tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788354459735120572024-03-13T10:12:45.716-07:00Hard Boiled ZombiesWQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-50435358404169226952021-12-03T10:28:00.005-08:002021-12-03T10:30:54.921-08:00Zombie Women<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodHtSlVrOCyxbfKBBOA8R3NpYsF1pajEypFGm91OemV7nrkMgHm5YbusPewD855to0Q-AJipXKa5iYw2mEgGY8J4ntk4CTS5WSXdopGs1h7ZM8eiJI2D49wCxILOYA-BICpyibzAFuOQ/s3646/IMG_0071.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2779" data-original-width="3646" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodHtSlVrOCyxbfKBBOA8R3NpYsF1pajEypFGm91OemV7nrkMgHm5YbusPewD855to0Q-AJipXKa5iYw2mEgGY8J4ntk4CTS5WSXdopGs1h7ZM8eiJI2D49wCxILOYA-BICpyibzAFuOQ/s320/IMG_0071.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /> There's a new edition of All Things Zombie currently in the works from Two Hour Wargames (check out the Kickstarter <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rebelminis/all-things-zombie-end-of-days-tabletop-rpg-game?ref=discovery&term=all%20things%20zombie" target="_blank">here</a>) so that got me thinking about working some more of my zombie collection. These ladies are from the Zombicide set, and I'm pretty sure I've painted up copies of them before, but many of these were doing using GW Contrast paint or Army Painter washes.<p></p><p>In any case, they are done and ready to shamble!</p>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-47928709975165837812021-06-26T16:49:00.001-07:002021-06-26T16:49:09.456-07:00PEF's<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6I74eu228b3pHUMuFCvO1EP2DAftD-qkujjegy0QLpnR_apM61OjxPsnamloWxRcpvqqCW68ZlZ0C-CEsBqmmumlF2Zl2IM94d-p_BgW7PKsDSPYLG1_2eizfy_YXSB9wxVj1qbRKVk/s3457/IMG_3765.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2670" data-original-width="3457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6I74eu228b3pHUMuFCvO1EP2DAftD-qkujjegy0QLpnR_apM61OjxPsnamloWxRcpvqqCW68ZlZ0C-CEsBqmmumlF2Zl2IM94d-p_BgW7PKsDSPYLG1_2eizfy_YXSB9wxVj1qbRKVk/s320/IMG_3765.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>PEF's, or Potential Enemy Forces, are one of the ways in which All Things Zombie keeps the solo player on their toes. I've used poker chips in the past, but for this second iteration thought I'd do something special so I found these design on <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3927042" target="_blank">Thingiverse</a> and printed up three toxic barrels, complete with emerging zombies, to use instead. In the game, once these randomly-moving entities are seen by someone, can become zombies, civilians, police, or nothing at all.</p><p>More to come soon!</p>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-857172591773807692021-06-20T16:30:00.006-07:002021-06-20T16:30:43.118-07:00Zombicide Toxic Abominations A<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZzaGtFmMJSjEv46Yt-u_4sTPESdv4qOG8YJaY2-jXGd5I-Clz-jTrv2RKNJw5ZVK2R7-vFi4F5PjvvmJ_EMytrjGwGZTSjt40sH-abETcoplHiSpoCLhdR7VB6W4BwZZBJ2fJFVQUgo/s3305/IMG_3761.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2376" data-original-width="3305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZzaGtFmMJSjEv46Yt-u_4sTPESdv4qOG8YJaY2-jXGd5I-Clz-jTrv2RKNJw5ZVK2R7-vFi4F5PjvvmJ_EMytrjGwGZTSjt40sH-abETcoplHiSpoCLhdR7VB6W4BwZZBJ2fJFVQUgo/s320/IMG_3761.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So after I painted these two beefy zombies I discovered that the one on the right is supposed to be wearing slippers, so I painted them on after I took the photo.</p><p>I tried something different with the skin tones of these zombies. Previously I had been doing the Zombicide zombies in grey skin tones--these I did in green and I like the effect. I might do toxic zombies in green, regular zombies in gray--I'll just have to see. What are your own thoughts?</p>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-60700032498962848332021-06-15T05:37:00.004-07:002021-06-15T05:37:56.448-07:00Survivor Derek and zombified Derek<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqb-5bJSKPrA5G-QOr546KuyxEXyJfc0BEBqT8_Rz5rQHzAPbkvF8PnY7uWZo1qr1CDKM4AHpb1ehDqXRyz0zLkuHQXpFF9SM6hLGZevwFKVo-8aFcay5p1YTtDyOLo9Jt5-dM5eyujc/s3184/IMG_3748.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2413" data-original-width="3184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqb-5bJSKPrA5G-QOr546KuyxEXyJfc0BEBqT8_Rz5rQHzAPbkvF8PnY7uWZo1qr1CDKM4AHpb1ehDqXRyz0zLkuHQXpFF9SM6hLGZevwFKVo-8aFcay5p1YTtDyOLo9Jt5-dM5eyujc/s320/IMG_3748.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I took a little hiatus from the Zombicide project while I traveled for work, but I'm back and have finished up two more figures, this time the character from Toxic City Mall "Derek." Derek is some sort of construction worker, with a hardhat, sledge hammer, reflective vest, and a sack of wooden stakes. I think he looks vaguely like Roddy Piper's character from the movie "They Live," but that just might be the hair, and why would they skip the sunglasses?</p><p>So in the background is a bit of a sneak preview into what I'm building on the side as I paint these figures. More to come....</p><p><br /></p>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-36188341929010367892021-06-01T06:24:00.003-07:002021-06-01T06:24:34.454-07:00Survivor Elsa and Zombified Elsa<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSA1sinzVqBrgD55IYdW2EQKpaKNJv1BihPJjzNB6Uq4ryxKYBEUYK7sXqjnpFjYTIKM-VrC2-sy9OJzAoNJo-Fmcg6XBGe7YpLWQt02IalXgc8Alzqwq63KPCbGf71voTU7N-3WmxxU/s2687/IMG_3692.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2627" data-original-width="2687" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSA1sinzVqBrgD55IYdW2EQKpaKNJv1BihPJjzNB6Uq4ryxKYBEUYK7sXqjnpFjYTIKM-VrC2-sy9OJzAoNJo-Fmcg6XBGe7YpLWQt02IalXgc8Alzqwq63KPCbGf71voTU7N-3WmxxU/s320/IMG_3692.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Another character from the Toxic City Mall from Zombicide. According to the game, this is Elsa, a cat-burglar who is apparently good at lockpicking, et al.</p><p>So a quick side note: many of the Zombicide characters are based off of movie or TV characters, some more obvious than others. This is one of the more obvious ones, namely Black Widow from the Avengers. Previously I have mentioned painting obvious characters from popular culture in a different color scheme to distance them from the original source. I kept this one the same because not only am I fan of the character, but her appearance is so set with the source that it didn't seem worth it.</p><p>I'm almost done with the Toxic City Mall set at this point, and it is been a joy to tackle.</p>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-84908827980651366792021-05-31T14:23:00.005-07:002021-05-31T14:23:48.507-07:00Survivor Neema and Zombified Neema<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhykBRqI4n5equk32qQs9WM3bec0IGFgjGworjA2N6-FIYEmsHKtZLVbFoUjkm5N_6OHlIiZIxudktxiINWG2tbNZz1cHkZY6wrRdrRMagLcdjqILnDDmExReo3mCA7YOJelT4_VBOztg0/s3039/IMG_3691.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2427" data-original-width="3039" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhykBRqI4n5equk32qQs9WM3bec0IGFgjGworjA2N6-FIYEmsHKtZLVbFoUjkm5N_6OHlIiZIxudktxiINWG2tbNZz1cHkZY6wrRdrRMagLcdjqILnDDmExReo3mCA7YOJelT4_VBOztg0/s320/IMG_3691.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I'm rolling right along with the figures from the Toxic City Mall from <i>Zombicide</i>, miniatures I hope to use in a resurrected (no pun intended) game of All Things Zombie. My son told me you do not see a lot of miniatures painted up as people of color, so I was glad to tackle "Neema" from the set. Like a lot of Zombicide minis, she's a little on the exploitive side, but I'm glad how she turned out, especially with my once again experimenting with skin tones.</p>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-25569581444986388582021-05-30T16:58:00.003-07:002021-05-30T16:58:28.439-07:00Survivor Raoul and Zombified Raoul<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpUxFIjP8wHZgN7ntCT3JnL6Z3CownkzVHDt4wh7rguLWQ74iAOCyTcS6KBj5Y4qrZXaBVF7gzIKvvYbvTQiYhXtu_4-X3JW2mevFtfl4_V-UBVO4pjE7N1iBBKA4EJmJ8fA0PwH3KoQ/s3289/IMG_3680.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2706" data-original-width="3289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpUxFIjP8wHZgN7ntCT3JnL6Z3CownkzVHDt4wh7rguLWQ74iAOCyTcS6KBj5Y4qrZXaBVF7gzIKvvYbvTQiYhXtu_4-X3JW2mevFtfl4_V-UBVO4pjE7N1iBBKA4EJmJ8fA0PwH3KoQ/s320/IMG_3680.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Another figure from the Toxic City Mall Survivor set from Zombicide. This guy (these guys) is Raoul "the Contractor" and he looks like he's better prepared for the apocalypse than a lot of people. He's got an assault rifle, pistol, tactical vest, and even a small coffee cup.</p><p>I like how this guy turned out a lot, and feel like I'm getting better with the zombie skin tones.</p><p>Comments welcome!</p>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-27361213858578027792021-05-25T06:24:00.002-07:002021-05-25T06:24:30.894-07:00Survivor Kyoko and Zombified Kyoko<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeeLLnPBAZDHNyZb5u9ZRFSonnR7QkXEDzng2rs9PwR33tOWm_uKGB5aLQ_PQ0byLeN7JT93kKu91opZCtR7ElRpWToIY0PHwjvX6tT9ucXPsZl5lC593xmziNt2qoi7CyD0NuKRMmkw/s3080/IMG_3653.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2324" data-original-width="3080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeeLLnPBAZDHNyZb5u9ZRFSonnR7QkXEDzng2rs9PwR33tOWm_uKGB5aLQ_PQ0byLeN7JT93kKu91opZCtR7ElRpWToIY0PHwjvX6tT9ucXPsZl5lC593xmziNt2qoi7CyD0NuKRMmkw/s320/IMG_3653.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>The Zombicide supplement "Gaming Night Kit #1" features two miniatures of the same person: "Kyoko" an Asian woman with thigh-high boots clearly meant to look like Lucy Liu as Alex Munday in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle." One version has her armed with a flame thrower while the zombified version has her with a katana. I'm not wholly comfortable painting Asian skin tones, but tried to match the color they used on the illustration. I do really like how the gray zombie skin turned out, though.