Thursday 28 May 2015

Zombicide Report: Queen Victoria, Zorro And Frankenstein's Monster Verses The Nazi Undead

QUEEN VICTORIA, ZORRO AND FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER BATTLE NAZI ZOMBIES
This game was played using the ‘Season One’ rules of “Zombicide” by “Guillotine Games” and as we were attempting the mission C14 “Do You Want Fries With That?” we used the Tiles 5B, 6C, 5C and 7B. Because I dislike playing with unpainted miniatures, and have plenty of “Secrets Of The Third Reich” zombies ready for the table we simply swapped the Survivors, Walkers, Runners and Fatties with some of my previously finished “West Wind Productions” models… as well as one by “Boot Hill Miniatures” and another by “Graven Images”.

“The story so far… It is 1945 and in a last desperate effort to hold off the Allied advance, the Fuhrer has flooded the streets of Berlin with the Walking Dead. Desperate to protect the capital’s civilian population as well as oust the Nazi menace, General Eisenhower has deployed a top secret multi-national commando force to enter the heart of the Third Reich and put an end to the zombie infestation as swiftly as possible. Consisting of three of the Allies greatest warriors, intermittently thawed from icy tombs whenever their countries have need of them, the Free World’s finest have already saved hundreds of German evacuees lives. But now food is getting scarce as well as petrol. Fortunately military intelligence has identified not only a huge nearby restaurant complete with larder. But there is a small fuel depot nearby as well. Armed with this information, a couple of pistols, a crowbar and a fire axe, Queen Victoria, Zorro and Frankenstein’s Monster must reach the diner, bring back some crates of food and if at all possible, raid the fuel dump as well…”
THE TABLETOP - A RESTAURANT SOMEWHERE IN WESTERN BERLIN
Before we began Queen Victoria received a pistol, Frankenstein’s Monster was awarded the Slippery skill, and Zorro given +1 free move action. The objective was simple in that the Allied Special Forces Team simply had to bring back to the Exit Zone six crates of food from the restaurant. All the rules of the scenario, such as ‘Can Crates Are Heavy’ and ‘The Old Man Said We’d Better Not Use The Main Entrance’ were followed. This meant that the game started with Zorro wielding a pistol, Frankenstein’s Monster a fire axe and Queen Victoria a pistol and crowbar.

