Zombicide Report: Doctor Who, Cheeta And Jai Verses The Yeti And Cybermen

DOCTOR WHO AND HIS JUNGLE COMPANIONS FACE THE YETI AND CYBERMEN OF MONDAS

This game was played using the rules from ‘Season One’ of “Zombicide” by “Guillotine Games” and as we were attempting the Tutorial Mission from the boxed set it uses Tiles 2B and 1B. Unfortunately as I dislike playing with unpainted miniatures, and have a mountain of partially painted models already in my painting queue, it seemed prudent to simply swap the Survivors and Walkers for some previously finished figures from my 28mm collection. This gave us the idea of trying to run a “Doctor Who” themed campaign using the first few scenarios from the rulebook (and possibly some from the boardgame’s website) in order to tentatively recreate some of the Timelord’s more exciting adventures… albeit with the occasional twist.

“The story so far… The TARDIS has landed inside a London tenement in the near future. Having left the building with his two travelling companions, the chimpanzee Cheeta and the jungle boy, Jai, the Eleventh Doctor goes exploring. Within minutes however the time travellers come to realise that the capital’s street are deserted because the Great Intelligence has once again invaded the planet and the deadly robotic Yeti are on the prowl. Desperate to return his friends to the safety of his time machine the Doctor sets out to lead them back to where it materialised. But another evil may yet be lurking in the sewers beneath them… and only Rassilon knows what will happen if the monkey discovers a chainsaw.”

THE TABLETOP - "ZOMBICIDE" TILES 2B & 1B

Before we started the Doctor was awarded the skill +1 free search action, Jai was given Slippery, and Cheeta bestowed with +1 free move action. The objective was simple in that the TARDIS crew had to reach the TARDIS and get inside. All the rules of the Tutorial scenario, such as a reduced Yeti deck and special starting equipment, were followed. Which meant that the game started with two of the Great Intelligence’s hairy robots already in play, and that all three of the heroes began the adventure armed with nothing else but frying pans….

THE YETI STAND BETWEEN THE TIME TRAVELLERS AND THE TARDIS

Utilising his free search action, the Doctor immediately found a crowbar and quickly moved east into an adjoining room. From there the Timelord quietly prised open the door to the street beyond and stepping outside gasped as he saw the close by Yeti. Cheeta managed to find a fire axe and dragging it behind him, scurried outside to join the Doctor. Jai located a pistol and simply waited inside for his friends to give the all clear. Easily spotting the time travellers the Yeti moved into their area and signalled to his colleague up in the north-west corner to stomp south and join him. As this hairy robot obeyed his comrade another Yeti appeared right behind him.

CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE HAIRY KIND - THE DOCTOR AND CHEETA FACE A YETI

Regretful that he wasn’t wielding a cricket bat, the Doctor brought his crowbar crashing down onto the head of the ‘attacking’ Abominable Snowman and the brute was destroyed. The Timelord then popped back into the building behind him and grabbed some canned food he found before stepping outside once again; “Jelly baby anyone?” Cheeta moved north and then west so he was already in front of the locked door leading to the TARDIS. Jai conducted another search inside the building he was in and having discovered a glass bottle moved outside and travelled north past the Doctor. The two Yeti in the north-west both moved south so that one of the monsters was now within reach of the chimpanzee. Fortunately though there was no sign of anymore of the hairy robots arriving.

MONKEY MAGIC - CHEETA KEEPS THE YETI OCCUPIED AS HIS FRIENDS CATCH HIM UP

Determined to find something more deadly than a crowbar, the Doctor once again searched the building behind him and this time stepped outside to join Jai equipped with a sawed off shotgun. Cheeta meanwhile went ‘ape’ with the fire axe and after three swings brought the Yeti in front of him crashing to the ground. With a cheeky grin, Jai joined the monkey and then froze as the one remaining Yeti turned the street corner and faced the friends. Worse two more of the Abominable Snowmen appeared in the north-west corner.

MAD MONKEY WITH A FIRE AXE - AS THE YETI CLOSE IN CHEETA GOES IN FOR THE CHOP

Fearing for his companions the Doctor raced up to the locked door which was stopping the time travellers from reaching the TARDIS and ripped it off its hinges with his crowbar. With a gasp the Timelord realised that there were more Yeti inside the building; two were guarding his time machine, whilst a third was stood directly in front of him. Worse the two manhole covers directly behind him were suddenly flung into the air as two Cybermen emerged from the London sewer system. The fiendish Great Intelligence had clearly sought an alliance with the Cyberleader of Mondas. Realising that they were about to be swamped Cheeta swung his weapon at the first of the silver giants and took its head clean off its shoulders. Encouraged by the lucky blow, the monkey launched itself at the remaining Cyberman and fortunately felled it as well with two chops of his fire axe. Jai aimed his pistol at the Yeti fast approaching him from the street, and squeezing the trigger as Tarzan had taught him, felled the robot with one deadly shot. The boy then swung round and fired at the Yeti in the building’s doorway and amazingly brought that machine to the ground as well. With a victory cry the jungle child raced into the building. Hearing the commotion the two Yeti guarding the TARDIS silently moved towards the noise, one wading into the room to its west, whilst the other entered the room to the south.

DELETE DELETE - THE ORIGINAL CYBERMEN EMERGE FROM THE LONDON SEWERS

Worried that Jai might be overwhelmed the Doctor leapt beside his young ward and quickly conducted a search of the bedroom they were in. Pulling out a submachine gun from under the duvet, the Timelord first gave the Yeti in the eastern room both barrels of his sawed off shotgun. With an electronic roar the hairy robot exploded into flames. The Doctor then blazed away with his Uzi 9mm at the Yeti to his north, but despite bullets whizzing all over the place, the Abominable Snowman remained intact. Not for long though as Jai ‘popped’ the monster with his pistol, and together with Cheeta raced for the safety of the TARDIS. 

ON GUARD - JAI TAKES A QUICK NAP HAVING FELLED A YETI

Outside a procession of Yeti slowly sauntered south towards the sounds of a disturbance. But before they could arrive the Doctor rushed to the door of his time machine, briefly fumbled with the key and moments later there was a strange “vorph vorph” before all was quiet once again…

DEADLY DOCTOR - ARMED WITH A SAWED OFF SHOTGUN & SUBMACHINE GUN THE TIMELORD ATTACKS THE YETI

Having successfully concluded the scenario it was clear that even with three survivors (the Tutorial recommends four) it was relatively easy to outwit the Great Intelligence and win the day. Although a crazy chimpanzee with a fire axe is clearly a useful combination. However the Doctor is far from finished with the Yeti or the Cybermen. Having identified a Cyber factory at Battersea power station, Chelsea, the Timelord is determined to try and make sure that this new version of the silver giants are sealed within their manufacturing plant forever...