Escape from Zombie Island!

 I've been so busy painting entries for the Dropship Horizon painting comp and planning a new Zombie game that I haven't had a chance to post for ages!  But now, I bring you...

ESCAPE FROM ZOMBIE ISLAND!

Can our heroic survivors fight their way past the shambling zombie hordes to collect the supplies they need and make it to the boats?

This was a chance to playtest my new rules set at the Buckenham Bone Crushers games club.  We made use of Paul's fantastic scenery including the sea defences, cliffs and beach board.

The isand (please excuse blatant "Walker's Crisps" advertising!)

Survivors started in 5 locations, each group consisting of 3 survivors.  Zombies are represented by red counters scattered across the board.  When one is spotted, we roll a D6: 1-2 = 1 zombie, 3-4 = 2 zombies, 5-6 = 3 zombies. Survivors move by expending action points, each has 4 per turn which can be used for shooting, walking (1" per AP), trying to hotwire cars, picking up items etc.

Jayne and Zoe (or their stunt doubles) face the zombies.

Groups include Interstellar Mining and Extraction Consortium (IMEC) personnel,  Security officers (including big cyborg), townsfolk, woodsmen, starship crew (Mal Jayne and Zoe, though sadly I couldn't find my Firefly figures so they are played today by their stunt doubles from a GZG ravagers pack).

Rifle Rick prepares to search the fenced-in outhouse.

Survivors need to find fuel for a boat plus either food or water.  These can be located in various buildings around the board - but so are zombies!

Security forces lock the door and settle down for a siege.

Making noise such as driving a vehicle or firing a weapon causes zombies to make an extra move towards the source of the noise. The more you shoot, the closer the zombies get... 

Attracted by gunfire the zombies start to crowd the security office.

Zombies also have their own movement turn.  They can't enter a building if the door is locked - but they might manage to break in through the windows!

Townsfolk investigate a workshop... uh-oh, more zombies!

Die rolls are made for new zombies and what equipment might be found when entering a new building. Zombies occur in groups of 1-3, their toughness and effectiveness in close combat increasing as the size of the group grows.

Charlie revs his chainsaw.

Chainsaws are fun for hand to hand combat - but they make an awful racket that will attract more zombies!

Alan Axe scarpers but Izzie i-Pad is too slow.  Shaun's already been devoured.

Zombie movement rules dictate their behaviour according to what sounds they've heard, whether a survivor is in sight etc. 

Mal, Jayne and Zoe clamber into the fuel truck.

The starship crew roll a 1 for their initiative, giving a random event - they found the keys in the van and can drive off immediately!  A quick stop by the cargo containers at the storage depot results in a jerrycan of water, very useful.  As the pursuing zombies approach, the crew clamber back into the tanker and head for the ramp down the cliffs.

Oh dear!  Izzy i-Pad gets eaten...

Things aren't going so well for the townsfolk.  Still, the zombies will feed on the dead for 1 turn which gives the remaining survivor a chance to escape!

The fuel truck hurtles down towards the beach.

Starship crew head for the beach, they know there is another fuel truck here that they've got to move out of the way plus more zombies to kill.

Security team make a break for it.  Rapid fire!

Security team decide to break out.  The tracked vehicle is locked but they're able to get into the SWAT van round the corner before the zombies get them.  The cyborg is very tough and punches the head off a zombie with great ease.

Pistol Patty and a scared child leap from the roof and run for safety.

Pistol Patty has found a small child (event roll), they've managed to climb onto the roof while the zombies devour Chainsaw Charlie round the front and now they're off the back of the shack and running...

Rifle Rick leaps from the roof... and rebounds from the fence into the zombie horde.

Rifleman Rick heroically leaps from the top of the other shack... but gets tangled in the fence and is eaten by zombies before he can regain his feet.

IMEC pick up Alan the towsfolk survivor in their digger...

Alan the townsfolk survivor joins IMEC in their digger.  IMEC have found a crate of food which should last them for a good long voyage - especially now since their friend succumbed to the zombies.

...and try to catch up with the fuel truck.

They drive after the fuel truck, co-operation looks like being the best way to escape the island.

Patty and the child run for their lives.

Meanwhile, back in the woods Patty and the small child make a special sprint move but the zombies aren't far behind.  Past the forestry 'mech they dash, coming into town.

Security team grab some food supplies.

