the gate, while Jack fires the car into life [Finally!]

The loads get ever closer to the neighbours place, but are taking their time.

The zombies take down john and begin to feast on him, while those zombies at the farm house make short work of the small gate blocking their way.

Not wanting to slow their escape, Jack and Celina get into the car.

Turn 11

Two more zombies appear on the other side of the log cabin [they should be too far from the action to worry me]

Jack moves the car forward, knocking the gate down and waits for the others to get in, and Ned, not needing a second invitation, scrambles into the back seat

Not sure is they are seeing things, the survivors think they see a different type of zombie in the hoards around them that somehow act differently [Event card that was drawn]

The zombies finish eating john and look for their next meal...

Turn 12

Three more zombies appear at the far side of the action, this time on the far side of the farm house.

Jack frantically honks the horn while Celina and ned yell for the loads to hurry up.

Unfortunately the shock of seeing the zombies eat john must have frozen them to the spot, for the hoard is upon them!

Turn 13

With more zombies appearing close to the crate tower, the hoard of zombies start tearing into the "loads".

Those in the car are stunned, unable to do anything as the watch the zombies attack the "loads". [The turn ended before they were able to act]

Turn 14

The zombies finish eating as others move forward to join in the eating frenzy.

[This was another short turn, which was very frustrating for me at this point... would the turn of the cards mean the difference between my survivors living or dying?]

Turn 15

The zombies, making a short meal of their latest victims, start to swarm towards the car.

Ned throws a cocktail out the window in the hopes of clearing some away – one dies and two flame up.

Turn 16

Bouyed by his success, Ned throws another cocktail, taking out two more,and setting another two on fire. This helps keep the pressure off a fraction.

Jack finally wake out of his stupor and speeds out of the front yard and out of immediate danger, leaving the moaning hoard gnashing their teeth at them in the rear view mirror.

Game ends.

After Action Review:

If I was to play this one again, I would have not moved John so close to a spawn point. I also forgot to use his Molotov Cocktails. Had I done so, I think he would have survived.

Having said that, I am not too upset with his loss, as the figure is one of the "Government Agents" I have, and I will be needing them in future games. I just hope my Hasslefree order can turn up soon! I really need those figures to add to my character pool.

The zombies were lucky with the draw of the cards for a few turns. If I hadn't decided to have a few characters run when they did I probably would have lost all of my characters.

The Molotov Cocktails worked a treat - I limited the number of dice to roll for effect to 10d10, but only used that many once in the game. It is well worth having some of these on hand.

Regretfully I only have one cocktail left for the next game, so I had better make good use of it.

The next game will be "On the Road" - I made a nice road section just for this scenario, and I will show it in a post tomorrow. I would like a few more cars before I start this game: two more cars showed up in the mail today making a grand total of five cars and one bus.

A few trucks would be very helpful, as they offer some height away from the zombies.

Campaign Game 2 - Rescuing Jack Part 2

2011-07-11T16:56:00.001+10:00

Turn 3

The zombies move, and more take up the interest in Celina behind the wall and start to move towards the gate.

[Turn ends on the first card drawn, which means only the zombies were able to move]

Turn 4

John heads out of the farm towards the neighbours place, but hesitates once he clears the gate and wonders if he is doing the right thing. [I drew an event card that caused him indecision, thus loosing a move]

The zombes move towards the gate and Jack stands on top of his tower and pretends he isn’t there.

Celina sees red and takes out 4 zombies with her .45 socom pistols.

Turn 5

The shooting has started to attract more zombies, which appear behind the main hoard of zombies, which in turn moan forward and start to claw at the farm yard gate.

Celina throws her second last cocktail over the fence near the gate and six more zombies catch on fire and she drops three instantly.

Unable to crash through the barrier, the zombies on fire turn to ash.

Turn 6

3 more zombies appear drawn by the noise of the battle.

John heads towards the scrub hoping not to attract the zombies' attention in any way, and he makes it into some scenic cover.

The zombies shuffle forward, filling the gaps of their fallen.

Celina throws the last of her cocktails with devastating effect: 8 zombies catch on fire.

Ned makes him self busy grabbing essential items from his house grabs ammo for his assault rifle, not really caring about the battle out side, or the plight of his cousin Jack.

The loads take one look behind them and move after John.

Turn 7

The easing up of gun fire has summoned fewer zombies (1 this time) but they are all appearing near Jack, making him very uneasy, but as they shamble past, he sees a gap forming that he might be able to escape through

The zombies start to move the gate in its foundations, making it very shaky.

[Another short turn due to the turn of the cards]

Turn 8

As John blunders about in the undergrowth, three zombies appear right next to him!

The loads make a dash for the neighbour’s house in an attempt to get to the car

Jack steadies his nerves [passed a gut check rolling a 2] and sprints towards the neighbour’s place, taking advantage of the gap in the zombies.

Ned stopps messing around in the house and comes out into the yard.

John fires a burst at the zombies near him, but shoots low, the bullets ripping into the chests of the flesh eaters.

Getting unnerved, John runs towards the neighbours house, but the zombies lunge at him slowing him down, but inflict no damage.

The zombie numbers at the farm build up on the gate and they push it over.

The three zombies near John converge around him with their teeth nashing. John holds his nerve and fights back, but misses out on killing one.

The three dead heads converge on him and one bites John

Jack hurdles the fence and rushes to the car [note - I was thinking like an Aussie and had the steering on the wrong side when I parked the car!]