<p></p><p>As a side note, I've never thought that flame throwers would be a great weapon on zombies. Too easy to just end up fighting zombies that are on fire.</p>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-1654382199918148272021-05-24T06:04:00.001-07:002021-05-24T06:04:53.956-07:00Zombicide Invasion<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLri6La0fHpaW9WN2nO1MhLt2FB9yDmmzftMluyUNsQsX_8nDLe_4Z2cDXJna0Pwx__oB16gqOCzGazT7bbwGSzhgHHZ4RqTdiyKZBHdW3IiMUMdLmuN44xkhy50iGbBolKV4PI45xHAY/s1292/IMG_3649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="1292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLri6La0fHpaW9WN2nO1MhLt2FB9yDmmzftMluyUNsQsX_8nDLe_4Z2cDXJna0Pwx__oB16gqOCzGazT7bbwGSzhgHHZ4RqTdiyKZBHdW3IiMUMdLmuN44xkhy50iGbBolKV4PI45xHAY/s320/IMG_3649.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>In my hometown, it is the time of year that a lot of people finish their education, pack up, and head on to their next destination. Which means a lot of garage sales, et al. And in this case, I managed to score a ton of Zombicide box sets for a ridiculously low price. Most of the box sets have been opened and a handful of miniatures have been painted, but there are enough zombie and survivor miniatures to keep me busy for a long, long time.</p><p>Which is good timing for a couple of reasons. I have been doing some solo wargaming during the pandemic, games like <i>Hardwired</i> and <i>Operation Last Train</i>. During the pandemic doing a zombie game seemed a little on-the-nose but now that things seem to be easing into a better situation, getting a <i>All Things Zombie</i> game going again sounds like it might be fun.</p><p>Taking the miniatures already painted out of the equation, there are 136 miniatures in this collection: 11 survivors and 125 zombies. Now to see if I can climb this hill.</p>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-5050508243095385322019-11-05T11:21:00.001-08:002019-11-05T11:21:23.229-08:00Corvus Urban Two Floor House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE4PcP6CiXtvON8gDz4nGoUwUN3yH5kWDOjE9l4I42yZqWdTz0CkHSyNr74KFpizINM5NXkk7a6KraO3OrnB4GD6Fh_TlYh18lDmUVGVz7Ig5725JRT5K7OuBiPvpqwDCOdZvU7wryAo/s1600/Apartment1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="727" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE4PcP6CiXtvON8gDz4nGoUwUN3yH5kWDOjE9l4I42yZqWdTz0CkHSyNr74KFpizINM5NXkk7a6KraO3OrnB4GD6Fh_TlYh18lDmUVGVz7Ig5725JRT5K7OuBiPvpqwDCOdZvU7wryAo/s320/Apartment1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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So in addition to starting over with new survivors and zombies, I'm also starting over with buildings as well. The last time I mostly used cardstock buildings, a lot of which were reinforced with foamcore. This time around, I'm 3D printing most of them.<br />
This is the <a href="https://corvusgamesterrain.com/collections/modern-urban-post-apocalyptic/products/urban-two-floor-house-a-3d-printable" target="_blank">Urban Two Floor House</a> from Corvus Games Terrain. It's less than four dollars for the file, and comes with a removable roof and two floors. There are not, however, actually floors to the building. You would need to make those out of something, say the aforementioned foamcore.<br />
First building done! Thanks for reading. Comments welcome.WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-57274655850025160732019-10-23T14:32:00.001-07:002019-10-23T14:32:30.800-07:00Rick Grimes and Survivor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEZjfHTerit70hL_rFeydyeWaGNT1YF_HfhKOwQvgNvf856OLI4zBvXfwx6erlXGdb6zek3NELjJqbdROAUaLTOOwC8ds-ux-5mGpI1BuOK-k8FZ-Hq5VQl_7P6MYW9raNEPyUZfGx24/s1600/IMG_1966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="1229" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEZjfHTerit70hL_rFeydyeWaGNT1YF_HfhKOwQvgNvf856OLI4zBvXfwx6erlXGdb6zek3NELjJqbdROAUaLTOOwC8ds-ux-5mGpI1BuOK-k8FZ-Hq5VQl_7P6MYW9raNEPyUZfGx24/s320/IMG_1966.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My first two miniatures from the new "season" are done: Rick Grimes (r) and a random survivor (l). Both are from Mantic Games' "All Out War" starter box set. I'm trying to paint the figures not as they appear in the comic book or television series in order to make them my own (ergo Rick's gray hair). I'm also trying out the GW contrast paints, some of which were used in these guys.<br />
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In the background you can see another part of the project--the unpainted, unfinished apartment building I printed. More on that later!<br />
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As always, thanks for looking. Comments welcome!WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-30897425715982981312019-10-16T15:22:00.001-07:002019-10-16T15:22:35.259-07:00Back from the deadIt's been over four years.<br />
Really, almost six since I ran a battle report.<br />
To be fair, I've been posting somewhat regularly on my other blogs, regularly gaming. I've been painting a few miniatures and making a ton of terrain using a 3D printer I got about a year back.<br />
But several years ago, I lost interest in this blog. Mostly for a lot of personal reasons having to do with the real life Irene. It just seemed cruel to create a fiction where the relationship between Robb and Irene was a thing. I was depressed and have my avatar wandering a post-apocalyptic world just didn't seem worthwhile.<br />
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Flash forward four or five years. Things are better, a lot better. Furthermore, I need a good solo wargaming project that can really engage me creatively. So, I'm back. But here's the thing--I got rid of all the terrain and a bunch of other stuff that I need to replace. So I'm basically starting from scratch.<br />
So new survivors, new zombies, new terrain, and a whole new layout. With the change I'm going to reset the whole story, the whole zombie timeline. There will likely even be a new figure representing Robb.<br />
Along those lines, I will not be having other characters be stand-ins for real life people I know, but just fictional characters. <br />
My plan is to start with the basic box set from <i>The Walking Dead: All Out War</i>, which has a nice selection of figures that can be survivors, gangers, and of course zombies. I'm also starting to print out some buildings from Corvus Games. Hopefully I'll have enough stuff together to be able to start batreps by the new year.<br />
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So welcome back, thanks for reading, and comments welcome.WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-85035702683243371152015-04-06T13:38:00.000-07:002015-04-06T13:38:07.308-07:00Zombicide: Walk of the Dead, Group 2, part oneIt has been a long time since I worked on this blog. Lots of reasons why, but they don't matter. The good news is, I had a day to myself where I stepped away from my phone for most of it, and decided to spend it getting some good-looking zombies painted up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB6LuVlVSw8psD8K4bT3hRVk-E_AQBuoV2icJk-WNkhM2sCpviuumKZr8zDhJCT9m4zuOSMzGnG7fXb0NEvoN4dPOJLeUZO9JPKdJrPHsDXgYCHSUUpryWkzn9NBnHUv4CWPhzWEPh9g/s1600/zombicideround2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB6LuVlVSw8psD8K4bT3hRVk-E_AQBuoV2icJk-WNkhM2sCpviuumKZr8zDhJCT9m4zuOSMzGnG7fXb0NEvoN4dPOJLeUZO9JPKdJrPHsDXgYCHSUUpryWkzn9NBnHUv4CWPhzWEPh9g/s1600/zombicideround2.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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They are from the Zombicide booster <i>Walk of the Dead</i>. I've already painted one set of eight (out of three identical sets), and now I'm starting the second. What's tricky is painting the same figure a different way so that they don't look too much alike, especially noteworthy figures like the big bald guy. In the previous incarnation, I painted him to look like a construction worker with an orange jumpsuit. Now he has a jeans and a long-sleeved shirt tied around his waist. People will still recognize him as the same figure, but he looks different enough to not be a complete twin.<br />
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Anyhow, it is nice to get some stuff done, and just maybe I'll get back into posting batreps too. Thanks for reading, comments welcome.WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-51623571112580060812014-07-26T15:14:00.000-07:002014-07-26T15:14:04.369-07:00River City Table, Part 2From my last post, I build a second half of my 3' by 3' modular table using an identical technique: a 2' by 4' piece of MDF board cut into sections, painted, covered with grass paper, and then assembled. I made a slight variation in the layout for diversity's sake.<br />
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When the two pieces are put together, they make a variety of permutations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyas2eDWc_oUVBXD4ayWjsMgG0qJmd8k1kyF2wMB7UtQx15n9tIuW96Tz6X7sOYXP9tOtmznSE9zm8v7rv07psMzngRUENtQxGKLT4qoUrWcLbIh1dyeJ_9b-IfNyRLaKwhpDoCibHm4/s1600/100_1483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyas2eDWc_oUVBXD4ayWjsMgG0qJmd8k1kyF2wMB7UtQx15n9tIuW96Tz6X7sOYXP9tOtmznSE9zm8v7rv07psMzngRUENtQxGKLT4qoUrWcLbIh1dyeJ_9b-IfNyRLaKwhpDoCibHm4/s1600/100_1483.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2i72VVnditoC49oYldojjdY4NIkgV4_iEA_SPLdY0DBtHplytmV13IMWgXM9k3Ryu805xqwf7692NJGv3eFw0T6ayQZN4iz_6SD9W0rhXuC0INvk4APDKsRj3VNkr7CVA5maUfGpwOU/s1600/100_1485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2i72VVnditoC49oYldojjdY4NIkgV4_iEA_SPLdY0DBtHplytmV13IMWgXM9k3Ryu805xqwf7692NJGv3eFw0T6ayQZN4iz_6SD9W0rhXuC0INvk4APDKsRj3VNkr7CVA5maUfGpwOU/s1600/100_1485.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now I could stop here (and may take a little break for a few days) but I've been considering adding additional detail: sidewalks, etc. What do you think?</div>
