The Rescue - the intro

Seated on the stretcher in the rear of his ambulance, his daughter Astrid in the “jump seat” and the reporter April Nillson in the attendant seat, Andy “Gobbo” Wosa shook his head in effort to organise the information that April was giving him. Black sites and strike teams were the stuff of spy novels and the like. The fact that a strike team had abducted his one-time crew mate Anna “Putters” Parker because of the information she had carried around with her, very nearly blew the top of his aching head off. 

“So, you’re saying that Anna’s fiance – Chris, had a different reaction to the virus than all the other D-Subs? And that this was the reason that my crewmate was snatched and sped away in the biggest fucking helicopter I’ve ever seen?” Gobbo exclaimed. 

Astrid sighed, a well-rehearsed sigh of exasperation at the slowness of thought her father displayed... again! “She has said this twice now dad...”. Rolling her eyes, she checked the firing mechanism of her wicked looking crossbow for the umpteenth time, the repetitive action seeming to soothe her stretched nerves far more than her father's repetitive questions. 

“Thanks, trappy!” Gobbo snapped, winking at his fierce daughter to soften the rebuke. “But now what? Do we go after her? I mean I’m just a fat old medic, never served in the forces and these guys are highly trained soldiers and by the sound of it bloody ruthless to boot. It’ll be suicide”. 

Silence descended in the back of the ambo, as each of them retreated back into their heads to contemplate the impossible task. Astrid looked over at the worried but determined face of her father and knew that he would do something, likely very stupid but brave, to help his crewmate.   

The crackle of a radio cut through the morose atmosphere like a sharp knife, as the airwave handset in April’s slingbag came to life. “April, you there? April? It’s Bobby” 

Gobbo winced at the awful radio protocol but urged the reporter to answer the call. Reaching into her bag and withdrawing the handset she keyed the transmit button. “Go ahead Bobby”. 

“April, it’s gone insane here! There are soldiers barking at each other and all sorts. It seems the chopper carrying that paramedic has gone down in somewhere called Westgate, some malfunction or something.  Anyway, they’re scrambling around like crazy!” 

April glanced at the older medic who was already heading toward the rear doors of the ambulance and thumbing a shell into the breach of the shotgun he held.  “You know where this is?” she asked somewhat resigned to the fact she was about to get dragged into something very dangerous. Gobbo glanced at his daughter and sighed... “Yup, 10 minutes away I guess we’ll see it before we get there.” 

Hi all and welcome to my first game of ATZ in over 18 months, hopefully I won't be too rusty, however you won't know because as before this will be a narrative batrep. Blue text in the bulk of the story will likely be because I need to punctuate the action with some clarification of what happened in the game, so that you don't just think it's a product of my imagination. 

https://dagobbosgrotto.blogspot.com/p/narratives.html

If you haven't read the previous episode then click on the link above to take you to an appropriate page because I will not be recapping each time. This game will be played out using All Things Zombie Final Fade Out (my preferred system) and on a 3 foot by 3 foot board divided into 9 sections.  

Anna is in section 7 (red person type icon), she needs to exit off of the board via section 3 marked by the acid green arrow (and coincidentally where Gobbo's ambulance is sitting) to succeed this mission as she looks to escape the crash site and disappear.  If she manages to link up with Gobbo they will move onto plot thread A. If she does not but still escapes she will move onto plot thread B.  Anna has an ankle injury and will not be able to fast move at all. If Anna is killed or captured by Sgt Boyle or the MiBs then we move onto plot thread C. She is now armed with an assault rifle and a flak vest (counts as protected).

Mr Smith and Mr Jones, the shadowy men in black from several episodes ago have been tasked by FOB SKA000 command to locate the girl and snatch her and the information she carries if possible, the information takes priority.  They enter in from section 1 and are marked by the purple arrow.

There are 3 PEFs (green squares) in section 7, 8 and 9 and are preloaded.  When one is revealed I will roll on the following table ignoring any repeats:

(1-2) the deserters Conti (poser) and Dewbury (dim) both are rep 4 with an assault rifle and flak vest. They will go straight to walk the walk on any meet and greet (inc the MiBs and the sarge) as they will want to avoid having witnesses to their desertion. 

(3-4) Sgt Boyle (born leader) rep 3 with an assault rifle and flak vest. Boyle is wounded, hence the lower rep and will try to fulfill his mission and capture Anna, if he wounds her he will demand her surrender and call in a heli-evac. 

(5-6) Gobbo, Astrid and April! they will automatically join up with Anna and attempt to exit at section 3 via Gobbo's ambo. 

