A Long way home- episode 3

 Episode 3 - Sam's day at work.
This is loosely based on the first Police scenario in Haven.  The major change is that noise will generate zombies.  In addition to this, as normal, a double will generate a random event (using colgar 6's cards) but if it doesn't apply then the double will generate a vehicle arriving at a random junction.

Sam was tired as he turned in for work the next morning.  Sleep had been illusive as he replayed the events of the previous day and he was also worried that the girls were out getting supplies.  His unease was not abated by other stories filtering in from the night shift.  They were not alone in encountering monsters (or zombies as people were now calling them, from the horror movies that were all the rage these days) and Laverne was not the only casualty the station had suffered in the last 12 hours.  Even worse, word was coming in from other stations and even other cities.  Zombies were multiplying , and multiplying fast.  Worrying times, indeed!
He met Harry at his locker as they prepared to go out on their shift.  No words were said about the loss of yesterday, they just shook hands, collected their gear and headed out towards their patrol car.  They hesitated momentarily as they reached it.  Laverne normally drove.
"I'll drive." offered Harry.  He quickly got in the drivers seat and started the engine.  As soon as Sam was aboard, he pulled out of the station parking lot.
Within a few minutes their first call came in.
"Be advised" the radio crackled "code 415 in progress at 337 Eastman boulevard. Screams have been heard on site"
A disturbance at a residential address. Sam looked at Harry, who just nodded, as he reached for the radio.  "Control, car 54 responding. ETA in about 5 minutes."  He sank back in the chair slightly as Harry floored the accelerator and the car lurched forward. Sam looked across at his colleague.  There was a haunted look behind his eyes, a look that made Sam hope that this was just as it seemed - a simple case of domestic violence.  They would know soon enough....
The disturbance had been reported at the house at the bottom of the picture with the red shutters.  The patrol car can be seen entering at the top of the road.

 Sam was pleased that everywhere seemed quiet as they approached the house, but the sound of their car sounded unnaturally loud in the quiet of the morning.

 In the distance a refuse truck rumbled down the road.  
"We are not the only ones to start work at this ungodly hour!" snorted Harry, almost like his old self . This reassured Sam a little.

 In the distance a figure on foot walked slowly after the truck, wobbling as if heading home from a good night out with friends.
the truck generated a zombie.

 Sam watched his colleague as he slowed the car slightly as he passed the much bigger vehicle.  Harry nodded to the other driver, then something about how the figure in the distance was walking drew his attention. His knuckles tightened on the steering wheel and the beginnings of panic began gnawing at the edges of his mind.

 With a throaty roar the truck accelerated down the road, the noise of its big engine filling Sam with foreboding. He looked at the figure approaching them.  His heart sank as he recognised the strange gait.
"Here we go again, Harry!" He turned to his colleague.  The fear was clear to see on his face.

 The truck generated 2 more zombie, and this was still counting day 2 as rural for generating them!  Oh well, at least something will happen in this one! :)

 "Harry, you going to stop the car?" Sam asked urgently. His Sergeant  showed no signs of hearing him, his fear filled gaze fixed on the figure in front. "Sarge! We are here.  Stop!" Sam was almost shouting now.

 The garbage truck disappeared into the distance. If they were to collect rubbish from this area today, they were certainly showing no indication of willingness to do so.
and it generates another zombie as it leaves! Thanks for that.....

 Sam wasn't sure if he was horrified or not as the car plowed into the stumbling figure  It made no effort to get out of the way and he could have sworn that at the last minute it actually leaped at the car, teeth drawn and fists raised, eager for the uneven contest.

 The sickening 'thud' brought Harry back from whatever dark place his mind had been in.  He quickly pulled the car to a halt and killed the engine. He looked out of the side window at the obviously dead thing in front of the car.  "That's the place, Sam." He said, indicating the building across the road.  "Lets get get in and get home as soon as we can.  No risks, you understand me?" As he left the car he added "Get the big gun again!"

 The noise of the patrol car generated yet another zombie, this time in the garden behind the house.

 The truck's last zombie coming out of this garden.

 Shambling figures began to make their stiff legged way onto the road, looking for the noises that had summoned them from their half life stupor.

 The two Officers quickly crossed the street and stood before the door of the house. Harry checked the number painted neatly on the side of the wall.
"This is it." he confirmed. A terrible groaning sound was beginning to build from further down the street.  Both looked in that direction. Figures could be seen staggering towards them, arms raised in anticipation of a deadly embrace.  Sam saw the uncertainty clearly on the face of his colleague. "You go in and see what's happening."  He suggested quietly. "I'll take care of these until you are out again. Try not to be long......"

