Game Report: Custom Scenario in progress

[thanatos]

My group is becoming addicted to creating scenarios - especially massive scenarios.

This is a custom scenario we are currently refining to get the challenge just right (especially turn count and how the heroes break barricades), but it is inspired partially by games like Manhunt and movies like Saw. I wanted to post our "beta" play-through to see what everyone thinks. Like I said, we're still working on getting the balance right. As you will see, several extremely lucky draws and a string of lucky rolls worked heavily in the heroes' favor.

Setting
Victor has drugged eight heroes and barricaded them on opposite sides of town while he tries to crack a vault inside the manor house holding the majority of the town's fortune (for our purposes, the manor house could be considered the town's bank). This scenario could be played by up to 11 players, though it is ideal for four (two hero players controlling the two four-hero teams, one player controlling victor, and one player controlling the zombies). In a pinch, it can be played by just 3 players, with the Zombie Player also controlling Victor. This is ONLY viable so long as the Zombie Player is willing to go after Victor as hard as he goes after the heroes.

Objectives:
Heroes:
Fuel up the vehicle on their side of town, find keys for it, and use it to smash one or both of the barricades cutting the manor house off from the rest of town.

Once one barricade has been smashed, Victor appears inside the manor house. The heroes must break through the fully reinforced barricades around the manor house and kill Victor before he cracks or blows up the safe and absconds with the town fortune.

Once Victor has been defeated, at least three heroes must reach the road out of town. BOTH teams must have at least one member among the survivors who reach the road out of town.

Victor:
Crack the safe (sacrifice move action on the safe and roll a D6. On a roll of 6, the safe combination has been cracked successfully) or blow the safe up (sacrifice turn with dynamite in hand, survive all fights in the space, and roll a D6 to see how much of the cash is destroyed. On a 1 or 2, only 33% of the fortune remains. 3 or 4, 66% remains. 5 or 6, and the cash is completely unharmed)
Escape on the road out of town with the money

Zombies:
Kill Victor
Kill six heroes OR kill all 4 members of one hero team
OR
Keep heroes and Victor from escaping before the sun marker reaches 0.


Layout:


Special rules:
Heroes:
Hero event cards that one team draws may NOT be played on the other team until both barricades have been destroyed. This also applies to abilities like Strength of Spirit.

If one team somehow happens to draw all gas canisters or all keys, these two items MAY be traded through a single barrier to the other team.

Vehicles:
A hero must end his turn on the truck with gas in hand to refuel a vehicle. On the next turn, any hero with keys may use the vehicle to attack the nearest barricade.

When a vehicle hits a barricade, destroy the barricade and roll a D6. On a roll of 1, 2, or 3, the vehicle is totaled, and the other team must get gas and keys for their own vehicle. On a roll of 4, 5, or 6, the vehicle is still drivable and may be used to smash the second barricade.

Start the truck exactly 6 spaces from the nearest barricade. Truck has 6 movement

Start the forklift exactly 4 spaces from the nearest barricade. Forklift has 4 movement.

Any zombies directly in the path of a vehicle are killed when it moves.

Vehicles can NOT be used once barricades are destroyed


Special rules applying to Victor:
Old Betsy cannot be used on Victor

Victor can search and fight as normal. Any cards that mention effects on zombies are instead applied to heroes (likewise if heroes play cards against Victor).

Victor (and ONLY Victor) can search inside the manor house

Outside of an exploding gas can in the same space, any ability or card that "kills" a zombie only wounds Victor or other heroes.

If a hero and Victor are in the same space and a zombie attacks, the hero and Victor roll. The higher roll shoves the lower roll toward the zombie. The lower roll fights the zombie and is forced to subtract 1 from all dice rolls for being caught off-guard.
+If multiple zombies attack, the shoved hero must fight ALL of them
+If multiple heroes are in the same space with Victor, all roll. As long as one rolls higher, Victor is shoved into the zombies UNLESS one hero rolls a 1, in which case, Victor grabs and shoves them to balance himself.


Zombies:
Until the barricades are broken, zombies must not only spawn evenly between spawning pits, but also between sides of the board (so, on a roll of 2, one zombie must spawn on one side of the board, one on the other).

