Friday 7 December 2018

The Supply Run

- or -   "How ATZ:FFO writes its own script!"

Anyone who's been following the exploits of Brad and his group through the zombie apocalypse might remember that they'd set up camp around a fairly secluded gas station / diner.

It was at this point that I started tracking time and events using the ATZ:FFO campaign rules, and these include a check for "Involuntary Encounters", the result of which was that the camp had been burgled during the night in week two and the thieves had made off with a load of rations!
The burglary unsettled Brad - someone had found their location, and the open nature of the camp (and proximity of the woods) made it difficult to defend, so he persuaded the rest of the group that they needed to move (AGAIN!)
A higher priority though, was that the stolen rations also needed to be replaced.
The Kirkman family who'd just joined the group know the area, and suggested driving up to Lorenzo and trying their luck at the "FOOD-O-RAMA" store there. The vehicles were loaded up, and the convoy headed north.
Pulling into a parking lot at the edge of town, Brad instructed Travis, Nate, Amy and Christine to stay with the transport and keep watch - if zeds turned up in any numbers, they were to lead them away with the convoy before doubling back to the parking lot.
Brad, Hannah, Zac, Dave and Hillary went into town on foot and arrived in sight of the store without encountering any problems.
(Downtown Lanzio - set up using my old PDF boards and buildings cos the mdf "make over" is still just a work in progress)
The group approaches the front of the store - the only visible PEF (directly to their front in the middle of the road) resolved as "Something's Out There", raising the encounter rating from 5 to 6 - which means the two remaining PEF's (both out of sight IN THE STORE!!) will definitely resolve as "contacts"!
The only visible zombies are just beyond the corner of the store -
- since the group's approach route is to the left of the board, the initial zombie placement rules (using a clock face, any zombies that would be "off table" move around the face clockwise until they reach a table edge, so all results between 7 and 10 appear at 11) resulted in quite a horde forming.
The horde started shambling into view just as the group reached the front entrance to the store.
Zac peered through the broken doors, only to spot a couple of survivors holding off a good handful (7) of zeds.
With yet more of the walking dead approaching from down the road,
and a lone straggler directly opposite the store. Things are not as quiet in Lorenzo as Brad had hoped!
He swung his machete and split the head of the leading zombie as he shouted a warning to the folks in the store to get the hell out while they can!
Zac and Dave stopped the three walkers by the pick up truck blocking their escape - Dave dispatched his opponent, while Zac only managed to fend off the two he was facing
before breaking off and joining everyone else setting off down the road and out pacing the following undead.

So, a failed supply run, and unfortunately no one in the group noticed the couple they'd just rescued from the store slipping off down a side alley as they made their way back towards the parking lot -

To be continued.................

18 comments:

  1. Hi Greg, good to see you're back with Brad and the zombies, I enjoy your write ups so much, there always this edge to the game, never quite sure what's going to jump out and bite them.
    In my opinion the boards look great but I am a fan of printed buildings and I have, or recognise most of these, good use of the backdrop it fits in really well.
    Looking forward to seeing how this pans out. Do they get food or just become it.
    Cheers

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    1. Cheers John, I just hope I get chance to play through the sequel in the next couple of days - I'm itching to find out what happens next!
      These pdf's were my early attempts so leave a lot to be desired :-)

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  2. Always good to see one of your Zed reports, Greg, and this was as excellent as ever. You certainly make the rules come alive - something I sadly never found when I once tried them. Looking forward to more :-)

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    1. Many thanks Simon, I thought this was going to be a stand alone encounter - grab some supplies (if there were any there) and get back to the vehicles (hopefully without too many casualties).
      I thought the story line would start AFTERWARDS :-)

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  3. Great show Greg but not sure 9AM is the best time for watching a Z movie :) I guess they'll need to try again as this run didn't work out.

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    1. Cheers Frank - 9am is as good a time as any, after all, who knows when the zombies will bite??
      The group are under the threat of "half rations" if they don't find food soon - but who are these people they've found? and where have they gone? Why? (etc etc etc) :-)

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  4. Hmm, starving to death in the middle of the zombie apocalypse isn't a good fate. Hope they can find some more supplies quickly. And those strangers: there's a tale to be told there, I expect!

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    1. Thanks Hugh - the problems start BEFORE the "starving to death" bit. Once the rations go, it's harder for Brad to keep the group together, and of course there's safety in numbers during these troubled times :-)
      Yep, the mystery newcomers have handed me an excellent plot hook on a plate (oops shouldn'y mention plates in front of Brads group) :-)

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  5. Woot! A new episode in the lives of Team Brad. Damn, but that was a lot of zombies on the board! Knowing when to run is such an important part of survival in a zombie apocalypse. Better luck next time.

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    1. Many thanks Bryan :-)
      Rolling for the initial zeds in an urban area seemed pretty average - at 1+1D6 per each of the 5 group members,17 zombies didn't seem TOO bad, the edge of the board and the deployment clock face bunched the majority up and placed them right outside the store though, which immediately created a challenge!
      The delivery truck had been placed randomly at the side of the store - of course now it's obvious..... the two survivors obviously drove it there on their raid, collecting a horde of zombies in their wake!

      Day off tomorrow, and can't wait to find out what happens next! :-)

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  6. Everyone survived, so in many ways a successful adventure !
    You're right about scenarios wrtiing themselves, thanks to dice too!
    Very entertaining aar and welcome back !

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    1. Many, many thanks Joe :-)
      It's good to be back, the old gaming mojo had suffered a bit during the enforced lay-off. Firing on all cylinders now though :-)

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  7. Nice report. Can't always be cake and beer all round. There is always sweet pork I suppose.

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  8. Great stuff Greg! Really loved the cinematic feel of the horde moving towards the group and the front of the store 🙂

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    1. Thanks Ivor, it certainly provided an unplanned "Romero moment" on the table top - and made for a short game! :-)

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  9. Great instalment Greg, good to see your zombie games back with a vengeance

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    1. Many thanks Dave, it's great to have some gaming time again :-) Even with the usual run of Christmas and New Years Eve gigs, things are (thankfully) a lot quieter than they have been - I honestly couldn't ask for a better Christmas present! :-)

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