Monday 9 July 2012

My ATZ Campaign - Day 62 - Assault on Precinct 13 part 3

Part 2 ended with Vampifan, Detective Brandt and SWAT Sergeant Connors agreeing to work as a team to switch off the engine of the pick-up truck abandoned by a Killer Klown. Oh, and the zombies were now in complete control of the ground floor of the police station. Could things get any worse? Oh, yes, things could get a LOT worse!

TURN 10.   Activation - Police = 6, Zombies = 5
A rare turn in which no one could activate. Hey, it happens.
TURN 11.   Activation - Police = 5, Zombies = 3
Vampifan, Brandt and Connors, dropped safely down to the ground, although Connors decided to remain on the pick-up truck. He stepped up onto the cab roof. Brandt sat down in the driver's seat.
Vampifan offered the young detective covering fire. Firing a three round burst, he shot and killed two of the zombies who had just appeared at the NE corner of the police station.
SWAT Sergeant Connors aimed in the opposite direction to Vampifan and he opened fire on the seven zombies at the NE corner of the basketball court. He also hit and killed two from a three round burst.
SWAT Trooper Vincenzo resumed his shooting at the zombie strippers. He hit both of them in the head and thus negated the threat to the back of the police station.
Big Sil fired a three round burst of 5.56mm bullets at the same group that Connors had targetted. He blew the brains out of the back of the head of a bare-chested fat zombie. His second shot hit a little girl zombie in the centre of her chest, knocking her flat on her back. It was not a fatal wound. His third shot missed entirely.
SWAT Trooper Kelly and Patrolwoman Gibson fired three and two bullets respectively at the group of nine zombies approaching the front entrance of the police station. Kelly put an end to two of them, whilst Gibson blew the top half of the head off a little boy zombie.
Zombies never suffered morale problems, so the remaining six zombies advanced ever closer to the front entrance as if nothing had happened.
The three zombies still standing from the salvo of gunfire from Connors and Big Sil almost reached the pick-up truck. The little girl zombie knocked over by Big Sil stood back up, totally ignoring the small hole in her chest and the massive exit wound in her back.
The four zombies remaining from the group that Vampifan had fired upon moved closer to him at a slow but steady pace.
In the Reception Hall, Patrolman Tybald's suffering came to an end as the pack of zombies surrounding him finished feasting upon him. They didn't leave much to reanimate.
I rolled 24d6 for zombie reinforcements and for the first time in this encounter I got a below average result. Just six turned up, instead of the eight I'd have expected to see. Two zombie children appeared at the south entrance to the car park.
Another four entered the board next to the corpse of the Killer Klown.
TURN 12.   Activation - Police = 2, Zombies = 4
The four zombies closing in on Vampifan failed to reach him by just one inch! So close and yet so far!
Three zombies charged at SWAT Sergeant Connors, forcing him to take the Being Charged test. Despite being Rep:5, he only passed 1d6. I couldn't believe it, as exactly the same thing happened to Captain Markowitz. Was he about to suffer the same fate? In melee combat he rolled 2d6 against each zombie, whilst they rolled 1d6.
He won one combat, drew one and lost one. As one of the zombies bit him in the lower leg he dropped down on the pick-up truck roof. He was Out Of the Fight and probably infected.
 The four newly arrived zombies crossed the road, their dead eyes focussed on Vampifan.
Six more zombies entered the police station, almost filling up the Reception Hall.
Detective Brandt switched off the ignition of the pick-up truck and removed the keys. The silence was such a blessed relief. Vampifan climbed up onto the front of the pick-up truck and fired a three round burst at the two zombies preparing to feast on SWAT Sergeant Connors. He missed with one shot but his other shots were accurate and fatal.
"Sil, get down to the next roof," he ordered. "I'm going to need a hand to get the Sarge up to safety."
Big Sil swung over the second storey parapet and dropped down the remaining few feet.
SWAT Trooper Vincenzo spun round to see what was going on with his colleagues down on the ground. Spotting the four zombies crossing the road to the pick-up truck he opened fire on them with his 9mm Heckler and Koch MP5A3 Sub-Machine Gun.
Showing some superb marksmanship he scored three kills from three shots.
SWAT Trooper Kelly, armed identically to Vincenzo, fired her SMG at the two zombie kids who had just appeared by the car park entrance.
Her three round burst resulted in two fatal head wounds.