 Before they could start, a zombie started coming at them, whatever senses it still possessed telling it that food was near by and causing it to speed up. Harry drew and fired in one smooth motion, both rounds taking it in the chest.  It dropped to the floor but still moved until Sam stepped forward and slammed the butt of the shotgun against its head.  It fell unmoving to the pavement.

 Sam looked at the group still making their way towards where they both stood.  He raised the shotgun and fired.
"The boy's getting good with that gun!" thought Harry as he watched the closest crumple to the floor, lifeless. He returned his attention to the door.  He knocked.
"This is the Police." He declared loudly."Please open the door."  He could hear screams starting inside the building.  He tried the door - locked

 He raised his boot and kicked the door.  There was nothing reinforced about its construction and it gave easily under the assault.  He cautiously entered, gun raised, listening for the screams.

 As soon as Harry had disappeared into the building Sam walked forward, intent on getting into range of the zombies while they were still in ones and twos.  His gun roared and one fell to the floor but almost immediately started trying to rise.  The others staggered past their fallen friend, onward towards the warm body in front of them.

 The nearest one raised its arms in anticipation of grasping its foe.  It flew backwards as Sam discharged his gun at it. It lay on its back for only a second before it commenced thrashing its arms and legs in an attempt to right itself.  Its companion gave it no thought as it moved past, lips pulled back in a silent snarl. Sam fired again but this time the weapon just gave....

 ..........a click!

 He fought down his rising panic, raising the weapon as a club just in time to fend of the reaching arms.  In the background he could see more zombies coming from the same garden the others had emerged from.
Inside the house, Harry moved into the kitchen, quickly scanning for signs of life.  A pool of blood coloured one of the work surfaces but nothing else was in here. 

 Reacting quicker than his opponent, Sam ran back to the patrol car to retrieve the other shot gun.  Glancing behind he could see more monsters zeroing in on him.  This was not looking good.  Harry had better be quick in there!

 Another scream made Harry whirl around, firing his pistol before he could stop himself.  He felt foolish, shooting at nothing.
"Come on Harry boy!" he berated himself.  "Too many years on the job to be behaving like a rookie!"

 Sam could feel the zombie getting closer to him. As he finally wrestled the thing free, panic making a simple task much harder, a city bus roared by.  It narrowly missed him, and as Sam looked up he could see the driver struggling with a zombie, trying to fend of its snapping teeth while still keeping some control over the bus.
As the bus came on a zombie was generated.  The scatter dice came up 'hit' so I ruled it was on the bus. Tough break for the driver!

 As the driver struggled keeping the vehicle going straight, zombies through themselves at it, looking at its passage as some sort of undead challenge.  A challenge that shear numbers swung in the undead's favour!  The horror of the things throwing themselves at him plus trying to fend off his attacker caused him to lose control.  With a squeal of brakes and a screech of tormented metal the bus rolled onto it's side, burying itself in a stone wall.

 Whatever sympathy Sam felt for the driver, he silently thanked whoever was watching over him as only one of his assailants was left standing.  One more was stunned but most were motionless on the ground. Still shaken from his lucky escape his shot went wide. His eyes were wide in surprise when the driver kicked the windscreen of the bus out.  He scrambled free, blood streaming from a bite wound to his neck, closely followed by his vacant eyed assailant.  Wide eyed, he looked at more zombies approaching from the garden opposite.

 Footsteps sounded upstairs.  Harry moved to the foot of the stairs. He took a deep breath then raised his gun.  He felt more scared than he had done at any point in his 25 years on the force.  

 Outside, the zombies started to move towards Sam again

 A wall of zombies approached the driver.  He frantically looked for a way out.

 The two zombies facing Sam charged.  His hasty shot took one to the floor, but not dead, while the other leaped at him.  Its snarling teeth were deceptively quick, but the butt of the shotgun was quicker still and with a sickening crack his assailant went down.  

 The Officer quickly moved forward and finished the other off with a swift jab of the shotgun.

 Fear coursed through the drives body, giving him inhuman speed.  He saw a small gap and went for it.  To his complete surprise he was through and running, his slower moving pursuers falling further behind with each stride.  The pain in his neck was excruciating!! 

 Upstairs, Harry opened the door to the first room he saw.  It was an empty bathroom.  He left and moved towards the next door.

