Recce - Part One.

As mentioned in a previous Zomtober post, it's time to address the gaming withdrawal symptoms - and since it is Zomtober, what better than to play another episode in the ATZ:FFO camaign!
I've still got other 'distractions' to deal with this week (and of course mini's to paint for the challenge), so I'll be playing this out over a number of sessions.

It's the morning of day 13, and the group have spent the best part of a week at the farm, making the perimeter more secure and building a second line of defence around the house itself. They've collected everything useful from around the site and even managed to improvise some melee weapons and a petrol syphoning kit, but now Brad has decided to split the group and lead a recon / scavenging mission before food becomes an issue.
They're heading over to a fishing retreat that Travis remembers out in the woods surrounding the lake, a few miles South East of their position.
Leaving Travis and Zac to "guard the fort" Brad, Hannah and Nate set off on foot.

Arriving at the woods without incident, they followed the track and made a cautious approach towards the cabin.
With the pickup parked outside, things were looking promising.........

The PEF's were generated and placed with rep's 5,4 and 2 in areas 1,2 and 4, and the initial zombies were diced for after the short move entering the table: 1/2D6 per group member since it's a 'rural' encounter, but I still ended up with eight zeds in the reception committee after rolling a 5,5 and a 4!!
Using a D12 (as per Bryan's house rules), this is how they "clock faced" onto the board.......

This was looking a LOT tougher than I expected!

As Brad closed up the group and headed for the cabin door, two of the PEF's broke cover, with one heading towards them and the other directly away...

 ... Hannah spotted them, so they were resolved against the Encounter Rating of 1.

The first turned out to be just a bad case of nerves - probably a critter running for cover,

but the second one indicated that SOMETHING was definitely out there, and the ER was raised to 2!
Meanwhile, the group had a fight on their hands as the zombies were closing in and the first three attacked.

As Brad embedded his machete into the skull of one of the zeds attacking from the flank, Hannah rained down blows with her hockey stick on the head of the one blocking their path. Nate used the length of bar he'd found at the farm to smash in the face of the other zombie coming at them from the side.

Having quickly dealt with the first attack, the group headed straight for the cabin, confident they were going to reach safety before the trailing zeds reached them - then it all went crazy as a guy appeared at the door and the third PEF came into sight from around the side of the shack!

A woman shouted from inside the cabin and the decidedly unfriendly looking guy in the doorway raised his pistol......

.... while the PEF was resolved .......

........ against the increased Encounter Rating as a "Contact!"

"To Be Continued"