These guys will be making appearances from time to time in the campaign. And the next campaign adventure will be coming at you real soon!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Heah Com' da Fuzz!
I got Rebel Minis pack of police officers and it comes with 22 officers in five poses. Since the THW rules that I use work well with small groups, I divided the officers up into four groups of five and a group of two. I couldn't really see a time when I would need much more than four or five officers since I also have the SWAT pack and I could always mix a local PD with a county sheriff's office if I needed more officers for a particular setting. I then painted them up, each group with its own uniform. Here you can see the five poses that come in the pack and the five uniforms I used - tan and brown, light blue/dark blue, all black, tan and green, and all tan.
These guys will be making appearances from time to time in the campaign. And the next campaign adventure will be coming at you real soon!
These guys will be making appearances from time to time in the campaign. And the next campaign adventure will be coming at you real soon!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
ATZ Campaign Day 1: The Hunt Begins
(BTW, I renamed the previous post "ATZ Campaign Day 0" as this is the first actual day of the campaign.)
(And also BTW, the exclamation point in this font looks like a lower case 'L'. Or a '1'. Or something other than an exclamation point. At any rate, it's the font. Not me.)
Bob is my Star. Rep 5 Brawler armed with a shotgun.
Joe is a Rep 3 and a Medic. He's armed with a double barrel shotgun.
Angel is a Rep 3 and Slow. She has an over-under shotgun/rifle combo.
Ahmed is a Rep 3 and a Runt, armed with a pistol.
Turn 1: "Dude, you nailed this one! It was sheer genius using this abandoned fire tower to hunt from. We can see for miles!" Ahmed gushed when they got set up on the platform and looked out over the forest.
"Wait 'til you see this 12-point we saw last summer! You'll freak!" Joe interjected.
"And look," Bob waved his friends to the edge of the platform, "the deer run goes right past the base of the tower."
"Excellent!"
The friends settled down to wait. But they didn't have to wait long...
"Hey, I see something moving," Bob whispered to his friends. "Look over there." He pointed into the distance.
After a moment, Angel whispered back, "Yeah, I see it too."
"Look! It's that buck!" Joe whispered excitedly and made sure his shotgun was ready for action. "And it's coming this way!"
"Wait, what's going on?" Ahmed said out loud. "They're starting to run. What's the deal?"
Turn 2: The four stared open mouthed as the deer broke into a run and charged right past the fire tower.
"Hey, what's that?" Joe asked pointing in the direction the deer had just come from. "Look, those guys chased the deer off. And they're coming this way, too!"
"What do you guys think you're doing?" Bob yelled. There was no response as the loose line of people moved slowly towards them. They looked like they were flushing for another hunting party. This really ticked off Bob and Joe since that meant someone else would get their 12-pointer.
The four watched as the flushers comtinued to come closer and closer. "This is really weird," Angel observed. "Something seriously doesn't feel right."
Turn 3: "Yeah, you're right. There's something strange about those dudes," Ahmed added. "Look at the way they're walking. And they're groaning. It's like they're in a lot of pain or something." He paused, then finished the thought, "But all of them?"
Turn 4: Doubles - no move, no fire.
Turn 5: "It can't be..." Bob said suddenly. The others looked at him quizzically. "Man, if those things are what I think they are, we're in trouble!" Bob looked genuinely astonished.
"What are you talking about, Bob?" Angel asked.
"Zombies." Bob answered, and opened fire. The others followed suit, and knocked down a couple zeds, but didn't kill any.
2 more zombie appeared from the gunfire.
Turn 6: Doubles - no move, no fire.
Turn 7: Doubles - no move, no fire.
Turn 8: Two (!) zeds started up the ladder of the fire tower. Bob managed to shoot one off. No new zombies appeared.
Turn 9: Ahmed managed to kill a zed with his pistol. Joe also got one. No new zombies appeared.
Turn 10: One zed reached the top of the ladder and Bob (brawler) knocked him off in melee. Another (!) zombie started up the ladder. Angel finally got one. One new zombie appeared.
Turn 11: The next zed reached the top of the ladder and Bob killed it with a "Pop Goes the Weasel" shot. Two new zombies appeared from the gunfire.
