County Road Z

 Hi!

I got the rules for this game whilst in the US (see earlier post). I'd seen quite a bit of information, and a couple of videos of it on YT, and it looked right up my street.

As usual, I didn't strictly follow the character development rules. In fact, I didn't follow them at all here!

I diced for everything, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence and Co-operative. There was a little re-rolling when the same number came up for different statistic. Then also for each skill which was risky but worth the difference.

One Hero

Nick Taylor. S3, D1, I2, CO4

Mechanics, Scout, Long Gun, Carry.

Handyman (mechanical skills). Engages in re-enactment societies (ECW) (Scout/Carry). Likes squirrel hunting with his Shotgun.

Two Leaders

Harmony Watkins. S1, D3, I0 CO2

Heavy weapon, Teaching, Archery

Teacher of mathematics at high school. Archery novice (Bow), Blunt weapon (Rounders bat)

Aston Ball. S3, D1, I2, CO0

Blunt, scavenge, Enter

Burglar (Entry) and petty thief (Scavenge). Bunt weapon (Crowbar)

I was quite satisfied how the dicing came out. 

I'm not sure how I'm going to depict the two leaders not having figures holding blunt instruments or bows. It will be fly-by-wire I think to start. But I might look for suitable figures online. But I won't wait for them or it might be awhile.

I used a name generator for the names, being dissatisfied with my own choices.

                                                                                                                                 

Taylor's Diary

The change was sudden.

The virus spread like wildfire. At least that was what people thought it was. What else could it be?

First there were reports about rabid people attacking others for no apparent reason.

And things escalated until whole towns and cities were besieged by whatever these people had become.

I holed up for a while in my workshop until hunger and thirst drove me to seek what I needed to survive. On one forage I saved Harmony who was being cornered by a group of them. I'll call them Z's because they seem like the end of everything. They could easily be called O's, for Omega.

Anyways, We stuck together.

One night, something was scratching at the workshop door. Getting ready to deal out some damage, heart racing, a man jemmied open the door and was extremely lucky to be alive moments later. 

That was how we came by Aston. The workshop wasn't big enough for our needs with three of us and with the door lock broken we decided to search for somewhere to hole up together the next morning. Not that Aston really wanted to in my estimates, but I think he was desperate at that point.

We all were.

Little Fox Ford. The aar

Hi!

Things move fast in this game. 

Being my first attempt with the rules I thought I'd go with a simple scenario using the same movement and ranges as written, though I was using 15mm figures and not 28mm.

And it was over very quickly.

The two sides were both outlaws, of course.

Floyd was a boss (pistol), Benson a gunslinger (pistol) and Bennie a thug (shotgun).

Sam was a Fugitive (pistol), Jeramiah and Velasquez were thugs (pistols).

The Sheriff (pistol) the Deputy (pistol) with three others who were upstanding citizens (2 with pistols and 1 with rifle (the stagecoach shotgun, a rifle being a better choice though not strictly legal)

The first phase started with Benson moving behind a tree from the side of the building to a tree, hoping to shoot someone in the back. 

Velasquez moved(2 moves) down the street to the corner. 

Poker Faced Bennie moved to intercept and let both barrels of his shotgun off, but wasn't holding it tight enough and it bucked-up sending the lead into the air.

Jeramiah ran (two moves) to his friends aid, shot at Bennie and missed.

Sam the Snitch was in two minds, went to support them, shot at Bennie and missed!

Sly-eyed Floyd saw his chance, moved, shot at Bennie who lost his nerve and fled!

The Sheriff, Deputy and Citizens got to the street where the gunfire was heard to find an empty street and wondering what the hell had happened.

It was a funny game and over way too fast.

Maybe it was too close and the movement was too much, but I can see why people like the game.

Benson's move didn't affect the game.

The Sheriff, Deputy and citizens had no chance to intervene as I thought for them to react in the second move to any gunfire. Sam, running away at first contact prevented any necessary intervention.

I can see Floyd wanting to quiet Sam for good. Another showdown is likely.

Merry Christmas from Bradenton, Florida

 Wishing everyone a very merry, and peaceful, Christmas.

I hope you play some good games during the holiday period.

Dirty deeds in Little Fox Ford

 Hi!