<br />WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-28033470447408892702014-07-23T20:19:00.000-07:002014-07-23T20:19:49.876-07:00River City Table, Part 1I've been thinking for a long time, maybe over a year, about creating a small gaming table upon which to play <b>All Things Zombie</b> or other modern-ish game. For my previous ATZ campaign, I played on an old 4' by 4' table that I made for <b>Mordheim</b> ages ago. It's big, a bit unwieldy, and is pretty uniformly green.<br />
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What I wanted was a 3' by 3' square table which would come in two halves (18 inches by 36 inches), and have built into it roads, sidewalks, etc. on which I could arrange buildings. I considered getting a pre-made mat, but those are expensive and I could never find exactly what I want. Printing out a cardstock table would offer lots of two-dimensional detail, but would cost a fortune in printing costs (and also be two dimensional). So I decided to make my own. I'm pretty crafty, but regardless my plan wouldn't be complicated. After a lot of sketching on the mist-covered door of my shower stall, I finally decided to move on my plan. <br />
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So I thought I would share it with you, step by step. I'll be building the first half, just to see if it works before I build the second. Here's the stuff you need for the first half:<br />
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<ul>
<li>a 2' by 4' MDF board</li>
<li>black spray paint</li>
<li>green grass-textured paper (the kind you use for model train layouts)</li>
<li>wood glue</li>
<li>spray adhesive</li>
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First, get the guy at Home Depot to cut your MDF sheet. You want to cut one foot off the short end, then six inches off the long end of the large piece, then cut the small side piece in half. This will leave you with four pieces:</div>
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<li>18" by 36"</li>
<li>12" by 24"</li>
<li>6" by 18"</li>
<li>6" by 18"</li>
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If that sounds unclear, here's a helpful photo of the pieces.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiek2sVXdGxHmvps6NhgC8VxnAx1RIGNsD0FS3Aq98K9k6Sh3_4sgc9gsWu69p4ZUeTfPwa9ORCIq4MSQeu8ZYe-y5NDwcblRG0cAtQbokPjvHDt5DoaPuiBf246URdszoHh6r3NjdRlxE/s1600/100_1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiek2sVXdGxHmvps6NhgC8VxnAx1RIGNsD0FS3Aq98K9k6Sh3_4sgc9gsWu69p4ZUeTfPwa9ORCIq4MSQeu8ZYe-y5NDwcblRG0cAtQbokPjvHDt5DoaPuiBf246URdszoHh6r3NjdRlxE/s1600/100_1478.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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The large piece will make up the base of the table. On the big piece, spray black on the part where the road will go. The road will be about six inches across. Here's a photo of how I wanted it to look.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJNxRd0x8MH9ow6xuHeukGkOINeWeFhAW4JMf5yJctDLRbm-1-BwWjXXhvbYZ-YQh4MflQKAbhtLJskmu7MySik6FefAp3lWRS8sxQZQS9jCiM9sltqmOr8_TIQuosmh67F2T-OlwCtY/s1600/100_1479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJNxRd0x8MH9ow6xuHeukGkOINeWeFhAW4JMf5yJctDLRbm-1-BwWjXXhvbYZ-YQh4MflQKAbhtLJskmu7MySik6FefAp3lWRS8sxQZQS9jCiM9sltqmOr8_TIQuosmh67F2T-OlwCtY/s1600/100_1479.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Now, take the 12" by 24" piece and cut a piece of the grass paper to make the shape. Spray adhesive on the piece and carefully lay the grass paper on top of it (weigh it down with some odd pieces of plywood) and let it dry for several hours. Do the same for the 6" by 18" piece. Save the last piece for the next half of the project.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9F0IeBxSzA0NJMQ24aFVKiUoLGTiXxRiay4exMjw6fqMCa1hl-6BM_a_hgL9Xach-9BA3XWWsWsl72fpanIqGpk_qZwX1AJa0Vcw7f8jZqFeAfMsnfB25aTtONhb_tv-wk6OCWZZ1pQ/s1600/100_1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9F0IeBxSzA0NJMQ24aFVKiUoLGTiXxRiay4exMjw6fqMCa1hl-6BM_a_hgL9Xach-9BA3XWWsWsl72fpanIqGpk_qZwX1AJa0Vcw7f8jZqFeAfMsnfB25aTtONhb_tv-wk6OCWZZ1pQ/s1600/100_1480.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Attach the two grassy pieces of MDF to the base around the painted roads, creating a layout like I've shown.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZI7e4c5xD49ZQs3mUtUqbZaCe7-VPiZW_4PhxpbF-5ixti5ekBiBbLbpERly0idC4xgvw3oUVAlfbxn5HmHYRUMAP9-4uCR04PjZiGPQNxkstCZcciTrwMho9cFFl_mXYWMSn21XYhI/s1600/100_1481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZI7e4c5xD49ZQs3mUtUqbZaCe7-VPiZW_4PhxpbF-5ixti5ekBiBbLbpERly0idC4xgvw3oUVAlfbxn5HmHYRUMAP9-4uCR04PjZiGPQNxkstCZcciTrwMho9cFFl_mXYWMSn21XYhI/s1600/100_1481.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now you have a roughly three-dimensional layout that's pretty inexpensive and easy to build. I'm going to basically do a second one in a similar fashion to finish up the table, plus add some additional detail, as you'll see. Stay tuned, and comments always welcome!</div>
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WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-56566883786046020812014-07-23T06:33:00.001-07:002014-07-23T06:33:08.321-07:00Zombicide: Walk of the Dead, Group 1I've been painting up the <i>Walk of the Dead</i> supplement of miniatures for the board game Zombicide to use in a possible ATZ relaunch. Walk of the Dead features 24 miniatures which are three sets of eight different poses. I showed two of the miniatures in my last post, here are the others.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR65fr1ZWuBGZk8Nquo5kCZTXZjQHkaabFlPFKtuqF5OE1IsOMLuL1XZz8qSCCt5w1UgfpEThJKFwAqZe9e16y9Ycdt8ABilo04vc-UVicUF5ObSbKEGZBUaN27CT2qZtPJBH4UB2ci-o/s1600/zombicide2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR65fr1ZWuBGZk8Nquo5kCZTXZjQHkaabFlPFKtuqF5OE1IsOMLuL1XZz8qSCCt5w1UgfpEThJKFwAqZe9e16y9Ycdt8ABilo04vc-UVicUF5ObSbKEGZBUaN27CT2qZtPJBH4UB2ci-o/s1600/zombicide2.jpg" height="245" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriPWZO07uRHdbCdENaNgwwg_6gQCN6XTT2ojPpSkSd25kbYjPg6T5Vux6huCFjcfKeACr-l7eE3pFUMs7eD3F142j_vMhT9m_SaIve0nnzwSt5fo7ZERYKHivMayZMuaqQHjDHFZ_9kc/s1600/zombicide3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriPWZO07uRHdbCdENaNgwwg_6gQCN6XTT2ojPpSkSd25kbYjPg6T5Vux6huCFjcfKeACr-l7eE3pFUMs7eD3F142j_vMhT9m_SaIve0nnzwSt5fo7ZERYKHivMayZMuaqQHjDHFZ_9kc/s1600/zombicide3.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are some nice variations between very generic, male zombies and very character-ful male and female ones. Two of the zombies are all-out running, which strikes me as being a little antithetical to my classic zombie movie tastes, but sprinting zombies are all the rage these days (no pun intended).</div>
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Now to come up with some color variations for the other 16 zombies in the set, and I'll have replenished my zombie horde with some good looking fellows!</div>
<br />WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-76888939326747857662014-07-12T11:05:00.001-07:002014-07-12T11:05:06.339-07:00Zombicide MiniaturesHoly cow! Has it been over six months since I posted something here? Well, the release of Zombicide and the supplementary boxes of cheap plastic zombies have got me back into it again, so here are two test miniatures I did to see how they would look. While the main game is pricey with a lot of stuff I don't need for <i>All Things Zombie</i>, the booster sets, including "Walk of the Dead" which is where these are from, are much more affordable, even if there are only so many poses. I figure I can paint them up differently and hopefully it won't be too obvious.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Osf_hqECeICqgiCYSkhuNlASZtipz-KsT83UVUpwj3uemrgX1CHYVMbxSujiAdeGhvGLV-DQR7MXgaT5__RXEYYwghdpPxu_Af8h6CAXcI-ofIAg4rqLRPFdwoZahyphenhyphenSFzK23QQF0yV4/s1600/zombicide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Osf_hqECeICqgiCYSkhuNlASZtipz-KsT83UVUpwj3uemrgX1CHYVMbxSujiAdeGhvGLV-DQR7MXgaT5__RXEYYwghdpPxu_Af8h6CAXcI-ofIAg4rqLRPFdwoZahyphenhyphenSFzK23QQF0yV4/s1600/zombicide1.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've been thinking about re-launching the whole campaign from scratch, since it has been so long since the last update (much like Vampifan did). What do you think?WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-89560828890668367852013-12-18T14:11:00.004-08:002013-12-18T14:11:51.171-08:00ATZ Campaign, Day 60: A Way Out, Part 2"Tell me again why we are going after this car?" said Chaz as she and her partner quietly skulked between houses and down streets in their neighborhood. The young redhead was hunched over in a crouch as she loped along. In her hands was a red plastic gasoline can. Across her back was strapped a long black assault rifle.<br />
Robb stopped at the corner of a building and peered carefully around it. In his right hand was a squat, gray pistol. In the other, a battered black machete. He whispered to her, "Ultimately it gives us options. Things are pretty bad right now in the city, but for all we know they could get worse. The car could help us get out of town in a hurry if we needed to."<br />
Several weeks ago Robb and Chaz had found the keys to the red Volkswagon while rummaging through an abandoned house. The car, however, needed fuel. "Okay, that makes sense," Chaz said.<br />
Rob frowned slightly. "Yeah, only I've begun to wonder if the car battery might be dead at this point. If that happens, we're screwed."<br />
"God, you can be a ray of sunshine sometimes," Chaz groaned quietly.<br />
