'Nutha Batch of German Zombies

More zombies...man, the games are gonna be fun. Binhan is one of the most creative gamers I know!

Also, these miniatures are really awesome - nice details. The miniatures don't have a head attached. which allows you to select the head you like, and even place it at odd angles and such. I am having fun painting them and highly recommend Westwind Productions products!

Operation Winter Harvest

This blog posting is made in conjunction with an announcement on our club Yahoo Group about the upcoming World War Two zombie campaign. CMH members that are interested in playing will use the below information to create their initial force and gain intelligence regarding the games to be played. For the rest of you, I simply hope you enjoy the read - but - if any of you out there have ideas, do share by leaving a comment!

History
By mid-January of 1945, things were looking very bleak for the German Reich. The Allied armies are closing in on all sides and Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein ("Operation Watch on the Rhine") is a total failure. The Fuhrer’s only hope now rests in the Vergeltungswaffen, the Vengeance Weapons. History has taught us about the V-1 and the V-2 weapons. Few know of the V-3 and almost none alive today know about the V-4 weapon.

The V-3 was a multi-charge supergun designed to shoot artillery shells onto London from France. It saw only minimal use with some test rounds being fired into Luxembourg before the Allies overtook them.

The V-4 weapon is a virus developed in a secret laboratory in Alsace, France. The weapon, which was intended to be delivered by artillery in conjunction with a poisonous gas, was capable of reanimating the dead into mindless beings. The idea was that besides killing enemy personnel, the fact that they reanimated would cause enough shock and logistical problems to create havoc within the enemy’s territory, destroying their capability to wage war and destroying the population’s willingness to continue the fight.

Tests on Russian prisoners showed that although fairly mindless, there was an uncontrollable nature within the reanimated dead. Additionally, a nasty side-effect of the V-4 was that the reanimated dead had acquired a voracious appetite for the flesh of the living. Attacks spread the virus to the victim and the epidemiology showed that this horizontal transmission was successful in nearly 100% of the cases – resulting in the creation of another zombie. The scientists determined that the risk of a “zombie apocalypse” was greater to Germany than those risks currently faced.

To mitigate this risk, development on the V-4 was augmented to include efforts to control the reanimated dead. A handful of military units were formed from German soldiers that “volunteered” for service in a planned SS regiment of undead soldiers. Controller devices were implanted in the volunteers and then they were killed and reanimated. There were successes in some of these efforts, but there were also disastrous failures.

In spite of the risks and perhaps due to misinformation from his scientists (no doubt fearing for their own lives) Hitler decided to move forward with the deployment of the V-4 by February of 1945. This was announced by a surprise visit by Hitler to the secret bunker complex in Alsace.

Luckily, the V-4 weapon was never used in combat thanks to a small band of soldiers on a secret mission: Operation Winter Harvest. Few men survived the mission, and stories of the horrors they faced are today treated as nonsense. Without their heroism and sacrifice, our world would be unimaginable.

Through a short campaign of several linked-scenarios, we’ll recreate the conditions of this ultra-secret mission that saved the world. Will you be able to save the world? Or will you fail in the mission, dooming mankind to the worst apocalypse imaginable?

The Campaign
Campaign games will take place on select Friday Night Fights and Sunday club meetings and will consist of four or five scenarios. There are certainly four scenarios, but player decisions can cause a fifth scenario. All of these scenarios have already been designed by Binhan, Matt and myself.

Scenario Map

The goal of the campaign is to locate the secret bunker and capture the mad-scientist (Doktor Dannenberg) and return him to Allied Intelligence.

Scenarios will be executed using the excellent and extremely fun All Things Zombie (and Nuts!) by Two Hour Wargames. Incredibly fun games have resulted within our club using these rules for “modern-day” zombie games!

The campaign is open to all club members and will be played on a “drop-in and out” basis. Players that can play regularly will be Allied soldiers, while others may be asked to manage the German forces, both living and dead.