Once one barricade is broken, zombies gain autospawn

Once both barricades are broken, zombies no longer need to spawn evenly between sides of the board, but must still spawn evenly between all pits.


Scenario rules:
Gas station is well-stocked - this intentionally provides an advantage to one starting team. So that one team can't simply "call" the side with the gas station, flip a coin to see which side of the board each team starts on

The Manor house is fully barricaded (barricade + 3 reinforcements).

The ground connecting the manor house to the rest of the town has barricades that may only be destroyed by vehicular impact.

Heroes may destroy a manor house barricade by rolling for movement. The movement number is the total number of attacks they may make on a barricade that turn. Reinforcements are removed on a roll of 4+. Once all reinforcements are removed, the barricade is destroyed on a roll of 4+
NOTE: This is under consideration, as some incredibly lucky rolls meant the heroes only needed one turn and one hero to wipe out a fully reinforced barricade, and there were still heroes able to move in and wound Victor. We will try this next time with heroes only being able to make d3 attacks per turn.

Zombies may destroy a manor house barricade in the same manner, but are limited to one attack per zombie per turn.



Zombie Horde
Hero Starting Cards (2)

After one barricade collapses, Zombies autospawn



Turn one:
Setup phase:
Sally, Jade, Father Joseph, and Sam wake up groggily in the diner while, at the same time on the other side of town, Jenny, Johnny, Stacy, and Becky wake up inside the gym. Both sets of heroes hear a distorted and menacing voice asking, "Would you like to play a game?"

Peeking out the windows, both groups realize that the town has been barricaded off while they slept. The voice explains: "Four of you are in the diner. Four of you are in the gym. On one side of town is a truck, on the other, a forklift, but two blockades separate your groups. If you want to join up and take me down, you will need to find where I've hidden the keys and fuel up your respective vehicles to destroy my barricades. I'm waiting for you in the manor."


Losing no time, Stacy said, "Hey guys, that gas? I know where it is! It's in the factory!"

Johnny told his team, "I stole the keys to the forklift for a prank last week. Let's go get the gas!

Zombie Turn:
Unfortunately, while Stacy informed her team that the gas was in the factory, two zombies walked up to the entrance of the gym, blocking the heroes in.


Hero Turn:
Jenny took a shot at one of the zombies outside, killing him, but that was the only shell in her shotgun. "Hellfire and tarnation!" She cried in frustration, throwing the shotgun across the gym.

On the other side of town, Father Joseph looked under a table in the diner and exclaimed, "Just what I needed: the keys to the truck!"

Meanwhile, Sam told the heroes that he kept a can of gas in the back, just in case he ever needed to make napalm some fine morning, it being such a fine smell and all.


Turn two:
Zombie Turn:
Becky felt Haunted by the past

The second zombie outside the door clawed his way into the gym to attack Johnny, but Mr. Hyde came running in from out of nowhere to menace the zombie and save Johnny


Hero Turn:
At Last Becky found some closure and was no longer haunted by the past

Before heading to the factory, Stacy looked under the bleachers and yelled excitedly, "Just what I needed: the gas can!"

Jenny shot the signal flare at the zombie menacing Johnny, thoroughly roasting him.

On the other side of town, Sam gave Father Joseph the gas from his napalm preparation kit and Father Joseph made a run for the truck and began fueling it

Jade looked in the back of the diner and found Sam's garden shears


Turn three:
Zombie Turn:
A zombie came in to the diner to make a high-fat, high-protein meal out of Sam. Sam fended him off and shoved his cigar through the zombie's empty eye socket, burning up its brain. "Damn," he said, "that was my last stogie."

Johnny was menaced by another zombie, but fended him off and, having been a good church-goer all his life, frightened the zombie to death by telling him, "Get back you devil! The power of Christ compels you!"


Hero Turn:
Father Joseph charged at the first barricade with the truck, destroying the barricade. Miraculously, the truck survived the impact.

Hearing the perimeter alarm go off, Victor charged downstairs in the manor house.



