My FFO Campaign - Week 1 - First Foray

And so I finally get to play my first proper game of Final Fade Out. The Day One scenario used a lot of rules that weren't in the rulebook, so that wasn't classed as a "proper" game. This Encounter will use the rules from the FFO rulebook and my House Rules As before, this batrep will be rules heavy for the benefit of new players. All notes relating to the rules will be written in blue text to differentiate them from the rest of the batrep. All page numbers will refer to the ATZ-FFO rulebook.
Encounter = Search
Location = Springvale, a Suburb of Mayhem City, USA
Time = Daytime during Day 7 of Week 1
Initial Encounter Rating = 3
CAST
Scotty "Vampifan" Bryant. Rep:5 Star Survivor with Born Leader and Slow Attributes.
  Skills = Drive:4, Melee:3, Shoot:4, Fitness:2, People:4, Savvy:3.
  Weapons = BA Pistol  and Katana (1HW or 2HW).
Angelina "Angie" Johannson. Rep:4 Co-Star Citizen with Free Spirit Attribute.
   Skills = Drive:4, Melee:2, Shoot:4, Fitness:4, People:3, Savvy:3.
   Weapons = Knife (1HW).
Niall "Big Sil" Sillito. Rep:4 Co-Star Citizen with Rage Attribute.
   Skills = Drive:4, Melee:4, Shoot:3, Fitness:2, People:4, Savvy:3.
   Weapons = Machete (1HW)
Robert "Gap" Thirlby. Rep:3 Co-Star Citizen with Runt Attribute.
   Skills = Drive:1, Melee:2, Shoot:3, Fitness:3, People:2, Savvy:3.
   Weapons = Baseball Bat (2HW).
None of the cast suffered from Lack of Sleep for this Encounter (see p.58).

The encounter took place on a 45" by 30" game board made up of six of my 15" by 15" Stoelzel's Structures urban game boards that I'd made from Carl's Undeveloped Real Estate set. This was the first time that the game boards were being used in my campaign.

The top of the board in this photo indicates North. The board is divided into 9 sectors measuring 10" by 15" and going from left to right then top to bottom. Sector 1 is in the top left of this photo and Sector 9 is in the bottom right.

Another view of the game board. I'd have liked to have added some trees to the two parks at the right of this photo but I am in the process of basing my collection of miniature trees, so please excuse the lack of foliage.

 Team Vampifan entered the board in Sector 8 and made a normal 8" move towards the 7-Eleven store.

Next, I rolled for the placement and Rep scores of the three PEFs (Possible Enemy Forces) (see p.60). Rep is determined by rolling 2d6 and using the lowest number for the Rep. Either number can be used if both numbers are the same. Roll 1d6 to determine which Sector the PEF is placed in. If there is a building in that sector, place the PEF inside. If there is cover that blocks Line of Sight to the player group, place the PEF so it can't be seen. Otherwise, place the PEF in the centre of the Sector.
PEF:1 was Rep:2 and was placed in Sector 1 in the centre of the Sector and in the open.
PEF:2 was Rep:3 and was also placed in Sector 1 in the centre of the Sector and in the open.

PEF:3 was Rep:4 and was placed in Sector 6. There was a building there, so I placed it inside the book store.

The final task to do before the game could begin was to roll to see how many zombies were placed on the board (see p.45 under the heading When The Game Starts). As this Encounter was taking place in an Suburban Area, each human would generate 1d6 zombies. Because there were four members of Team Vampifan, I rolled 4d6 and got a result of 12. The zombies were placed in accordance to the result of a 1d12 roll and consulting the clock face on p.46 of the rulebook. Remember, my House Rule concerning the d12. One zombie was placed at 9 o'clock. Five zombies were placed at 8 o'clock.

One zombie was placed at 2 o'clock (top of this photo), whilst two more were placed at 3 o'clock and another one at 4 o'clock.

Finally, two zombies were placed at 11 o'clock. All twelve zombies were in place so now the game could begin.