Even though Brandt had switched off the vehicle engine this turn, it still counted towards the 15d6 I rolled for zombie reinforcements. I expected five to turn up and, sure enough, they did. Four appeared just NW of the car park.
The remaining zombie, another small girl, still clutching her dolly, appeared by the east wall of the police station.
TURN 13.   Activation - Police = 1, Zombies = 4
Five zombies charged at Detective Brandt, who stood just outside the pick-up truck. He took the Being Charged Test and passed 2d6, which meant he could fire at his opponents before they reached him. Sadly, only one of his three round burst found the mark, although it was an outright kill.
Suddenly, he was facing four aggressive zombies, hungry for his flesh. He divided his 6d6 attack dice into a 2/2/1/1 split.
It all went badly wrong when he lost the first combat and was knocked OOF. As all combats are supposed to be simultaneous, I still rolled for the other three. He won the second melee, drew the third and lost the fourth, which also put him OOF.
Five more zombies (a group of four and the small girl) moved closer to the pick-up truck, sensing fresh blood.
Inside the police station, the mini horde began to slowly ascend the stairs leading to the first floor. They could hear Rookie Markowitz crying not far away.
"Bloody hell!" Vampifan swore as he saw Detective Brandt dragged to the ground.
This triggered the second Leader Lost Test of the game. Passing 2d6, SWAT Trooper Vincenzo become the new leader of the rapidly depleted police force.
Vampifan slung his Assault Rifle over his shoulder and passed SWAT Sergeant Connors up to Big Sil, who dragged him to safety on the ground floor roof. Vampifan quickly followed him up.
It made a pleasant change to roll just 3d6 for zombie reinforcements. Two arrived across the road from where Detective Brandt had fallen.
TURN 14.   Activation - Police = 4, Zombies = 3
"Sil, see if you can help the Sarge, please," Vampifan said with a note of concern in his voice.
"Will do," Big Sil replied as he bent down to try and aid Connors in his recovery.
Vampifan turned round and fired at the three zombies surrounding the prone Detective Brandt. He was hoping to kill all three but he only succeeded in killing two of them. His third shot went too wide.
"Status report!" SWAT Trooper and newly appointed Precinct Commander Johnny Vincenzo shouted, as he moved around the corner of the helipad to check up on SWAT Trooper Kelly and Patrolwoman Gibson.
"There are quite a few zeds inside the building," Kelly replied calmly, "but we're clear out here."
The little girl zombie in the blood spattered blue dress snuck round the front of the pick-up truck to pounce on Detective Brandt. She sank her teeth into the calf of his left leg. Another three zombies began biting and tearing chunks of flesh from the inactive detective. Their feasting would last for five turns. Five more zombies closed in, ready to join in next turn.
Inside the police station, the vanguard of the zombie mini-horde reached Rookie Ryan Markowitz. Unable and probably unwilling to defend himself he went OOF very quickly and easily.
For the second turn running, I rolled 3d6 for zombie reinforcements. A zombie rabbi appeared at the western edge of the car park, close to the entrance of the basketball court.
TURN 15.   Activation - Police = (6) 1, Zombies = (6) 2
Interesting! Double sixes meant a PEF and a Random Event. I rolled on the Random Occurrence Table (see p.52 of the BDTZ rulebook) and scored a 3 for a result of "the primary weapon of a character at random suddenly falls apart and is now useless." I rolled to see who'd be affected and SWAT Trooper Kelly was the unfortunate victim.
For the new PEF I determined its Rep to be 1, meaning it'd be very lucky to activate or move. It appeared in Sector 7 out of sight of everyone and in cover in front of the billboard.
I rerolled the Activation dice and this time, the zombies moved first. More zombies arrived to join in on the feeding of Detective Brandt.
The zombies devouring Rookie Markowitz would be occupied for two turns.
Up on the roof, SWAT Trooper Kelly swore a long string of profanities as she flung her useless Sub-Machine Gun away and drew her BA Pistol.
SWAT Trooper Vincenzo headed her way at a walk, shaking his head in sympathy.
Patrolwoman Gibson had noticed a zombie child had stepped into view below her.
She fired twice with her BA Pistol, achieving two hits, which resulted in a Knockdown and an Obviously Dead outcome.
SWAT Sergeant Connors only passed 1d6 on his Recovery Test, and so remained OOF.
Vampifan and Big Sil pumped six shots from two burst into the zombies feeding upon Detective Brandt.
Vampifan killed three and Big Sil killed two. That had thinned the zombies' numbers considerably.
However, their gunfire meant I rolled 8d6 for zombie reinforcements. Three appeared at the NE corner of the police station.