Celina wastes no time and runs and jumps over the wall to the rear of the farm and Ned quickly follows.

Celina catches up to the loads and puts herself between them and the zombies attacking John.

Jack gets in and attempts to hotwire the car, but is under a bit of pressure and fails.

To be continued....

Campaign Game 2 - Rescuing Jack part 1

2011-07-10T19:43:00.000+10:00

I played my second game today, and it was a good one - full of tension and suspense.

Set Up - as shown in the photo:

I moved the scenery sideways and added more scenery in the spaces made vacant. This allowed me to add a "neighbour" to game.

Jack was on top of his crates and the others were at the entrance to the tunnel located in the log cabin.

I gave those in the cabin some molotov cocktails made from the fuel found in the first game that a quick "MacGyver" was done on. I gave 4 each to Celina and John and 3 to Ned.

The Zombie Threat Level was set at 4, and I decided that new zombies would only start appearing after four turns; mainly to give me time to kill some off to allow for the "zombie pool" to grow.

Turn 1

Ned leads the way into the tunnel and comes up in the shed, finding a first aid kit stashed in a trunk.

The "loads" follow Ned along the tunnel and into the shed

Entering the shed behind them, Celina quickly exits the shed and checks to see if the coast is clear

Ned comes out besid her offering some covering fire if needed.

Taking stock of the situation, Celina decides to wait for the others to come out of the tunnel before doing anything.

Jack starts firing into the mass of zombies killing two of them.

The zombies around jack move and fill the gaps of the fallen.

Turn 2

Ned moves across to the house – he is sure he left something good in there and wants to look for it.

Jack takes down two more zombies, following up with another burst that takes out two more before his smg runs out of ammo. (doh!!!! No more ammo for jack!)

Ned unlocks the door to his house and immediately goes for the gun rack where he collects two units of ammo (lucky dice rolls here).

John comes out of the tunnel and leaves the shed, taking up position to protect the "loads" when they exit the shed..

Seeing Jack is in trouble Celina moves forward to give a hand by throwing a cocktail at the zombies. Five of the zombies are set on fire – three collapse immediately while two others flame for a little while.

Amid the turmoil the loads exit the shed, feeling reassured by the presence of John.

Celina throws another of the cocktails setting six more on fire, one of which turns to ash.

The zombies, seeing an easier target than jack shamble towards Celina, who is protected by the wall. Those zombies that were on fire turn to ash as they near her.

(this turn was the first time all cards were used in a turn)

To be continued...

Toxic sludge pipe - now with river!

2011-07-08T15:10:00.000+10:00

I created a new river section to go with my toxic sludge pipe, that I posted here.

This one has a bend in it (not seen in the photo) and I painted the toxic sludge flowing into the river and dissipating as it goes:

Now that I have finished this piece of scenery I think I am ready to play the next scenario in my campaign - "Rescuing Jack". (I wanted a bit more scenery on the board before starting the next game).

Corporate Soldiers

2011-07-07T16:37:00.000+10:00

I dusted off and resurrected my Eureka Miniatures Bundeswehr figures. I will be using them as Corporate Soldiers, and they will appear in different roles based on the turn of an "event card".

The majority of these guys will be "Back Ups", but a few will also be "Shot Callers".

Initially the characters will have no idea who they work for, but as the game progresses they will get clues as to who they to go along with the "what caused the zombies" information.

The "event cards" will determine if these guys help or hinder the situation as well.

Keiko - Kamiko and Kameko's younger sister

2011-07-07T15:44:00.000+10:00

I was digging around my pile of lead and came across a figure I didn't even realise I had - an old Ral Partha Shadow Run miniature that must have been in my collection of lead for about 20 years!

It is a pretty cool miniature and as soon as I saw it I knew it had to be the little sister for the Japanese Twins.

I intend the Twins to come into the game as it develops (and I get the miniatures from Hasslefree... still no ETA on that), and part of the plot for them is to find their little sister that was caught up at a different school during the outbreak.
I am creating a "Events" deck to allow for things to happen during game play and to advance the story of the campaign (more on that later).

You can still buy the figure from the Shadow Run miniatures, and it can be found in the "Yakuza" pack.

Toxic sludge pipe

2011-07-06T14:43:00.000+10:00

I wanted to create a bit more scenery for my next game, and I wanted something that could add to the story line, and be used more than once.

For a while I have been wanting to make a large storm drain pipe and yesterday I finally started it.

Using a piece of balsa as a base, a cardboard tube cut down, a few pieces of card to go around the entry/exit point of the pipe, what started out as paper mache but turned into paper tape very quickly I had the makings of my pipe.

This morning I painted the model, and after lunch I flocked it.

The final result is this:

I designed it to go next to a river or pond kind of thing so as to make it as versatile as possible.

And here is a different angle to show off the sludge a bit better:

It is amazing how the camera shows off the bits you missed and cant see with the naked eye :-P

My first Bus

2011-07-06T14:33:00.002+10:00

I found a bus up for sale on Ebay in the UK, and thanks to some advice from Zombie Ad I decided to take a risk at not knowing how it would size up with every thing else and buy it.

I think the bus is 1:50 scale.

Thanks to the excellent advice (Thank you Zombie Ad!) I now have a bus to add to my games :-D

I am amazed at how many more vehicles can be purchased in the UK, and how much cheaper they are. Most sellers will ship internationally, but there are a few missing out on sales because they wont ship outside the UK.