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<i>It's part two of my homegrown scenario in which Robb and Chaz are trying to recover an automobile they encountered several sessions ago. They have already succeeded in the first part, having acquired a supply of gasoline. Now they have to get it to the car, refuel it, hope it starts, and then drive it off the table.</i><br />
<i>The rules for this encounter are simple. Like before, the target, in this case the car, is in the middle of the table. Once there, one PC has to spend two activations refueling the car. Then, if circumstances dictate, there may be a "The Car Won't Start" (ATZ, pg. 40) roll. If the car does start, then the PC's have to drive it off the table to succeed in the encounter.</i><br />
<i>PEF's and zombie placement is normal. The area is a suburb with an ER of 2.</i><br />
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<i>Initial PEF's were: Red REP 3, zone 3; White REP 5, zone 4; Blue REP 6, zone 1.</i><br />
<i>Rolling for starting zombies, I got a 6 for Robb, then another 6 for Chaz! For the random placement, it turned out to have five to their left, five to their right, and two roughly in front of them. That is a horrible turn of events.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbtL0_9ysguG-rN-taSuCOSJYvVNOyDNFvPWOFVPQHPA1pGLSfkQJ8zFdBHzAbyeJJlINXlDG5YVsDjHXtWnHwQUGSiVZsxvhyKhvjsv4A7JpLpTcFY07QuT-MF3W81kobtWJktRlGlA/s1600/100_1395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbtL0_9ysguG-rN-taSuCOSJYvVNOyDNFvPWOFVPQHPA1pGLSfkQJ8zFdBHzAbyeJJlINXlDG5YVsDjHXtWnHwQUGSiVZsxvhyKhvjsv4A7JpLpTcFY07QuT-MF3W81kobtWJktRlGlA/s320/100_1395.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Turn 1: Robb 1, Zombies 3</b><br />
<br />
"There's a whole gang of them over on my side!" said Chaz as she looked over her shoulder.<br />
"And I've got another group over here," replied Robb glumly. "We need to run for it."<br />
Robb moved towards one of the lone zombies down the street between him and the car. He aimed his pistol, pulled trigger twice, and the gun clicked twice.<br />
"Didn't you just reload that thing?" asked Chaz incredulously.<br />
Robb grumbled under his breath.<br />
<br />
<i>Ten zombies seems like a team-killer to me, so I decided to move them towards the smaller pair, and hope I could outrun the mob. Unfortunately I rolled two 1's for Robb's two shots and that meant he was out of ammo until I could reload. Chaz was hauling the gas can, so I assumed she couldn't fire her rifle but had her tire iron out instead.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 2: Robb 6, Zombies 6</b><br />
<b>Turn 3: Robb 5, Zombies 5</b><br />
<br />
Robb slapped another clip into his pistol.<br />
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<b>Turn 4: Robb 4, Zombies 6</b><br />
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Robb fired two shots, one at each of the zombies in front of him. Both tumbled to the ground. "Let's get a move on," he said.<br />
"You think?" Chaz wheezed as she continued to haul the gas can.<br />
<br />
<i>Two shots, two hits, two Obviously Dead results and no zombies summoned. Add to that no activation for the mob, and that was the kind of break I needed at that moment.</i><br />
<i>The white PEF came into view, but it only passed 1d6, ratching the ER to 3.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 5: Robb 5, Zombies 1</b><br />
<br />
With the mob of zombies continuing to close on them, Robb and Chaz made it to the car. "I'll fuel it up, you hold them off," said Chaz.<br />
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<b>Turn 6: Robb 1, Zombies 5</b><br />
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Robb pointed his .45 at an approaching zombie and snapped off two shots as Chaz began emptying the gas container's contents into the car's tank. The creature's head flew apart and he fell to the ground.<br />
<br />
<i>No zombies were summoned by the two shots. Chaz completed her first of two turns of refueling.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 7: Robb 3, Zombies 6</b><br />
<br />
Another zombie had staggered into view, and Robb fired two more shots, bringing it down. Two more zombies closed in from around the houses in the area. "All done," said Chaz, closing off the gas cap and moving around to the front of the car.<br />
"You better hurry," said Robb in a low voice as he eyed the mob down the street.<br />
<br />
<i>Robb shot twice at the zombie that had been summoned by his previous round of firing and killed it, but the two shots summoned two more zombies 12" away. This is a stroke of terrible luck because the mob was still over 12" away but now that two were close by, Chaz would have to roll a "The Car Won't Start" test. If no zombies were nearby, the car would start automatically and they could leave.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 8: Robb 4, Zombies 4</b><br />
<br />
Dark clouds began to roll in.<br />
<br />
<i>Rolling a 17 on the random event (I realized later I didn't need to, the ER was 3, not 4), means that bad weather will come in on 1d6 turns. In this case, five.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 9: Robb 4, Zombies 2</b><br />
<br />
Chaz tossed her assault rifle onto the passenger seat in the front and sat down behind the steering wheel. She cranked the key in the ignition. The engine sputtered, but failed to turn over. "The car won't start!" she said in a panicked voice. Robb fired twice towards a nearby zombie, but his aim was rattled and both shots missed.<br />
"Try again, but make it quick," he said.<br />
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<i>Chaz rolled a 5 on "The Car Won't Start," meaning, well, it didn't start. Robb's two shots both missed, and what's worse, another zombie appeared in the general vicinity of the mob moving down the street, raising its number to 12!</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 10: Robb 5, Zombies 4</b><br />
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Robb began hacking away at the zombie closest to him with his machete. It fell it its knees and toppled over, but Robb could tell its head was still intact. Inside the car, Chaz was trying the ignition again when an arm suddenly smashed through the passenger side window and began grabbing at her. With wide-eyed terror she grabbed at the assault rifle next to her. Her hand found the handle and she pulled the trigger and held it down. Suddenly the car was filled with the deafening noise of gunfire and bullets whanged through the car door and window. One of them must of found its mark, because the zombie fell away. Smoke and the smell of cordite assailed Chaz's nose.<br />
Outside, Robb stepped away from the still-stirring zombie and send to more shots into the approaching mob of zombies. Two more fell down and didn't get up. "What's going on in there?" he shouted over the roar of gunfire.<br />
Chaz cranked the ignition again. The engine rumbled briefly, then died once more.<br />
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<i>Ugh. This wasn't a good turn for the zombies to go first. One was close enough to engage Robb outside the car, another to approach from the opposite direction (attracted by gunfire) and assault Chaz inside. I didn't bother firing as the zombie approached Robb but went into melee combat. Robb beat it 5:1, which normally would be enough to make the kill, but I rolled a 6 for the KD. Inside the car Chaz passed her Being Charged roll by more than the zombie and got off a full three shots with the assault rifle before it got to her. One hit, and she managed to get the Obviously Dead.</i><br />
<i>On the PC's activation. I decided to have Robb step away slightly from the knocked down zombie (it would get up on its activation) and fire two shots and the very close and very large mob instead, hoping to take out the closest ones and widen the gap. Thankfully he managed to do that.</i><br />
<i>On the downside? The five shots between the two of them summoned four more zombies.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 11: Robb 4, Zombies 4</b><br />
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A few feet away, lying in the gutter of the street. A cellphone buzzed to life and began ringing loudly. "What the hell is that?" Robb asked no one in particular.<br />
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<i>Again, I forgot that we were just ER 3, not 4, and rolled an 13 on the random events chart, meaning a ringing cell phone that would force me to roll 3d6 each turn for new zombies until it was turned off, which would then be treated like a PEF, only making human PEF encounters zombies instead. One appeared this turn from the ringing. Like I needed that.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 12: Robb 5, Zombies 3</b><br />
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The zombie at Robb's feet staggered up. Robb swung his left fist and clocked it with the butt of his machete and it fell down again. "C'mon c'mon c'mon..." Chaz repeated to herself as she tried the ignition a third time. Again the engine rumbled slightly, but failed to catch.<br />
Robb continued to fire into the oncoming mob whose ranks seemed to swell with each passing second. There were so many he couldn't fail to hit something at head height, and two more went down. It seemed to have no impact on the zombies' numbers, however. He knew they were running out of time. "It's time to go!" he shouted to his partner.<br />
"No! I almost got this!" Chaz shouted back as she fiddled with the keys in the ignition.<br />
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<i>The zombies went first again, and were now literally inches away from Robb. He dealt with the one whom he had knocked down previously, but only managed to knock it down a second time. I felt comfortable with Robb facing one zombie; it was the horde that was too close that I was really worried about. I again had him fire into the crowd to try to remove the closest ones, and again got lucky.</i><br />
