28mm Battle Report: Hellbaby And Jesus Of Nazareth Verses Nazi Zombies

JESUS OF NAZARETH AND HELLBABY TEAM UP TO FACE EXPLODING NAZI ZOMBIES

This game was played using some homemade rules and takes place upon my usual 2x2 gaming board. The battlefield was populated with a variety of pre-painted scenery made by “Tablescape”, most notably a number of earthworks and some barbed wire. In addition three objective markers were dotted about the landscape representing a canister of radioactive slush, a couple of oil barrels and a radio transmitter. The goal was simple, as the winner would be the side which had control of the most objectives by the end of Turn Six.

“The story so far… Having detected a supernatural threat fast approaching the Allied lines near the Rhine, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm has sent Hellbaby to support the American soldiers encamped at the Leine River. The young demon arrives just as the groans of the German Undead can be heard ‘fast’ approaching the men of the Third Army… and early reports suggest some of the zombies have high explosives strapped to their chests. But at this Easter Time will the Americans and an infant Anung Un Rama really face such a grisly foe alone, or is the central figure of Christianity about to step into the fray..?”

THE TABLETOP - AN ALLIED DEFENSIVE POSITION NEAR TO THE LEINE RIVER

Turn One started with Jesus of Nazareth, accompanied by two soldiers moving north in order to better protect the oil barrels, and make best use of the prophet’s ability to influence dice rolls (i.e. any friendly model within 15” can reroll one die per turn). To the south west Hellbaby and two more Americans headed north so as to take the radio transmitter. Finally Bravo Team, consisting of four soldiers who had been tasked to capture the canister near the northern table edge, also leapt over the sandbags in front of them and pushed forwards. As a shambling horde the zombies started to emerge from the north, with the majority appearing directly ahead of Bravo Team [Point 2] including one with something tied to its torso. Soon any sight of the canister by the Allies was blocked by the bodies of the Walking Dead and to make matters worse another four appeared in the north east corner [Point 1].

THE CANISTER FALLS - AS HELLBABY REACHES THE RADIO, THE ZOMBIES PUSH SOUTH

Turn Two Bravo Team immediately tried to ‘thin down’ the zombies swarming around the canister, and brought one down. Whilst Hellbaby, letting his childish exuberance get the better of him, leapt over an earthwork to challenge the Undead starting to approach from the north-west [Point 3]. One of the soldiers with him followed behind. Whilst the other took a shot at the nearest living corpse… and missed. Spotting the tiny red demon the zombies eagerly clambered their way over the sandbags in front of them. In the north east [Point 1] the Undead there similarly shambled south. Those zombies in the centre [Point 2] also sauntered forwards but one fell to a shot by one of the soldiers accompanying Jesus of Nazareth. A second shot rang out from the prophet’s group and one of the ghouls in the north east also crumpled to the earth.

FIRST BLOOD TO THE ALLIES - A COUPLE OF ZOMBIES HIT THE DIRT NEAR THE CANISTER

Worryingly Turn Three began with another eleven zombies emerging onto the battlefield. The northern edge was now a sea of hungry corpses, including a handful of explosive zombies. To make matters worse one of the zombies lying ‘dead’ by the canister, got back up and started to stalk the living once again. Another, once a German Officer, foolishly charged towards Hellbaby and came up short. Bravo team, realising they currently had no hope of pushing forwards, simply stood their ground and opened fire with their carbines. The zombie next to the small demon was felled, as was one of the undead carrying explosives from the central horde. With a “Boom” the cadaver was blown apart, and one of the living dead behind him also fell having been caught in the blast. Calming the soldier beside him, Jesus directed the private’s attention to another zombie adorned with T.N.T. which was stood amongst a group by the canister. The bullet ignited the explosive, not only destroying the carrier but two adjacent walking dead as well. Inspired by the diminishing numbers in front of him, Bruttenholm’s adopted son charged into a zombie moving in from the north west and introduced his maggoty head to ‘The Right Hand of Doom’.

BRAINSSS - MORE WALKING DEAD EMERGE INCLUDING CORPSES CARRYING EXPLOSIVES

The situation was starting to look decidedly encouraging for the Allies, as the vast majority of zombies which had emerged from the north-west [Point 3] and the north [Point 2] had been eliminated and only a large horde of undead in the north east really posed any significant threat. As a result Turn Four saw Bravo Team slowly edge northwards towards the canister. One of the soldiers even managed to ‘down’ one of the zombies in the north east. Hellbaby meanwhile gave a “Yipee” and skipped further north-west. His accompanying soldiers fired at the zombies by the canister and ‘killed’ another cadaver, leaving just one of the undead remaining by the objective. Unfortunately the gathering of corpses stumbling south from the north east started to swell in number as a couple more zombies joined its ranks. As one vast decaying body of maggot-filled flesh they started to stumbled over the intervening earthworks between them and the oil barrels. With one of his group’s soldiers providing (ineffective) covering fire, Jesus of Nazareth retreated back behind a second earthwork. Suddenly the dead started to rise up right across the battlefield, with one emerging directly beneath the hooves of Hellbaby. Another dragged the soldier beside the demonling back down underground to his death. Whilst a third pulled themselves up out of the earth and charged into one of the privates belonging to Bravo Team, tearing him apart. 

THE RIGHT HAND OF DOOM - HELLBABY DEFEATS A ZOMBIE BUT MANY MORE SOON ARRIVE

The penultimate Turn suddenly saw the Allied forces suddenly in danger of routing, as the undead infiltrated their defensive line. The surviving soldier protecting Hellbaby suddenly felt the clawing hands of a zombie upon him, as did a second member of Bravo Team. Nether of the men lived very long as they were eaten by the hungry cadavers. Mad with rage at the sudden horrible deaths of their compatriots, Bravo team charged into the still feasting ghouls and bashed them back to the ground. Unfortunately more of the zombies from the north-west, once felled, were now returning to their feet and attacking. Having successfully revenged his fallen comrade, another of Bravo team was attacked and killed and even Hellbaby was wounded fending off the rising undead. Despite the soothing words of Jesus of Nazareth, the two soldiers beside him failed to hit any of the heaving mass of zombies slowly approaching their position on the southern edge. The living dead had by now reached the oil barrels and Military Intelligence had awarded them the warning sign of ‘Horde Certain Death’.

TRUE AMERICAN GRIT - THE YANKS TAKE THE BATTLE TO THE UNDEAD

Despite such a considerable shift in their fortunes, the Allies could still win the day if Hellbaby could return to the radio transmitter, and Bravo Team skirt the enormous body of zombies in the east and reach the canister in the north. But as the gigantic horde shambled past the oil barrels heading south, two zombies broke off west and brought the final member of Bravo team down to a grisly demise.

ALLIED LAST STAND - THE AMERICANS FIGHT HAND-TO-CLAW WITH THE WALKING DEAD

The demonling faired equally as poorly, as three corpses rose to their feet around him and dragged him down to… hell? Only the prophet and the two soldiers beside him remained, and they faced the full fury of ‘Horde Certain Death’. With a wry smile Jesus of Nazareth leapt amongst the zombies but failed to take any down despite a flurry of blows. Worse, the two soldiers shaking behind their sandbags failed to hit any of the walking dead either.

THE DEAD AND THE DYING - THE ALLIED LINES FINALLY START TO FALL BEFORE THE UNDEAD

With things looking decidedly dire for the Allies we brought the game to a close, and with the oil barrels in the hands of the zombies it seemed clear that the Axis powers may well have held the Americans off from crossing the Rhine for at least another day.