Historical zombies

2011-07-05T22:44:00.000+10:00

I was thinking today if I wanted to branch out into historical zombie wargaming - games set in the Seven Years War or Napoleonic for example. I have a number of historical figures that I want to get some game time in with, but not enough figures for both sides.

Using the mantic zombies I could get away with this.

Much to my surprise, Eureka Miniatures have made some Napoleonic Zombies.

No exactly what I had in mind, but at least I am not the only one thinking this...

Roadsign - made

2011-07-04T17:39:00.000+10:00

I was able to do a little printing today, and I printed out a road sign and made it up using card, some toothpicks and a small piece of balsa for the base.

I am very happy with the results and I think it looks great.

Now all I need is a road to put it next to.

Interstate route markers

2011-07-04T11:32:00.000+10:00

As part of my ongoing scenery development with signs, I have done some research into the US Primary Interstate Highway system.

This system has signage that looks like this:

The blue field has a number inside it to indicate the route number.

The Primary Interstate Highways are the major interstate highways in the United States, and are assigned a one or two digit route number.

Even route numbers are assigned to east/west routes, and Odd route numbers are assigned to north/south routes.
Lower numbers will be seen in the south (even numbers) and west (odd numbers), and higher numbers will be seen in the north (even numbers) and east (odd numbers).

There are 66 Primary interstate routes, starting with '4' and ending with '99'. Obviously not all numbers between 4 and 99 are used.

The good news about this numbering is that anyone wanting to make their own Primary interstate route sign can use numbers that don't actually exist, thus keeping their towns and cities in the realm of the game setting preventing anyone from knowing extactly where your city is located.

For a complete list of signs and more information please click here.

My game deck and character records

2011-07-03T15:17:00.000+10:00

I finished off my game deck today - I only want to use images of painted figures, so I couldn't finish the deck until I had painted those figures in use.

I printed the decks out and after a bit of cutting and gluing I laminated the cards so they are ready for use:

I also printed out and laminated my character record sheets:

The front of the sheets have the game data that is needed, and the rear has room for 'background fluff' and game notes.

The sheets will make playing the game easier, but I still want to make some quick reference sheets.

Billboards and signs

2011-07-03T10:01:00.001+10:00

Another idea to help fill you zombie world with detail is the use of billboards.

These come is a variety of shapes, sizes and designs - from posters on walls, signs on top of buildings, large raised road side advertising to the good old sign a police car can hide behind on a highway.

With this in mind I designed my first billboard today - I want this to be the police car hiding type, and I made one that makes Biotek look warm, fuzzy and caring:

I will print it out and glue it on to card and use bamboo skewers on the back as the posts to hold it up and add sand and grass around the bottom to give it that extra touch.

As Biotek isn't the only corporation floating around in my world I intend to make some other billboards up, including some smaller roof top ones.

(I need to get to a printers for all of my signs and designs as I don't have a printer myself.. I had to use someone else's for my electronic signs and the cargo container I made)

Edit: rather than make two posts on similar things, I have added to this post:

Shop A frame signs

Another thing to help colour up your zombie infected cities and towns is an a-frame board out the front of shops.

They can be professionally designed ones like this:

Or chalk boards that you will mostly find out the front of pubs and restaurants:

They can also be found in different heights - from just below your knee to about shoulder height.

I tried my hand at a restaurant chalk board and came up with this:

I just print it out, fold it along the black line then glue it on to card, cut it out (including removing the black line out to the sides) and fold it again. Hey presto! one chalk board a frame sign.

Unarmed non-combatants or "Loads"

2011-07-02T13:12:00.000+10:00

NMRIH has three character types: Shot callers, Back-ups and Sheeple. In the Survive! Generator tables they also have what they call "The Load" - an unarmed civilian that can't defend themselves that you have to take with you.

My Survivors picked up two in my first game.

Seeing as I have these 'Loads' I decided I had better get some figures to represent them - after all I need someone to ~~throw to the zombies~~ save from the zombies.

I was poking around my boxes of minis that I had been planning to sell looking for the paper boy figure from Pulp miniatures.

I didn't find the figure I was after, but I did find a few other useful figures - an Artizan Designs Kiss Kiss Bang Bang female figure, and a BTD Sara Jane Smith figure - both are perfect as Loads for my games.

I also found a couple of other figures that will prove very useful as non armed bystanders - the type that get in the way and then eaten when you should be keeping them alive.

I have painted up two figures to represent the woman and the kid I 'rescued' from the cabin in my first game:

A 'the Loads' card was also included in my initiative deck. They only get one card, and as they can only sneak or walk, I might have a tough time keeping them alive.

Ned Seagun

2011-07-02T11:36:00.000+10:00

I finished painting the last unpainted survivor from my first game today: Ned Seagun

NMRIH stats for Ned Seagun:

Name: Ned Seagun
Character: Back up
Occupation: 'Urban Entrepreneur' (He 'finds' stuff)
Survive: 2
Guns: 6
Fists: 7
Guts: 10

Survival Skills: Handyman, Super Scrounge

Gear: Pistol, Assault Rifle.

Notes: My intention with Ned is someone that can make a barricade or find useful items during the game. I forgot to use these skills in my first game. I really need to make character cards with all the stats and skills easy to look up.