It is an Urban setting so all of the ATZ rules for urban setups are to be used with zeds appearing on 4+ for each noise made. It is the afternoon of day 5... 

hope you enjoy 

dGG

The Rescue - preview

Light first, just patches of light and then darkness again.... 

Blink... light... blink... darkness... 

The sound comes in next – a crackling sound that reminds her of the cosy fires she shared with... darkness again... 

Now images, fragmented memories really, start to filter in. Noisy, panicky, chaotic... 

“ayday Mayday. We are going down! Repeat Foxtrot-Oscar-Bravo Sierra Kilo 0000, this Alpha-Sierra 5, Mayday Mayday we are going down! Birdstrike has taken out our rotors! We are going down!” 

More light and even bigger noises as the world turned upside down... She remembers falling... Then the screaming began... 

“Sarge! Sarge! Where's the Sarge?”  

Indistinct sounds that she remembered from before, the sounds of whimpering and the odd mewing noise of the badly hurt. 

A shadow falls over her, blocking the flickering light from a nearby fire.  

“Is she dead?” A fearful voice asks the question.  She can almost sense the shrug from the shadow. “Who cares, let’s get the fuck out of here”, the shadow sounds exhausted. “What about Tompkins?” the first voice almost whines. The loud crack of a pistol retort echoes around the wreckage of the giant military helicopter.  “What about him?” the shadow almost screams. 

Anna kept her eyes tightly closed, waiting for the second pistol shot that would finally release her from the nightmare of the last few days. Long seconds go by, before the sounds of boots crunching through rubble and debris recede into the background before disappearing altogether. 

Cautiously the former paramedic opened first one eye, then the other, scanning the immediate area.  With no living soldiers in sight (she carefully avoided looking at the broken remains of the wounded squaddie), she began a thorough assessment of her injuries. Running her fingers through her hair, she found only fragments of glass and rubble, no blood and she was able to turn her head. Chest intact, she was able to take a deep breath without coughing. Her pelvis was able to move without pain and she was able to move her arms without restriction. Moving down, her long bones were straight and had no deformity until she got to her ankles – a clear dislocation of the right ankle. All considering fairly fortunate, she muttered.  Looking around she found a hard rubber window seal from the destroyed chopper and bit down hard, with a practiced hand, she pulled the subluxation and re-seated the injured joint.  

Her screams, muffled by the rubber seal, faded away as she gingerly got to her feet and tested the ankle.  It was painful and wouldn’t support her fully but she was sure she could move on it, albeit slowly.  Shuffling over to the broken form of the soldier who had shot at her friend Gobbo, she reached down and pulled the flak jacket off his still warm body and picked up his assault rifle. All around her the low moaning of the walking dead came closer and closer. 

Hi all

So with Zombtober nearly over and for the first time in a few years I've missed it, well nearly missed it anyway. I haven't painted any new zombies or survivors, simply because I haven't got any!  I've been playing Zombicide Black Plague and even these are all painted. I have bid on Zombicide 2 but that won't land until next year. So instead I've dug out the old ATZ boards and read through all of my previous episodes of this campaign and it's time to play out the next chapter (after well over 18 months of waiting). Here is a link to the ATZ page with the previous chapters for those of you who want to catch up - https://dagobbosgrotto.blogspot.com/p/narratives.html

hope you enjoy

dGG

Behind every powerful man is...

Hi all

Today's look at my BB team - The Ubersreik Underworld, I'll be focussing on those folks who support the team, on the field and off - the coaching staff!

The Double U's are supported by a whole host of staff, from medical to coaching to cheering.  Da Gobbo has used his shady influence to assemble some of the best in their field.

Starting with Head Coach - Lucille de la Negan. Right hand woman to da Gobbo, Lucille hails from Tilea and was a chief lieutenant for the crimelord's underworld empire before being asked to look after the head honcho's pet project.  A stern disciplinarian, she emphasises her plays with her favourite club "Rick", woe betide the BB player who steps out of line...

Next up is Nurse Netti.  Netti is, or rather was a back alley butcher.  One of the shady sawbones that criminals go to, to get patched up no questions asked. When she was younger, the naïve Netti applied for the Imperial School of Physicians, keen to become the first female doctor! She was soon to come up against the closed ranks of the male dominated profession and rudely told to join the Cult of Shallya. Netti, red cheeked and shamed left vowing to show the "fusty-brained old codgers!" Netti broke into the college library and stole several tomes on surgery and medicine. Unfortunately for her she was caught on the way out with the books in a sack by her feet. Fortunately for her the guard, a distant cousin of da Gobbo, handed her over to the Boss and her training began!  Now she acts as the team Apothocary, patching up the players with depressing regularity...