Turn 12: Ahmed killed one. No new zombies appeared.
Turn 13: Bob got one zed. Another zombie appeared.
Turn 14: Doubles - no move, no fire.
Turn 15: Bob killed two more with a shotgun blast and Joe got one. Another zed started up the ladder. No new zeds appeared.
Turn 16: Bob killed two zeds. No new zeds appeared.
Turn 17: Bob and Joe each got one. The base of the tower was littered with dead zeds and they didn't see any more of the things moving around. "Let's get out of here! This is insane!" "Where'd those things come from?" "I hope there's no more of them!" The friends climbed shakily down from the tower and headed back towards the cabin. This hunting trip wasn't as much fun as they thought it would be.
Evaluation:
Since this was my first ATZ game, I wanted something lightweight so I could concentrate on learning the flow of the game without a bunch of crazy stuff going on. This was the perfect setting since zeds are rarest in rural settings and the ranger tower kept the crew safe enough. The next one will be a little more challenging and will have the guys on the move.
I honestly thought this would be a cake-walk with the team in the tower and starting with only 6 zeds. The low reps of the team ensured lots of misses. I quickly decided that zombies at the base of the tower would qualify for the "Special Firing at a Zombie Rule" rule and would not be counted as facing the shooters. This allowed me to roll against the shooter's Rep for Obviously Dead rather than the Impact of the weapon.
I was also surprised at the number of climbers I rolled - something like 4 or 5. Bob took on the task of entering melee with the ones that reached the top since he has the Brawler attribute, using his shotgun as a bludgeon and was able to "Pop the Weasel" on a number of them. Fortunately, despite the number of shots fired (almost everyone fired every turn) not a lot of new zombies were generated and everyone's ammo held out without a problem.
Stop laughing at my set up. I know the trees are a little sparse for a forest setting. I only have one box of trees and 5 of them didn't come with bases. I didn't really want to cut the playing area down to 2' x 2' - it's only 3' x 3' as it is so I use what I have.
Where I got the stuff from:
The cars from the previous post are by Model Power HO scale made for model railroading, as are the deer. The road was made from construction paper. Yup, even the yellow line down the middle. The ground clothes are felt cut to the appropriate size. The trees are Woodland Scenics cheapo pre-made box-o-trees. The ranger tower is scratchbuilt from balsa wood. As if you couldn't tell. Yeah, I really didn't feel like trying to model a ladder up the side of it. Or all the bracing that a real one would have. But it works for what it's worth. Which is about 50 cents of balsa wood, superglue and spraypaint.
(And also BTW, the exclamation point in this font looks like a lower case 'L'. Or a '1'. Or something other than an exclamation point. At any rate, it's the font. Not me.)
Bob is my Star. Rep 5 Brawler armed with a shotgun.
Joe is a Rep 3 and a Medic. He's armed with a double barrel shotgun.
Angel is a Rep 3 and Slow. She has an over-under shotgun/rifle combo.
Ahmed is a Rep 3 and a Runt, armed with a pistol.
Turn 1: "Dude, you nailed this one! It was sheer genius using this abandoned fire tower to hunt from. We can see for miles!" Ahmed gushed when they got set up on the platform and looked out over the forest.
"Wait 'til you see this 12-point we saw last summer! You'll freak!" Joe interjected.
"And look," Bob waved his friends to the edge of the platform, "the deer run goes right past the base of the tower."
"Excellent!"
The friends settled down to wait. But they didn't have to wait long...
"Hey, I see something moving," Bob whispered to his friends. "Look over there." He pointed into the distance.
After a moment, Angel whispered back, "Yeah, I see it too."
"Look! It's that buck!" Joe whispered excitedly and made sure his shotgun was ready for action. "And it's coming this way!"
"Wait, what's going on?" Ahmed said out loud. "They're starting to run. What's the deal?"
Turn 2: The four stared open mouthed as the deer broke into a run and charged right past the fire tower.
"Hey, what's that?" Joe asked pointing in the direction the deer had just come from. "Look, those guys chased the deer off. And they're coming this way, too!"