<i>Chaz, though, for a third time failed on "The Car Won't Start."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>At this point, I had a choice to make, one that could have a huge impact on the adventure, and the campaign. Based on those choices, four outcomes could occur.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Option A: I could lose the activation roll, and Robb and Chaz would be overwhelmed by zombies.</i><br />
<i>Option B: I could win the activation roll, have Chaz start the car, and they could head away in the other direction.</i><br />
<i>Option C: I could win the activation roll, have Chaz fail to start the car, and if the zombies activated, would have the two of them overwhelmed by zombies.</i><br />
<i>Option D: I could win the activation roll and just run away. The session would be a failure, which could result in Chaz leaving the group in the denouement portion of the story. A slight risk, but it has happened before...</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>So, as with all dramatic moments in this blog, you can find out what happened after the break.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i></i><br />
<a name='more'></a><i><br /></i><br />
<b>Turn 13: Robb 3, Zombies 4</b><br />
<i><br /></i>
"We are going to die if we stay here!" shouted Robb as he grabbed Chaz by her leather jacket and pulled her from the car. He shoved her in the opposite direction from the mob down a side street. A lone zombie stood there, and Robb fired wildly at it. His shot hammered into the zombie's chest and it fell backwards.<br />
Overhead, rain began falling in sheets.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Yeah, they don't call it "the better part of valor" for nothing. I wasn't ready to risk both my PC's lives on a single "Car Won't Start" roll. When you have to run away, you run away, pure and simple. I tried to get Robb to Fast Move, but he passed 0d6, meaning he would not get a benefit from running. He did pass his Being Charged test, however, and fired twice, hit once, and Knocked Down the charging zombie.</i><br />
<i>Plus, the severe weather kicked in, because of the aforementioned random event.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 14: Robb 1, Zombies 1</b><br />
<br />
Chaz cried out in pain as she stepped awkwardly into a pothole in the road. She grabbed at her twisted ankle.<br />
<br />
<i>Another random event, this one legit. The roll of 11 meant a random PC (Chaz) would now move at 6", not 8". Thankfully they were very close to the edge of the table. Just one more obstacle...</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 15: Robb 5, Zombies 6</b><br />
<b>Turn 16: Robb 4, Zombies 2</b><br />
<br />
A zombie that had been lurking in the shadows lunged out at Robb, who shot it once through the head. Gathering up Chaz under one arm, he said, "Okay, let's get back home," and gently pulled her away from the baying mob of zombies behind them.<br />
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<i>Robb tied on his Being Charged test, but could still fire one shot, which thankfully did its job. That having been done, the PC's moved off the table on their activation.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The rain continued to pound on the roof of Robb's cottage all that night. By the dim candlelight Robb carefully wrapped Chaz's ankle with a bandage to hold it in place. Chaz smiled thinly, but her eyes couldn't hide the pain. "You're pretty good at that," she said.<br />
"Lots of practice," Robb replied, not looking at her. They were both quiet for a time.<br />
Chaz suddenly spoke up. "I'm sorry I couldn't get the car started," she said.<br />
Robb jolted slightly, as if awoken from some reverie. "Oh," he said with a start, "it's not your fault."<br />
With a sigh he sat back. "It's my fault for coming up with the idea of trying to get the car. It almost got us both killed."<br />
Chaz stared at him. "You couldn't have known that. And if you hadn't pulled me away when you did, who knows what would have happened."<br />
Robb rubbed his face with both hands and sighed again. "I just...I just wanted a way out," he said wearily.<br />
"I know," Chaz replied, her voice almost a whisper.<br />
<br />
<i>All that remained is the "Keeping it Together" roll. Robb got three successes to Chaz's two, so she remains. Another session or two and I think I'll upgrade her to Star level and not worry about that. As a side note, there were 15 zombies active on the table at the end of the game.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>In the end, the adventure was a failure, but failures make for good horror stories as well. Thanks for reading. It's good to be back at this. Comments welcome.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-30043953912456561822013-12-17T20:11:00.000-08:002013-12-17T20:11:04.356-08:00ATZ Campaign, Day 60: A Way Out"...so Happosai gets to drink the magical water, the wedding is postponed until the engagements can be sorted out, and the series ends with Ranma and Akane going back to school together."<br />
<br />
Chaz finished her story with a contented smile. Robb stared at her with puzzlement. "Wait, you mean he never gets married?"<br />
<br />
"Nope," said the young woman sitting across from Robb in his small cottage. "But you know Akane is the best match for him."<br />
<br />
"I can't believe I listened to that whole story and he never gets married," said Robb wearily. Chaz had turned out to be a welcome companion after his girlfriend had died several weeks ago. She was clearly glad for someone to talk to, and had been regaling him constantly with discussion about movies, comic books, and a host of other topics. Robb gazed distractly towards the drawn curtains, where vague shadows moved slowly.<br />
<br />
"Are you thinking about going out?" Chaz asked.<br />
<br />
"I'm thinking about a lot of things. First, I'm thinking about the helicopter that flew overhead the day we met, and where it might be going. There's really no way to tell how far off it could be, however. I'm also thinking about that car we found, and how we might gas it up in case we need to get out of here in a hurry. The zombies haven't been too bad, but it could get worse. Third, I'm still wondering about the other people out there. I've met a few others, but they didn't seem interested in sticking together. Maybe now they feel differently."<br />
<br />
"If they are still alive," Chaz pointed out in a matter-of-fact way.<br />
<br />
Robb grimaced slightly. Erin had left under bad circumstances, but for good reason. He hoped she had somehow managed to find her family, even if that seemed highly unlikely. "Well, the only real problem I can address is the gasoline situation. There's a filling station not too far from here, and I think we can scrounge a few containers. We'll get some gas, get to the car, and then drive it back here. Hopefully the noise won't be too big a problem."<br />
<br />
Chaz thought for a moment. "Some food wouldn't hurt either."<br />
<br />
<i>After a very long hiatus, the All Things Zombie adventure of Robb & Co. continues! To kick things off, I thought I'd try my hand at creating my own scenario, in this case a two-part story.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>In part one, the heroes must make their way to a gas station in the middle of the table. One hero must spend two activations pumping gas (while the other does whatever is necessary), and then make it off the table. Because they are hauling a heavy load by hand, they can not Fast Move after getting the gasoline. The table is ER 2 (suburbs), and the PEF's and starting zombies are handled normally.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>In the beginning, there are three PEF's: Red (REP 4, zone 4), White (REP 3, Zone 4), Blue (REP 5, Zone 3). Starting zombies for Robb are 1, Chaz 6 (bummer). They are placed using my d12 home rule (where I roll a d12 rather than 2d6 for more variation).</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<i><br /></i>
<br />
<b>Turn 1: Robb 4, Zombies 2</b><br />
<br />
Robb and Chaz began to make their way towards the local gasoline station. They had not gotten far before they noticed they were attracting a lot of attention. Several zombies began closing in from different directions. <br />
"So much for this going quietly," Robb sighed. He drew his Colt .45 ACP and fired off two shots in the direction of a pair of zombies. One shot went wide, while the other plowed through the skull. Chaz fired her assault rifle, and the shot caught the zombie in the thigh. It stumbled to the ground.<br />
"Head shots, de-.." said Robb reflexively, but then caught himself.<br />
<br />
<i>Robb continues his steady average of 50% when it comes to killing zombies with two shots, one hit, and one Obviously Dead. Chaz fired once (I'm antsy about running out of ammo and the noise) but only got a Knocked Down result after hitting it. No zombies were summoned by the shots.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 2: Robb 5, Zombies 1</b><br />
<br />
"Damn, there's too many of them!" said Chaz as the zombies closed in. "Get behind me!" shouted Robb as he moved between the young woman and the two zombies that had managed to get close enough to start clawing at him. He swung up the black-bladed machete he called Belle, but he was clearly out of practice. He connected with one and it staggered back, but his strike hadn't done any damage to the creature's brain. The other one began grabbing at his right arm, trying to manage a bite.<br />
As Robb wrestled the zombie off him and to the ground, the other zombie was getting back up. Chaz quickly ran over and battered it back to the ground with the butt of her rifle.<br />