Victor Turn:
Knowing he needed to take the manor fortune and run, Victor nonetheless spared a moment to hatch a devious plan for taking on the heroes. (Search - A Little Help here)



Turn four:
Zombie Turn:
Ominous noises began to emanate from the Hospital, as it was now Taken Over!.

Heavy Rain began to fall, but Jeb the mechanic appeared and said, "T'ain't s'posed ta rain taday. The weatherman said so." Miraculously, the Forrest Gump-like innocence of the dim-witted mechanic stopped the rain!

As the zombies began to pour out of the hospital, Old Betsy ran up to menace them, willing to die to defend her master, Sam.

Yet another zombie crashed through the diner's windows, this time going after Jade, but her garden shears made short work of it

Meanwhile, in the gym, yet another zombie came after Johnny, who really should have known better than to wear that Burger King cologne. Fortunately, Johnny easily fended it off


Hero Turn:
Sally, Sam, and Jade made a mad dash toward the manor house while Father Joseph rammed through the second barricade, totaling the truck.

Stacy, Johnny, Jenny, and Becky gathered at the door to the gym, where Stacy used the fire extinguisher to blast back two zombies

Seeing Father Joseph driving to the rescue, the highly religious group of heroes in the gym said a quick prayer of thanks, bestowing the blessing of Faith upon the valiant father.


Victor turn:
Meanwhile, Victor headed over to the safe, deadset on the town fortune socked away inside.


Turn five:
Zombie turn:
An opportunistic Zombie, smelling Victor's stench emanating from the manor house, began munching on one of the manor's barricades, destroying a reinforcement.

Brave Old Betsy proved to be no match for the zombies she was menacing, as two set upon and ate her, then threw the hospital doors wide.

Father Joseph, somewhat woozy after that second crash, was beset by two zombies. Gathering his wits, he fended off one zombie and killed the other.


Meanwhile, Johnny sawed through a Zombie with his chainsaw.


Hero turn:
Johnny left the gym swinging and chopped a zombie's head off, blitzing on past where the Zombie was. The rest of his team followed toward the manor

Sam, Sally, and Jade reached the manor house


Victor turn:
Hearing the assault on his barricades, Victor decided it might be best to lay just one more plan - Search: get back you devils


Turn six:
zombie turn:
The lone Zombie ineffectually bit at a barricade reinforcement, and another zombie shuffled up beside him.


Hero turn:
Sam single-handedly ripped the barricade apart, allowing Sally and Jade to rush Victor


Sally decided she would be Laying Down The Law. She fired her revolver at Victor at point blank range, wounding him

Jade attacked Victor, but was fended off

Sally attacked Victor and was fended off. Victor screamed, "Get back you she-devil!" Unfortunately for Victor, his rage left Sally with Just a Scratch


Victor turn:
Victor noticed dynamite right behind the safe and grabbed it

He swung at Jade, who was staggered by his punch, but not wounded

Sally attacked in retaliation, but was caught off guard by his cry for "A little help here!" In confusion, Sally lowered her guard long enough for Victor to shove her away.


Turn seven:
Zombie turn:
Two zombies beat on the barricaded wall, removing another reinforcement


Hero turn:
Angry at being fooled, Sally shot Victor again

Sally and Jade both attacked again, but failed to do any significant damage to Victor


Victor turn:
Victor blew the safe open and successfully fended off Sally and Jade. The explosion destroyed 1/3 of the money, but Victor hungrily grabbed the rest.


Turn eight:
Zombie turn:
6 zombies smashed through the wall of the manor house

Meanwhile, 2 zombies attacked Father Joseph, but were fended off, while another zombie attacked Nurse Becky, who easily fended it off


Hero turn:
Sally shot at Victor, but missed

Johnny and Sam bum-rushed Victor, and Johnny sawed Victor's head off, recovering the town's hidden fortune

Victor was laid to rest in state at Not-so-peaceful pines, where his beautiful tombstone read...Oh, who are we kidding, they bagged him, tagged him, and slabbed him


Father Joseph walked up and joined Becky, helping her fend off the zombie menacing her


Turn nine:
Zombie turn:
6 zombies swarmed Johnny, Sally, Jade, and Sam.