Next, we have Patti "the Pulveriser" Ponterweld, the team physio and assistant coach.  The Pulveriser is a heartless, merciless driver for the physical perfection of her players.  Pushing the team to staggering heights of fitness, she works as hard as those she coaches, running laps alongside her charges without a drop of sweat on her brow!  On match day she acts in her capacity as assistant coach, working with coach de la Negan to shape the plays and berate the players she sees as "slacking".

Finally we have the "Double D's" the cheer squad for the Double U's. Led by the acerbic Andrea Hoffman, the Double D's are not just pretty faces, they drive the fans into a frenzy with their provocative cheers and dance routines.

All the back room staff minis are from Shadowforge. The faces of the minis are all a little weird but all in all they are good representatives of the staff, so I'm happy with them.

That's it for look at the team, hopefully its onwards and upwards for the U's and I can bring you some match reports.

hope you enjoy
dGG

That Superstar smile...

hi all

This week we move onto the superstars of the BB world - Blitzers!

Blitzers are fast, agile, strong humans - FLASH!! These guys run rings around hulking Blockers, punch the lights out of hapless Linemen and score as many TDs as Catchers, without the inherent squishiness of the lightly armoured specialists. And if you doubt my reasons for taking humans as my go-to team, you can have FOUR of them.

Star Player - Griff Oberwald - sculpt by Black Scorpion Miniatures.  I won't actually be using him in my team but he looked too good not to buy when I bought my starting Blitzer models from the same company...

Gurti Hurtidottir (2)

Hildi Hurtidottir (3)

Gurti and Hildi Hurtidottir are the twin daughters of the notorious underworld boss Hurti Armsson, friend and lieutenant of da Gobbo.  These brutal Norscan warriors are the scourge of the BB field - quick, strong and ferocious, these females batter their male counterparts with a sneer on their angelic faces.  The lack of any substantial scarring on them is a testament to their prowess on the field.

From left to right: "Flash" Harold (4), "Stumpy" Grimpaunch (13), "Brutal" Burt Bovverboot (12)

"Flash" Harold is a local lad, plucked from the streets of Ubersreik shady shanty town by da Gobbo himself. The boy, known then as "Dirty" Harry, cut the purse of da Gobbo's favourite nephew and evaded his bodyguards with ease, knocking one of the hulking ogres on its backside.  After tracking him down to his filthy hovel, da Gobbo surprised his retainers by offering Harry a position on his fledgling BB team.  Cleaned up and fed on good, nutritious food Harold, as he insists on being called, has emerged as one to watch by those who know the game.

"Stumpy" Grimpaunch is unlike most Ogres. Standing at just 7 and half feet tall, he is short for his species, added to that he is fairly trim around the middle.  These attributes caused him to be driven from his tribe as a "runt".  Found by agents of da Gobbo wandering the foothills of the Grey Mountains, he was smuggled into the city and welcomed into the underworld of the Ubersreik as an enforcer for da Gobbo.  Soon it became very clear that his talent of turning his victims into paste was suited to the BB field!

"Brutal" Burt is not currently in my line up but the mini is there to be added as and when the team develops. "Stumpy" is a second ed Ogre mini and shows the level of scale creep prevalent in GW at the mo, with the humans nearly reaching his height.  But I really like the model and as he was one I already owned it was a no-brainer.

The twins are awesome 32mm resin models from Black Scorpion, that were the result of a 3am google search one night. There are some great minis out there but the cost is so prohibitive, these beauts were just a £5 for the pair...

hope you enjoy

dGG

annnnd it's a hail mary pass....TOUCHDOWN!!!

Hi all

last time we looked at the Blood Bowl cannon-fodder, the linemen. Now it's time to focus on the specialists.  This week I'll be looking at the passing game.

Throwers, like Blitzers are your superstar players.  They are the spectacular playmakers, leaders on the field, picking passes out of the ether and dropping pinpoint long bombs into the EZ (well, that's the idea anyway...).

Catchers, are lightly armoured, fast and always looking to lurk in the EZ, waiting for the ball to come "over the top".

Humans are fairly decent at the passing game, although not particularly agile (3 as a starting stat), they do come with some skills that allow rerolls to failed dice - Sure Hands and Pass for the Throwers, Catch and Dodge for the Catchers.  This means that you can more or less rely on these players to get the job done (that said, in my opening game my Thrower fumbled the ball, with rerolls on the last two turns, handing the game to Damon's Orcs).

From left to right we have: Thrower Eduard da Eagle (1), Catcher Stefan Godsson (5), Thrower Erik Von Canton (14),  Catcher Alex Leadermann (6).

