It's been rough getting the girls together to play some games, especially with Easter coming up, but with one at my place, we knocked out a quick zombie game... it's close to Easter-theme.
1936 - Zulovo, Soviet Union
"Four Hasidic Jews and a rogue Soviet agent enter an strangely abandoned research facility."
Alexander Mikoyan rarely laughed, but that though elicited a smile. He had travelled the Russian Empire, now the Soviet Union, meeting interesting people, killing them sometimes, uncovering secrets the party was not meant to know, and befriending a collection of individuals that would certainly get him killed in one of Stalin's purges. Except, for good reason, Stalin knew why Mikoyan was scary and necessary for the survival of the nation.
When rumors rose of a vanished village... with a questionable state facility nearby, Mikoyan commandeered a train operated by some previous companions... and requested the aid of the four Hasidic Jews with experience in the occult.
The mission was a partial success. There was nothing pointing out to the abandonment of the facility, or the disappearance of the nearby townsfolk. Mikoyan had uncovered some questionable documents and a very peculiar black statue, with veins of a bright green glowing material.
They were almost back to the train, when Mikoyan was doubly annoyed. Had they really been down there so long that Rudakov, the engineer, quelled the boiler. Alexander could sense something was coming, and this was going to delay their escape.
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| Our heroes (L to R), Rudakov the Engineer, Aleksandrov the Fireman, Yevgeny the Conductor, Alexander Mikoyan, Avrum, Menachem, Yitzchak, and Tuvia |
Secret Heroes of the Soviet Union
1) Load up the statue: A two man job, both men loading it must succeed a task 5+ on a d8 on the same turn.
2) Leave. The engineer and fireman must succeed a task 5+ on a d8 on the same turn TWICE. It does not have to be in successive turns. The following turn, so long as there is a crew member in the cab with a free action to push the lever forward, the train moves 6 inches each turn.
Undead Enemy of the State
Prevent the train from leaving the station, human deaths are a simple bonus (and more members to the army)
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| The pseudo secret railway station near the Zulovo research station (lower right). |
Turn One: With the swirling snow obscuring vision, Mikoyan knew he need to eliminate the threat close up and quickly, so he charged them. Two of the jews had just stepped into the station to warm their hands on the dying embers of the fire the train crew set in the stove. They were on the other side of the train, and couldn't see anything. Yitzchak and Tuvia fumbled with the statue, and the train crew equally bumbled stoking the boiler and building up a head of steam to leave.
Turn Two: Mikoyan swung his pick at the undead, ripping out a chuck of flesh. The monster dropped to a knee but continued to attack and wounding the agent. Meanachem ran around the back of the train and levelled one with his shotgun, although it required a double tab to put its out of everyone's misery.
Tuvia, armed with a submachine gun, stopped trying to lift the statue to fire at a closing zombie, a rip of bullets hitting a vital spot.
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| Mikoyan looks to be in trouble. |
Meanwhile: the train crew began arguing with each other, not realizing that more zombies had assembled from behind the station.
Turn Three: With the luckiest roll, Mikoyan crawled away from the closing zombie, just enough for Tuvia to distract a zombie... and meet his own doom. Avrum snuck between the rail cars and help Yittzchak secure the statue on the train.
The train crew rolled successes! One more pair to go!
Turn Four: Avrum and Menachem took two different approaches for the growing zombie mob behind the station. Menachem climbed the last train car, missing every shot, but distracting the undead hadn't closed in on the locomotive yet. 
Having secured the statue, Avrum slid back to the other side, aimed at a zombie with the pistol
*click click*
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| Weapon jam/Out of Ammo! |
Avrum quickly climbed the tender to give him a moment to fix his pisol.
Alexander Mikoyan could feel his own blood coming out of his body.
"I'm not going to die from some Trupokoldún (Corpse-Wizard's) plaything... and he willed himself to get and and stumble back to the train. (He pulled a Queen of Hearts, perfect to combat his faltering die rolls).
The crew finally got the locomotive ready, and the bell was pulled once to alert the others... and alert more zombies.
But they were already here.
The first wave of zombies from beyond the station had reached the train.
The zombies tried to climb up the tender, but Alexandrov and Avrum beat them down. One did manage to climb into the cab and wound the engineer.
Turn Five: Rudakov regained enough composure in the locative cab to kick the zombie away, summon enough strength to pull the lever to start the train in motion.
Turn Six and Seven: With the train in motion, it was unlikely the lone zombie on board would disable it, nor would any zombie after turn six even attempt to board. But there is room to tell two more heroic tales.
Yevgeny the conductor had stood in the front of the train, making sure the path was clear. He was constantly distracted by the gunfire, so it was no surprise that was beset by a zombie. The conductor must have learned something from his previous time with the rogue Soviet agent, as he quickly dispatched the creature.... only to see zombies walking alongside the tracks. He pushed another zombie onto the tracks, slowly crushed by the wheels of the locomotive, before Yevgeny climbed into the locomotive cab and helped the engineer push the last zombie off the train.
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| Yevgeny in his the midst of his moment of heroism. Aleksandov and Avrum stand in disbelief. |
At the back end of the train, Yitzhcak had found himself embroiled in a desperate wrestling match with a zombie, with three or four more coming at him. Even Menachem's shots from atop the rail car were not helping. In fact, they were drawing more zombies towards them.
At the last moment, he finally managed to push the zombie away, giving him just enough time to grab the railing of the last car...
Alexander Mikoyan lay in the gondola car, clutching a wound.
"You know, you could have come to help us?"
"And scare your human allies? Not likely at all Sasha..."
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| Mikoyan confers with his friend, Adric the Rusalki |
Hiding in the corner, across from him, was a fishman, in a thick fur coat, reading an ancient tome while, trapsing its clawed fingers over the newly obtained statue.
"I don't think your little incursion of Mertvyaki is associated with this little relic. I am a bit perplexed though. All signs point that this wasn't made by my people."
I think three simple zombie games let me realize that Fistful of Lead is certainly adequate for it, as well as help me determine how we're using the rules for some of our skirmish level gnome games. It's refreshing to actually get a chance to use my
Soviet-era figures (even if
Mikoyan's figure is the lead character from Sisu), the
Russian Deep One, and the
Armed Jews from Battle Valor.
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