"What do you guys think you're doing?" Bob yelled. There was no response as the loose line of people moved slowly towards them. They looked like they were flushing for another hunting party. This really ticked off Bob and Joe since that meant someone else would get their 12-pointer.
The four watched as the flushers comtinued to come closer and closer. "This is really weird," Angel observed. "Something seriously doesn't feel right."
Turn 3: "Yeah, you're right. There's something strange about those dudes," Ahmed added. "Look at the way they're walking. And they're groaning. It's like they're in a lot of pain or something." He paused, then finished the thought, "But all of them?"
Turn 4: Doubles - no move, no fire.
Turn 5: "It can't be..." Bob said suddenly. The others looked at him quizzically. "Man, if those things are what I think they are, we're in trouble!" Bob looked genuinely astonished.
"What are you talking about, Bob?" Angel asked.
"Zombies." Bob answered, and opened fire. The others followed suit, and knocked down a couple zeds, but didn't kill any.
2 more zombie appeared from the gunfire.
Turn 6: Doubles - no move, no fire.
Turn 7: Doubles - no move, no fire.
Turn 8: Two (!) zeds started up the ladder of the fire tower. Bob managed to shoot one off. No new zombies appeared.
Turn 9: Ahmed managed to kill a zed with his pistol. Joe also got one. No new zombies appeared.
Turn 10: One zed reached the top of the ladder and Bob (brawler) knocked him off in melee. Another (!) zombie started up the ladder. Angel finally got one. One new zombie appeared.
Turn 11: The next zed reached the top of the ladder and Bob killed it with a "Pop Goes the Weasel" shot. Two new zombies appeared from the gunfire.
Turn 12: Ahmed killed one. No new zombies appeared.
Turn 13: Bob got one zed. Another zombie appeared.
Turn 14: Doubles - no move, no fire.
Turn 15: Bob killed two more with a shotgun blast and Joe got one. Another zed started up the ladder. No new zeds appeared.
Turn 16: Bob killed two zeds. No new zeds appeared.
Turn 17: Bob and Joe each got one. The base of the tower was littered with dead zeds and they didn't see any more of the things moving around. "Let's get out of here! This is insane!" "Where'd those things come from?" "I hope there's no more of them!" The friends climbed shakily down from the tower and headed back towards the cabin. This hunting trip wasn't as much fun as they thought it would be.
Evaluation:
Since this was my first ATZ game, I wanted something lightweight so I could concentrate on learning the flow of the game without a bunch of crazy stuff going on. This was the perfect setting since zeds are rarest in rural settings and the ranger tower kept the crew safe enough. The next one will be a little more challenging and will have the guys on the move.
I honestly thought this would be a cake-walk with the team in the tower and starting with only 6 zeds. The low reps of the team ensured lots of misses. I quickly decided that zombies at the base of the tower would qualify for the "Special Firing at a Zombie Rule" rule and would not be counted as facing the shooters. This allowed me to roll against the shooter's Rep for Obviously Dead rather than the Impact of the weapon.
I was also surprised at the number of climbers I rolled - something like 4 or 5. Bob took on the task of entering melee with the ones that reached the top since he has the Brawler attribute, using his shotgun as a bludgeon and was able to "Pop the Weasel" on a number of them. Fortunately, despite the number of shots fired (almost everyone fired every turn) not a lot of new zombies were generated and everyone's ammo held out without a problem.
Stop laughing at my set up. I know the trees are a little sparse for a forest setting. I only have one box of trees and 5 of them didn't come with bases. I didn't really want to cut the playing area down to 2' x 2' - it's only 3' x 3' as it is so I use what I have.
Where I got the stuff from:
The cars from the previous post are by Model Power HO scale made for model railroading, as are the deer. The road was made from construction paper. Yup, even the yellow line down the middle. The ground clothes are felt cut to the appropriate size. The trees are Woodland Scenics cheapo pre-made box-o-trees. The ranger tower is scratchbuilt from balsa wood. As if you couldn't tell. Yeah, I really didn't feel like trying to model a ladder up the side of it. Or all the bracing that a real one would have. But it works for what it's worth. Which is about 50 cents of balsa wood, superglue and spraypaint.