TO BE CONCLUDED
Total number of zombies appearing in this scenario = 99

44 comments:

  1. Whoa, this is getting even more intense. Now on to the final part :D

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    1. Told, you, didn't I? There are even more deaths in part 4.

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    2. I have to say I am a little bit worried about Big Sil. You commenting on that star power thing, characters that are not invulnerable, even more deaths, etc. + him "taking a bullet" for Vampifan to make up for his AWOL episode would fit right into your story-telling...

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    3. That's an interesting theory, Stefan, that I can't comment on just yet. Suffice to say, no one is guaranteed to survive in my zombie apocalypse.

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  2. Woo, this is getting bloodier and bloodier. Are you sure there are any survivors left at the end of the scenario, Bryan? :O

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    1. Not everyone dies, Mathyoo. But far more get killed than live to tell the tale.

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  3. This is one evil hell of a scenario! It's time to close the doors and set fire to the police station.

    I am sure Big Sil and Vampi will somehow survive this scenario, but those police officers are nothing more than Red Shirts. There's nothing but a horrible death waiting for them...

    Whiteface / Oliver

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    1. Setting fire to the police station seems like a good tactic, Oliver. The cops on the roof have no idea just how many zombies are actually inside the police station. At this point you have to fear for their safety.

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  4. It's building up to one epic climax.

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    1. You're not wrong, Joe. And just wait until you see the final photo!

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  5. Damn fine VtG!! Part 4 when? why not NOW!?!

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    1. I'm hoping to post part 4 on Wednesday or Thursday. Why not NOW? Well, I haven't typed it in yet. Yes, I know what Van Fampi would say - slacker!!!!!

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    2. ah well ... he might have once ... but since the unfortunate incident involving Zombie Me and the second floor roof of the 'Hyde-Moreau Clinic' - not anymore!!

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    3. Good God, I hope he doesn't come back as zombie Van Fampi!

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  6. I'm with Zabadak. Steaming up nicely. Got another day off as car went in for MOT, hoping to spend it with my Home Dogs but a sick child put pay to that. However, a cup of coffee and an excellent, exciting, BATREP more then makes up for it. Come on team Vampifan! Clear the zeds from the truck, get the whole gang together, seize the pick up and ride to safety blasting all that you see on route! I ran the double = PEF on my latest game, but didn't throw in the random event. Damn good idea I'll do it in future. Cheers mate.

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    1. Thanks, Irqan. I'm so glad my batrep has helped to make your day more tolerable. Regarding the random event, it occurs whenever you roll double one or double six on the activation dice. Sometimes the events have no relevance to the game, like if it applies to characters in a vehicle but no one is. Other times, like here, it can be... interesting!