The figure from EM4 miniatures.

Soon to be survivors?

2011-07-02T10:56:00.000+10:00

About a month ago I ordered some Hasslefree Miniatures to add to my group of survivors.

These are the figures I have ordered:

I have yet to name this figure or develop a character for him, but I thought it looked mean and nasty enough to survive the zombie apocalypse.

The two school girls are what I finally decided to use for Kameko and Kamiko. Being the same figure with different weapons will make them work better as twins.

I shouldn't have watched "School for Scoundrels" the other day as now I am going to name this character "Lesher" after the character from that film.

A 'not snake plisskin' figure. I have yet to come up with a name and background for this character, but it wont be far away.

"Escape from New York" is another one of my favorite films, and another one starting Kurt Russel. I wonder how many other Kurt Russel's character look alike figures there are out there? It would be fun to have a whole heap of them in the one game.

On a side note, I was just collecting information from the IMDB site and a fan made a short Snake Plisskin movie in 2010, although using a different actor.

This one is called "Escape from New Jersey" - having accidentally seen about 10 mins of "Jersey Shore" a few weeks ago, I can completely understand why you would want to escape from New Jersey. I just hope Snake 'capped' a few of them on the way out.

Anyway, back to the figures....

At this stage they haven't shown up, but that is most likely because the order was caught up in the Hasslefree "Do-over" that started before I placed my order. This is being check out by the Hasslefree crew at the moment.

New from Eureka Miniatures

2011-06-30T15:08:00.000+10:00

I just saw these figures and the info on their release date on TMP:

Seal Team 6

US troops in MOPP gear

Both are perfect for Zombie games! :-D

Full info here: TMP

Zombie deer?

2011-06-30T08:07:00.001+10:00

I was just reading my 'breakfast news' on the TGN site and saw a new release from Darkson designs.

Darkson designs are calling it a 'wendigo' but having played Call of Cthulhu for many years, it doesn't fit my image of what a wendigo should look like.

Instead, it looks more like a zombie deer.

This would make one awesome 'boss zombie' and could even be the cause of how the virus was spread. Who needs a biting monkey to spread the virus when a rabid deer looks nastier?

The figure costs $15.99 (seriously guys - just sell it for $16 and get it done with*) and I couldn't see how much postage was as I had to sign up with my details to get that information.

Maelstom games in the UK will be selling it for 9 pounds, so I will probably get one from them as they offer free postage and have discount specials all the time.

I am tempted, and it would make for a funny zombie boss.

* in Australia all prices are rounded to the nearest whole number in shops - thus anything advertised at 95 or 99 cents cost the whole dollar. Shops always put the cheaper price on the label so people think it is cheaper. After all, $15.95 sounds cheaper than $16.

My City needs a name

2011-06-29T10:36:00.001+10:00

I need a good name for the main city where I am basing my zombie campaign.

I have a few ideas, but not sure if they are any good.

So, I have started a poll for the blog (see the top right column of this blog) with where you can vote for the few names I have so far, or vote for 'other' and post your other suggestion in the comments to this post.

Model car advice needed!

2011-06-29T08:48:00.000+10:00

I want to buy a 1:43 car and turn it into this situation:

How easy is it to smash the front of a 1:43 car to make it look like it went into a pole?

I don't want to do it to a Ferrari, and I don't want to practice on the three cars I have (as I need them as they are... I don't have enough spares to destroy one yet).

Is it easy to do? or am i better off to save my money and keep the car in it's initial contidion?

If it is easy to do, what is the best method? Put it in a vice nose up and smack the back of a meat cleaver into it?

Road signs

2011-06-28T16:41:00.000+10:00

What is something that almost every road or street in the world has? A road sign.

I just did a bit of a 'google' and found some road sign images that I can edit, select the one I want, resize it to the size I need, print and then make a model road sign for my games.

All you need is a thin bit of card to glue the printed sign onto, and a toothpick as the pole, and hey presto, one very easily made road sign.

Here are some images for people to save so they can make their own signs:

Above: is the last sign on the bottom row warning of an Amish drive by?

Of course you can always save a sign design, remove the item within the sign and make your own unique types.

And with a little effort, you can make city signs, or signs showing the distance to cities such as this one I knocked together (this is my second sign... the first one I gave to a new home):

My first building design

2011-06-28T15:52:00.000+10:00

I have been playing around with the Model Building Program - and it is very easy to use and a lot of fun to make things.

I still have a lot to learn to perfect my buildings, but I am getting there.

When I downloaded an upgrade for the program today I was delighted to learn I can now add my own images to the buildings.

Basically I can include ANYTHING from a photo in my designs, or something I have 'ginned up' my self.

This is part of my first attempt, and the more I use the program the more I can improve on the design:

The program is for designing buildings, but there should be no reason I can't design roads and foot paths as well.

Card Buildings

2011-06-27T11:37:00.002+10:00

I have been looking at making a lot more card buildings for my game, but one thing that makes me hesitate is the fact I have to use the designs of what other people make.

This means all my buildings would more or less be the same, and or that I have to use the dimensions of those buildings, making me design my city around those buildings, not the buildings designed around my city.

As I am new to card stock models, I could be totally wrong with these thoughts.

Then there is this option: a program that lets you design your own models.

I like very much the Cargo container program, as it is great fun to use and very simple to create cargo containers.