Monday, September 19, 2011
ATZ Campaign Day 0: Teaser
Introduction
I'm not following the ATZ campaign system strictly. Sometimes there will be more than one game in a "day". Sometimes there might only be one in a "month". I'm starting my hunters off with ordinary weapons that are easy to acquire (weapons that people would ordinarily own) and in an initial situation that isn't all that extraordinary. I don't know how fast games will progress as I have a very limited budget for gaming. I was originally going to use HO railroad buildings, but they are somewhat pricey so I'm going with scratchbuilt and paper buildings to populate my zed infested world. As I introduce various things into the story, I'll add a link to where I found them so if you like them, you'll know where you can get them too. I am going to use HO vehicles as civilian vehicles are really, really hard to find in 15mm and there is a wide enough variety available in HO that are decently priced. Might add some more ground rules as we go, but for now, that will get us started.
The Teaser
"I've been waiting all year for this trip. This is going to be excellent!" Bob pumped his fist in the air. "Let's hit the road! YAHOO!"
He climbed into the Land Rover with Joe and pulled onto the street, speeding up slowly to give Ahmed and Angel in the VW time to catch up. The friends all chatted happily as they headed out of Suburbia to Eagle Rock, their favorite hunting spot, and the little cabin that Bob's grandfather had built years before. The trip would take a few hours and they were anxious to get there and set up camp before the opening of deer season the following day.
"I wonder if that monster buck still hangs around that abandoned ranger tower we found last year," Bob asked.
"We aren't going to know until we get there, but I sure hope so," Joe responded. "You wanna bet on who gets it?"
"Naw, we better wait until we get up there. Angel and Ahmed are going to want part of that action, too."
"You sure you packed everything we'll need?" Angel asked Ahmed.
"I think so." Ahmed rubbed his bald head. "We have food for a week and plenty of ammo for both the shotguns and the pistols. I got slugs AND shot for the scatterguns. If we get a deer, we'll have more than enough food for two weeks! What more do we need?"
"Ha!" Angel laughed. "Well, we need clothes for the week. I'm not putting up with a bunch of smelly men while I'm enjoying this hunt. And I hope you brought the camping cook set and propane for the stove, silverware and plates. I do intend to be civilized while we're roughing it."
Ahmed stretched back. "Yup, no worries. I got everything." He settled down and dozed while Angel followed the Land Rover. They were finally getting into the countryside.
Bob and Joe continued to discuss the prospects for a good sized deer and the time was passing quickly for them. They both wanted the huge 12-pointer they had spotted that summer on a scouting trip to the cabin. They had watched it for days and thought they knew its habits well enough that one of them should be able to get it this fall.
The area was getting more wooded and hilly as they got farther from Suburbia and closer to Eagle Rock. They were approaching one of the crossroads offering gas, lodging, food and supplies.
"Hey, if you're ready to switch, get Bob's attention and pull in up at the gas station there," Ahmed mumbled sleepily rather than spoke. "I could use a bite to eat and the restroom."
Angel tapped the horn a couple of times and Bob, surprisingly, duly pulled into the station. When they stopped and got out to stretch their legs he said, "Not much farther now. Another hour and we'll be home sweet home for the week."
"Sounds good! I can't wait!"
After a quick lunch and a stretch, they topped off their gas tanks, piled back into their cars and headed off on the last leg of the drive.
I'm not following the ATZ campaign system strictly. Sometimes there will be more than one game in a "day". Sometimes there might only be one in a "month". I'm starting my hunters off with ordinary weapons that are easy to acquire (weapons that people would ordinarily own) and in an initial situation that isn't all that extraordinary. I don't know how fast games will progress as I have a very limited budget for gaming. I was originally going to use HO railroad buildings, but they are somewhat pricey so I'm going with scratchbuilt and paper buildings to populate my zed infested world. As I introduce various things into the story, I'll add a link to where I found them so if you like them, you'll know where you can get them too. I am going to use HO vehicles as civilian vehicles are really, really hard to find in 15mm and there is a wide enough variety available in HO that are decently priced. Might add some more ground rules as we go, but for now, that will get us started.