Players will retain the use of their surviving soldiers for use in subsequent scenarios. Soldiers could increase (or decrease) in capabilities as the campaign progresses. Players will be awarded victory points per scenario for actions undertaken during the games.

Each player earns victory points when men under his command do any of the following:

• 1 Point – Kill a zombie or a German soldier.
• 5 Points – Obtaining, but failing to use an intact “pinger” device (per distinct device).
• 10 Points – Obtaining and using an intact “pinger” device (per distinct device).
• 20 Points – First to reach Doktor Dannenberg in “The Bunker” scenario.
• 10 Points – Destruction or capture of German vehicles (some could be rated at higher or lower value based upon vehicle type and referee discretion).
• ? Points – As awarded by scenario rules and/or referee discretion.

Players are free to bring their own miniatures, for the American or German sides, although the referees have a sufficient number of miniatures to use.

Player Forces
An Allied player’s forces represent hand-picked men for this critical mission. As a result, the forces are highly customizable to suit the player’s ideals for mission success.

How Many Men?
Each player may have up to 5 miniature soldiers in his “section”. The exact number is up to the player, yes, you can choose to have 5 or 4 or 3. Although I don’t know why you’d want less than 5 – unless you plan on lobbying the referees for extra victory points given your handicap of fewer men.

What Kind of Men?
One of your men is a “Star” with a “Rep” of 5. This soldier should represent the player on the tabletop and is an officer. You may choose your own rank (lieutenant to colonel), but be careful, a high rank may just place you in command!

The rest of the men in the section are “Grunts” and all have a “Rep” of 4 (these are hand-picked men). One of these men is an NCO (sergeant or corporal) and the remainder privates. 

What Kind of Section?
Each player must choose what type of unit he wishes to operate during the campaign. The choices are listed here:

Infantry Section
Yes, the foot soldiers are the true heroes in battle. By selecting this type of unit, you have the most flexibility in the type of weaponry available to you.

If the unit is an infantry unit, it is as follows:

• 1 Officer. A “Star” with REP: 5 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol, Submachine-gun, Grenades
• 1 NCO. A “Grunt” with REP: 4 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol, Submachine-gun, Grenades
• 3 Riflemen. “Grunts” REP: 4 Armament: Semi-automatic Rifle, Grenades

You have the following options. Each option can only be used once per player, but a player is free to exercise as many of the options as they desire.

1. Replace 1 Rifleman with a Medic. Normally medics are unarmed, but for this mission, they are armed with a Large Caliber Pistol for self-defense. They may only shoot at zombies or German soldiers that charge them. If desired, the medic may be equipped with a gas mask and a bullet-proof vest.
2. Replace 1 Rifleman’s Semi-automatic Rifle and Grenades with a Bolt-action Rifle and Sniper Scope.
3. Replace 1 Rifleman’s Semi-automatic Rifle with a Bazooka and a Large Caliber Pistol (the rifleman may keep his grenades).
4. Outfit the NCO with a gas mask and a bullet-proof vest.
5. Outfit the Star with a gas mask and a bullet-proof vest.
6. Replace 1 Rifleman’s Semi-automatic Rifle with a Combat Shotgun (the rifleman may keep his grenades).
7. Replace 1 or 2 Rifleman’s Semi-automatic Rifle with a Browning Automatic Rifle (the rifleman may keep his grenades).
8. Equip one rifleman with a short-range radio. The radio is only good for contacting other short-range radios on the gaming table.
9. Replace 1 Rifleman’s Semi-automatic Rifle and grenades with a Flamethrower and a Large Caliber Pistol. This includes 1 fuel tank with 4 bursts. Up to 3 additional fuel tanks may be taken, but must be carried by other individual soldiers or in a vehicle.