I did a quick search on the web and found a program called "Model Builder". It is $45USD, and I am trying to save money for my trip to Japan in November, but I really want to design my own buildings!

For those wanting a look at this program, you can see it here: Model Builder

LOL - as I have typed this entry, I have almost sold myself on the idea of buying the program.

There are videos on how to use the program, and it looks fairly easy to use. Why did I have to watch the videos!!!! You can see them here: videos

Arrrgggggh! I can download it from the site rather that have a disc sent to me - it is cheaper, and I don't need to pay for postage!

And with the exchange rate, it is a little bit cheaper still.

Sold!

(This reminds me of when I worked in a game shop. I was so convincing in my sales pitch to a customer asking about Battletech that I actually bought the game myself. Doh!)

I hope to have a building to show off later today: provide every thing works that is.

EDIT: wow - it has been a day of let downs. The bloody thing wont install. It is looking for a C:\ProgramData directory to change, and this is something only found in Vista, not XP. The program is meant to run in XP but I can't get it to work at all.

I have sent an email to the company asking for help, but that will most likely be a 12 - 24 hour reply because of the time zones around the world :-(

EDIT to the EDIT: I have a reply from the company that makes the program - they sent me the previous version of Model Builder and I was able to install this.
A bit of snooping around hints that the installation problem may be related to the need for some Windows updates that allow XP to view the new format of Doc and XML sheets.

Zombie hunter with bow - part two

2011-06-27T08:41:00.000+10:00

Well, Offensive Miniatures wont come to the party, stating the figure is part of a pack, and if they sell one figure from the pack, they wont be able to sell the others.

Hmm - they could sell their figures singularly like many other companies - they might even find they have more sales.

If it was me, I would sell the 12 figures cheaper as a pack, with individual figures slightly higher in price.

I don't have a use for the other 11 figures in the pack, so I wont be getting my archer figure. :-(

Campaign Game 1 - The First Night part 3

2011-06-26T12:22:00.001+10:00

Despite all the zombies surrounding him, Jack regains a bit of colour.

A bit blurry, but a photo of Jack back in place once painted

Both John Walker and Celina Croise search the last areas of the cabin and come up trumps: John finds two lots of food supplies, and Celina finds two fuel cans.

Jack fires into the zombies killing two of them.

Behind the cabin, one of the zombies starts to pound on the back door, while other zombies else where shamble towards their chosen targets.

Celina gets into business mode and delivers head shots to four zombies near the cabin, averting the immediate threat they posed.

Jack, while in a bad situation, is rather calm and composed knowing the dead can not climb up to get him. Taking advantage of the situation he fires killing another zombie.

All the shots fired are starting to attract a bit of unwanted attention.

Figuring he is in for a penny in for a pound Jack shoots another zombie. At least it is one less to eat him.

All the shots fired previously by Celina are starting to attract a bit of attention as well:

Years of weapon handling experience allows Celina to take out all but one zombie nearing the cabin door.

Jack starts to get his mojo working and 'slots' another two zombies.

The gun fire has attracted the largest number of zombies so far - 12 turn up in two different areas near the back of the farm house.
This is fortunate for those in the cabin, but not so rosy for Jack.

Celina goes a bit lighter on the trigger and only fires enough rounds to kill the zombie at the door. The rear of the cabin is now out of immediate danger.

As I have technically won the scenario I decide to end the game here. I had to either get the survivors into the car behind the farm shed and off the table, or secure the cabin, which I did.

According the the NMRIH rule book, the next scenario I need to roll on a chart to determine what the next scenario is.

Rather than do this, I intend to play the "Save the..." mission and have Celina and Co. rescue Jack from the boxes.

I was lucky with one of the finds in the cabin - I found a tunnel, and a scatter dice I rolled to see it's direction took it to the shed at the farm, and it was within the allowable range for the tunnel. This was purely random and unintentional.

With this in mind, I intend to start a new game with the zombies in place around Jack and the others coming out of the shed.

Game Talk:

I used my initiative card system for this game and it worked well. The 'shot callers' usually had at least one or two actions per turn, and the lesser beings not so many actions which, I feel, reflects their lack of training for such situations. If you can train for the zombie apocalypse that is.

For zombie spawning I only started using the method described here for the turns on this page. It worked well, and to compensate for the fact zombies wont appear all over the table they do appear in small hoards, which is to their benefit when it comes to barricades as well as making them a bit nastier.

As it happened, all but one group of zombies spawned near Jack and not near the cabin. This would have allowed those in the cabin to flee the table, but it would have meant not winning the scenario.

Despite it being hard to kill zombies in the game (well, based on the dice rolls I was having) with thoughtful placing of scenery you can survive a lot of zombies on the table provided you can keep the zombies out of hands melee.

You do need a lot of zombies to play NMRIH, but that should be the same for any zombie game worth its salt.

What I do need is some unarmed 'sheeple' for the game. At the moment I have two sheeple I found in the cabin, so I need to come up with some figures for them. I think I have a paper boy from the Pulp Figures range somewhere that I can use for the kid I found, and I hope I have a figure for the woman that was hiding in the cupboard.

The fuel and the safari rifle I found will be very handy for the next scenario.

"Loot 'N' Scoot" convenience store

2011-06-26T10:10:00.000+10:00

I am starting to plan my towns and city for my games, and one of the buildings will be a convenience store that is part of a franchise - that way I can use the same building in any setting.