The security team (pausing only to pick up a WALL-E type droid) swerve into the workshop and pick up a food crate the townsfolk discovered earlier.

Cheerleader zombie leaps aboard the digger!

Alan the townsfolk survivor rolls a 1 for his initiative.  The event that results is... Zoombie!  The closest zombie makes a sudden fast move and leaps onto the back of the digger.  Luckily for the IMEC team this zombie cheerleader runs out of action points before she can bite them. All she can do is groan and wave her rotting pom-poms in a threatening manner...

Jayne takes down several zombies but there are just too many!

As Mal drives the Shell tanker down and makes a neat 3-point turn, Zoe leaps out and runs to the cab of the oil tanker.  Can she move it out of the way?  Jayne provides covering fire with his trusty rifle Vera, shooting at zombies further along the promenade and eliminating two.  Sadly he fails to notice two more hauling their rotting corpses up the sea wall behind him, the first he knows is when their cold dead hands grip him and their teeth crunch into his warm flesh!  Zoe can't get the truck started, no keys and it looks like the engine has seized.  Is she, too, doomed?

The digger demonstrates how efficient it is at squishing zombies!

One IMEC survivor shoots the zombie cheerleader at close range.  As the zombie's broken body falls from the rear of the digger, the other IMEC survivor guns the engine, hurtles down the hill and leaps dramatically through the gap between the oil tanker and an old loading 'mech, the digger scoop neatly decapitating both zombies as they go.  Zoe is safe and can leap onto the beach from the oil tanker's cab.

Patty and the child join the Security team in their SWAT van.

Back on the edge of town, the zombies are closing on Patty and the child - but in the nick of time, the SWAT van arrives!  Everyone piles in and with smoking tyres the van veers off towards the ramp down to the beach.

Supplies are brought on board and the boat is fuelled.

Down on the beach, Mal has also managed to jump the Shell tanker through the gap between the oil tanker and the loading 'mech.  All the survivors quickly haul the food crate on board and run the fuel hose along from the tanker.

And they're ready!  Time to go!

Food - check.  Fuel - check.  Water - check.  All aboard - let's go!

The SWAT van leaps through the gap.  Can they make it?

Tyre's squealing, the SWAT van swerves down the ramp and also makes the leap through the gap, onto the beach. Are they in time to join the others?  (All vehicles trying to jump through roll a D6 and succeed on a 4+.  Had they failed... well, let's say I was very disappointed that there wasn't a high speed collision between the 2 fuel tankers!)

No!  The boat has left.  Gunfire riddles the fuel tanker leaving the beach in flames!

Alas!  The boat is already moving away from the jetty.  Gunfire rattles out and the shell tanker and nearby boats are riddles with bullet-holes.  With a gusty whuumph! the fuel ignites, incinerating nearby zombies and rapidly spreading to nearby boats.  Patty, small child and the security team look on in dismay as the boat disappears over the horizon.  From behind them comes the wet thudding sound of zombies tumbling down the cliffs before shambling slowly across the beach towards them...

The End!

Neo Colonial Commonwealth rescue mission ends in failure!

Today's game; Tomorrow's War.  The Neo Colonial Commonwealth (D8 quality, D10 morale) vs the Armed Forces of the Charity Freedom Alliance (D6 quality, D10 morale).

Word had reached the Neo Colonial Commonwealth commanders that several prisoners were being transferred to a new detention facility.  These prisoners included NCC troopers taken during a previous operation on Charity.  Several squads would ambush an AFCFA convoy, eliminate the guards and free the prisoners.  At least that was the plan...

Convoy moving in from left, NCC rescue team from right, AFCFA in buildings in the centre.

Things started well, fire from an NCC Cyclops fighting suit and a nearby squad of marines taking out an entire fireteam of AFCFA troops in a watchtower.

First casualties!  An AFCFA fire team goes down...

Fire was exchanged elsewhere on the battlefield but for little effect, but the fog of war meant that AFCFA would not receive any of their planned artillery support.

NCC armoured fighting suit snipes from behind cover.

NCC troops advanced into the cover of several buildings.  Meanwhile the prisoner convoy gradually approached.  The AFCFA forces were lucky enough to receive a gauss HAMR anti-tank team who took up position in a watch tower.  Watching their surroundings carefully, they quickly disabled one of the Cyclops armoured fighting suits.  A Glaive APC was also damaged, reducing its speed significantly.  The other Cyclops received leg damage which would slow it down.  Return fire took the HAMR team out of action for the remainder of the battle, no other AFCFA troops feeling brave enough to clamber up the exposed ladder into the gun tower.