The Teaser
"I've been waiting all year for this trip. This is going to be excellent!" Bob pumped his fist in the air. "Let's hit the road! YAHOO!"
He climbed into the Land Rover with Joe and pulled onto the street, speeding up slowly to give Ahmed and Angel in the VW time to catch up. The friends all chatted happily as they headed out of Suburbia to Eagle Rock, their favorite hunting spot, and the little cabin that Bob's grandfather had built years before. The trip would take a few hours and they were anxious to get there and set up camp before the opening of deer season the following day.
"I wonder if that monster buck still hangs around that abandoned ranger tower we found last year," Bob asked.
"We aren't going to know until we get there, but I sure hope so," Joe responded. "You wanna bet on who gets it?"
"Naw, we better wait until we get up there. Angel and Ahmed are going to want part of that action, too."
"You sure you packed everything we'll need?" Angel asked Ahmed.
"I think so." Ahmed rubbed his bald head. "We have food for a week and plenty of ammo for both the shotguns and the pistols. I got slugs AND shot for the scatterguns. If we get a deer, we'll have more than enough food for two weeks! What more do we need?"
"Ha!" Angel laughed. "Well, we need clothes for the week. I'm not putting up with a bunch of smelly men while I'm enjoying this hunt. And I hope you brought the camping cook set and propane for the stove, silverware and plates. I do intend to be civilized while we're roughing it."
Ahmed stretched back. "Yup, no worries. I got everything." He settled down and dozed while Angel followed the Land Rover. They were finally getting into the countryside.
Bob and Joe continued to discuss the prospects for a good sized deer and the time was passing quickly for them. They both wanted the huge 12-pointer they had spotted that summer on a scouting trip to the cabin. They had watched it for days and thought they knew its habits well enough that one of them should be able to get it this fall.
The area was getting more wooded and hilly as they got farther from Suburbia and closer to Eagle Rock. They were approaching one of the crossroads offering gas, lodging, food and supplies.
"Hey, if you're ready to switch, get Bob's attention and pull in up at the gas station there," Ahmed mumbled sleepily rather than spoke. "I could use a bite to eat and the restroom."
Angel tapped the horn a couple of times and Bob, surprisingly, duly pulled into the station. When they stopped and got out to stretch their legs he said, "Not much farther now. Another hour and we'll be home sweet home for the week."
"Sounds good! I can't wait!"
After a quick lunch and a stretch, they topped off their gas tanks, piled back into their cars and headed off on the last leg of the drive.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Hands Up!
I got the Rebel Minis Hostages to do some police type games and for a couple of other ideas I had. In the post-outbreak world, though, there are definitely some not-so-nice people. Hostages might come in handy for a game or two so I'm putting them up here too. Besides, I don't have anything else this week. I've got my raw minis and paints packed to go home, and I'm packing my painted ones tonight (Tuesday). I've got a roll of toilet paper, two rolls of Scotch tape and whatever old tv programs I can find on Hulu.
Unfortunately, they're a little dark as my desk lamp got packed for shipping today (Tuesday, in case you forgot). But you get the idea.
Figured I'd get the post written up today and stored in memory since I'll be traveling all day on Friday and probably won't have time to do more than hit "PUBLISH POST" on Saturday. BUT I should have an AAR for you next week! At least I hope I will..
Unfortunately, they're a little dark as my desk lamp got packed for shipping today (Tuesday, in case you forgot). But you get the idea.
Figured I'd get the post written up today and stored in memory since I'll be traveling all day on Friday and probably won't have time to do more than hit "PUBLISH POST" on Saturday. BUT I should have an AAR for you next week! At least I hope I will..
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Odds'n'Sods
Unfortunately, I don't have much new this week. When I looked at the picture of my innocents last week, it didn't look like I had done much with their faces. I admit I don't do a lot of shading with cloths, but I put a beige wash on their skin to highlight eyes, nose, mouth, fingers, etc. It didn't really come through in the photos so I gave them another wash. Much better now.