The logo/sign for the building is only in the design phase at this stage, but I intend to improve on it a lot from it's initial stage.

So without further ado it is great pleasure to unveil the world's next chain of convenience stores, "Loot 'n' Scoot":

Jack Berton painted!

2011-06-25T12:45:00.000+10:00

Here is a photo of the freshly painted Jack Berton figure:

Not a greatly painted figure, but I am very happy with the results.

Here are my stats for Jack in NMRIH:

Name: Jack Burton
Character Type: Shot Caller
Occupation: Truck Driver, Adventurer
Survive: 3
Guns: 7
Fists: 8
Guts: 11

Survival Skills: Zombie Hunter, Mr. Personality

Gear: SMG, Knife

Pork Chop Express cargo containers

2011-06-25T12:03:00.000+10:00

To celebrate the fact I am actually painting my "Jack Berton" figure I made up some "Pork Chop Express" shipping containers for use in my games.

I have included a sample to show what it looks like, and there are four colours to choose from:

Just click on the links below to get your copy of these cargo containers:

pork chop blue
pork chop cream
pork chop green
pork chop red

Jack Berton

2011-06-25T11:47:00.001+10:00

I have this particular RAFM figure that I am using for my Jack Berton character:

The painted example of the figure from the RAFM web site.

The figure I have has been named "Jack Berton" after a) the character Jack Burton from one of my all time favorite films "Big Trouble In Little China", and b) because the figure from RAFM is a "not Jack Burton" figure.

I whipped Jack off his pile of crates this morning where he was facing an uncertain future to paint him up.

I doubt I will be able to paint up the singlet as per the film character's singlet, but I will have a good go at the rest of the figure.

Once I have painted the figure up I will post photos and his game stats

Those wanting their own figure can find it here: RAFM

Hopefully a painted Jack will change his fortunes around.

Campaign Game 1 - The First Night part 2

2011-06-24T16:07:00.000+10:00

John Walker attempts to barricade the front door and does so with blinding success.

Inspired by John's actions, Ned tries the same thing to a rear window and gets no where.

Celina and John barricade two more windows, making up for Ned's panicked state.

Over at the farm, Jack Berton sensing things will go bad for him is he stays where he is makes a tactical move towards the stacked boxes, making sure to keep the wall between him and any zombies close at hand.

Collecting himself, Ned barricades a window, and John works on another window while Celina keeps watch.

Checking that he coast is clear, Jack scrambles up on to the boxes out of harms way. He might now be safe from clawing hands and snapping jaws, but the action has attracted a lot of zombies to his plight.

Jack fires an undisciplined burst from his smg into a group of zombies and fails to do anything except attract more zombies. Plus he has to reload his smg due to wasting precious ammunition.

Celina barricades the second last window

John fixes up the last window, securing the building from the outside, but they still need to clear inside in order to be safe.

Searching inside Celina finds a supply of food - enough for one person for two days, or two people for one day.

Ned fires out the window at a zombie getting close to the cabin, but to no evail.

As Celina and John continue to search, finding a woman hiding in the closet in one of the rooms.

Ned shoots at the zombie again, but his bullet thuds harmlessly into the zombie.

Continuing to search the cabin for supplies, a young child is found hiding in a bed room. Thinking the room clear, a legless zombie crawls out from under the bed and attacks Ned.

Fortunately Ned's bad day doesn't get any worse - the zombie grabs at him but doesn't cause a wound.

Using his SMG as a club, Ned caves the zombie's head in, ending it's animated life once and for all.

John uncovers a secret tunnel in one of the rooms. The direction heads towards the shed at the farm, but at this stage they choose not to use the tunnel. Maybe later when things calm down a bit.

Jack fires more shots in to the mass of zombies collecting at the foot of his crate tower, but it really isn't his day when it comes to knocking a few off.

Things are looking a bit bleak for our survivors as more zombies close in for a feed. Things aren't too bad at the cabin - a zombie is knocking at the back door, but a it is unable to get in.

The few shots taken at that zombie have attracted a few friends, so the barricade will soon be put to the test.

As for Jack, well he is getting a bit nervous.

Game Talk:

I had a few turns where the turn ended due to the luck of the draw on the cards. All this did was add more zombies to the mass gathering.

My dice seem to like rolling high when I least need it. Out of all the zombies on the table I have only killed one. It was a good one to kill, as it posed a huge threat to the survivors in the cabin, but I would have liked to kill a lot more off.

Zombies:

Turn 7: 6

Turn 8: 1

Turn 9: 3

Turn 10: 3

Turn 11: 2

Turn 12: 8 +1

Total Zombies: 52 -1 = 51

Oh how words can come back to bite - I mentioned I shouldn't need more than 60 zombies for my games. I had better start getting some good dice rolls so I can recycle my zombie figures or buy another 30 zombies!

To win/end the scenario I only need to search two more Survive! Locations to ensure the cabin is secure, but it will leave the survivors in an interesting situation.

I might play the game out to see if I can rescue Jack and get every one into a car and out of the area.

to be continued...

Fenris Gas Bottle

2011-06-24T15:19:00.000+10:00

My Fenris Games gas bottles turned up today and I am very pleased with them.

I painted one up in next to no time to see what it would look like:

The bottles are very easy to paint, and I will paint them in a few different colours, based on images I find on the net, although blue and yellow seem to be the most popular. White is too, but I don't want white ones.

