(Fistful of Lead) Sitting Ducks

Since the start of my Federal gaming year (Oct-Sep), I've had Dead Birds in my blog drafts as a scenario I've wanted to play.  We've dipped our toes in the Last Days rules, but I've had a mental block over a number of things and things and now it's March.  Don't get me wrong, I like a number of mechanics that Last Days provides, but sometimes it's just overcomplicated for what I want to do, solo or with the girls.

So I fell back to my default game, Fistful of Lead.

Out of the Tales of Horror supplement, Zombies are d8 critters who are slow (4" of movement per action),  soulless (shock and wound results simply knock them down), that are directed by a necromancer.    I removed the need for a necromancer and instituted the rules for noise and zombie movement from Last Days, and broke out the post-apoc/zombie figures we've painted up. 

(L-R, Kyle, Dog, Tina, Bouffay, Mel, Timmy, and Father)

In the early days of the zombie apocalypse, this group was formed, escaping from the big city, then the suburbs, now scrounging for supplies around an abandoned farm.  There still wasn't any concern for tactics, or cohesion, as they all crashed out in the barn, Kyle slumped over by the one barndoor, leading out to an open field. 

It's unsure if the zombies were lured in by Dog's barking, or if Dog simply starting barking to alert the humans of a problem.  

TURN ONE:  Dog ran the length of the back fence, challenging the zombies coming in from that direction.  Kyle saw the zombies crossing the open field first, raised his crossbow, and realized he never loaded his crossbow, and he must have left his other bolts in the barn (Out of Ammo!).  The zombies advance, Kyle still whispering to the others in the barn.  

The only reinforcement that came out was little Timmy, who pulled a massive handcannon out of his wagon and fired two loud shots, dropping one of them (He went on a 2 {Roll two dice]) and alerted everyone of his presence.

Mel had emerged out of the side barn door, and had planned on laying swath of death, only to discover she brought an unloaded machine gun to a zombie fight (OUT OF AMMO)

Turn Two:  Maybe the FoL Zombies are like the 28 Days Later version, because on a small board, they moved fast.  Each direction (NSEW) went as a group, so when they moved unimpeded, that 8" was a jog.

The zombies finally made of over the fence to reach Dog, and things weren't going so well for the canine.  

Kyle abandoned the child, grabbed his bag of ammo, and staggered back by the grain silo to reload.  Mel also fell back into the barn to clear her weapon/reload, while Bouffay met the zombies coming from the west and was fighting two of them off along the fence.

Timmy was wounded by the advancing zombies from the south, and was barely rescued by Father, emerging out of barn with his trusty shotgun!  

Turn Three:  Kyle finally managed to reload his crossbow, as the zombies from the east poured over the fence.  Hopefully his machete would fail him less. 

Little Timmy scurried away, but encountered another western zombie, who easily penetrated the fence without a sound.  Mel was able to reload (6 - free reload) and come out... only to completely miss.  The zombie knocked Timmy to the ground again.  

Bouffay was basically parrying the two zombies blows, and was strongly considering using a screwdriver, harder to use, but more likely to drop of them.  

Father took out another Zombie, and Dog?  Poor dog was barely holding on, and would officially perish next round

RIP: Dog

Turn Four:  Bouffay's standstill melee may have caused the fence to tumble, and she was wounded with the zombie, clawing at her back.

After killing Dog, its zombies began towards Kyle.  The little girl, Tina, finally jumped out of the barn and tried to attack a zombie on Kyle, but it's pretty hard to stab at a zombie when you're four-foot tall.  She was the easiest kill of the night.  

Father engaged in hand to hand with a zombie chasing down Timmy.  A successful hit to its head with the butt of his shotgun pushed it away, and a blast from the opposite end fell it.  

Turn Five: Kyle showed his best Daryl Dixon impression, felling two zombies with his machetes in the round.   The indomitable, scrambling Timmy  was finally caught by a zombie and quickly murdered.  With no moral obligation against hurting the child, Mel lowered the machine gun and obliterated the beast.

RIP Timmy

Luckily, Father wasn't too quick around the corner or he would have been caught in the spray of bullets.  Father walked over to Bouffay, discovering she had succumb to injuries.  He put a single shot in the feasting zombies head, and a single shot in Bouffay's to keep her from turning.  

Mel and Father escape the farm, heading west, leaving Kyle to his own devices.  

In scribbling the stats down for the humans they were definitely a lot more civilian, had poor set-up, and were subject to some horrible ammo rools,  while the zombie groups nabbed all the 6's for free reloads (save one).  In the end little Father was the most competent of all.  

For the next encounter, I'll reset things, and set up the loot markers.  I think zombies need to be slowed down an inch (to 3").  Nine zombies total coming from all sides was a good, but brutal test.  And I'll allow zombie groups of two for imitative.