Sherman Tank Crew
Sweet, we’ll flatten those zombies in a tank! But, what about those German tanks? What about panzerfausts? What about fuel? Having some armor would be great, but combined arms is still a valid concept. Oh, vehicles are noisy, that’s a dinner bell for zombies.

If the unit is a tank unit, it is as follows:

• 1 Officer. A “Star” with REP: 5 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol and Submachine-gun
• You are in the role of the vehicle commander.
• 1 NCO Crewman. “Grunt” REP: 4 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol and Semiautomatic Carbine
• 3 Crewmen. “Grunts” REP: 4 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol and Semiautomatic Carbine
• The vehicle is equipped with a short-range radio. The radio is only good for contacting other short-range radios on the gaming table.

You have the following options. Each option can only be used once per player, but a player is free to exercise as many of the options as they desire.

1. Outfit the Officer with a gas mask and a bullet-proof vest.
2. Outfit the NCO with a gas mask and a bullet-proof vest.
3. Replace 1 Crewman’s Semi-automatic Carbine with a Combat Shotgun.

M8 Armored Car Crew
Nice compromise perhaps. Mobility, protection and decent firepower. But, fuel is still a concern – and only 4 men can ride in the vehicle – so, you lose one soldier right off the bat. Oh, vehicles are noisy, that’s a dinner bell for zombies.

If the unit is an armored car unit, it is as follows:

• 1 Officer. A “Star” with REP: 5 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol and Submachine-gun.
• You are in the role of the vehicle commander.
• 1 NCO Crewman. “Grunt” REP: 4 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol and Semiautomatic Carbine
• 2 Crewmen. “Grunts” REP: 4 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol and Semiautomatic Carbine
• The vehicle is equipped with a short-range radio. The radio is only good for contacting other short-range radios on the gaming table.

You have the following options. Each option can only be used once per player, but a player is free to exercise as many of the options as they desire.

1. Outfit the Officer with a gas mask and a bullet-proof vest.
2. Outfit the NCO with a gas mask and a bullet-proof vest.
3. Replace 1 Crewman’s Semi-automatic Carbine with a Combat Shotgun.

Anti-tank Gun Crew
Cool weapon, easily concealed, and it comes with a jeep (and plenty of fuel cans) to tow it. It takes three men to operate the weapon; that leaves two extras to pick off enemy soldiers.

105MM Howitzer Gun Crew
Hmmm. Sounds like a safe assignment to hang back and bombard distant targets. It also comes with a jeep (and plenty of fuel cans) to tow it. It takes three men to operate the weapon; that leaves two extras to pick off enemy soldiers.

Heavy Machine-gun Crew
Firepower, baby! Mow down those zombies and the living too. But, you have to man-pack this thing to the battle. It takes three men to operate the weapon; that leaves two extras to zap enemy soldiers.

Heavy Mortar Crew
Man-packed, no jeep, but can be a nice weapon. Blowing zombies (and living soldiers) to bits works well. It takes three men to operate the weapon; that leaves two extras to pick off enemy soldiers.

Gun Crew Options
If the unit is a gun crew unit, it is as follows:

• 1 Officer. A “Star” with REP: 5 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol and Submachine-gun.
• 1 NCO. A “Grunt” with REP: 4 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol and Submachine-gun.
• 3 Crewmen. “Grunts” REP: 4 Armament: Large Caliber Pistol and Semiautomatic Carbine.

You have the following options. Each option can only be used once per player, but a player is free to exercise as many of the options as they desire.

1. Outfit the Officer with a gas mask and a bullet-proof vest.
2. Outfit the NCO with a gas mask and a bullet-proof vest.
3. Replace 1 Crewman’s Semi-automatic Carbine with a Combat Shotgun.

Gas Masks and Bullet-proof Vests
Obviously, the gas mask’s purpose is clear. So is the vest, except that its value in the Nuts! game system is likely to be unknown to most players. So, on the melee and ranged combat table, the vests allow the wearer to make a 1d6 Rep test to convert a result of “Obviously Dead” or “Out of the Fight” to a result of “Duck Back”.