A set up for a 15mm game of Dead Man's Hand.

Jeramiah and Velasquez escort Sam the snitch

Sam the snitch came into town to inform on his former colleagues for a $5.000 reward but the sheriff and deputy were out of town. He holed up at the Foxhole Hotel overnight with two friends as protection.

Now, he is going to the sheriff's office.

His former fiends, having heard he was in town to betray them

Sly-eyed Floyd and Poker Face Bennie

Bushwacker Benson

lie in wait.

The forces of law and order

Sheriff Charlie Goodman and deputy Dudley Doolittle.

The town layout. Hotel is in the bottom right corner as you view. Sheriff's office top left as you view.

New rule set

Hi!

I have the figures. I have the buildings and terrain. And now I have some new rules to play with!

Just couldn't resist buying this rule set.

I have Zombies from Mantic (painted) and from Zombicide (part painted in the UK). I have survivor figures which I've been using for Zona Alfa.

It's all GO once I've read the rules a few times.

Yippee!

 

A trip saved

 Hi!

I was looking at a 15+ mile trip to Barnes and Noble in South Sarasota or paying postage buying it online for a wargames magazine fix. That is until I searched for the nearest bookstore. That search came up with Books a Million, and whilst that is an exaggeration it covers a lot of ground. Similar to Waterstones in the UK which now has boxed games and, usually, a wargames magazine. This store had a little more.

And, crucially, it had Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy, 131.

The store is just less than a mile from the apartment. A stroll for a Brit. A bit too far for the average American I think (exceptions for those who go hiking/jogging, but even these are likely to use a car outside of those exercises).

Indeed, yesterday I took a two mile stroll to Hobby Lobby and came back with some vegetation for the skirmish games.

I have two of these

Now, a little light reading before lunch.

A Five Parsecs game. Turn 5 Battle

 Hi!

I had another Five Parsecs game before Milton arrived in Florida.

The crew faced off with some Gene Splicers, humans splicing their genes with alien genes to give an exotic look.

Five Stargrave alien figures with one Imitation of Life robot and an old GW Eldar.

Unluckily for them their weaponry was outranged by mine, though they had one useful weapon. That, though, got the Eldar killed first before using it.

The game wasn't a walkover by any means. The GS had hits on the crew, downing Botticelli, the robot. Hitting Flash Hari (the GW Skink with the rattle gun (a gold machine gun, hence the name).

Thanks' for dropping by.

Five Parsecs game set-up

Hi!

Managed to complete my first game since coming back to the U.S.

Five Parsecs from Home.

 The 9th District Vipers, AKA The Exotics, prepare to scavenge for equipment at a power generating site not expecting anything more than a few civilian workers.

The Exotics are GW Escher figures.

A new mat

 Hi!

I bought this two sided mat when I was in Atlanta, but it came after I returned to the UK.

It looks great. It is thin, almost cloth like but is rubber, like a mouse mat. It measures 4'x3'

For Zona Alfa, VBCW, County Road Z (when 😁). and anything else I think I can use it for

A cobbled side for dungeons etc

In this case trying out a setting for Five Parsecs from Home

And it came in this lovely cloth bag

My only regret is I couldn't find out from whom I bought it. I think I  bought it on Etsy UK. I hope to find out and will let you know.

A chance for some painting

 Hi!

Here in Sarasota it is a hard grind!

We, my wife and I, are looking after our grandson while his mother is working in Boston. I don't remember it being so hard to look after a little one!

While cute, it is much better to hand them back after a couple of hours.

I didn't come empty handed to Florida. I brought some things to paint and, of course, have games to play. Not that I have had much of a chance to do either. It saps the energy looking after the little one.

On the paint table are some German and British infantry to bring the squads up to company level. I bought some trucks for the British and a  artillery piece to even the odds a little. (If you care to look at the German available units you will see the huge discrepancy between the forces. I will add some more as we go along. Maybe.)

The Germans

The British with additional officers and the artillery, artillery crew and trucks.

I bought the tractor for scenery. The camp fire I'm not sure where it is from.

All the figures, bar the camp fire, are Heroics and Ros.

If my memory serves me well, it is a 6lb artillery piece. I will have to check that out.

Now of to do a little painting.