FIRST FORAY
Seven days had passed since the impossible had happened. The dead were returning to life and attacking the living. Those bitten or infected soon died and returned as an undead monster - a flesh eating zombie! In just one week the world was consumed by chaos. The authorities had failed to get a proper grip on the situation. Panic ensued, resulting in anarchy and lawlessness in many places.
Vampifan and his two close friends and next door neighbours, Big Sil and Angie had not suffered as badly as many others. However, their friend, Gap, had to flee his apartment when it was overrun by marauding zombies. He was now staying with Vampifan. The four friends had agreed to stick together for the duration of this crisis. None of them were sure of how long it would last, but Vampifan was not optimistic of a satisfactory outcome.
After a week had passed they ventured out as a group for the first time since the Outbreak had begun. They had plenty of provisions at home but they agreed it would be a good idea to stockpile more. So, they took a short stroll to the shopping centre of Springvale, hoping that they could find supplies at their local 7-Eleven store.
As Team Vampifan had Line of Sight to PEF:1 and PEF:2, they had to be resolved first.
I rolled for PEF:2 first because it had a higher Rep than PEF:1. I rolled 2d6 against the Initial Encounter Rating of the area (a 3) and passed 1d6 (see p. 60 and p.61). This gave a result of "Something's out there" and increased the Encounter Rating by one from 3 to 4. Rolling for PEF:1, I also passed 1d6, and so the Encounter Rating was raised by one from 4 to 5.

TURN 1.   Activation - Vampifan = 5, Zombies = 6, PEFs = 3
Vampifan led his three friends inside the 7-Eleven store. They pulled up short as they were confronted by two zombies, one male and one female.
When you enter a building for the first time during an Encounter you must determine if there are zombies inside or not (see p.47). First, move the human party up to 2" inside the building from the entry point. Next, roll 6d6 to generate zombies as per the firing a weapon rule, i.e. a zombie will be generated on the roll of 5 or 6 because this is a Suburban Area. I scored two successes and I matched the zombies up against Vampifan and Big Sil because they were ahead of Angie and Gap and thus the closest targets.
As this was the first time that Big Sil, Angie and Gap had seen a zombie close up they had to take the Zed Or No Zed Test (see p.49). Angie passed 2d6, whilst Big Sil and Gap passed 1d6. They all were able to identify the attackers as zombies. Having successfully passed the test they would never have to take it again.

All four members of Team Vampifan were holding melee weapons. Vampifan held his katana in a two-handed grip. Big Sil hefted his machete in his right hand.
"Go for the head!" Vampifan advised as he swung his deadly katana at the female zombie's neck. It sliced through skin, bone and sinew almost effortlessly and the zombie crumpled to the floor as her head flew away behind and bounced to a halt by the serving counter.
Big Sil heeded Vampifan's advice and swung his machete down on top of the male zombie's skull, bisecting the skull straight down the middle for an instant kill.
After matching the zombies and humans up, I had to roll for Zombie Surprise (se p.47). For the zombies I rolled 1d6 and added the result to the number of zombies attacking the humans. I rolled a 4 and added this to 2 for a result of 6. Vampifan and Big Sil had to beat this by rolling 1d6 each and adding their Rep scores to the number rolled. Vampifan rolled a 3 and added 5 for a result of 8. He had beaten the zombies' score. He opted to fight the zombie in Melee Combat as he had his katana readied and his pistol was holstered. However, Big Sil only rolled a 2, which when added to his Rep of 4 gave a total of 6. This did not beat the zombies' score, it merely equalled it. He would have to engage in Melee Combat.
Vampifan attacked first, rolling 5d6 (3 for his Melee Skill and +2 for using a two-handed weapon). The zombie rolled 3d6 and both sides counted their successes (any rolls of 1, 2 or 3). Vampifan scored 3 successes but got a bonus success for fighting a zombie. His opponent only scored one success, so Vampifan won by 4:1. He rolled 1d6 on the Melee Results Table and scored a 2. This was classed as an Out Of the Fight result, which against zombies is the same as an Obviously Dead result (see p.31 for the Melee Combat rules).
Because Big Sil was being charged by a zombie, I had to take the Citizens Brown Pants Test (see p.30) for him. I rolled 1d6 against his Rep and passed with a roll of 2. He could fight as normal. He rolled 6d6 against the zombie's 3d6. Big Sil had a Melee Skill of 4. To this he added +1 for having the Rage Attribute and another +1 for using a one-handed weapon. He won with a 4:2 result. He rolled a 1 on the Melee Results Table, scoring an Obviously Dead result.
Finally, I rolled to see if PEF:3 would move. I rolled 2d6 against its Rep of 4, which was reduced to 3 because it was inside a building (see p.60). I rolled a 6 and a 4, so it passed 0d6. meaning it would not move this turn.