Explosives
Each player may elect to take a number of Satchel Charges with them. They are useful in assaulting vehicles and blowing up doors and walls. Each player may take up to 3 satchel charges. A single model can carry up to 3 and a vehicle can carry any number.

The Star and NCO
Your Star and your NCO can each have one special attribute. There is no need to roll a die, simply use the following information to select one attribute for both your Star and your NCO.

• Tank Killer: +1 to Rep when taking Who Wants to be a Hero, Being Charged or Wanting to Charge tests.
• Agile: Do not take shooting penalties when making a Fast Move.
• Brawler: Add 1d6 when in melee.
• Marksman: +1 Rep when shooting
• Hard as Nails: Treat the first result of either Out of Fight or Obviously Dead as Stunned instead.
• Driver: +1 Rep to all driving tests.
• Lucky: Per mission, this character can re-roll a total of 3 individual dice.

Player Intelligence
The craziness of the German scientists seemingly knows no bounds. Allied intelligence has reported numerous things that the players should be aware of. Although intelligence has been unable to prove or disprove all of them, being fore-warned is being fore-armed.

We have had reports of German soldiers in some type of powered or electro-motive suits of armor. The suit probably has substantial defensive capabilities along with integrated weaponry and is likely to offer enhanced speed and strength to the enemy soldier.

Additionally, there are rumors of an advanced, discus-shaped aircraft. Such an aircraft likely exhibits unprecedented maneuverability. Allied Intelligence is desperate to know more about this aircraft.

There are also reports of the existence of some sort of ‘psychological warfare unit’ that seems able to induce hallucinations. Perhaps this is through the use of some type of chemical agent or radio wave manipulation.

Lastly, intelligence has confirmed the existence of units of the living-dead. The reports indicate that these soldiers use no weapons to kill, but do consume the flesh of those they kill. In addition to attacks by the V-4 weapon, the virus can be spread to the living by bites inflicted by the dead soldiers. The virus results in death within 24 to 48 hours – followed by reanimation within minutes of death.

The zombies are known as “Untotesoldaten” (undead soldiers) to the Germans and as “Zacks” to the Allies. It has been rumored that some Soviet prisoners have been moved to the area, murdered and converted into German Untotesoldaten. In some cases, living German soldiers have appeared to be controlling or influencing the actions of the zombie soldiers. These men are known as “pingers” to Allied Intelligence. It is imperative that an example of the controlling device be captured.

A note to the players – don’t trust us referees. Some of the above may or may not be red-herrings, after all, this would be unbelievable stuff to a person in 1945. Also, there are nasty (but fun) surprises that we’re holding back from this intelligence report.

Scenario One
To begin the operation, the command will sweep an area of countryside in which intelligence has recently identified suspicious activities. After clearing the area, the command is to strike eastwards into enemy territory – cautious of counterattack – proceeding towards the village of Bivange or the airfield. Be aware that French Resistance fighters are operating in the entire area of operations.

It is possible that you will be able to acquire fuel for any vehicles in the command at either of those locations. Without locating fuel, your vehicles (if you have any) may not be able to complete the mission – forcing their crews to walk and fight dismounted.

The village of Bivange can be bypassed at the commander’s discretion since other Allied forces are already scheduled to attack that village in the near future. The exact location of the bunker is not known, but it is believed that knowledge of its location can be obtained at the airfield and possibly in Bivange.

Living Soldiers

Sadly, not all posts can be about zombies. This one is about some living soldiers - although one of the miniatures has a direct link to the zombies!

 The above image shows a couple of the German types that will be in the campaign games. Number 1 is a "pinger" whose equipment allows them to exert some control over the zombies that (1) are within his range and (2) have been implanted with a controlling device. He has no control at all over "wild zombies". Number 2 is a panzergrenadier that is equipped with body armor and a gas mask. These men are specially trained to work near zombies.