I did get some rioters throwing rocks and bottles and waving baseball bats painted up. I have a pretty basic selection of colors and I didn't want to get into mixing a bunch of different colors, so they tend to be in variations of the same colors over and over. Most of them are wearing hoodies, either alone or under trenchcoats - at least that's how I interpreted the sculpts as the trenchcoat figs have something hanging out of the coat around their necks.
The baseball bat guys could be zombie hunters also, and might appear as such in action. I will probably just use the guys throwing rocks and bottles as looters in some of the action, or 'unarmed' civilians who don't respond well to my heroes.
It's hard to tell from the picture, but the first guy has a John Deere hat on and the second guy has a Cubs hat. Saw the colors and couldn't resist.
In a discussion on The Miniatures Page, one of the guys brought up the idea of using medieval crossbowmen and archers in sci fi gaming. It suddenly clicked that I could use them as modern zed hunters as well. I don't think the clothing was too far out there to not be used like that. I'll have to look at them again when I get home and see if I can use them as is or do a simple conversion to make them look more modern. I might have just acquired a couple more zombie hunters! If I'm stuck in CA, I will have to wait a while for them as I don't think my wife will be willing to brave my mountain of lead in the basement to dig out the couple of leftovers that I have from my Crusader/Norman army.
Next up, hostages. I'm in the midst of packing to go home, but I hope to squeeze in enough time to get them done before I go. I don't know if I'll get a post in next week or not, so we'll see.
I did get some rioters throwing rocks and bottles and waving baseball bats painted up. I have a pretty basic selection of colors and I didn't want to get into mixing a bunch of different colors, so they tend to be in variations of the same colors over and over. Most of them are wearing hoodies, either alone or under trenchcoats - at least that's how I interpreted the sculpts as the trenchcoat figs have something hanging out of the coat around their necks.
The baseball bat guys could be zombie hunters also, and might appear as such in action. I will probably just use the guys throwing rocks and bottles as looters in some of the action, or 'unarmed' civilians who don't respond well to my heroes.
It's hard to tell from the picture, but the first guy has a John Deere hat on and the second guy has a Cubs hat. Saw the colors and couldn't resist.
In a discussion on The Miniatures Page, one of the guys brought up the idea of using medieval crossbowmen and archers in sci fi gaming. It suddenly clicked that I could use them as modern zed hunters as well. I don't think the clothing was too far out there to not be used like that. I'll have to look at them again when I get home and see if I can use them as is or do a simple conversion to make them look more modern. I might have just acquired a couple more zombie hunters! If I'm stuck in CA, I will have to wait a while for them as I don't think my wife will be willing to brave my mountain of lead in the basement to dig out the couple of leftovers that I have from my Crusader/Norman army.
Next up, hostages. I'm in the midst of packing to go home, but I hope to squeeze in enough time to get them done before I go. I don't know if I'll get a post in next week or not, so we'll see.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Please Welcome Global Security, Inc.
Executive protection and overthrowing small countries are our specialties, but we can handle any job you have for us. No job is too big or too small. Our professional soldiers . . . er . . . security specialists are trained and experienced in a wide variety of arms and combat situations. If we can't do it, those weenies at Blackwater sure as heck can't, so don't even ask them!
Here are a couple of examples of our executive protection/corporate field security teams. Depending on the circumstances, we offer two man and four man teams with supervisors, and by grouping teams, we can create any size force you want to meet your needs. Even with a zed outbreak in the works there are still Very Important People in the world who deserve better protection than the little people should expect.
I don't foresee a lot of use for these guys in the outbreak, but I'm sure they'll come in handy occasionally. I have a couple more of them - might paint them up as more of a merc force.
Then we have the survivors. Innocents. Lunchmeat. Whatever you want to call unarmed civilians, we need some of them too. You never know when you will have to rescue a damsel in distress. Or accept a bribe to save Congressman McTwit from his former-constituents-cum-zombies. Heck, let them have him. What good's money in the post-outbreak world anyway? Save the damsel instead.