Thanks to Fenris Games I have 18 gas bottles to use in my games.

My fist electronic road sign

2011-06-22T10:38:00.003+10:00

In addition to a few other things I finished my first electronic road sign.

The printed sign area was a bit smaller that I had measured, but I think that may have been the printer being set at "shink to fit" instead of 'print as is".

Regardless, it came out ok:

I didn't put wheels on the sign - mainly because I didn't have any to use :-P

EDIT: I have saved the PDF on "4shared" so anyone can download it now a whole lot easier: zombie electronic signs 1

Zombie #1

2011-06-22T10:35:00.000+10:00

I painted my first zombie!

I only painted one so I could test to see if the colours I used worked - and I am happy with the results.

It was fairly easy to paint - a green undercoat with rotting flesh dry brush.

Only 59 more to go...

Hazmat suits

2011-06-22T08:44:00.000+10:00

I found this picture whilst looking for images to make signs with:

It made me wonder if in fact the suits are made in certain colours to reflect the type of hazard they are designed for.

Short answer is no. I thought it would have been cool if they were colour coded, but from what I have seen on the internet (and as I always say - it must be true because it is on the net) the most common colour is yellow, followed by green.

One good point from all this is that you only need to paint up one set of Hazmat figures for your zombie game.

Syntac cargo container

2011-06-22T07:46:00.001+10:00

I am getting the hang of making cargo containers now.

This one is for Syntac, a corporation that may or may not be involved in experimenting in the next new thing for the military market.

Again, anyone wanting a copy please contact me and I can send them a PDF.

Biotek cargo container

2011-06-21T19:33:00.000+10:00

I had intended to do a bit more for my blog today, like finishing off the batrep, but gale force storms last night caused a lot of damage in my area and the power was out for most of the day.

What I have done is completed my biotek cargo container and here is a image of it:

Unfortunately the scale is 1:53, which is the largest I can create and have it all on the one page when printing.

I had found a great logo to use on the container, but I can't make it transparent and it looked stupid with a large white background.

So, if any one would like a free cargo container at 1:53 scale for their games, please drop me a note/comment with your email address and I will send it to you as soon as I can.

No More Room In Hell House Rules: Characters and campaign play

2011-06-20T20:32:00.000+10:00

One thing I am a little disappointed with in "NMRIH" is the fact the character development with campaign play is a bit limited: you can only really purchase new gear between games, and you can increase your stats with a slim chance of a dice roll.

This doesn't really phase me that much. It is the fact that you can't buy any new skills that I am disappointed with. That is if I am reading the rules correctly.

To me experience means new skills. The longer you do something, the better your skills become. The longer you survive the zombie hoards, the better you get at taking them down and, well, surviving.

This simple house rule allows for characters to spend points earned during the game on new skills.

Only characters that participated in a scenario can improve their skills - those that stayed at the safe base to protect your stash of food and fuel can not improve their skills in any way.

Each survivor may only purchase one skill between missions, and Sheeple can only buy skills that cost 5 or 10 points, Back Ups can buy skills that cost 20 or less points, and Shot Callers can buy any skills.

Also, you might have a Sheeple that has survived countless missions. For some reason this survivor just keeps on surviving. Surviving for so long that he or she really shouldn't be thought of as a Sheeple anymore.

So what to do? Spend valuable points to upgrade your character!

By spending 150 points you can upgrade a Sheeple to a Back Up, and for 300 points you can upgrade a Back Up to a Shot Caller.

Players must still use the "Score of a Life Time" chart to increase Guns, Fists and Guts as per the standard rules, but they do gain the extra Survive! point that comes with rising in rank/standing.

"No More Room In Hell" House rules: Zombies (and the use there of)

2011-06-20T18:27:00.001+10:00

One thing I am not a huge fan of the the way zombies are controlled in "No More Room In Hell".

Unless determined by a scenario, the general spawning of zombies can mean you they appear on the table at all directions at once (assuming you have some bad dice rolls that is), and they always do the same thing which leads to little room for manoeuver or, to a degree, tactics.

My house rules for zombie control are as follows:

Spawn Points - unless laid out in a scenario set up I have a random number of spawn points, based on the Zombie Threat Level for the game:

I have 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 random spawn points for low to high level threats respectively. Oddly enough, these also match dice you can get for wargaming.

Thus in NMRIH game terms:

Threat Level 3 = 4 spawn points
Threat Level 4 = 6 spawn points
Threat Level 5 = 8 spawn points
Threat Level 6 = 10 spawn points
Threat Level 7 = 12 spawn points

Rather than place a zombie at each spawn point as per the rule book, roll 1d matching the spawn points to see where all the zombies appear for that turn.

Example: I am playing a game set at Threat Level 5, and have placed 8 spawn points out. I roll the dice in the Dice Grave yard and 3 zombies will appear this turn. Rolling 1d8 I get a result of 7. Those 3 zombies will appear at spawn point 7 for this turn.

Zombie Actions: in NMRIH all zombies react the same way - they move towards the closest survivor or group of survivors. Ho hum. This doesn't allow for tactics - unless you count sacrificing a low level survivor by putting him or her near a spawn point so the zombies leave every one else alone.

By changing the rules a little I think they become a bit more interesting, and bring an element of tactics into the game.

If a zombie is knocked down it must spend a turn regaining its feet before it can move (unless it is a legless crawler). Standing up is regarded as its action for that turn.