 The above image show more of the Americans with body armor and gas masks. Number 1 is a medic - which could be quite useful in a zombie game. The other two are NCOs.

The above image is of American officers. In the campaign each player will have one officer in his section. A player's section represents hand-picked troops specifically for the secret-mission. Within the context of a Nuts! or All Things Zombie game, these miniatures are "Stars" and will be the player's personae on the tabletop.

The last picture simply shows how I mark my miniatures. Where appropriate, each miniature has a small number to uniquely identify him from his comrades. This is very helpful in games where a unit roster is needed. In addition, it helps new players identify their men, etc. On officers and NCOs, I also add an icon that indicates their status as one of these ranks as it too is often helpful. Yeah, it does sort of detract from the visual presentation - but I don't mind it too much.

Yeah, More Zombies!

Was able to get seven more zombies painted (I think that leaves me with about 25 or 30 to go). This batch includes the last of the bomber zombies and a couple of (formerly) high-ranking soldiers.

The first zombie is one I call "The Field Marshall". His baton is a bit grisly though - but I suppose that he has retained a bit of his memories and sought a replacement baton. The second zombie I painted up as a Luftwaffe colonel (Colonel Klink, perhaps?). The last two bomber zombies are shown in this image too. The last one is packing a satchel charge...look out when he goes off!

This image simply shows some more of the "rank and file" zombies.

Currently on the table are more of the electro-mechanical soldiers, a zombie "controller" and a German grenadier wearing some body armor.

Russian Zombies

When I bought the German zombies, I bought some (eight) Russian zombies too. In our little campaign, the evil German scientist has turned some Russian prisoners into zombies - untotesoldaten! Also, it is a fine way to get some more variety in the zombie collection.

Four of the zombies are "bomber zombies" with artillery shells strapped to their backs - although one poor lost soul has an actual bomb strapped on his back!

The other four zombies are just ordinary walkers... 

Man, I can't wait to play!

German Zombies

No, I am not really a fan of Weird War Two - but I don't hate it either - to each his own. But I do love zombies and I do love World War Two - so playing Two Hour Wargames' Nuts! with German zombies simply is too cool. THW produces a Nuts! supplement that blends in stuff from All Things Zombie. It is called "Holle auf Erden" and is available as a free download!

So, my friends Binhan and Matt and I have been talking about running a campaign game at some upcoming club meetings. It will be a campaign in the sense that we'll play some games and folks will pop in and out keeping their surviving characters from game to game. We have it all laid out - several scenarios that are linked to one another (I'll have to post info about it).

The miniatures finally arrived this week, waaaaaaaay delayed by a shipping error by Westwind Productions, resulting in them being shipped via Royal Mail instead of FedEx (which was advertised as two days shipping). No big deal tho, the folks at Westwind are nice - and we're not saving lives here, they're toy soldiers. So, yeah, I was annoyed by the length of time taken to arrive, but not upset with the vendor - we all make mistakes.

So, I have been really busy working at a new gig, but I have managed to find a little time to paint a handful of minis and make this post (then it is back to work after dinner!). Here are those pics, click to enlarge...

The zombies numbered 1 and 2 are former soldiers in the SS that have been "equipped" with bombs after reanimation. As a nice departure from the standard zombie, these guys are detonated by their "controllers" when near Allied troops or vehicles. The third zombie is a run-of-the-mill zombie formerly employed in the German Army (Heer). That last zombie is the Furher - figured it may be fun to have him out there in the last scenario. I don't know if we will.

The above image shows a living German soldier in what we're calling "electro-mechanical" armor (because we think that sounds more 1940's). These guys will give the Allies a run for their money. That last mini is an American NCO with a flak jacket and a gas mask. Players will have an option available to them to upgrade their NCO's to this equipment - the flak jacket will certainly help them survive, the gas mask may help them avoid being killed and reanimated. We'll see...