The game started with the heroes beginning the mission in the north-west corner. Queen Victoria immediately therefore crowbarred open the door to the building right by her and started filling the two zombies inside the first room with lead. Upon realising there was a third hungry cadaver in the small building’s other room, Zorro rushed in and shot the putrefying corpse dead with his pistol. Frankenstein’s Monster entered the building and started to search for something better than a fire axe. But all he found was another zombie. Fortunately a quick chop from the huge monster’s hand-weapon took the zed’s head clean off.
QUEEN VICTORIA LEADS THE ALLIED CHARGE AGAINST THE GERMAN UNDEAD
Searching around the room again, ‘Big Frank’ discovered a sawed off shotgun and then broke down the premise’s eastern door. Outside he saw a zombie shambling towards him from the north. Zorro also searched the two-roomed building and located a pistol. The ‘dashing blade’ then joined ventured outside onto the street but failed to hit the approaching brain-eater with his pistol. Queen Victoria joined her companions. But also missed the shambling cadaver. To their horror they spotted a second zombie behind it and heard a terrible dog-like growl someway off to the south-east.
ZORRO AND HER MAJESTY SHUDDER AT THE FAR OFF ROAR OF A NAZI MONSTER
Queen Victoria gave the closest zombie a quick bashing with her crowbar, and before the ghoul’s brains had dried, she had shot the second one behind it with her pistol. Ma’am certainly meant business and raced south towards two cadavers shambling towards the noise from the southern end of the street. Zorro joined Her Majesty, and managed to fell one of the zeds with his pistol. Frankenstein’s Monster searched the building he was in for a third time, and finding a rifle stepped east outside and gunned down the last of the Nazi Undead on the street. Suddenly however another living corpse rose up out of the sewer beside Zorro and went for the swashbuckler’s brains…
FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER SHOWS JUST WHAT A DEAD-SHOT HE IS WITH A RIFLE
Pressing his pistol to the corpse’s head, Zorro dispatched the gory fiend. Meanwhile Queen Victoria opened the fuel depot’s door and was delighted to find no zombies inside. However having found some gasoline and a rifle, she discovered there was a zed hidden in the small supply dump after all. Frankenstein’s Monster lumbered up to Zorro’s position. Unable to help the Empress of the British Empire, they watched as Queen Victoria was wounded, and then shivered as a second loud dog-like roar issued from the south-east. Worse a shrill howl to the south alerted the heroes to the sudden appearance of a werewolf.   
QUEEN VICTORIA CLAIMS THE FUEL DEPOT FOR HERSELF AND COUNTRY
Taking the crowbar in her Imperial hand, Queen Victoria bludgeon the zombie attacking her to death, grabbed a shotgun and stepped back onto the street alongside Zorro and ‘Big Frank’. It was clear that the team were never going to quickly fight their way round to the restaurant’s eastern door, so they decided to break in through the diner’s western door [Point One] even though they knew it was alarmed and was thus bound to attract additional attention. Frankenstein’s Monster kicked open the eaterie’s door and turned around to see just two zombies, attracted by the noise, emerging from the far western street edge [Point Two]. Inside the restaurant, the dining area was thankfully clear of the undead but from the groans it was clear two of the ravenous cadavers were in the toilets to the north. Determining that the werewolf was the greatest threat ‘Big Frank’ blasted the lycanthrope with his rifle. Meanwhile the ‘Flashing Blade’ slipped into the restaurant and gunned down the two corpses in the bathroom with his pistol.
THE NAZI UNDEAD START TO SWARM THE ALLIED FORCES
Realising that they needed to clear the street of the undead before they could grab any of the food, Zorro emerged west from out of the diner and fired at the two zombies approaching from the far west table edge. Unfortunately he missed both. Fortunately Queen Victoria joined him and blew both of the shuffling cadavers away with her shotgun. This brought Her Majesty’s experience up into the yellow zone, and gave her another action. A moment later and she had bought down a zed far away to the north with her rifle. Confident his companions could handle any zombies outside Frankenstein’s Monster readied himself to break down the toilet’s northern door. Suddenly however the streets around the restaurant were simply packed with the walking dead as four walkers appeared from the south and three from the north.
'BIG FRANK' BREAKS DOORS AS ZORRO AND QUEEN VICTORIA TAKE NAMES
To make matters worse ‘Big Frank’ bashed open the bathroom’s door and found four more zombies behind it. Frankenstein’s Monster fired his rifle three times and two of the fiends dropped to the tiled floor. Queen Victoria aimed her rifle at the group of shuffling cadavers approaching from the south and stunningly ‘killed’ all of them. Zorro moved south to confront the other brain-hungry corpses but then only brought down one of the fiends with his pistol. A moment later saw the undead close in upon both ‘the Spanish Fox’ and Frankenstein’s Monster.
THE GERMAN UNDEAD START TO OVERWHELM ZORRO AND FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER
There was still hope for the heroes however if they could battle through the next turn and take down their putrid foes. But they never got the chance as all walker’s were awarded another activation and both Zorro and Frankenstein’s Monster fell before the undead’s clawing hands and snapping teeth. Sensing defeat was near at hand, and spotting a third Were-Rottweiler and its two long-dead German companions nearby, Queen Victoria hastened north-west to the extraction point. Next time she’d bring more soldiers…
TWO HEROES FALL BEFORE THE NAZI ZOMBIE HORDE
Disappointingly the Allied Forces had failed to recover any food for the starving German evacuees. But at least Queen Victoria had survived. This medium mission is actually recommended for four survivors or more. But if it hadn’t been for the extra walker activation card being drawn both Zorro and Frankenstein’s Monster should have been able to cope with the foes before them, even with the horribly high zombie spawns.

For those interested in finding out a bit more about the new "IDW Publishing" comic book adventures of Frankenstein’s Monster then my reviews of the first couple of issues can be found here:
Joe Frankenstein #1     Joe Frankenstein #2

24 comments:

  1. How delightfully chaotic! A very entertaining read :-)

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    1. Thanks Jack. Its a great rule set and lends itself to all sorts of scenarios and genres ;-)

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  2. Wow, Quennie just made it out in one piece.

    Think I'll pop the idea of Zombicide rules with alt characters over to my mate (Who has the game), he may well be interested in some new ideas.

