28mm Battle Report: The Red Devils Verses Nazi Zombies and Axis Gorillas

THE ALLIED FORCES BATTLE NAZI ZOMBIES AND AXIS GORILLAS

Recently I’ve been reading a series of comic books entitled “Uber” by “Avatar Press”. To be honest they’re a bit too profanity laden and gory for my tastes. But the basic storyline, Germany fending off the Russian advance at the end of the Second World War by creating an army of super-powered soldiers, is a very good one. Certainly it enthused me enough to dig out my old “Dust Tactics” models and start wargaming the genre using a squad of super-powered British Red Devils against a gathering Axis Gorillas and the Undead.

This game using ‘Homemade Rules’ takes place upon my usual 2x2 gaming board which has been populated with some sporadic trees and a couple of ruined buildings. The Paratroopers’ goal was simple, drop into enemy territory and locate a wrecked robot placed in the centre of the battlefield. Once found, the Red Devils simply had to hold off any enemy units until a helicopter could arrive and safely extract them and their prize. The Axis units simply have to stop them.

“The story so far… Axis forces have been massing along the German border, so Allied Intelligence dispatched a self-sufficient flying drone to conduct reconnaissance over the area. Unfortunately the robot was shot down before it could complete its mission. So headquarters have deployed a team of Red Devils to air drop into the area, and retrieve the remains. Unfortunately the landing zone is currently occupied by trained killer Gorillas and the Walking Dead.”

THE TABLETOP - PARATROOPER LANDING SITES 1,2 & 3

The German forces were randomly deployed around the table’s edges. Whilst Corporal Wayne, Private Knight and Private Murdock identified their preferred landing spots. The robot objective was placed in the centre of the board [Point 4]. The game started with Private Knight landing perfectly in the middle of a ruined building in the north east corner of the battlefield [Point 1]. Corporal Wayne was equally as proficient with his air drop, and landed precisely where he wanted in the north east corner [Point 3]. Unfortunately Private Murdock slightly missed his landing spot but still managed to hit the first floor of a ruined building in the south east corner of the woodland [Point 2].

DOWN AND SAFE - THE RED DEVILS LAND READY FOR ACTION

Sensing living human flesh a nearby zombie rushed towards the landing site of Corporal Wayne. He was immediately spotted by the experienced paratrooper and laid low. In the north western ruin Private Knight shuddered as he heard the howls of two shambling corpses fast approaching him… from different directions. Raising his phaser weapon, the Red Devil immediately felled one of the cadavers. But horrified he then saw an enormous ape appear from behind a nearby tree and start rushing towards him. In the south east Private Murdock also heard the wail of the Undead from beyond some woodland to the south. But he was more concerned with the sight of the gigantic gorilla which was snuffling around at the base of the building he was hiding in. His weapon blazed away at the brute, but despite being wounded the hairy beast did not die. Instead, with a roar, it raced towards the soldier. Who terrified, realised that he could hear the sound of a second great ape moving around the ruin behind his position.

THE WALKING DEAD - GERMAN CORPSES START TO RUSH PRIVATE KNIGHT

From the vulnerable north western ruin Private Knight began Turn Two by opening fire on the snarling gorilla charging towards him. But in his panic missed. In the south east Private Murdock had better luck, and with another roar from his weapon, the giant ape at the bottom of his building was still and dead. The corporal, believing his compatriots had matters well in hand started to move towards the last sighted position of the robot’s remains. However things were not going as well as Wayne thought. For starters the ape Private Knight had completely missed, smashed into the paratrooper and almost tore the man limb from limb there and then. Dazed, the soldier was then charged by a hungry zombie. But somehow managed to stay alive despite the attack. Unfortunately he then saw that another zombie had appeared just outside the ruined building, hungry for his brains. Just which intelligence bigwig thought this place would be an ideal landing spot!?! Private Murdock was also in some danger, as a zombie had appeared besides the body of the ape he’d killed, and he could hear another gorilla effortlessly climbing up the outside of the building he was perched in.

PLANET OF THE APES - KNIGHT AND MURDOCK FACE KILLER GORILLAS

Turn Three saw Murdock spin round and fire at the huge black shape pulling itself up over the wall behind him. But in his fright he totally missed as the ape launched its huge bulk upon him. With a cry, the Red Devil felt his ribs give way beneath the animal’s colossal weight, and at the same time saw that zombie below had reached the edge of the building. Meanwhile Private Knight put his armoured fist through the head of the zombie trying to gnaw through his shoulder. Unfortunately this still left the paratrooper embroiled in a fist-fight with a massive gorilla… But before that battle could be resolved another zombie was upon him and the soldier was eaten alive. Realising the success of his mission was in jeopardy, Corporal Wayne raced on towards the robot’s remains, hoping he could soon call in a helicopter and get what remained of his squad out of this death-trap. But already he could hear the heavy approach of a gorilla from the direction of the north-west corner.

DEATH DEALING - MURDOCK DISPATCHES AN APE. BUT KNIGHT IS OVERWHELMED

The Fourth Turn began with a zombie clambering up onto the first floor where Private Murdock was holed up. But the soldier was too busy thinking about the gorilla’s jaws closing in around his head, and with a “chomp” he was dead. Alone, Corporal Wayne, shivering at the sound of at least one zombie coming at him from the north-west, suddenly saw a gorilla racing towards him from behind a tree. He turned his weapon on the brute and fired… ‘snake-eyes’… a weapon jam!! 

HEROIC ATTEMPT - CORPORAL WAYNE MAKES FOR THE OBJECTIVE AS MURDOCK DIES

All around the Red Devil the cries of the Undead could be heard as the fiends quickly made their way towards the sounds of fresh meat. Throwing his useless weapon to one side, the hero gave a cry “For God, The King and Churchill” and charged into the oncoming silverback gorilla. Breathless he staggered back. He hadn’t injured the beast at all despite his heavy armoured form.

MAN VERSES BEAST - WAYNE BATTLES A GORILLA AS ZOMBIES RUSH TOWARDS HIM

Turn Six saw the Corporal throw another punch into the face of the ape, and this time he finally drew blood. But hungry corpses were fast approaching his location from the west and south, and although he could now hear the beeping of the damaged robot, he knew the Undead were between him and his prize. In the distance he noted the gorilla which had killed Murdock had clambered down from the ruined building and was thundering towards him as well. A huge roar from the killer ape in front of him jerked him back to his senses but it was not enough to save him from the ferocious attack. At the same time he felt clawing hands tearing at his armour, pulling him to the ground…

LAST REPORTED POSITION OF CORPORAL WAYNE - THE RED DEVIL FINALLY FALLS

For those interested in finding out a bit more as to what "Uber" is about. Then I have reviewed the first three issues of the comic book series here:

Uber #0 Uber #1 Uber #2