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 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.
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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.
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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.
Nice bat rep Vampifan. Looks like you lucked out there. Would you have fiddled the dice if Hannah and her kids had turned out to be hostile? Somehow, I don't think you'd have been very happy if a firefight broke out between the two groups.
ReplyDeleteLead Legion, the worst result you can get on the Meet and Greet table with Citizens is a neutral one. Both sides exchange pleasantries then go on their way. If that had happeneed I'd have accepted the result and tried to recruit them if their paths crossed again in the future. Hostilities only occur if you decide to ignore the Meet and Greet and Walk the walk instead. That was never going to happen between these two groups. Even so, thanks for asking, as I'm sure there are others wondering what would have happened if the dice had come up against Vampifan.
DeleteThanks Vampifan. I had completely missed that Hannah and the kids were still civilians. Stupid of me really, a week into the campaign of course they'd be civilians! Thanks for straightening me out on this one. Much obliged.
DeleteNo problem, LL. It was an easy mistake to make. During days 1-20 you're mainly going to be encountering citizens or zombies. Survivors and Gangers become much more common in the third week and after. But I guess you know that now! :)
DeleteYay! A great start for Team Vampifan! You alomost apologised because there wasn't a lot zombie killing in this game, but I kind of liked it.
ReplyDeleteI always imagine a real zombie apocalypse would be a tense game of cat and mouse with the undead most of the time, anyway. Plus you achieved your objectives. The team had nothing more to prove.
I totally agree with you, Jon. Once Team Vaughn decided to join forces with Team Vampifan that effectively ended the scenario. There was no logical reason for them to stay. Knowing when to quit is just as important as knowing when to fight.
DeleteIt's great to see this campaign get underway. The detailed rules breakdown is nice as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Adam. I've had lots of requests to continue with the rules explanations, so they are staying for the time being.
DeleteAvoiding risk and conflict is often the better option. Anyway, so far, so good; I'm sure it will get more dangerous as time goes by!
ReplyDeleteAvoiding risk and conflict is ALWAYS the better option. And yes, it will get a lot more dangerous in the future. That's a certain fact!
DeleteGood batrep and start to your campaign. It was good to see that Vampi took the wise option an didn't push the team's luck. A couple of shots later and you're up to your a$*e in zeds, things then look completly different. Looking forward to Episode 2.
ReplyDeleteTell me about it, Bob. He who runs away lives to fight another day. With 12 zombies waiting outside the front of the store, taking them on was never going to be an option.
DeleteGreat start Bryan, definately the best possible start team Vampifan could have hoped for! It's nice to see team Vaughn back so soon and those new tiles finally in action
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dave. I really love my new tiles, so I was glad to give them an airing so soon after making them. Having Team Vampifan and Team Vaughn reunited so soon was a huge bonus. Although technically speaking, this is the first time they have met. The events of the BDTZ campaign happened in an alternative universe.
DeleteHow did you know I would want to see Team Vaughns stats? LOL
ReplyDeletePretty obvious since I mentioned previously in your last campaign that I was keeping a running record of Team Vampi and their allies as the campaign went along.
Hmm, let's just call it a hunch, Doug! LoL!
DeleteIf you're filling in my Character Record Sheets, here's some additional info for you.
Hannah is aged 34. She is left handed and she is carrying one unit of Medical Supplies.
Jamie is aged 14 and is right-handed. She carries one unit of Medical Supplies and two units of Food in a backpack.
Billy is aged 12 (still classed as a Teenager) and is right handed. He carries one unit of Medical Supplies and two units of Food in a backpack.
Fantastic Bryan.
ReplyDeleteThe new tiles look amazing, and the house rules work fine,i love the new loot rules so much better than before. You could not have hoped for a better result to this scenario, my view is with the new melee rules the less zed the better(i just started to read FFO)
Could you please Email me the loot table sheets and the cool character sheets you posted a few months back, when you get a chance, thanks SHINTOKAMIKAZE@ABV.BG
One thing you should do is make up some of Carl's cardboard boxes to put in the shopping trolly when its full of loot, it looks a bit strange empty ;-)
Many thanks, Shinto. This was a dream start for Team Vampifan.
DeleteMelee combat in FFO is a lot different to melee combat in BDTZ and can be just as deadly. Is it better? I'll let you decide.
I will indeed send you the Random Loot Table and my new Character Record Sheets.
You're right about my shopping trolley. It needs some goods adding to it. I'll probably fill it up with Milliput shapes.