The convoy approaches.

The NCC force included two ATGM teams, one of which now took aim at the approaching convoy.  Excellent shooting!  The lead armoured car brewed up in a spectacular ball of flame and only one crewman managed to scramble from the wreckage.

NCC ATGM team take aim at the approaching vehicles...

 The convoy route was now blocked by burning wreckage and a fuel tanker.  Let's hope those flames don't spread to the tanker...

Kaboom!  Armoured car brews up but a crewman manages to escape!

 Bwoop!  Bwoop!  Chem alert for the NCC troops, they hastily donned their protective gear, reducing their troop quality.  Post battle analysis determined that the sensors had been set off by something in the smoke from the burning armoured car, no chemical agents had been deployed.  Further bad luck befell them as one of their Outrider scout vehicles was destroyed by a light anti-tank missile.

The road blocked, the convoy split in two and moved down both flanks. Additional support from the concerned AFCFA regional commander resulted in a light missile carrier joining the rear of the convoy.

The convoy split to detour past the burning armoured car.

More AFCFA reinforcements were now arriving, 1 support weapon team edging forward through the scrapyard and another taking up a firing position on the roof of the nearby house.

AFCFA support weapon team in cover in the scrapyard.

As the NCC marines attempted to move towards the convoy, more incoming fire destroyed the remaining Cyclops, killing the pilot instantly.  The marines were luckier with their fire, severely injuring a member of each of the support weapons teams.

Armoured fighting suit destroyed, the pilot dead.

The AFCFA weapons carrier and missile carrier manoeuvred round the flank to rain fire upon the beleaguered NCC troops.  Things were looking bad for the Commonwealth, especially with officers further up the chain of command interfering with the orders of the commanders on the ground.  Good leadership from the rescue force commander helped the marines regain the initiative, but there was now little chance of accomplishing their mission.

AFCFA vehicles commence bombardment of the NCC.

With the convoy split and unreachable and their casualties mounting, the NCC forces decided that their only option was to pull back.  Clambering back into their surviving vehicles they retreated from the battlefield.

NCC survivors prepare to fall back.

AFCFA forces celebrated their victory and unloaded their prisoners from the APCs.

Prisoners are escorted from their transport.

Although AFCFA forces were victorious, public support appears to be swinging toward the Neo Colonial Commonwealth.  Since the battle, footage has appeared which seems to show AFCFA forces mistreating prisoners and abusing the bodies of dead marines, undoing much of the positive publicity they received after previous engagements.

A fun game with lots of fog of war cards.  These prevented the AFCFA from using their artillery (fire mission available on a reinforcement roll of 6 on a D6, they would have had 2 available on th elast turn if not for the FoW card) but also reduced the NCC marines to troop quality 6, cancelling the edge they had over their more numerous enemy.  AFCFA also received a sniper team, missile carrier and Gauss HAMR team thanks to their FoW cards, all of which helped ensure their victory!

Dropship Horizon painting competition and projects on the go

I hope all the budding 15mm Sci-Fi wargamers out there have spotted the Dropship Horizon painting competition!

I have various works in progress and this might give me the impetus to get some finished!  I do try to get things done but because I can't have a dedicated painting and modelling space set up, it isn't always easy to follow something all the way through.  At the moment I have a stack of things building up ready for spray paint undercoating but damp, wet days and dark evenings mean that I don't get more than one or two opportunities a month!

Here's a little preview of some of the vehicles I'm working on at present...

Old Crow Samson armoured engineering vehicle.

Old Crow Sabre heavy grav tank.

Old Crow Outrider scout vehicle.

The Scene junk.

All the armoured vehicles are getting lots of extra bits of stowage, one of the things that is taking so long!

Old Crow Mule grav sled

Some more civilian transport has arrived in the from of an Old Crow grav sled.  The crewman has been replaced by a Peter Pig driver from the AK47 Republic range, whose head has, in turn, been replaced by that of a Hammer's Slammers figure from GZG (chopped off during a previous head-swapping exercise).  Being rather short, he's had a seat built up out of plasticard so that he can see out of the front of the vehicle!

