Zombicide Report: Alien Verses Blake's Seven - "Lifeboats" - Part One

ROJ BLAKE, JENNA STANNIS, VILA RESTAL AND SPACE COMMANDER TRAVIS BATTLE ALIENS

This game was played predominantly using the "Zombicide: Toxic City Mall’ rules of “Zombicide” by “Guillotine Games” with a few additional house-agreed variances on account of us attempting to actually play the first "Space Hulk" Mission by "Games Workshop". In addition as I wanted to try out some science fiction heroes and villains, and have already plenty of painted “Crooked Dice”, “Heroscape”, "Prodos Games" and “Horrorclix” models ready for the table, we simply swapped the Survivors, Walkers, Runners and Fatties with some future freedom fighters, Alien stalkers, 'Alien hounds' and larger Aliens. 

“The story so far… A Federation experiment on an extra-terrestrial life-form has gone horribly wrong. Fearing the hostile aliens will breach the orbiting Weapons Research Facility and endanger the Terran Administration, Space Commander Travis has begrudgingly asked his long-time foe Roj Blake for help in destroying the entire artificial satellite. Worryingly however the endoparasitoid species have demonstrated remarkable intelligence during tests, so before the top secret base can be blown up its lifeboats must first be rendered inoperable. Teleporting down to the station Blake, Jenna and Vila encounter a cramped corridor and a heavy airlock door. Whilst Travis has another mission in mind as well..."

THE TABLETOP - THE "GORDON RICHARDS" FEDERATION WEAPONS RESEARCH FACILITY 

As aforementioned before we started we incorporated a few special rules of our own in order to make the game play a little differently. The biggest change was that each 'survivor' could only initially perform two actions instead of three on account of the cramped corridors and sense of claustrophobia. In addition all of the Aliens were treated as being Toxic on account of having acid for blood. This meant that "upon elimination" they would inflict one wound upon their assailant if they were both in the same zone (or rather tile). To counter this the boarding party consisted of the following: Blake was a 'Zombivor' with the skill Born Leader, Vila was a 'Zombivor' with the skill Break-In, Jenna was awarded the skill Matching Set and Travis was allowed to start the game with his Laseron Destroyer (pistol).

The object of the mission was for one of the Liberator's crew to reach the Control Room and de-activate the functioning computer bank inside which allows the lifeboats to be activated. To begin with only the two Alien Spawn points to the East of the station would generate extra-terrestrials. The South Alien Spawn point would only take effect once the eastern door of the Green Room was opened. Three Objective Markers were placed around the base. Each was worth five experience points, and Travis had to reach at least one of these pieces of Space Debris as a Secondary Victory condition.

AVON TELEPORTS BLAKE AND HIS PARTY DEEP DOWN INSIDE THE SPACE STATION

Finding himself inside a narrow passageway, armed with a simple crowbar, Roj Blake used his Born Leader ability on Vila to give the cowardly thief an extra action, and stood by as the lock pick 'magically' opened the airlock door before them. With a hiss the Alien Stalker in the Red Room beyond spun round of the startled criminal. But before the creature could leap Travis threw a (second) space pistol he was carrying to Jenna and blazed away with his hand's built-in energy laser. Incredibly though the Space Commander missed and it Stannis had to kill the toxic creature with her weapon instead. Watching the corpse dissolve into a green gooey mess, the female smuggler walked east into the Red Room and looked around. In the distance she could hear something far away hissing angrily, as if it was searching them out...

VILA PANICS AS HE UNLEASHES AN ALIEN STALKER UPON THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Blake walked into the Red Room and discovered a space rifle leaning against a wall. Vila, carrying a simple space fire axe, followed him and discovered a bag of space rice, before using his Break-In ability (free action) to open the eastern air-lock door and (a third action courtesy of the Liberator's captain) to open the southern air-lock as well. Beside him Jenna discovered 'Plenty of Ammo' for her firearm and moved East into the adjoining corridor. Travis also moved into the Red Room and discovered a Sawn-Off Shotgun.

JENNA AND BLAKE PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR THE ONCOMING ALIEN HORDE

Moving East past Jenna, Roj Blake headed towards the Red Junction to see just what was making all the hissing sounds from the shadows up ahead of him. There were quite a lot of black shapes rushing towards his position. The "Native of Earth" also gave Vila a (third) order. Jenna, weapon at the ready joined him. Warily Vila travelled South and opened the Green Room's North air-lock door. Another Alien Stalker was waiting for him inside and so with a yelp of terror the cowardly thief raced back North to the Red Room and Travis. Realising the danger the Space COmmander moved South and blew the extra-terrestrial to pieces with his Shotgun. Boom Baby!!

Tapping his wrist communicator, Blake gave Travis an additional action, and then started shooting at the horde of oncoming Aliens racing West across the Red Junction. With a spray of green acidic blood an Alien Stalker exploded into pieces. But there were plenty more of the creatures behind it. Jenna stood alongside her friend, the blonde-haired smuggler's (short-range) space pistol levelled at the deadly darkness before them. Stannis was ready to kill any fiend which evaded Roj's fire.

SPACE COMMANDER TRAVIS ACCOMPLISHES HIS SECONDARY MISSION... BUT WILL HE SURVIVE?

Vila meanwhile sheepishly entered the Green Room and used his free action to open its eastern air-lock. Travis hurried past him and utilising Blake's order reached the southernmost piece of space debris. It was a partially constructed battle robot, whose micro-chip would prove invaluable to future federation armaments. The Space Commander pocketed the small information card, gaining five experience points and bringing the Terran Officer to the cusp of levelling up. At least something useful would come from the Research Facility the ruthless cyborg thought. However Travis was suddenly aware of a sound like air escaping coming from right behind him and spinning round was aghast to see two more Alien Stalker's emerging from an air vent at the southern end of the short corridor he was in...

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