Beignets!

From time to time I will post about food. I love food, especially food from New Orleans. In the latest issue of Southern Living (yes, I get Southern Living magazine. It's a gift from my mom, so shut up) there is a recipe for beignets.

I love beignets and eat too many of them whenever I am able to get to New Orleans. Cafe du Monde, the Morning Call, oh man, a cafe au lait to enjoy too! I have a recipe already that I had found online several years ago and we have made beignets from that recipe many, many times and they're great - but not quite perfect.

This recipe tastes darn near spot on to down-home beignets. Get this issue and make these wonderful goodies! I made a batch this morning (they puff up wonderfully), here's the proof (sorry, they're covered in powdered sugar!):

Yum

Yum

February 2011 Issue

Also, I finally got my kitchen back in order. We have been planning and saving to replace the electric cooktop with a gas cooktop. I really didn't like the electric one, it was flat and glass and pretty cool looking, but I did not enjoy cooking on it - and it was a beast to clean. I wanted gas.

Our patience was rewarded when a Bosch 5-burner went on sale, so we put the wheels in motion. Most of the cost was having a plumber out to run the gas line. But, we ran into an issue we really didn't know about. Turns out that above a gas cooktop you must have 30 inches of clearance...which must not be the case with an electric cooktop...the built-in microwave was only 20 inches over the cooktop.

So, we took that down and ordered a new vent and planned to move the microwave to a new location near the fridge - of course, this meant taking down the 42" cabinet there and replacing it with a 24" and running power to this location for the microwave. So, that resulted in unplanned expenses and delay. Luckily, I did all this work myself with my father-in-law's supervision - so that saved some cash - but we still went about $400 over budget.

On the positive side, I hated having the microwave over the stove anyway. It was inconvenient to get at when someone was cooking and when cooking on the cooktop, often condensation would build up on it - which cannot be good for the workings. I like where it is now. Here's an image now that it is all done:

Crackle!

I was over at a friend's house last night (Friday) playing a rip-roaring game of Desperado set in a desert environment. His desert terrain was really awesome - and I did not bring my camera. Terry said he'd take a few pics to send over. The "ground" for his terrain was a quilting fabric called "crackle", specifically the "tan" variant of "crackle". Click this link to see the crackle. It really looks like dried up cracked desert terrain!'

I am going to get some! I think that my brother might like some for his Sudan games. If so, he can let me know and I'll grab him some or he can seek it locally.

Craters and Shell Holes

In an upcoming WW2 game, there is an area that is cratered from shelling - so, I grabbed a package of Games Workshop Moonscape to represent the shell holes. I painted up one "as is" and I think it is passable. Certainly a ton easier than constructing my own from scratch! I am thinking that I'll modify the next one a little, adding lose dirt and some stones. We'll see how that looks, then I'll do the rest of the package.

What do you think about these as shell holes?

Two Shell Holes Overlapping

Panzergrenadiers

I had a couple extra panzergrenadiers laying around and I needed to practice painting the camouflage pattern I intend to use on some new miniatures due to arrive any day...so...I cranked them out. Here they are. The pattern I tried to emulate is linked here.

The World At War

It arrived at my house earlier in the week, and I have been enjoying it ever since. The BBC series from the early 70's...

This series really lit my fire as a WW2 history lover. It covered so much, military, political and social. Whenever I'd catch reruns on The Military Channel or PBS, it would evoke memories of catching it at night on PBS in the late 70's as a teenager. For years I have wanted to own the collection, but simply never got around to purchasing it. Well, that changed and I finally have purchased it...and have watched many episodes so far.

Sir Lawrence Olivier narrates, the theme music is spot on, and the interviews - my God - the interviews. Incredible. Real living history in those interviews.

I bought the 30th anniversary edition, sold through (but not by) Amazon. Do yourselves a favor, and go buy this amazing collection!