TURN 2.   Activation - Vampifan = 2, Zombies = 3, PEF = 6
The twelve zombies outside of the 7-Eleven moved closer to the store's entrance.

Team Vampifan took time out to search the now deserted ground floor of the 7-Eleven store for supplies. Whilst the shelves had been cleared of a lot of goods they were not totally empty and all four members of Team Vampifan found something of value.
This gave me the first chance to use my Random Loot Table that I had designed for my House Rules. I rolled for Vampifan first on the Loot Table (see p.56). he had to roll 2d6 against the current Encounter Rating of the Area, which was now up to 5. He only passed 1d6 and so found one Food unit. In year One this is an automatic success. The other three all passed 2d6 and so were able to roll on my Random Loot Table. Big Sil rolled an 8, indicating Food. This gave him an initial score of 2. To this he added +1 for being in a Suburban Area and a +3 for being in a Supermarket. This gave him a total of 6, which meant an automatic success for him. Next, Angie scored an 11 for Medical Supplies. This gave her a base score of 0. To this she added +1 for being in a Suburban Area and a +1 for being in a Supermarket, giving her a total of 2. Luckily, she rolled a 2 and found one unit of Medical Supplies. Very handy!. Gap rolled a 7, giving him a Food item, which as we saw with Big Sil, he'd find automatically.
Their final tally consisted of three units of Food and one unit of Medical Supplies. They piled them into a shopping trolley, which Angie suggested they take, although she did insist on her husband pushing it.

TURN 3.   Activation - Vampifan = 6, Zombies = 4, PEF = 1
Only the PEF could Activate this turn. This time I rolled a 3 and a 2 against its modified Rep of 3, so it passed 2d6 on the PEF Movement Table. This meant that it could move 12" towards the  nearest player characters, moving through cover at all times. This placed it inside the 7-Eleven store, so I rolled 2d6 on the PEF Resolution Table (see p.61) to see what it was. I passed 2d6 against the Encounter Rating of the area for a result of "Contact!" Now I had to roll 1d6 on the Contact Days 1-10 table to see whether it was citizens or zombies. I rolled a 1, which gave me a result of Citizens with a +1 modifier on the How Many Table. So I rolled 1d6 and scored a 4, which was increased to 5 because of my +1 modifier. Consulting the Citizens column on the How Many Table (see p. 62) that gave me a result of 3 Citizens. This was lucky for me, as I knew exactly which three Citizens I wanted to use.
Team Vampifan were momentarily taken by surprise as the back door burst open and three people hurried inside. Two children, a boy and a girl, stuck close to their mother, who led the way. She was slim and athletic-looking with her long dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail. The most striking thing that Vampifan noticed about her was the .44 Magnum revolver she held in a steady grip in her left hand, pointed at his face.
"Whoa, lady!" he said, hoping to defuse the situation. "We're not your enemies. Let's just chill out and talk first. There's no need for violence. Plus, if you fire that cannon in here, you'll attract a horde of zombies that are just gathering outside."
She lowered her gun and asked, "who are you?"

It was time to roll on the Meet and Greet Table. The leaders of both sides rolled against their People Skill, looking for successes (any roll of 1, 2 or 3). This House Rule of mine replaces Rep with People Skill. Both Vampifan and the woman had a People Skill of 4. It would be a close contest. I rolled 5, 3. 3 and a 1 for Vampifan, giving him 3 successes. For the lady I rolled 6, 6, 3 and 2 for 2 successes. This was exactly the result I wanted as it meant that the citizens would ask to join Vampifan's group.
Introductions were made and the newcomers identified themselves as Hannah Vaughn, her daughter, Jamie and her son, Billy. They were looking for food and shelter. Vampifan recognised a kindred spirit in Hannah and offered to help them out. They shook hands on the deal and Team Vaughn joined forces with Team Vampifan.

