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

“It Isn’t Just One Man, Damn It. It’s Zorro!”

This superbly detailed 28mm model of The Masked Bandit comes from code Mex1 by “Boot Hill Miniatures” and is the second of my submissions for the Mo’vember 2014 challenge Dick Garrison is running over on his blog “Rantings From Under The Wargames Table”. The figure is actually accompanied by a mounted version of ‘Zorro’ and forms part of the manufacturer’s rather extensive ‘Alta California’ range.

Despite the fact that the vast majority of the figure was black it actually took a considerable amount of time to paint due to the almost overwhelming amount of detail on the bandit’s sculpt. Numerous metallic areas such as the Californio nobleman’s spurs, girdle, scabbard, hat and boots were picked out with “Citadel” Boltgun Metal” and then washed with Badab Black. Whilst Don Diego de la Vega’s sword was given an additional drybrush of Boltgun Metal along the length of its blade. The face took a devilish amount of effort to ‘get right’ and a one stage I was all for simply painting in the ‘whites of his eyes’ and making do with that. However I was eventually able to ‘draw in’ a line of “Vallejo” Heavy Skintone within the mask’s eye-slits and was them with “Citadel” Ogryn Flesh.

I also considered at one stage breaking up the sheer monotony of the black by aging ‘Zorro’ with some flecks of grey in his moustache and pointed beard. I have also seen several very nicely painted versions of the model with both a swirling red cape and scarlet mask; similar to Douglas Fairbanks’ cinematic version of the character. For once however I thought I’d leave well enough alone, and go with the all-black ‘in his prime’ bandit.

If you’re interested in taking part in Mo’vember then please either leave a comment and link below, or visit Dick Garrison’s excellent blog here: http://rantingsfromunderthewargamestable.wordpress.com

Meanwhile I am still working through the numerous painting phases needed to finish these two Freedom Fighters by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”. They’ve been joined on my painting table by another of the company’s “7TV” pulp science fiction sculpts, Tweedy Mattison. I was going to ‘hold off’ on this figure and the rest of their ‘not Eleventh Doctor Who’ range for “The Fifth Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge” but as “Titan Comics” have just started publishing a monthly series of comics depicting the Matt Smith incarnation of the Timelord, and the miniature was already based, prepared and primed, I couldn’t resist but start painting him.

If you’re interested in reading “Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor” by “Titan Comics” then my review of its first issue can be found here:

"Doctor Who: Eleventh Doctor" by "Titan Comics" Issue 1

These five models are from code PHP05 Doc Thompson and his Fabulous Four by “Pulp Figures”, and are part of a modest number of miniatures which have recently arrived across the Pond from the superbly talented sculptor Bob Murch. I’m hoping to paint up a vast number of these personality figures, alongside numerous henchmen and villains as part of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. As a result I’ll be preparing and basing, and then posting, a vast array of these 28mm metal beauties over the next few weeks in anticipation of the 5^th December start date.

"Meow."

I’ve actually had this 28mm plastic “Heroclix” model of Catwoman on one of my shelves, undercoated black and ready for painting for at least a couple of years. A somewhat baffling situation as model number 37 from the DC Hypertime set wasn’t terribly difficult to paint, as you can probably imagine.

Having given the “Wizkids” figure a thin coat of “Citadel” Abaddon Black, simply to freshen up its look, I picked out the burglar’s famous whip with an old pot of Dark Flesh and then washed it with Agrax Earthshade. I then took some Boltgun Metal and picked out Selina Kyle’s eye-goggles, belt buckle and cat-suit zipper. All these areas were then treated to a layer of the shade Nuln Oil.

I did then consider picking out the lenses on Catwoman’s goggles in either red or yellow, as I’ve seen both colours applied, having had a quick look at how other people have painted the model on the internet. But as this is already a pre-paint I didn’t fancy my chances of being delicate enough with a brush tip to do the model justice. I figured I’d simply have a few attempts, fail miserably, and then go back over the areas with even more Boltgun Metal and simply ruin the entire look of the “Wizkids” model. Best to cut my losses, shelve my ‘Eavy Metal Syndrome’ and base the model. Besides, from four foot away the paintjob looks perfectly acceptable.

Sticking with the simple black, silver and flesh painting combination I’ve got some base layers on my masked bandit figure from “Boot Hill Miniatures”. Obviously the painting is a little rough at present, and needs to be cleaned up, but it lets me see where I’m going with the model; albeit I’m convinced the eye slits will be filled back in with black before the day is done as they look tricky…

I've been rather inspired to do a bit of Wild West by some of the superb sculpting and conversion work which can be found on the "Rantings from under the Wargames Table" blog. The first posting of the three parts can be found here:
http://rantingsfromunderthewargamestable.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/28mm-sci-fi-wild-west-or-the-good-the-bad-and-greenstuff-week-1/

"...A Darned Fine Judge"

This 28mm metal model of Judge Giant (Senior) was sculpted as part of the October 2012 "Judge Dredd Miniatures Game: Block War" kickstarter by “Mongoose Games” and can be purchased as code JD20007 from "Warlord Games".

 

Based upon the original Judge Giant who first appeared in the comic “2000 A.D.” in 1977 and then later died in the 1981 adventure “Block Mania”, this model has unfortunately spent the past couple of months languishing on one of my shelves, waiting to be properly based. As opposed to some of the other Judge miniatures I’ve painted from this range, this figure was relatively simple to finish. The only real issue being the sculpting of his helmet’s red trim, which seemed to almost disappear around the back of Giant’s head, and thus took a few attempts to ‘nail’ using “Vallejo” Heavy Red.

Recently inspired by yet another re-watching of the 1998 film “The Mask of Zorro”, I’ve picked up this masked bandit model from “Boot Hill Miniatures”, along with a Mexican Sergeant and Captain. I have some mounted versions of the same figures waiting in the wings as well, but for now I hope to just paint up a small collection of foot figures for some skirmish games.