 The driver cursed his luck as he saw zombies emerging from a garage further down the road.  He needed to speed up if he was to escape!

 Again a scream sounded, this time from the other side of the door in front of which he stood.  Harry opened the door and entered.  A woman tried desperately to keep a zombie at bay with a baseball bat. The Officer leveled his pistol.
"Don't shoot my Husband!" screamed the woman.  She swung the bat again as the assailant reached for her.  "He's not well.  Someone bit him yesterday and it's made him sick."
Harry had been in these situations before, or ones very similar.  If he wasn't careful he would have to fight both the zombie and its wife!  He flicked out his baton.  "Halt!" He shouted in his most commanding voice.  Some dim memory from its recent life made it hesitate and turn its attention towards him.  As it lunged at him, Harry swiftly brought down his baton.  The woman screamed as it connected with a sickening crunch.  
"It's alright Ma'am" Harry lied reassuringly, "He's just stunned."  To keep the pretense going Harry quickly cuffed the dead body with practiced efficiency. "We will come back for him when the medics arrive." 
He lead her from the room wanting to get back outside to see how Sam was doing.
"We need to find my daughter.  She ran of and hid when my husband started behaving strangely."
Harry's heart sank....

 Sam watched in amazement as the driver of the bus ran for his life.  He didn't think he would walk away from the crash, never mind escaping the oncoming zombies.  The undead trundled after him, moving away from the police officer. Sam was torn as he watched the pursuit.  Each zombie that gave chase made his life a little easier, but the sign on the car said 'protect and serve".
He stepped forward and fired.  One pursuer dropped unmoving and the others turned to face him, the driver forgotten.

 With deceptive speed, the monsters closed the gap.  Sam's gun roared again and a figure dropped, only to start rising again.  That last detail was lost on Sam, however, as he fought for his life against two assailants.

 Swinging his gun like a club, Sam manages to smash one, then the other. Images from yesterday, from Laverne falling torn by bloody teeth.
"Please hurry up, Harry!" he silently pleaded.

 The woman called out loudly  "Emma!"
Answering sobs came from the second bedroom, her room.  Harry quickly opened the door and made sure that nothing was amiss in the room.  Her mother pushed passed him, arms outstretched towards her distraught daughter.

 Sam continued to shoot at approaching zombie, yet for everyone that fell, another walked into view to take its place.  At least the driver seemed to have made good his escape.

 Zombies seemed to be coming from all directions.

 Worryingly, they started coming from different directions, making difficult to keep watch on their progress.  Again images of Laverne filled his mind.

 A zombie that had been stopped by a low brick wall managed to fall over it.  With a hiss it raised it's head, hungry eyes staring into the back of the unsuspecting victim.

 A wave of zombies moved towards Sam, his gun fired.  Zombies fell but they struggled to their feet again.

 More zombies answered the call of the sound of battle.  They came from all directions, the lure of fresh blood driving them.

 Sam killed one in melee.  Two others were close enough to charge.

 As they charge Sam shot one and it crumpled to the ground, then almost as part of the same motion he brought the stock around and brought it down heavily on the temple of the other.  No more stood in front of him.  Maybe he would survive this day after all, he thought grimly.

 Maybe it was a sixth sense that made him while around, maybe the rank breath on his shoulder.  Off balance, Sam almost fell but he managed to fight it off, then kill it.  More charged him.

 Shooting and brawling, he managed to stand his ground.  Until, finally, no more came.

 Harry came out,followed by a woman and a small girl.  He looked around at the piles of dead bodies that littered the street, especially where the younger Officer stood.
He blew out through his mustache.  "Looks like I had the better deal of it!" He said wryly.  "Come on, lets get in the car.  We will sort this all out down at the station."
Doors slammed, an engine started and the car pulled off making no effort to avoid the bodies strewn all around.

well, that's episode 3 complete.  I'm pleased to say that more happened in this one.  The world is quickly going down the pan. Sam had to fight some combats 4 times before he got a result - very worrying, and I'm not sure how much of a liability his shotgun will be when zombies are generated on more than just a six!
My moment of the game was the driver walking away from the crash, then passing 1 die and moving 12", activating the next move and passing 2 dice and moving off the board. A shame then that the bite to his neck will be fatal....
I hope you enjoyed this one as much as the others and I will try and play episode 4 over the next week.