This was great! I'm really happy to be able to read through your house rules in play. The loot rules make a lot of sense, they're definitely well thought out.
ReplyDeleteThe terrain looks great, those ground tiles are definitely worth putting together!
In FFO, if you pass 2d6 on the Loot Table you can find whatever you want. That did not sit well with me as it is so open to abuse. Here I am in a church and I really need a flamethrower. Hey look, I've passed 2d6 and what do you know, the vicar had a flamethrower tucked away behind the pulpit! No! I don't think so! I wanted more of a random element in finding loot as in ATZ first edition or even with the Risks and Rewards cards. I am very happy with my Random Loot Table and it seems to work well in play.
DeleteThe new urban tiles add a lot to the look of the game. Full marks to Carl for this set.
It's a good start and a good way to ease in to the campaign, nice read Bryan.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Fran.
DeleteWell done mate!
ReplyDeleteExperience tells a lot. Like you did not press on for searching the next floor. Not trying to take the zeds out but made a tactical withdrawal.
And it shows, you survived, with food, medicine and more friends to the group.
Good work and proper leadership skills!
I thank you, Johnny. You, too, understand the needs of a tactical withdrawal. Your compliment about good leadership skills is much appreciated.
DeleteThe new terrain boards look very good and has fiited in seamlessly.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, the "action" was pretty minimal, but fitting for a first foray and your new loot tables seemed to work really well.
Couple of rule questions:
Have you abandoned/ammended the rule about only recruiting as many members to your band equal to your rep ?
Similarly, you didn't mention the "keeping it together" test that should betaken at the end of an encounter.
Thanks for the comments and rule queries, Joe.
DeleteYes, your starting band is limited in numbers to the Rep of the Star leading the group. Note that the operative word here is "starting." Once the campaign gets under way you are free to recruit as many new members as you want. I see no restriction at all placed upon the number of people you can recruit if you succeed on the Meet and Greet table and those you want to recruit are of a Rep equal to or lower than yourself.
As for not mentioning the Keeping It Together Test, that was because I totally forgot about it. Oops, my bad! I have edited my batrep to include this important test. Check out the Aftermath section. Thanks for reminding me about that, Joe.
Did I read the house rules worng or should Vampifan's skills all be one point higher than they are? Also I would love the character sheets and loot table if you're in the mood to email them stsquiresaz@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Sorry, Sean, but you have read the rules wrong. After the Day One Encounter, Vampifan increased his Rep from 4 to 5. When you gain a Rep increase, your skills do not increase as well. This is an important point to remember. It helps to slow down character advancement, which I think is a good thing. Vampifan has managed to get his People Skill equal to his Rep but the other Skills will have to be increased one by one some time in the future.
DeleteI will, of course, e-mail you the two items you requested.
Great looking cars! Do you have a random loot table for searching vehicles? Carl in the Walking Dead Series found some cool weapons (Gerber knives and Machetes) when he search in a vehicle. Great report as always, similar yet quite different from earlier ATZ rules.
ReplyDeleteErnie
I thought you'd like the cars, Ernie! I thought it was about time I gave them an airing. I forgot all about searching cars when I did my Random Loot Table, although I did remember Container Units as pulled by Big Rigs. I'll have to add Cars to my table. Thanks for the reminder.
DeleteReally nice report Bryan, as usual! ;)
ReplyDeleteBig Sil pushing around the shopping trolley is fantastic!!! :D
Thanks, Gnotta. See the dutiful husband obeying his wife. Ah, married life!
DeleteWell the action has started and the campaign begun. More of a teaser that a full on battle. But that's how it should be. set the scene introduce the cast and bite your fingernails waiting for the next instalment. Yes only 2 zeds, but if you started with hundreds it would have ended the campaign very quickly so I think you have the pace of action right!
ReplyDeleteAlready looking forward to the next episode!
I totally agree with every word you said, Clint. The good news is that you shouldn't have too long to wait for the next episode.
DeleteGreat batrep and good start!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tito.
DeleteEnjoy the times with little action as they can be few and far between. Excellent as always. Sigh, wish I had more time to game.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Ed. Games as quiet as this are very rare indeed, so I certainly am relishing it. My number one wish is that I could play more games. Sadly, real life intrudes far too often.
DeleteWOOT!!! Team Vampifan is back in action. I am happy to see them reunited with Hannah and her kids too! The Magnificent Seven hehehe!!
ReplyDeleteYes, the Magnificent Seven are back to kick zombie ass! It'll be just like old times... only different.
Delete