Monday 9 September 2013

Ths town aint big enough!

 I have had a roller coaster of a weekend. I will do a post on Wednesday about the Milton Hundreds open day and the things I walked out with (Swag, loot and freebies.) I will not do a post about my sisters marital problems but that is deffinitly the down part of the roller coaster and It meant that I was not able to sort out the Wild Zombie West game as well as I would have liked. But enough excuses I can hear you saying get on with it.

So getting on with it. I told the players the situation. Which is to say that they were all travelling by stage coach and during the day they were unable to change the horses as the way station was a grizzly sight and everyone was dead and partially eaten by animals and the horses had escaped the corral and so they had all been rushed into town with the current horses covered in sweat and close to collapse. Thus all the players arrived on foot in the same location at this stage unaware of the zombie apocalypse.

It was dark, the lights were out and the stage coach horses ready to collapse so most of the players headed to the saloon even though no lights were on and on one was in the streets. Two players (Fat Pedro and Randy Cockspur) decided they would look elsewhere and for go the temptations of liquor!

Figures started to emerge onto the street and amble towards the players from all directions. Getting closer Deacon realised that these were some sort of abomination from the pit and fired a scatter gun at the shamblers knocking them down but not killing them. "Preacher"  and Manco went into the saloon and still failed to identify the two figures inside as being undead. They were promptly attacked. Gary Winchester loitered outside and tried to peer into the shadowy gloom as figure moved closer. " were clearly not quite human but the third looked convincing enough in the dark. Warm Leg Bob identified a walker and plugged it with his sixgun out side the saloon.

Pedro was moving towards the Sherriff's office he had a machete and being Mexican he had an extra clue from the name of the town ( Negro de la ciudad de cabra) while Randy Cockspur decided that late night shopping was the thing that made most sense to his limited thinking lumberjack and he looted some cans of peaches from the general store.

Meanwhile back at the saloon Manco had been attacked and bitten and Preacher also attacked had managed to fight the rotter off. Three zeds had closed in on Mr Winchester and while he was able to survive the combat it did result in him running for an alley way trying to put some distance between the growing numbers and himself. Eventually he manages a fighting retreat and slays two zombies but takes a bite to his torso for his trouble. Preacher scrambles out of the saloon and kicks the swing doors knocking the pursuing zeds flat. As a clump of figures they reform at the other side of the street. Randy continues his supermarket sweep and stuffs a pistol into his jacket and Pedro finding the law office/jail empty helps himself to a carbine and some ammunition. But all over the board the zombies are closing in. Players decide that there is little to be gained firing weapons randomly each time rousing more of the biters and decide the best plan is to get out alive.

Each of the bitten players had to roll d6 each activation and on a 6 they would collapse and start to turn. So each turn the rest looked on hopefully! (Yes that is my club for you). They both kept rolling 5's but not once did either of them get a six! CURSES.

Warm Leg and Deacon headed west down the street concentrating on distance and not shooting until Warm Leg made it the first to exit the board, followed moments later by Deacon. Both alive unhurt and un bitten!

A bitten Gary Winchester escaped the board North East having skirted buildings and avoided any further zombies by dodges rather than gunfire. Manco also bitten headed due east third off of the board but in danger of infection from a bitten left arm. Preacher went south a bit more ragged than he started but otherwise in good health. Randy climbed out the back window of the store after a series of melees where he wielded his lumberjack axe against unarmed zeds. It lasted a long time often fighting 2 zombies at the same time but eventually he clambered through the window and left the town south westerly direction the only player with food for the following day.

The window at the back of the jail had bars so he was forced to exit onto the main street into the sight of the zombies. Which then gave chase. The zombies with guns had a 1 in 6 chance of remembering they had fire arms but if one fired they all would remember. Until now they had not managed to get a 6. But now as 3 gun zombies came into range they suddenly remembered. two missed but the guy with the shotgun hit and while I rolled a 1 for damage the shotgun did knock Pedro off of his feet. This allowed them to get closer. These gun zombies could so easily mobbed him at this stage, but instead they rolled a 6 again and decided to shoot and not move. All three missed and Pedro managed to escape the town South south west in direction.

The game was not a complete shambles but there was so much I could and should have done better If I'd had a little more time to prepare. Not being overly critical but I did have to wing it a bit here and there because I forgot the rules and some of the charts and tables. I took the stance just to keep it going rather than look everything up. And being very self critical I know I did not give all the players the best game.

Still looking to the future I can see several improvements I need to make and with a bit more preparation I can see the idea working out.

I will post a report about the Milton Hundreds Wargames club open Day on Wednesday. Until then take care and have some fun Clint



16 comments:

  1. This sounds fantastic. Wish I'd been there to play. What rules system are you using?

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    1. Rules wise I am using and amending "Legends of the old West" the Warhammer historical western gun fight rules. I think any western gunfight rules would work, so just pick a set you like and add zombies and be prepared for a few headaches.

      Actually it did not play as well as I was hoping, I need to tweak a lot of things and get better prepared for next time.

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  2. for all you said it was a shambles it does sound like your players got into the theme well and had a good time.
    I think as a first effort you shouldn't be too critical of yourself - at least you provided a game !

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    1. I am my own harshest critic but only because I care. I still think the idea has legs and if I had time to prepare the night before I would have done better (well I hope I would have!)
      The next three club games are now set, so I will provide the game in two weeks split a game 2 weeks after and by the end of October be running nothing! After that we will wait and see. Thanks Jo

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  3. So all the players ran away from the town, on foot, in the dark, mostly in different directions and mostly without food. And some of them were injured. Sounds like a disaster :-) !

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    1. That about sums it up. Thank you Colgar.

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  4. If I played this I'd want to be Fat Pedro! Warn Leg Bob is an intriguing name and I'm wondering if the poor chap had difficulty aiming at the urinal. I guess his name would be Warm Wet Leg Bob:)

    I know you're not satisfied with it, but it sounds like a fun game and worth ironing out the bugs. You can easily blame your sister for your forgetting the rules and charts. It's what I would do!

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    1. Not my sisters fault at all. No details but really not her fault. And there is no way you would blame your sisters in similar situations.

      Yes the game and setting has much to recommend it. Perhaps I am just in a negative lack of sleep mood!

      Thank you Anne it is always a pleasure to hear your comments.

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  5. Sounded good to me old boy and I heard the day went well from some other bloggers.

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    1. Thank you Fran you are a gentleman. I have been awake this day since 2am so I might not be as objective as I think I am.

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  6. Clint, the game sounded great to me. Regardless how you think it went, you went to the effort of doing it and that in my book smacks of kudos. As long as the players had fun, which it sounds like they did, then top work old chum.

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    1. You know what it's like when you know you could have done better. And that's what it feels like to me. I just need to dust myself off sort out the wrinkles and apply myself again. Thanks Carl.

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  7. I'm sure your being too hard on yourself, Clint, it looked a great game to me.

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    1. Thank you Ray. I always am my harshest critic. But as I said above it's because I care about it.

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  8. My opinion seems to be no different from the rest of the guys...I found it very entertaining and it looks like it went well. Everything can always be done better, but just as much as everything could always be worse, so even with care, you shouldn't be too harsh on yourself :)

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    1. Thank you Mathyoo I will do some positive posts later in the week I promise. Maybe I am just on a downer! The club has rejected the idea of doing the Insozo Front for the show in June. But It looks like we will be doing something equally interesting!

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