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<i>On the zombie's activation, two make it into close combat (the heroes have moved towards them, trying to tackle them piecemeal. I had deliberately moved Robb, who was REP 5 and had a decent hand weapon (albeit in his off hand), into close combat over Chaz, who was REP 4 and had only the improvised weapon of the assault rifle. In close combat with the first zombie, Robb had only two successes to the zombie's one, and didn't roll well enough on the result to get anything but a KD. Worse, the second zombie managed to tie Robb at 2 apiece, and he was locked in combat.</i><br />
<i>On the heroes' activation, Robb was locked in combat and got 4 successes to 3, knocking that one down. I moved Chaz into melee with the zombie that had been knocked down (hoping the one die advantage would help) but only she only got a 2:1 and another KD result. I should have popped the weasel this turn, but I thought Chaz might have a chance. Close combat was not going as well as I had hoped.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 3: Robb 1, Zombies 6</b><br />
<b>Turn 4: Robb 1, Zombies 5</b><br />
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"Enough of this!" said Robb angrily as he fired a quick shot into the head of the zombie on the ground. Chaz followed suit with the second zombie. "We need to keep moving before we are completely surrounded," she said.<br />
"Then let's warm up the band," said Robb, walking briskly towards the gas station, firing as he went. One of his shots caught a zombie in the shoulder and it tumbled down. Chaz's aim was better, catching another in the head.<br />
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<i>The two heroes were moved closer to the zombies up the road, again trying to catch them in small groups rather than all at once. Robb fired twice, hit once, but got a KD. Chaz fired once and got the OD instead with the Easy to Kill rule. Unfortunately, all three shots ended up summoning zombies to the area.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 5: Robb 2, Zombies 3</b><br />
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Robb took a deep breath and began to focus on what he was doing. He fired two shots at two zombies closing in on his side and both their heads splintered with the impact of the bullets. Behind him, Chaz was having less luck. Her shot at an approaching zombie had missed, and now the zombie had drawn up to her. It's mouth opened with a horrible moan, but then caught the stock end of her rifle. It tumbled backwards onto the ground, but the blow hadn't much strength behind it.<br />
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<i>Robb's two shots were good, but Chaz's miss summoned yet another zombie. The neighborhood was a lot more crowded than Robb had hoped! The sole zombie in range fought with Chaz, but lost 2:3 to the costumed heroine. It only suffered a KD, though.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 6: Robb 3, Zombies 4</b><br />
<br />
Robb pivoted in place and fired two more shots. Two more zombies went down and were still. I could do this all day, Robb thought with a grim smile. Chaz fired her rifle from the hip, putting down the zombie she had shrugged off.<br />
"I knew there was a reason I picked you to be my sidekick," Chaz said with a grin.<br />
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<i>Chaz again popped the weasel, and thankfully no zombies were summoned by any of the shots.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 7: Robb 5, Zombies 3</b><br />
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"Kid, I'm pretty sure the middle-aged guy with the big gun is the mentor figure!" said Robb as he continued firing at the approaching zombies. Two were hit, but only one went down. "Not the chippie in the spandex!"<br />
Chaz flipped the switch on her assault rifle. "I'll show you whose got the bigger gun, Inspector Gadget!"<br />
She fired off a burst of shots at a nearby zombie, and it flew apart.<br />
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<i>Three more zombies were summoned by the shots. At the rate is was going, the heroes were failing to kill more than they brought to the fight.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>
Turn 8: Robb 4, Zombies 6</b><br />
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"Okay, 'Penny' let's get what we are here for," said Robb as they ducked into the gas station's main building. Inside, two former customers and a woman in a polo shirt with the station's logo wandered inside, their dead eyes turning towards them as the small bell on the door jingled.<br />
"I need twenty dollars on pump number three," said Robb as he fired at the two closest customers. Both their heads snapped backwards, but the slide on the gun stayed in the back position. "Guess you're done for now," Robb said to the empty pistol.<br />
The decaying attendant lurched with unexpected speed towards Chaz. She brought up the rifle across her chest to try to push back the zombie, but the dead woman kept coming at her.<br />
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<i>Rolling 6d6, I got three zombies for the interior of the building. Robb rolled a 5, added his REP of 5 for his reaction result of 10. Chaz rolled a 1 for a total of 5, and the zombies rolled a 6, which was added to three (the number of them in the building) for a total of 9. So the order is Robb, zombies, then Chaz.</i><br />
<i>Robb fired and hit twice, but rolled two ones on the "Easy to Kill" rule, meaning he was out of ammo and needed to reload. The lone remaining zombie attacked Chaz and the two tied at 2 each. The zombies continued to do well in hand-to-hand combat this game, and they were locked in combat.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 9: Robb 6, Zombies 6</b><br />
<b>Turn 10: Robb 2, Zombies 6</b><br />
<br />
Robb pulled the zombie away from Chaz. The two of them grappled each other, trying to get the upper hand. Chaz charged into the zombie, knocking it to the ground.<br />
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<i>Robb entered melee to assist Chaz, but only managed a 3:3 tie himself. Chaz squeaked out a 4:3 win, but only got the KD result. It is hard to kill zombies in melee combat.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 11: Robb 3, Zombies 6</b><br />
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Chaz reared back, leveled her rifle, and fired a quick shot into the zombie's head. "Did you actually make a pop culture reference a minute ago?" she gasped at Robb.<br />
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<i>A zombie was summoned, naturally.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 12: Robb 2, Zombies 5</b><br />
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"I didn't grow up under a rock, you know. I watched the cartoon, you know. Not that Matthew Broderick crap." said Robb. Chaz grabbed a gas can. "I'll fuel up, you hold them off," she said as she headed back out.<br />
Robb reloaded his pistol and followed her outside.<br />
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<i>This turned counted as one of the two for the purposes of pumping gas, since Chaz didn't do anything while Robb reloaded.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 13: Robb 1, Zombies 6</b><br />
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"Fresh bullets. Get your fresh bullets here!" said Robb as he stepped outside and fired a shot into the head of a nearby zombie. Chaz moved to the pump and began filling the red plastic container.<br />
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<i>I noticed that the zombies had actually failed to activate for five straight turns. That more than makes up for the dodgy luck in close combat. By the way, no zombies were summoned with the single shot.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 14: Robb 5, Zombies 3</b><br />
<b>Turn 15: Robb 4, Zombies 4</b><br />
<b>Turn 16: Robb 4, Zombies 5</b><br />
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"I got the gas. Let's get out of here," said Chaz as the zombies on the street drew closer. Robb charged towards one of them, swinging the machete. He landed a hit that would have killed a living man, but only stunned the ghoul. Chaz swung the rifle around at the second and crushed the side of its head.<br />
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<i>I was getting a little worried about the number of zombies that were closing in from the south, so I decided to risk melee combat again. Robb won 4:3 for a KD result. Chaz got an impressive 5:2 win and on Obviously Dead result.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 17: Robb 1, Zombies 3</b><br />
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Robb and Chaz ducked into the space between two houses across the street from the gas station. There was a faint noise, and Robb turned quickly to face a man wielding a samurai sword. Robb quickly took in the man's clean and intelligent appearance and stepped back. "We're alive," he said calmly.<br />
"I can tell," said the man, who was bald and wearing a gray hoodie. "You're making more noise than a demolition derby."<br />
Robb winced slightly at the word "derby" but pressed on. "I'm Robb, and this is Chaz. We're trying to make our way to a car. You're welcome to come with us, if you want."<br />
The man looked at the two of them and frowned. "No thanks. The two of you are way to careless. You'll attract every zombie in the city with the racket you're making. I'm better off on my own."<br />
Robb started to try to argue with the man, but Chaz tugged at his coat. "They are still right behind us. If he doesn't want to come with us, that's his problem. Let's go."<br />
Robb relented and followed her towards the red VW beetle.<br />