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    2. Hey mate now you've read my batrep I can tell you I totaly empathise with the fates of your characters and the failure of test rolls.

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    3. Sometimes the dice gods can be a real bitch!

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  7. To quote one of my favorite films: "I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure." Great stuff! Can't wait to read the conclusion.

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    1. Once again, sound tactical advice... even if it is a bit extreme, Ironmonk!

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  8. The pressure is certainly mounting!

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    1. Isn't it just? But wait until you see part 4!

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  9. Great batrep. It looks like turning off the truck made a big difference. Too bad so many brave policemen died trying to do it. If Capt. Marquez had had better luck turning it off earlier, things might have been a lot different. Glad to see that chickenshit Markowitz met his end. I'm really looking forward to the next installment.

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    1. If Captain Marquez had switched off the engine in turn 4, it would have made a big difference. Markowitz deserved his death but it's a shame that it only took the zombies two turns to feast on him. Six turns would have been a big help to the three cops left on the roof. I'll try not to make you wait too long for the final part.

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  10. This is a blood bath! great batrep Bryan and its good to see the fates are giving some people their upcomings, team Vampifan couldn't be in a better position hey? good stuff.

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    1. This most certainly is a bloodbath and not in a good way! You're right about Team Vampifan. They are well sited.

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  11. Looks like a big win for team zed to me. They are converting breathers to shamblers in a big way. This is a great report, and I hope you had as much fun playing it as we are reading it.

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    1. Oh, no question - Team Zed are winning hands down, Charles.

      I can honestly say that I had more fun playing this scenario than any other game I have played. And I'm not just talking about ATZ, I do mean ANY OTHER GAME!

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    2. ATZ gets you like that, well it gets me! Ed T.'s other games are as good but not like this.

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  12. At the top, vampifan will stand in triump shooting the last zed through the head!

    Well...I hope he makes it through.... Damn that is a lot of zombies!!!

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    1. I admire your confidence in Vampifan, Johnny!

      As for the zombies, there are more to come, so anyone who guessed there would be over 100 zombies appearing in this scenario, be sure to check in on part 4. And if you didn't guess correctly or didn't take part in my little competition, check in anyway.

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  13. Wow. I raced back from my class (I HATE school sometimes...) for this. It did NOT disappoint.

    I'm a little nervous about the members of Team Vampifan here. They look to be in good shape right now....still, one of the comments you made earlier is haunting me...

    GREAT read, thank you!

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    1. Thanks, Varangian. You have me wondering about the comment I made that haunts you so. Care to share?

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    2. That you had to look up the rules for a Star going Out of Fight, using Star Power, etc...

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    3. Ah, yes. I had forgotten that Star Advantages are pretty much useless against zombies. When your Star gets to Rep:6 you think he's pretty much invincible. For the most part he is. But when he goes up against zombies you suddenly realise he's as vulnerable as anyone else. It's a scary thought!

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    4. That's actually pretty horrifying of a thought to me! I imagine it certainly made the rest of the scenario pretty exciting/nerve wracking.

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    5. Exciting, nerve wracking, tense and a roller coaster ride of emotions. Yes, all these and more. But above all, it was a hell of a lot of fun!

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  14. This has been a fantastic report so far. I hope you won't be offended when I say that I enjoy the struggles your team has been facing, as it makes for a very interesting read. I do hope at least one officer makes it out alive to join the team. Can't wait for part 4.

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    1. No offence taken by your comments, Adam. It is far more satisfying if victory is achieved after a struggle than after a walk in the park. Personally, I'd have liked to see all of the police characters joining forces with Team Vampifan... well probably not Rookie Markowitz! But that is not going to happen. Will anyone make it? Find out in part 4, coming soon.

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  15. I'm enjoying this report so much I don't mind having to wait for the next part in the least. And I normally hate cliff-hangers :D

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    1. Even so, you'll be pleased to know that you won't have long to wait for the conclusion.

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