TURN 4.   Activation = Vampifan = 5, Zombies = 1
"Shall we search upstairs?" Gap asked.
"No, let's not push our luck," Vampifan replied. "We've done well so far. Let's duck out the back and head for home."
The seven members of Team Vampifan trooped out of the 7-Eleven store via the back door, with Vampifan taking point at the head of the group.

Meanwhile, the twelve zombies congregated around the front entrance of the store, but they had lost sight of the humans and were just milling about aimlessly.

TURN 5.   Activation - Vampifan = 3, Zombies = 4
Team Vampifan exited the board. Mission accomplished.

AFTERMATH
Now I rolled for character advancement. Vampifan wanted to increase his People Skill from 4 to 5. He had successfully used it during the Encounter and he met all of the other criteria for a Skill increase (see p.72). I rolled 1d6 and scored a 5, just what he needed to succeed.
Big Sil wanted to increase his Rep from 4 to 5 but he rolled a 3 and so it remained at 4.
Angie and Gap were not eligible for a Rep increase or a Skill increase. On the plus side, because they had had a successful encounter, they weren't eligible for a Rep or Skill decrease.
The final task was to roll on the Keeping It Together Table (see p.72) to see if the Team stayed together.
To do this, Vampifan rolled 1d6 per point of his People Skill, adding +1d6 for having the Born Leader Attribute. This gave him 6d6 and he was looking for successes (any roll of 1,2, or 3). I rolled 6,4,3,2,1,1 for him giving him four successes. This result was applied against each member of the group. Big Sil had a People Skill of 4. He rolled 2 successes. Angie had a People Skill of 3 but added +1d6 for having the Free Spirit Attribute. She scored 1 success. Gap had a People  Skill of 2 and he also scored 1 success. I did not roll for any of Team Vaughn because they had not been with Team Vampifan long enough to form an opinion on Vampifan's leadership. Consulting the Keeping It Together Table (see p.73) Vampifan had scored twice as many or more successes than his team mates, so they would stay with Vampifan and would not take this test after the next Encounter.
I apologise for the lack of action in this batrep. Only two zombie deaths is hardly much to write home about. However, in this case, the result was far more important than the performance. The goals of a Search mission are to find Resources and/or new recruits. Team Vampifan succeeded admirably on both counts. Followers of my blog will know all about Hannah, Jamie and Billy. Indeed Hannah and Jamie were the only two survivors of my ill-fated BDTZ campaign. The Meet and Greet Challenge between Vampifan and Hannah could have gone very differently but the dice gods were kind to me on this occasion. I was delighted to be able to recruit Team Vaughn so soon in my campaign. I just know what an asset they will be to Team Vampifan.
For those of you who are interested (Doug, I'm thinking of you!) here are the stats for Team Vaughn.
Hannah Vaughn. Rep:4 Co-Star Citizen with Medic Level 1 Attribute.
   Skills = Drive:3, Melee:2, Shoot:4, Fitness:4, People:4, Savvy:3.
   Weapons = .44 Magnum Big Ass Pistol and Knife (1HW).
Jamie Vaughn. Rep:3 Co-Star Citizen with Martial Artist Attribute.
   Skills = Drive:1, Melee:3, Shoot:2, Fitness:3, People:3, Savvy:2.
   Weapons = None.
Billy Vaughn. Rep:3 Co-Star Citizen with Runt Attribute.
   Skills = Drive:1, Melee:3, Shoot:3, Fitness:3, People:2, Savvy:2.
   Weapons = Catapult (Range = 12", Targets = 1, Impact = 1. Silent).
Note that Martial Artist is a new Attribute. It grants a +1d6 bonus when in melee and all unarmed attacks are classed as using an Improvised Weapon, thus negating the -1d6 modifier for being unarmed.