Hasslefree survivors

 As part of my 50th birthday present(Christmas eve so almost part of my Christmas haul but not quite), I got some Hasslefree modern survivors.  I am a big fan of these figures and even though I had to order them myself only for them to be taken from me and wrapped for the big day, I was still very excited to open them.  I was very pleased to find that they had included a few extras - something to do with changing factory buildings -  a couple were miscasts, although I could find nothing wrong with them, and one was zombie suzi.  I was particularly pleased with this!!!  There was also a bag of sweets inside.  All of this almost made up for the fact that they started a 20% off deal a week later!! :(
Anyway, I am over that now...all is forgiven and forgotten, and below is the figures I received (free stuff at the front)

 I have enjoyed painting some of them over the last week.  I have completed 5 but the photo of one was a bit blurry so I will leave that until next time.
First up is Kendra.

 Hard to say which figure I like the best of all the ones I received but this one is definitely in the running. Her name is Summer  Such an awesome figure.  She will turn up in a game at some point, I am sure.

 Next up is Mad dog.  An interesting figure to paint.  I tried to give him y-fronts.  I think it sort of worked.  I just now need to build the model of a fire station I have for him to live in after the apocalypse!  I will put it on the list somewhere.....

 Last up is Kat.  Another figure I like.  I thought green and white was a little more unusual that the red/white scheme I originally considered.

 She looks more than capable of clearing out a few zombies!

I am hoping to get a few more painted over then next week but am getting a little distracted by the next episode of my campaign (played but not written up yet) and repainting some Arab buildings for a pulp Egypt game I am hoping to start at some point this year.  I will post pics of them when they are all repainted, along with some Artizan pulp figures I am hoping to get started on soon.

Another issue that has turned up is that now having started my 'All things Zombie' campaign I realise that I need a lot more terrain pieces to give it a greater variety so at some point(!) I need to start making more stuff, so expect that to start showing up soon as well.
This hobby is never boring :)

A long way home: episode 2

 Sam sat down with an exaggerated sigh.  He had just walked in from work, secured his personal side arm in the mini safe in the lounge, then walked back into the kitchen.  His wife, Layla and their lodger, Penny, were busy making the evening meal.
"Bad day at work, Hon?  Layla asked as she glanced over her shoulder at her husband.
'"Worse than normal." he replied quietly.
Something in the way he spoke made them both stop the preparations and turn towards him.
"Want to share?" asked Penny.  "A trouble shared  and all that...."
"Not really, but I think I have to.  Laverne was killed today."  The women joined him at the table.  "We were investigating a multiple drunk and disorderly, or so we thought.  It didn't turn out to be that, though, and I have a feeling it's going to be something much worse."
In a quiet voice he told them all that had happened that day, of how his colleague had died at the teeth of a monster, one of the many monsters they had encountered on what should have been a routine call out. Back at the station at the end of the shift, he had found out that it had been far from an isolated incident and that the scene had been repeated all over the city.  Other reports suggested that other cities had encountered the same thing.  Something was deeply wrong with all this.
"Tomorrow I want you both to go into town to the gun store," Sam said, " and I want you to buy guns, lots of guns!"
Layla and  Penny looked at him as if he had gone mad.
"This is going to get worse," he declared prophetically, "and when it does I want us to be prepared."  Sam got up from the table "Oh, and take something heavy with you, something you can hide, but something you can hit them with if you meet one of them.  A hammer or something."

After Sam had gone to work the next morning, the women set off on their errand.

 On the left is Penelope 'Penny ' Black, the lodger.
leadership 3, shoot 3, melee 3, people 4, drive 3,
             attribute - stone cold
             equipment - hammer
On the right is Layla Ford (star)
leadership 3, shoot 3, melee 3, people 4, drive 4,
            attributes- ambidextrous, agile
            equipment - crowbar.
The three PEFs were placed.  A rep 2 PEf was in the carpark near the burger van.

 Another rep 2 PEF behind the fast food joint

 The third PEF, rep 1, near the cashpoint machine.

 This is a view of the table.  The two women have to go to the cashpoint machine at the far end of the table, then return to the gun store and buy weapons.  After this they need to return to their car.

 A view of the gun store - Bob's Bargain Bullets!!

 Two PEFs were in sight at the start of the first turn.  The one at the top end of the table turned out to be a group of civilians running from something further up the road.

 "What the hell's going on down there?"  Asked Layla with concern obvious in her voice.
"Dunno, but they are heading this way." Penny replied, squinting against the sun's early morning glare.  "I wonder if there are some of those monsters down there that have got Sam so worked up?"
They both jumped as a shutter banged against the side of the closed burger van.
"All that talk of 'Bob's Burgers' last night has got me a little jumpy!" admitted Layla.  "Let's get this done as quick as we can.  I want to get back home."  She gave the crowbar in her waistband a reassuring touch.  "Come on, Penny"  
They moved forward.
The second PEF turned out to be just noises.