Unloading cargo at a smuggler's camp (yes, that is Thunderbird 2 in the foreground!).

Delivering fuel drums through the freight depot gate.

Munitions transport.

Off through the shanty town for the next collection.

Base colour is GW sunburst yellow with a Vallejo sepia wash.  Dabs of rust colour have been added here and there with GW chainmail scuff marks along the leading edges of the grav-skids and the edges of the hull.  The transport bed was dabbed unevenly with assorted browns and greys, then given an extra wash of black ink.  A chainmail drybrush folowed by light drybrush of rusty colours has given it a suitably well-used appearance.  A few additional daubs of black ink show where chemicals have leaked out of the cargo and dribbled down the sides of the mule.

Old Crow Slingshot AFV

I've been working on some Old Crow vehicles recently.  Here's the first one to be completed, a Slingshot AFV with a turret mounted missile launcher. As always, click on the pictures for a larger image!

Jungle patrol with the Slingshot.

The low afternoon sun shines through the jungle.

The basic model was simple to assemble - all parts were washed thoroughly and dried, top and bottom halves of hull were glued together with araldite epoxy resin.  Wheels were also attached with araldite, taking care to ensure they all touch the ground.  They vary slightly in size/shape, not very much but enough that you could end up with a vehicle that wobbles or has a middle wheel just off the ground!

I've added quite a few details to these.  Grab rails/handles have been fashioned out of 0.56mm 24swg tinned copper wire superglued into holes I've drilled in.  I find that this wire bends and cuts very easily so is ideal for making quick additions like this.  The resin is very easy to drill into.  A tarpaulin has been sculpted out of super fine white milliput to fill up an empty space on the side of the hull.

Safety rail around top hatch, sculpted tarpaulin stowage.

 As well as the rail around the top hatch and the handles on the front and side hatches, I added a couple of smaller wire loops on the front of the vehicle.  Before I glued them into place, I added a single link of chain to each loop which hopefully gives the appearance of a couple of u-shackles hanging down, as seen on many modern AFVs.

Front u-shackles and various hatch handles.

 A resin stowage box and a couple of jerry cans complete the rear of the vehicle.  After this I decided to add a radio aerial too, this was made from a guitar string glued into a short length of brass tube, inserted into a hole drilled in the top of the vehicle hull.

Stowage box and jerry cans.

The standard Old Crow missile box was enhanced with a few left-over parts from other Old Crow missile pods, giving it an additional top layer with another 16 missiles.  This vehicle is intended to supplement my Stoat patrol vehicles and Kamodo APCs, providing light rocket artillery support.

Tarpaulin finished in DPM to match my infantry.

After a coat of Wilkinson's light grey spray primer, I've painted it in the same UK temperate colours as my other vehicles.  Humbrol 75 matt bronze green provides the base colour with Vallejo matt black bands.  Humbrol 29 dark earth was painted onto the wheels and into the wheel arches as a base coat with the green or black drybrushed on afterwards, giving the appearance of ingrained dirt in the wheel treads and under the body of the vehicle (or so I hope!).

Standard UK temperate camouflage scheme.

The green was given a thin wash of Vallejo black ink before drybrushing with the base colour.  Highlights were applied using Humbrol 86 light olive green on the main areas and Humbrol 67 tank grey on the black bands.

Extra layer of missile boxes added.

An overall drybrush of Humbrol 29 dark earth was applied across the vehicle, concentrating on the lower areas.  A second, lighter drybrush of Humbrol 93 desert yellow completed the weathering.

Rear stowage box and jerry cans.

The odd dab of GW chainmail was applied around the edge of hatches, on hinges etc.  The driver's vision block was painted Humbrol 25 blue with a GW enchanted blue highlight.  Sensor windows on the missile launcher are GW red gore and Vallejo black.  All these bits have subsequently been painted over with Pledge floor wax to give a glossy finish.

Size comparison - Matchbox Stoat, Old Crow Slingshot, DLD Kamodo.

 This will fit in nicely with my other vehicles and give some much needed fire support.

Infantry from Peter Pig (AK-47 professionals)

The Scene US Special Forces

 I took a couple of photographs of my painted US Special Forces from The Scene.  Still a couple of extras to paint but I'm happy with these as a start.  I think I've probably posted some pictures of them before but they matched the Stoat gunners because of their DPM style camouflage.