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<i>The remaining zombies were too far away to catch Robb and Chaz before they moved off the table, but there were two PEF's that had made their way to the far edge, and were now in sight. The first one just passed 1d6 and raised the ER of the session, but that allowed the second to become an encounter. I lucked out and rolled a single Survivor and brought out Peter, whom I had just painted. A random die roll on the Survivor chart showed him to be REP 5, which wasn't a good thing because it would make it harder for him to be recruited.</i><br />
<i>And sure enough, Robb failed to beat Peter by 1 success, meaning they would just exchange pleasantries and move on. Given Peter's preference for quiet weapons and the number of zombies I had summoned with gunfire, I figured Peter wouldn't care for Robb's loud tactics. Hopefully he would change his mind later. But Robb's success with recruiting other people hadn't been that great throughout the campaign.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I didn't need to roll to see if Chaz stuck around, since I had the guarantee from the game last March. Rolling for REP increases, Robb failed to increase his REP, but Chaz rolled a 5, raising her to Robb's equal. Perhaps our Star might end up eventually a sidekick after all!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Well, Robb and Chaz made it through the first half of the two-part scenario. Now to see if they can make it to the car, and if all of their trouble will be worth it in the end.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Comments always welcome, and it is good to be back!</i>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-43459722443135214222013-12-15T15:04:00.002-08:002013-12-15T19:47:36.022-08:00McTavish, Survivor(?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another Copplestone Casting Future Wars figure, this one a middle-aged, portly fellow with a Luger pistol. I have thought if using him as a survivor, but I also considered using him as the boss of some organized crime gang that has been managing to do well for themselves in the zombie apocalypse. <div><br></div><div>Speaking of which, I think it is time for Robb's misadventures in a world gone to Hell to continue sometime soon, don't you think?</div>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-80432398613002568362013-12-10T07:22:00.001-08:002013-12-10T07:22:44.593-08:00Book Review: Fighting to Survive by Rhiannon Frater<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480564095/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1480564095&linkCode=as2&tag=thearmcol-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1480564095&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thearmcol-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thearmcol-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1480564095" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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So as I was hanging around Thanksgiving break with a broken ankle and thinking about the upcoming ATZ demo game (see previous post) so I thought I would get in the mood by reading a zombie novel, in this case <i>Fighting to Survive </i>by Rhiannon Frater. It's the second in her "As the World Dies" trilogy, the first being <i>The First Days</i>.<br />
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In broad terms, the book is about a community of survivors of the zombie apocalypse who are living in a fortified construction site. They decide to expand into a nearby luxury hotel in order to create more space and nicer accommodations. In the meantime, a roving band of gangers becomes more and more of a threat to them.<br />
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The book's two protagonists are Katie and Jenni. Both lost their families in the first days of the zombie attack, and both are developing new relationships in the survivor community. For Katie this means overcoming her grief of losing her wife and realizing that she is falling in love with Travis, a leader of the group. For Jenni this means dealing with the trauma of her previously abusive spouse and the death of her children. Jenni isn't the most stable of individuals, and her sanity gets more precarious as the book goes on.<br />
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I have said in other reviews that for me the mark of a good zombie story--book, movie, or other--is how it handles the people element, not the zombie gore. What this book does right is explore how a small, isolated community like this one has to cope with the challenges in a post-zombie world. Some members of the community struggle with the collapse of class distinctions. The question of how to address crime within the group is gone into detail. There is also the issue of the role of vigilantism and the post-zombie social contract. It's not dissimilar from what is going on right now in <i>The Walking Dead</i> with Carol being expelled from the TV series' community, and it what makes the book particularly interesting.<br />
<br />
That's not to say the book doesn't have its grisly moments, but they are not gratuitous in nature. In terms of pathos, the book is actually pretty light in tone, which could either be a plus or a minus, depending on the tastes of the reader. There's distinctly a romantic overtone to the book as well, which wasn't a negative <i>per se</i> for me but might not be everyone's cup of tea.<br />
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A good read for hanging out by the pool in a leg cast.WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-74618274050886249752013-12-09T07:41:00.003-08:002013-12-09T07:41:52.487-08:00Pics from the convention gameSaturday evening my church hosted a board game night, complete with a Munchkin tournament. I ran a demo game of <i>All Things Zombie </i>with six players taking on the roles of six survivors while I ran the zombies. I made a point of using some of the survivor miniatures that never made it into my campaign. The scenario was a simple one: the six survivors had to make it from one end of the table to the other, stopping off at building to attempt to acquire at least one resource before exiting the table.<br />
I ended up running the scenario twice that evening, both times each group made it off without difficulty, although there were plenty of tight spots including one pair of survivors jumping from one office building roof to another to flee a horde of zombies!<br />
Pics below, and as always click to see a larger version.<br />
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<br />WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-11910015855980835122013-11-24T15:11:00.000-08:002013-11-24T15:11:14.780-08:00Amber<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Like I said in my previous post, I'm on a roll right now. This is another Hasslefree miniature, a nice young lady armed with pistol, a pistol-grip shotgun (I'm assuming--it is in a sheath on her back), a knife, and a hockey stick. She's ready for anything! I let my daughter name her, and she called this miniature "Amber."WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-79418234474224058142013-11-24T11:04:00.000-08:002013-11-24T11:04:39.730-08:00Zombie Survivor PeterHas it really been since March since I updated this blog? Well, if you have been following my other blog, you'll know I'm laid up with an ankle injury. That means more painting time. In addition, I'm planning on running an ATZ display game at a local gaming convention, so I need to get my roster built up!<br />
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This is "Zombie Hunter Kev" from Hasslefree, but I'm naming him "Peter" after a friend who wanted be in my ATZ campaign. Of course, that means I need to start up my ATZ campaign again...WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178835445973512057.post-15387781681251799252013-03-27T15:27:00.001-07:002013-03-27T15:38:43.776-07:00ATZ Campaign, Day 44: Requiem, part 2<i>So it's been a while since the last installment, the first part of Robb's first day alone in the zombie apocalypse. For those who have forgotten, Robb's girlfriend Irene was killed by zombies while their friend Erin left the group to search for her family. Wandering the streets alone, Robb has run into more than his share of trouble and was nearly killed.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>At this point, the encounter is at ER 4, but a special event roll has meant that Robb will not summon zombies as a result of gunfire, noise, etc. I have decided that zombies can still be found in buildings, however. But that is still a pretty sweet deal, and I want to capitalize on it.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 22: Robb 1, Zombies 5</b><br />
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Leaving the store behind, Robb began to make his way towards a row of houses. While he had managed to find some food, nearly at the cost of his life, Robb thought he could still make time to check a few other places.<br />
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<b>Turn 23: Robb 3, Zombies 3</b><br />
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Robb continued to walk along. Unbeknownst to him, in his struggle against the zombies the handful of spare clips had fallen out of his pocket. He was carrying only the ammo in his pistol.<br />
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<i>Doubles and less than the ER of the encounter meant a special event (again). I rolled a total of 10, meaning that when Robb's primary weapon (his BA Pistol) runs out of ammo it stays that way for the end of the encounter. Bummer.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 24: Robb 6, Zombies 2</b><br />
<b>Turn 25: Robb 5, Zombies 4</b><br />
<br />
Robb carefully walked over to one of the houses and tested the door carefully. It was unlocked. He swung it open slowly and peered inside.<br />