Johnny was caught off guard and wounded, but his time on the ball-field gave him terrific Recovery

More prepared the second time around, Johnny sawed through the second zombie menacing him

Jade, not to be outdone by some stupid jock, wielded her garden shears like a pro and trimmed the heads off of two zombies

Sally was hit by a zombie, but it was just a scratch

Sam fended off the zombie attacking him



Outside the manor house, 5 zombies swarmed Father Joseph and Becky

Imbued with Hero's Rage, Becky killed two of the zombies, but was wounded by a third. Fortunately, her time as a nurse gave Becky recovery every bit as good as Johnny's.

Father Joseph was wounded by a zombie and screamed, "Now I'm MAD!", flying at the fifth zombie in a maniacal berserker fury and tearing it to shreds with his bare hands.



Hero Turn:
Flush with excitement after killing Victor, a blood-drenched Johnny turned to Sally and said, "Hey, babe, this could be our last night on earth." Hearing them outside the manor house, Father Joseph showed great Strength of Spirit and rebuked loud enough to damage his lungs.

Jade, Sally, Johnny, and Sam ran out of the manor house. Sally shot at a zombie through the barn window, but missed him


Turn ten:
Zombie turn:
Two zombies came upon Jade, Sally and Sam.
Showing the heart of a true gardener, Jade trimmed the heads again, killing one of the two, but Sam was hurt trying to protect Sally.

Another zombie came upon Jenny and Stacy, but Jenny expertly fended it off, declaring, "Once you've wrassled a pig in mud, a zombie ain't nothin'!"


Hero turn:
Johnny, now flush with the thought of Jenny mud-wrestling, rushed to the aid of Jenny and Stacy and chopped the head off the zombie menacing the two women. Jenny rolled her eyes at this unnecessary machismo.

Sally shot at a zombie, but it seemed he was unstoppable. As he advanced, Father Joseph's prayers were answered, though, and his strength of spirit gave Sally's bullet supernatural stopping power. Unfortunately this left the good father very near death's door


Turn eleven
Zombie turn:
Suddenly, the lights went out at the gas station in the distance

5 zombies swarmed Jade, who broke ahead of the other heroes. The first zombie was fended off, but the second wounded her, springing a Deadly Surprise that shook Johnny's Heroic Resolve to the core. Stacy and Jenny smelled something that reminded them of a dirty bathroom, and Jenny began to laugh.

Frustrated, Jade gathered her wits and went after the other three zombies with a vengeance, killing all three of them with all the grace of a master landscaper.


Hero turn:
Becky, Johnny, Sam, Sally, Jenny, and Father Joseph ran up to support Jade.

Sally tried to shoot one of the remaining zombies at point blank range, but instead heard a heart-stopping "click" from the empty and worthless revolver.

Becky treated the badly-wounded Father Joseph with her first aid kit.

Swinging his chainsaw wildly, Johnny killed both zombies menacing the 7 heroes.

As the heroes breathed a sigh of relief, Becky administered first aid to the wounded Jade


Turn twelve:
Zombie turn:
Two zombies charged the 7 heroes, but Jade and Johnny came out swinging, killing both of them


Hero Turn:
At last the lights came back on in the gas station
Johnny attacked the closest zombie to the Road out of Town, but he got too cocky. The zombie wounded him, and he lost his chainsaw. Humbled in his survival, Johnny blitzed past the zombie to the road out of town.

Father Joseph reached the road out of town just behind him, with Becky, Sally, and Jenny stopping to catch their breath just a few feet behind him


Turn thirteen:
Zombie turn:
Instinctively realizing that their food was quite possibly about to get away, the zombies began to exhibit a Growing hunger.

Seeing the new fervor in the zombies' eyes, Father Joseph prayed, exerting all his strength of spirit, but this time, zombies were stronger than faith, my son.

A ravenous Zombie attacked Jenny, but she easily fended him off

Jade was also attacked, but was not so lucky, taking a wound from the hungry zombie


Hero turn:
Jenny, Stacy, and Becky casually strolled up to the road out of town, followed by Sally.

Just behind them, Jade and Sam paused to catch their breath, and the heroes raised a cheer for a job well done.