Zombies can only see 'dinner' within 12 inches - any human outside this range is ignored. Any survivor within Line of Sight becomes the target of the zombie(s). Any human within 12" but concealed will not become such a target as the zombie does not have LOS and the survivor either doesn't move or makes a sneak move.

Any survivor running during their fearful footing phase will attract the attention of a zombie within 12" even if the survivor is not in the zombie's LOS.

Unless a zombie has spotted a human it will either move towards the nearest sounding gun fire or explosion. If there isn't a human or sound to move towards, the zombies will move forward in the direction they are facing, moving around obstacles they walk into via the shortest route.

For each zombie/ group of zombies with out a target (i.e. no human or sound to move towards) roll 1d10. On a 10 they stand still for that turn and just 'mingle' where they are.

Any zombie that loses LOS to a tasty morsel that it can't get to, will move to something more interesting (like a gun shot) after two turns of trying to figure out where it's dinner went to.

Unless the house rules contradict those above any other rules stated in the rule book still apply.

What I have tried to do with these house rules is to allow a level of tactics in the game: it allows for survivors to sneak around, to hide, to attract attention of zombies to other areas and so on.
It stops a potential "Mexican Standoff", and actually gives the survivors a bit more of a chance of meeting the scenario requirements once hoards of zombies flood the gaming area.

I would be interested to see what others think if they try these rules, or if they have any ideas of there own that could improve the way the zombies react in the game.

"No More Room In Hell" House Rules: Card Initiative System

2011-06-20T16:26:00.000+10:00

Having played a lot of wild west games using "The Rules With No Name" and WW2/Modern using "Arc of Fire" I really enjoy a card activation system for determining initiative.

The cards can lead to a lot of suspense and tension as you don't know which figure will be activated next, and the turn could end before you get to activate your hero, leaving them in a really bad situation.

The cards add randomness to the game, as well making you think a few turns in advance... just in case the merde hits the fan.

To make the cards you can purchase blank playing cards easily on the net, or print out custom made cards and laminate them in business card size lamination pouches. I prefer this last method, as it keeps the cards in good condition, and you can write on them to make notes if need be.

For each survivor in play I create one card for every point of Survive! that survivor has.

Thus Sheeple will have one card each in the deck, Back Ups two and Shot Callers three... unless of course these survivors have different Survive! points.

I also include one card for the Zombies, an "End Turn" card and what ever other cards I feel will enhance the game, such as random events or even blank cards to stop card counting and to build up tension.
If you are feeling especially brave, you can add extra zombie cards - this way you can represent faster zombie types, like those seen in "28 Days Later".

Every time a card is drawn the survivor who's card it is gets to take one action. All zombies move when their card is drawn and they also get to move when the End Turn card is drawn, provided they have not moved already during the turn. This ensures the zombies will always take an action each turn.

If the turn ends before survivors get to take an action then bad luck. And believe me, it really can be bad luck, and the suspense level increases when it happens.

Also, every time a survivor is wounded (i.e. a point of Survive! is deducted) a card representing that survivor should also be removed from the deck before the next turn starts.
The more wounds you have, the less actions you get.

As I print out my cards, I like to have a logo on the back of the card, and a photo of the miniature(s) on the front.
If needed, I also add text to the front - this helps eliminate the need to look something up, and is a useful reminder of game mechanics.
I don't add names to the survivor cards, that way if they die I can bring them back in to the game as someone else using the same cards.

This is a sample of the "Celina Croise" survivor character card I have made for the game I am currently playing:

I haven't added any text to either side of the card, and I use them in black and white - it not only saves money, but it actually makes it a bit easier to see, but that could just be me (and no, I am not colour blind).

I am not 100% sold on the bio hazard symbol on the front of the card, so I might change it to something else should I find an image I really like.

I find using cards can speed up game play as well, as you are not rolling dice and comparing them to see who gets to move.

I hope someone gets some use from this post, and I am happy to answer any questions on the system should anyone have them.

Zombie rule systems

2011-06-20T15:50:00.000+10:00

I have three sets of zombie wargame rules: All Things Zombie (ATZ), Ambush Z and No More Room In Hell (NMRIH).

The first two I like for the way zombies are controlled, but dislike the actual game mechanics.

I like the general game mechanics of No More Room In Hell, but don't really like the way they handle the zombies, as well as a few niggly points here and there, in particular the complete lack of rules for nighttime encounters, despite mentioning flares, and the fact you can sneak, and this really only effects shooting.

I also dislike the initiative system in all three games, so I have created my own based on a card system as found in 'The Rules With No Name" and "Arc of Fire".

So, what I intend to do over a few posts is "publish" my house rules for NMRIH.

I intend to cover: initiative, zombie deployment, encounter charts, and if time permits (i.e. I get around to doing it), Quick Reference sheets.

Biotech International - a cargo container

2011-06-19T11:33:00.000+10:00

I have been designing a cargo container for a corporation I want to include in my game background.

The corporation is Biotek International, and their motto is "Spicing the world one gene at a time"

I am still trying to come up with a logo to go on the shipping container, but this is what I have done so far.

I will most likely remove the bio hazard symbol and replace it with other symbols around the container.

The text will appear on both sides of the container, with the top and bottom being blank.

Once it has be finished I am happy to share the PDF with others so they can include Biotek in their games as well.