STGAM: Return of the Dead

Today, in addition to being Veteran's Day, is Solo Wargaming Appreciation day. 

I honestly don't recall hearing about it until yesterday afternoon but since I already game solo, and I'm participating in Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month, I decided to make use of my lunch hour for a game. However, with little time to plan, I opted to revisit the game I played earlier this month. I used the same ruleset and scenario, but made the following changes:

Rule Changes

• Instead of 3'x3' board, use a 2'x2' (my desk at work is only so big)
• 6 board edge entry points for zombies instead of 10  randomly placed encounter markers
• The axis officer controlling the zombies will enter the board using same method, but be placed behind or within nearest heavy cover
• Instead of 4 American G.I.s I would field 4 British infantry (WWII) - this time with two submachine guns instead of 1. As per last game, it's one hero(4 hp), one sidekick (3 hp) and two "other good guys"(2 hp each). The nationality is superficial, the weapons assortment is not.
• Distinguish between heavy woods (-2 cards to hit) and light woods (-1 card to hit)
• Allow an aimed shot (for head shots to kill zombies) for -1 activation point AND -1 card to hit. 
• Only allow aimed shots to be used after 10 zombies are killed - this allows any hit, number or face card, to count as a head shot (this is to attempt to model the fact that the soldiers don't know that head shots kill zombies when they first encounter them)
• Zombies get no saves against hits - either knock downs or kills (face cards)

The last two were intended to speed up the game a bit.

 I also created an "order of operations" if you will, for the zombies in order to get more of the zombies on the table involved in the action in a more logical, less random way:

Zombie Order of Operations

• All in melee, standing, will attack
• All in melee, knocked down, will stand and attack if possible
• All within 1 move, standing, will move and attack if possible
• All within 1 move, knocked down, will stand if possible
• All remaining knocked down, will stand if possible
• All remaining, standing, will move if possible

The Axis officer would move according to the scenario description with the following modifications:

Axis Officer: Suggestions to Keep Me Honest

• Advance is done through heavy cover first. Will use light cover only if heavy not feasible
• Will not end move in open ground
• Will not advance further than nearest light cover to heroes and will attack from there
  

Finally, there were two unplanned changes:

1. I used a die roll to determine encounter locations
2. I used a die roll to determine encounter type

These should have been card draws, but I forgot the second deck. These two changes may have more effect than I would have liked.

I'll try to post a report later today if I can but if not then by early next week. I also hope to get some painting in soon to make some more progress on my goal for Solo Tabletop Gaming Appreciation Month and I'll report on that as well.

Corporal Hardcastle leading his squad of Tommys into the maw of death!