Why Zombies?

Some friends have asked, 'Why zombies?'  OK, not in so many words, but that was kind of their meaning.  I've seen some of the classic zombie films like Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead and enjoyed them, so it wasn't like I was getting into something I wouldn't enjoy.  To be honest, I'm not sure I've been bitten by the 'bug' either.  I sort of fell into zombie gaming.  I had a little free time on weekends and wanted to do some gaming, but I haven't been able to hook up with gamers here in town because of schedules and timing.  I wanted something simple, different, that I could game solo, and that I didn't need a zillion minis for since I didn't have time to paint that much.  I've been in school for the last 15 months 3000 miles from home, and my friends, family and minis are still back in PA and IL while I'm here in CA. 

I was actually looking at sci fi skirmish gaming with GZG figures and while poking around on the internet for rules, I checked out Chain Reaction 3.0, the free rules on Two Hour Wargames' website.  I liked the mechanisms in it and the fact that it could be played solo, and shortly after that someone on The Miniatures Page just happened to offer ATZ1 for sale at half price.  I jumped at it, reasoning that since I liked the game system and I knew you could play with just a handful of minis in addition to a bunch of zombies.  While researching figures for ATZ, I ended up at the Rebel Minis website and I haven't been the same since!  They have almost everything I needed.  In fact, one more order and I'll have everything I need for zombie gaming and more, since the figures have a lot of modern crossover potential like hostage situations, police reaction to bank robberies, active shooters, riots, etc..  Unfortunately, that last order will have to wait as I now need to get the terrain for the zombie games. 

In the meantime, I'll keep painting what I have.  For example, here's part of my Bioterror Reaction Team:

They are a government paramilitary organization that is so secret no one knows anything about them.  They follow their mandate to the 'T', but I can't divulge what it encompasses.  However, I can say that it does not include hunting down and killing zombies.  They leave that to the police, military and civilians to accomplish.  Congress keeps funding them because they each figure someone else knows who they are and what they do, and the name sounds pretty darn impressive when embedded in funding legislation.  "Why, I voted to continue funding the Bioterror Reaction Team," Congressman McTwit recently stated while defending his position to his constituents.  See - it does sound good, doesn't it?  We do know that the team only answers to one person.  Who that is, though, no one knows either.

And then there's the team of intrepid journalists in army surplus flak vests to keep them safe from all sorts of potential hazards: 

Everyone needs journalists to get the story, get in the way, be rescued or get munched by zombies.  My own opinion is that most journalists should be munched by zombies, but I'm sure somewhere along the way, my zombie hunters will end up rescuing this bunch.  The journalists are from QRF Models LTD. 

And here's my last two zombie hunters:

I particularly like the way the camo pants on the girl on the left turned out.  So there you have it.  Until next time.