Good news. I ordered the terrain to get going on my first zombie games. Trees. Can you believe it? I've been miniature gaming for 10 years and don't have any trees. Always played at a friend's house and used his trees. Always bought minis instead of trees. Now I'll have my own and be able to game at my place, too. I'll be (temporarily) moving back to PA around the same time I'll be getting the trees so, although we're still looking at 2+ weeks, a game IS in the works.
Here are a couple of examples of our executive protection/corporate field security teams. Depending on the circumstances, we offer two man and four man teams with supervisors, and by grouping teams, we can create any size force you want to meet your needs. Even with a zed outbreak in the works there are still Very Important People in the world who deserve better protection than the little people should expect.
Two man team with supervisor
Four man team
I don't foresee a lot of use for these guys in the outbreak, but I'm sure they'll come in handy occasionally. I have a couple more of them - might paint them up as more of a merc force.
Then we have the survivors. Innocents. Lunchmeat. Whatever you want to call unarmed civilians, we need some of them too. You never know when you will have to rescue a damsel in distress. Or accept a bribe to save Congressman McTwit from his former-constituents-cum-zombies. Heck, let them have him. What good's money in the post-outbreak world anyway? Save the damsel instead.
Good news. I ordered the terrain to get going on my first zombie games. Trees. Can you believe it? I've been miniature gaming for 10 years and don't have any trees. Always played at a friend's house and used his trees. Always bought minis instead of trees. Now I'll have my own and be able to game at my place, too. I'll be (temporarily) moving back to PA around the same time I'll be getting the trees so, although we're still looking at 2+ weeks, a game IS in the works.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
SWAT Team and the Zombie Hunters Up Close and Personal
The SWAT team was actually the first set of Rebel Minis that I painted - they paint up fast since they're just black with a grey drybrush, flesh with a brown wash and hair in various shades with a highlight. (I'm still working on getting the photography down as you can see.)
Some friends wanted to see close-ups of the zombie hunters so I reshot them with the macro setting. I haven't named all of them, but some of them bear a resemblance to, or in other ways remind me of, real people. So let me introduce you to my zombie hunters:
The first one is Tina. Tina is a sheriff's deputy in Louisiana with a military background. I know she knows how to take care of herself and her friends. Next we have Jessy. Jessy is a great friend, former spec ops and a professional body builder who's been in Mr. Universe competitions. He is also a martial artist extraordinaire. Visiting the school I trained at, he accidentally broke my collar bone (yes, really). He felt really bad about that, but was ecstatic when I was in his town on business and called him up to train with him. Next we have Ahmed. He resembles one of my teachers, who is from the Sudan. So he had to be Ahmed. Two notable quotes: "So this is '50 Cents' [sic]. I wondered who this '50 Cents' [sic] person was. You call this music?" and "What do they export from Yemen? Terrorists." You have to imagine these being said with the appropriate accent.
This is Bob. Bob was an excellent ASL player, but he disappeared a long time ago and no one has seen or heard from him since, at least that I know of. He used to have trouble traveling to Canada because one time when he flew up there he forgot he had a bag of weed in his pocket. And they found it. Then we have Rich. Rich is also former spec ops who basically made military schools a way of life. He was the most overtrained, overqualified person I've ever known in the civilian or military world. Finally, we have Emily. I dated Emily for a while years ago. The real Emily wasn't as interesting or exciting as this Emily is. Just made me think of her for some reason.
In some ways I want to call these three Billy Joe, Bobby Joe and Joe Joe. Or Jim Bob, Joe Bob and Bob Bob (to distinguish him from Bob, of course). But somehow I just don't see them as the hillbilly, redneck or backwoods types. They seem more like just plain old street punks to me. I also suspect that in action they'd be more like Moe, Larry and Curly if allowed to operate together. Or maybe Huey, Dewey and Louie.
The girls are some of my favorites, but I don't have names for them. I guess I'll have to work on that. The first one might be Maggie. Not sure. I'll have to think about that. I think the second from the left was supposed to be a native American guy with the loincloth, but I figured I'd just paint the figure up like a girl and I'd have a female with a shotgun.