 The pair of friends walked across the car park, their eyes scanning for any signs of trouble.

 They passed 'Flips', an arcade popular with teenagers.  It seemed strangely quiet to Layla. " Maybe news of the monsters was spreading and people were keeping younger family members closer to home today."

 The cash dispenser was just a head and the two females quickened their pace a little, determined to get the job done quick.

 The fleeing people were now level with them.  Bizarrely, they ran passed in silence, seemingly unwilling or unable to waste energy on unproductive noise.  They ran with a determination to put as much distance between themselves and whatever had caused them to feel such fear.

 Layla opened her mouth to pass comment when an insect of some kind flew into it, causing her to halt in a fit of coughing.
Penny turned to her friend, slapping her on the back to dislodge the invader. "You need to cough quieter, Layla.  Sam said they seemed to be attracted to noise!"
"Trying my best!" she gasped in between spasms.  "Lets keep moving." 

 No one moved this go, just a double generated random event card.  For the second game in a row I drew the coughing and sneezing event!  Layla's coughing generated 1 noise counter, but it didn't generate a zombie.

 The civilians carried on running, een managing to pick up their pace slightly!

 "How much should I get out?" asked Penny as she started to punch in the pin number.
Her coughing now under control Layla shrugged.  "Get your maximum out.  Sam said to get as many guns and as much ammunition as we can."
"It'll put me overdrawn." said Penny with a frown. "This had better be the end of the world........" she muttered darkly.
"Just get the money." Laughed Layla against her better judgement.  "Sam and I will sort it out next payday."
They quickly withdrew and pocketed the large bundles of cash.  

 They turned and started to jog back the way they had come , easily catching the now struggling people, their exertions becoming more laboured.

 They soon stood in front of the weapons shop.  Easing their weapons in their belts, they entered.

 No zombie....

 The shop's proprietor sat behind his counter, eating an egg and bacon roll that was obviously his breakfast.  He looked up, his food hanging unbitten in front of his mouth as the two young women approached his desk.  "Can I help you?" he managed to stutter.
They both smiled at him.  "I certainly hope so!"  replied Penny . 

 They left the shop hoisting reassuringly heavy bags over their shoulders.
"Did you see that cheeky bastard!" laughed Penny.  "He couldn't take his eyes off my chest!"
"Well you did sort of lay it on a plate for him.  Poor man!!" Layla responded, looking at her friends low cut top.
"We needed a good deal, didn't we?"  
"Shameless hussy!" 
I rolled on the meet and greet table to see how friendly the shopkeeper would be.  Penny won 5 successes to 2.  The shop keeper was very helpful - must have had a crush on the girls!!

 Finally the final PEF moved and resolved into......nothing!
The rattling of bins behind made them turn quickly, clutching at their bags for the newly acquired guns.  They stopped themselves when they saw nothing out of the ordinary. 
"Let's get to the car!"

 The pair quickly threw their bags into the back seat of the car and jumped in.  With a squeal of tires, they were gone!

So that's the end on episode 2.  I'm sorry to say that nothing much really happened, but the two women did do as they needed. Now they have guns and will feel a little more secure in any future conflict with zombies.  I am sure that as time passes more zombies will begin to appear.

Sentinel repaint

On a 'lead adventurers forum' thread regarding superhero scenario ideas, one was floated that involved a Sentinel, a mutant hunting giant robot.  My initial thought was - what a good idea! The second was - I have one of those!! :)
After hunting it down and gluing on its hands (they are removable on the model), I undercoated it and attempted to paint it. I have to admit that I was slightly nervous about it as it is a large model and way outside my comfort zone when it comes to painting. It was slightly unwieldy to move about during the painting process and needed a few touch ups at the end.  However, I am reasonably pleased with the way it turned out.
Here it is with some other heroes in for scale.

 And just to entertain myself, here are the Avengers to fight it :)
Ironman and Thor launch themselves as the Hulk leads the way.

 Hawkeye provides some support from the rooftop, while Black widow maybe needs a bigger gun!

 It is a big model!

 Hawkeye's view of the proceedings.

Topdown view

So all I need to do now is start to paint the other 138 superheroes I got to repaint at Christmas!

comments always appreciated.

A good new year to everyone :)