In the game, I only ever start with one Thrower as I prefer more inexpensive linemen to give defence and I find one does the job, even when receiving the ball. However, I always start with two Catchers, this gives me options down both flanks, with them playing out wide with a blocking team mate, to keep the nasties away. Catchers are also good at getting behind players with their speed and Dodge skills, assisting the Blitzers when they lay on the blocks to bashy teams.

hope you enjoy
dGG

Hold the Line

Hi all

Continuing from last week's post about Blood Bowl, I thought I would look at the team in depth.

Humans, in the Warhammer world (not the stupid AoS stuff, the proper Warhammer world) are your average joes! The neutral alignment, the average statlines, the average blah, blah, blah.... that's what people are always saying about the human teams "they're average at... (insert favourite tag line)".  What that really means is that they are supremely versatile!

Want to mix it up with Orcs? not a great idea but with support they can stand up against the bashy teams and yeah your team can take 4 Blitzers and a bloody Ogre! And I guess that'll turn even an Orc team into a paste.

Want to chuck the ol' squig skin around? Your boys might not be able to drop  a long bomb into the EZ with the silky skill of the elf teams but with Throwers and Catchers available to you, you can get those rerolls in and guarantee a few spectacular TDs.

That said I will start with the Mr Average (not just humans, all races) of the BB world, the unsung heroes - Linemen!

Linemen are the guys who step in the way of the speeding Blitzers in the vain attempt at stopping them from battering your Catchers. They are the guys that fill in the gaps in the team and support the superstars, they are the cannon-fodder!

The average lineman, is well, average. Not really quick, not really agile, not really strong. Just able to play every role in a pinch. Cheap as chips and twice as disposable, most teams go through linemen at a rate of knots as they often take a battering. The Double U's are no different except for one particular lineman...

Little do any of his team-mates know but one of these humble organ donors is a scion of the deposed ruling family of Ubersreik.  Hiding in plain sight, the heir to the Von Jungfreud family plays a mean game of ball.  Da Gobbo, using his shady connections smuggled the young noble away from the family keep before the Imperial troops raided it and has kept his secret safe... for now!

From left to right we have:

Helmut Jonsson (10), Gunter Puddleweiss (7), Pieter Shilltone (11), Lothor Bran (9), Marvin Artin (16), Fredrick Von Frick (8).

Personally I think these minis are anything but average and the GW has played a blinder here. I love the look and feel of these bad boys and really enjoyed painting them.  My only gripe and really it is my only gripe is that the sprues are repeated so that you have duplicate sculpts in your team, that said the sculpts are excellent!

hope you enjoy

dGG

Gooooood Evening Sports Fans.....

Hi all

Wow! So looking back through my old posts to see when I last wrote about Blood Bowl, only to discover it was well over a year and a half ago!

Oh yeah, this post is about Blood Bowl... oops!

Here's a link to the previous post - https://dagobbosgrotto.blogspot.com/2018/01/a-newold-game.html

So anyway, I was looking for some online gaming a couple of weeks back, playing Warhammer Total War and Scythe, when I stumbled across an ad for Blood Bowl II.  Instantly I wanted that game, I'd played the first version on PS3, enjoyed it and then my son moved out and took his consoles with him.  I tend not to play too many digital games as I find most of them too annoyingly similar, but I do enjoy strategy games and love BB so I duly purchased the game on Steam and have been playing it ever since! Then I got the BB novels by Matt Foebeck off my shelf and reread them! then I purchased the kindle version of a short story anthology for BB. The obsession began...

Finally, I cracked out the box I had sitting on my shelf for so long gathering dust and started painting miniatures!

Meet the Ubersreik Underworld:

 

The Double U's are a mainly human team based in the Free City of Ubersreik, part of the Reikland and not too far from the infamous Castle Drachenfels. Ubersreik (click the link) is a major trading centre along the mighty Reik river and across the main trading routes to Brettonia.  The city is currently in a state of upheaval, following a removal of the ruling family - the Von Jungfreund, by the Emperor himself.  It is also the setting for WHFRP 4ed and a bloody dodgy place to boot! The Underworld are financed and owned by a very shady character indeed, the mysterious "Gobbo", although he is most definitely not a greenskin, that much is just about all anybody knows about him...

As for the team, they are up and coming, or so it is said (mostly by themselves). After a rather rocky debut, which they lost in the dying seconds, new blood has arrived to strengthen the team and drive them forward.

Yes I managed to play a game of BB for the first time in 25 years, against Damon's Orcs and lost 3-2 with the final touch down coming in the last turn of the game due to a double fumble by my Thrower. Despite that, it was great fun and I'm determined to get more games in before joining a local league, when they hit their second season next year.

Next weeks post, we will meet the team!

hope you enjoy

dGG