These are my favorite zombies. They turned out just the way I wanted them. If I only had one more, I could run a complete game of Dead Heat, the zombie racing game from Two Hour Wargames. I'll have to pick one of the others just to fill in.
I hope to have the scenery I need to do my first zombie game in a couple of weeks, but timing will be tight as I will be moving in the middle of September so it may get put off for a few days. I'd also like to use the Comic Life software to build my AARs. I like the way they look and feel of them for this type of gaming. So there's another few days purchasing and figuring out the package.
Before I forget, if any readers have a dedicated zombie blog, they'd like me to add to my blog list, drop me a comment.
Some friends wanted to see close-ups of the zombie hunters so I reshot them with the macro setting. I haven't named all of them, but some of them bear a resemblance to, or in other ways remind me of, real people. So let me introduce you to my zombie hunters:
Tina, Jessy and Ahmed
The first one is Tina. Tina is a sheriff's deputy in Louisiana with a military background. I know she knows how to take care of herself and her friends. Next we have Jessy. Jessy is a great friend, former spec ops and a professional body builder who's been in Mr. Universe competitions. He is also a martial artist extraordinaire. Visiting the school I trained at, he accidentally broke my collar bone (yes, really). He felt really bad about that, but was ecstatic when I was in his town on business and called him up to train with him. Next we have Ahmed. He resembles one of my teachers, who is from the Sudan. So he had to be Ahmed. Two notable quotes: "So this is '50 Cents' [sic]. I wondered who this '50 Cents' [sic] person was. You call this music?" and "What do they export from Yemen? Terrorists." You have to imagine these being said with the appropriate accent.
Bob, Rich and Emily
This is Bob. Bob was an excellent ASL player, but he disappeared a long time ago and no one has seen or heard from him since, at least that I know of. He used to have trouble traveling to Canada because one time when he flew up there he forgot he had a bag of weed in his pocket. And they found it. Then we have Rich. Rich is also former spec ops who basically made military schools a way of life. He was the most overtrained, overqualified person I've ever known in the civilian or military world. Finally, we have Emily. I dated Emily for a while years ago. The real Emily wasn't as interesting or exciting as this Emily is. Just made me think of her for some reason.
Hillbilly rednecks or street punks?
In some ways I want to call these three Billy Joe, Bobby Joe and Joe Joe. Or Jim Bob, Joe Bob and Bob Bob (to distinguish him from Bob, of course). But somehow I just don't see them as the hillbilly, redneck or backwoods types. They seem more like just plain old street punks to me. I also suspect that in action they'd be more like Moe, Larry and Curly if allowed to operate together. Or maybe Huey, Dewey and Louie.
Meet the rest of the girls.
The girls are some of my favorites, but I don't have names for them. I guess I'll have to work on that. The first one might be Maggie. Not sure. I'll have to think about that. I think the second from the left was supposed to be a native American guy with the loincloth, but I figured I'd just paint the figure up like a girl and I'd have a female with a shotgun.
My zombie racing stable for Dead Heat.
These are my favorite zombies. They turned out just the way I wanted them. If I only had one more, I could run a complete game of Dead Heat, the zombie racing game from Two Hour Wargames. I'll have to pick one of the others just to fill in.
I hope to have the scenery I need to do my first zombie game in a couple of weeks, but timing will be tight as I will be moving in the middle of September so it may get put off for a few days. I'd also like to use the Comic Life software to build my AARs. I like the way they look and feel of them for this type of gaming. So there's another few days purchasing and figuring out the package.
Before I forget, if any readers have a dedicated zombie blog, they'd like me to add to my blog list, drop me a comment.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Zombie Hunters and Zombies
After working on them for months, I've finally finished my 15mm Rebel Minis zombie hunters and zombies. Don't know when I'm going to get my first game in yet, though, as I don't have any scenery here! Perhaps in a month or two. In the meantime, I will be painting up various figures so check back occasionally to see what's up. I can only promise that posts will be irregular, but that I will keep posting.
Most of my intrepid zombie hunters.
Some zombies for them to hunt!
And more zombies!
I apologize for the poor photography. I didn't realize that my camera had a macro until I was almost done taking the zombie pics. I'll do better in the future.
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