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<i>As a reminder, Robb is REP 4, but activates on a 5 because of his Initiative attribute.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 26: Robb 5, Zombies 5</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Inside the house, Robb could see a person moving around the living room, a young woman with bright red hair. The woman spun suddenly, pointed an assault rifle at Robb. She let out a scream.<br />
"Wait, wait! I'm not a zombie! I'm alive!" Robb said, holding up his hands.<br />
The woman looked incredulously at the layer of blood and gore on the front of Robb's shirt and coat. "Are you sure?"<br />
Robb looked down at his attire and sighed. "Yeah, this..." he gestured at his chest "none of this is me." <br />
He looked at the woman. She was wearing a two-tone gray bodysuit with a leather jacket. "What are you wearing?"<br />
The woman looked indignant. "This is my Motoko Kusanagi costume. From <i>Ghost in the Shell</i>? I'm...I mean I was into Japanese cosplay. You got a problem with that?"<br />
Robb shrugged. "It's the zombie apocalypse, sweetheart. Wear whatever you want." He looked around. "I'm sorry, is this your house?"<br />
The woman shook her head. "No, I left my place a while back when it was overrun. I was just looking around for supplies. What about you?"<br />
Robb's face went slack. "I was just going for a walk. My name's Robb, by the way."<br />
The woman smiled. "I'm Chaz. You by yourself or with other people?"<br />
Robb frowned. "No," he said. "There's no one with me."<br />
"Maybe you'd have more luck if you didn't look like one of them."<br />
Robb grimaced slightly. "I just need to get home and get cleaned up. You're welcome to come back with me. I've got some food and stuff. Beats wandering around by yourself."<br />
Chaz shrugged. "Good point. Besides, if you really can handle yourself, I could use a sidekick."<br />
Robb cocked an eyebrow. "'Sidekick?' Whatever. Hey, where'd you get the assault rifle?"<br />
"Found it," said Chaz as she began to root around the house.<br />
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<i>Rolling 6d6 to see if there were any zombies within the building, I was surprised to have none appear. That meant we moved onto a "Defining Moment," which is resolved like a PEF. With the ER now 4, I rolled a 2d6 on the PEF table, meaning Contact! The roll on the "Days 30+" table showed a Survivor, and the "How Many" table came up with one.</i><br />
<i>Determining her stats, I found she was a REP 4 Survivor. I had "loaded up" several Survivor characters based on friends of mine. The person who is the real life Chaz had picked out the miniature by Hasslefree Miniatures based on Motoko Kusanagi, a miniature armed with an assault rifle. Since the real life Chaz is into cosplay, it only made sense that her alter ego would be as well! On the "Meet and Greet" Robb scored more successes, and Chaz would join the group.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Chaz is REP 4, People 3 and Savvy 2 with the Brawler attribute. She's armed with an assault rifle.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Rifling through the house, Robb managed to locate some camping equipment including a sterno stove. Chaz found some dried goods in the larder. "Good deal," said Chaz cheerily.<br />
"Maybe things are looking up," said Robb with a faint grin. "Want to look around at the other places?"<br />
<br />
<i>Rolling against the ER 4, Robb found a luxury item with 2d6, Chaz food with 1d6.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b>Turn 27: Robb 4, Zombies 6</b><br />
<b>Turn 28: Robb 4, Zombies 3</b><br />
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Robb and Chaz stepped out of the house and moved on down the street. Robb paused at a red Volkswagon Beetle and peered inside. He tried the door, found it unlocked, and looked in.<br />
"What are you doing?" asked Chaz.<br />
"I have an idea," said Robb. He togged the button that released the trunk, went around, and rummaged in the back. He came out wielding a large tire iron.<br />
"You don't look like you have a melee weapon, and sometimes I don't think we'll want the noise of a machine gun," he said, tossing her the tool.<br />
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<i>I'd misread in earlier sessions that you don't have to check for vehicles like you do for buildings when it comes to zombies (thus explaining the weird "four zombies in the cab of a semi" moment a while back that nearly killed Irene and did kill Monty). But you can check for stuff, and I had Robb look, passing 2d6, and finding a luxury item, in this case a hand weapon for Chaz.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 29: Robb 1, Zombies 1</b><br />
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Suddenly both of them stopped. Overhead, they could hear the sound of a helicopter. The black vehicle passed by, heading west. "Do you think we should try to flag it down or something?" asked Chaz.<br />
"I don't know how we would," said Robb. "Odd that it is heading west. The big city is east of us. I wonder where it is going."<br />
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<i>Random event. It would affect zombies, if there were any.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 30: Robb 6, Zombies 2</b><br />
<b>Turn 31: Robb 1, Zombies 2</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Robb and Chaz entered the next house. Inside, the decor featured kitschy country nostalgia that once might have been called "Americana." A zombie was staggering about in the living room, while a second moved in the kitchen, visible through an opening to the living room where meals could once have been passed. Both of them seemed to not notice Robb or Chaz, and Robb drew his pistol and shot the one in the living room through the head. He turned and shot the second, but the bullet went lower than intended and the zombie staggered back against the island countertop. Chaz fired a round from her rifle, and the zombie's brain scattered across the kitchen cupboards.<br />
"Anyone else?" Robb asked.<br />
"Not that I can see," said Chaz. The two began to look around. Robb found more foodstuffs that still looked edible in the kitchen. Chaz grabbed a set of keys from a hook. "These have a VW symbol on them. Think they go to the car outside?"<br />
"Worth checking out," Robb said.<br />
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<i>Rolling to see what was inside the building, I got a total of two zombies. I rolled a one of the zombie surprise roll for a total of three. Since Robb and Chaz both had higher REP's, they would go first automatically, but a die roll gave Robb a total of 10 and Chaz a total of 5. Robb shot twice and hit twice, but only killed the first zombie and knocked down the second. Chaz "popped the weasel" with her activation, ending combat.</i><br />
<i>Robb got 1d6 for searching (meaning food) and Chaz 2d6. I was interested in adding a vehicle to the team, so I went with keys for the car outside. It didn't hurt that its noise wouldn't summon zombies.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Turn 34: Robb 3, Zombies 5</b><br />
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Robb and Chaz returned to the VW Bug. Chaz got in and tried the ignition. The lights came on, but the engine failed to start. "It's out of gas," she said. "Someone must have drained it or something."<br />
"But it works, or it might," said Robb. "Hang onto the keys. If we find some gas of our own, we might come back."<br />
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Still on foot, but feeling distinctly better, Robb led Chaz back towards his house.<br />
"So, do you like anime?" asked Chaz brightly as they walked.<br />
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<i>After Day 30, the chance of a car having fuel is only a 1-3 on a 1d6. A roll of four meant no luck. It was worth the risk, and I could justify coming back later.</i><br />
<i>With no real areas of interest left, and wishing to wrap things up, I called the session to a close.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Well, it feels a little bit like the campaign is back on its feet again. I was pretty disheartened about everything when Robb lost his entire team, including his original partner. Writing a character's story when they are alone isn't quite as interesting for me, and it seemed likely that Robb would die anyways without support. So I took a break for a while and focused on other projects.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Eventually I decided to take another shot at it and got lucky running into another character. Finding Survivors or even Gangers isn't that easy in ATZ:FFO, especially in low-ER environments. This reflects the lesser population density and it generally less threatening for other reasons, but if you need to replenish a team, its a long slog of a process.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>But, at least Robb has another person with him, and she's not a bad teammate in terms of abilities and equipment. The real life Chaz is a fun person to hang out with as well, making it easy to write her character in-story. Here's a close-up of the newest member of Team Robb.</i><br />
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<i>There's more than one additional Survivor (and quite a few Gangers) on the painting table, so hopefully they will be making an appearance soon!</i>
<i><br /></i><br />
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<i>Final note: Rolling to see if a REP increased occurred, I rolled a 5 for Robb, meaning he would finally increase, but only a 2 for Chaz. In the "Keeping It Together" post-game roll, Robb got a whalloping four successes to Chaz's one, meaning not only would she stick around, but she wouldn't need to check the next session.</i>WQRobbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436898737750581192noreply@blogger.com12