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    1. It didn't look like it was going to be all that hard for a while. But as soon as you start to level anyone up... 'Gulp' and that Walker activation card can be brutal. With hindsight, 'Big Frankie' stood have fired a couple of shots and back out of there. But I was confident the large guy could handle himself in a scrap.

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  3. A very interesting batrep, Simon, and another cool take on Zombicide. The rules are so simple that they easily lend themselves to such diverse characters taking part. Queen Victoria was a star. Frankie and Zorro were just unlucky. It happens.

    I see you learnt a valuable lesson. The more experienced a Survivor becomes, the greater the threat level from the Zombies. Plus, those extra activation cards can be a real pain in the butt!

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    1. Thanks Bryan. I actually thought this scenario had all the makings for a good two-parter, especially with Her Majesty gunning down four zeds in one go. Sadly it wasn't to be and as you say Frankie and Zorro got mightily unlucky real quick. I'm certainly learning my lessons as I go along... and have another "Zombicide" BatRep to post over the weekend before I knuckle back down to painting miniatures and building my "Zombicide" 3D boards ;-)

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  4. A nice take on Zombicide dude!
    Aren't those extra activations fun? You think yellow's an increase, wait until you hit red, the trickle becomes a flood. Although it usually sorts out the men from the boys. It's great to hear your enjoying the Zombicide experience Bk, we still play at least once a week, it's our goto game and never gets old.

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    1. Hee, hee! Bob's right about Red level! At that point you start thinking, "My God, where are they all coming from?"

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    2. Cheers Bob. Thoroughly enjoying the game. I wish you and Bryan had recommended it sooner ;-) I've another BatRep planned for the weekend... But as my "Toxic Mall" boxed set has arrived all in Spanish, it won't be featuring anything from that expansion just yet.

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    3. Thanks Bryan. I already loathe the extra activation and sneaky 'pop up' zombie (when searching) cards. I darn't even look at what horrors the red level will bring. Hopefully I'll have enough Cybermen ;-)

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  5. G+1!
    I love the idea of the three heroes being thawed out in times of need.

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    1. Cheers Roy. Glad you enjoyed it. I too like the idea of defrosting the heroes as it lets me use most of the models I own :-)

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  6. Another quite extraordinary battle :-) . Always entertaining as well.

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    1. Thanks C6 :-) Shame the Allies didn't manage to come back with at least one or two crates of food but as you say, an entertaining game nonetheless.

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  7. Absolutely brilliant! Another hugely entertaining game, I love it!

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    1. Very kind Michael. Delighted you enjoyed it. Throwing a load of figures on the table and having fun is what its in all about. In my books at least. And "Zombicide" is one of those pick up and play rulesets.

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  8. Nice report. Enjoying the escapades of these games. Top notch mate.

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    1. Thanks Simon. Certainly getting in plenty of games this year :-)

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  9. Yep what they all said, top batrep Simon, entertaining and different as always, I've only managed one game of zombicide so far though the kids have played a few now, but Matty is refusing to let me start painting the figures!!

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Cheers Roger. I certainly don't plan on painting the "Zombicide" figures myself as they're a bit small for my liking so won't easily mix with anything else I own. plus I have enough zombies elsewhere to proxy. Of course if you started then that could push me down that particular alley... maybe for 'Zomtober' ;-)

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  10. He just wont let me paint them at all, and they are technically his (as it was his birthday present), Having had a bit of a look about, Have been thinking about Zomtober, might leap in there this year. Do survivors count for Zomtober?

    Reaper do a rather nice Nun armed with a pistol that would make a fun survivor. God look what you've started now. I was dreaming about Zombies last night!

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Survivors do count for Zomtober Roger, so that sounds like a mighty fine plan. Reaper do some excellent survivors - you just have to visit Vampifan's blog to see most (if not all of them) painted up!! Certainly he's caused me to buy more than a few, and I've just received a small order from "SLAP Miniatures" because of Bryan recommending some. Glad you've got "Zombicide". Its a great game :-)

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  11. Very interested in using this system for Doctor Who. Much easier to learn, than DWM, yet yielding, the same result.

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    1. Absolutely... and I have a few more Doctor Who "Zombicide" BatReps to be posted in the coming weeks :-)

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