OOC- Zombie Apocalypse Chapter 2- General Discussion

[Mr. Handy]

Max isn't a police dog, so he wouldn't have grapple training, but this attack can count as a bite as you described.

Erica didn't meet the AF personnel the first time she was at the T-Bone. She rode in on the truck and didn't interact with them, though she did see Lereux, Duran, and Zorie Spooner when they stopped the truck. She would probably have some knowledge of their rules from her own time in the service, so she can make a Know roll.

I edited Duke's character sheet to reflect that he has 50% Club skill. Since he's carrying a rifle, he would use Rifle skill if he were to parry with it, but that's also 50%. Only one rat is attacking him, so that's the one he would parry. He cannot both fire the rifle and parry with it in the same round. If he swings the rifle as a club, I'm not sure if he'd still get a parry with it since it isn't really a balanced weapon like a sword. If he attempts a kick, he may parry with the rifle. Keep in mind that in the event he does parry a successful attack, the rifle will take the damage. However, that's a lot better than Duke taking it, and the M-14 would probably have 11 HP so it almost certainly won't break from one attack.

Zombie cats would of course have to be killed nine times before they finally stayed dead.

 

[Helbent4]

Max isn't a police dog, so he wouldn't have grapple training, but this attack can count as a bite as you described.

Erica didn't meet the AF personnel the first time she was at the T-Bone. She rode in on the truck and didn't interact with them, though she did see Lereux, Duran, and Zorie Spooner when they stopped the truck. She would probably have some knowledge of their rules from her own time in the service, so she can make a Know roll.

Handy,

Sounds good. Do the AF personnel have MOPP gear on? What we in Canada commonly call "bunny-suits". 1LT BLanco is at Level B, with the Racal suit and air tanks. Level C is the usual military suit.

"Level "C" is a full MOPP suit (Mission Oriented Protective Posture) and M40 gas mask, Level "B" is biological suits with airtanks and Level "A" is a completely sealed environment, similar to a dome."

 

[Mr. Handy]

I'm not familiar with those designations, but Lt. Blanco and Zorie Spooner have level 4 suits, which would be the equivalent of level B. None of the others have any such protection. The mission was hastily organized and they were lucky to get what equipment they have. If communications are reestablished with Warren AFB, they can request additional gear, but when and whether they'll get it is another matter.

 

[Helbent4]

I'm not familiar with those designations, but Lt. Blanco and Zorie Spooner have level 4 suits, which would be the equivalent of level B. None of the others have any such protection. The mission was hastily organized and they were lucky to get what equipment they have. If communications are reestablished with Warren AFB, they can request additional gear, but when and whether they'll get it is another matter.

Handy,

The Racal suits are effecively one level above MOPP 4, because the MOPP suits use a gas mask and are designed mostly with chemical threats in mind, and the Racal suits have a self-contained breathing apparatus and are intended for biological threats. How many surgical masks does 1LT Blanco have with her?

 

[Mr. Handy]

I'd say she has a few with her medical equipment. She and Zorie wouldn't need them because of their suits, but they knew there was at least one doctor on site and that Airman Phillips could also use them. Let's say she, Zorie, and Phillips each have four masks.

 

[Stompie]

Hey Mr. Handy. What can you tell us about the PMS compound?

 

[welsh]

( @ handy)


About the PMS compound- very little. Few characters have ventured into the compound and only one has survived. Of the T-Bone staff that remain, only 1 has actually gotten close. Of the visitors, only Kerry has gone through.

The PMS compound is located much as described with Alex's run to see the meteor. Go up a rise, cross a river, cross a local highway, cross railroad tracks, run up a single lane road. See driveway leading up to a rise surrounded by trees and a fence.

More than that- you'll have to find out for yourself, although Kerry's narrative gives you a pretty decent idea of what the inside is like and another way in.

From what you can gain from the PMS- the PMS is basically a rightwing racially orientated militia group that is involved in a variety of criminal activity ranging from narcotics distribution, white slavery, kidnapping and murder. Their leader, Horst, was involved in criminal dealings with the Hammond and Earl. Bad people.

Kimberly was investigating criminal connections through the DEA but how the PMS has managed to evade arrest is an interesting question.

 

[Mr. Handy]

Max's current Sanity score is actually 37, not 32, since he got a bonus of 5 points for surviving Chapter 1. Likewise, Duke's Sanity is a little higher than its starting value. They still made their rolls either way.

Erica didn't actually see Beth climb down from the roof since Erica is on the west side of the T-Bone and Beth climbed down the east side. The roof is over 40 yards across, and Erica and the chopper are about 20 yards west of the garage, so she couldn't see what's happening on the eastern edge.

Wallace reached the garage last round, so he's free to keep moving or do something else this round. He could also refill his speedloaders while he has the chance, so that he can reload faster when he needs to.

Duke's rifle causes 2d6+4 damage, not 2d6+3, so he really did 9 damage to the rat attacking him. Unfortunately, this is not enough for a kill, so the rat will still get to attack him unless Randall finishes it off. Lynne and Gary will shoot at the rats attacking them, and Max's crit comes after the rats attack.

Welcome back, Steve. I'm glad you enjoyed D.C., and I hope it was fruitful. I'll update on Saturday, so you've got a little time to get caught up and post. I'm also waiting for SuAside and Fearlessfred to post, but if they don't then I'll go ahead and update then regardless.

Welsh has it right about the PMS compound. Kimberly also had some satellite photos and other data on her laptop, which she showed to Bo in Chapter 1. However, the computer was ruined in the explosion and is beyond repair - though perhaps a computer expert might be able to recover data from the hard drive, given the right tools and enough time. Kimberly and Bo could also go by what they remember, but Bo only looked at a few photos for a minute. Kimberly is much more familiar with the materials.

 

[Helbent4]

Max's current Sanity score is actually 37, not 32, since he got a bonus of 5 points for surviving Chapter 1. Likewise, Duke's Sanity is a little higher than its starting value. They still made their rolls either way.

Erica didn't actually see Beth climb down from the roof since Erica is on the west side of the T-Bone and Beth climbed down the east side. The roof is over 40 yards across, and Erica and the chopper are about 20 yards west of the garage, so she couldn't see what's happening on the eastern edge.

Handy,

Thanks for the information. For some reason I kept thinking the T-Bone was on the West side of the road and the Motel was on the East.

Welsh has it right about the PMS compound. Kimberly also had some satellite photos and other data on her laptop, which she showed to Bo in Chapter 1. However, the computer was ruined in the explosion and is beyond repair - though perhaps a computer expert might be able to recover data from the hard drive, given the right tools and enough time. Kimberly and Bo could also go by what they remember, but Bo only looked at a few photos for a minute. Kimberly is much more familiar with the materials.

Probably my favourite quote regarding the PMS was from (I think) McCain, who advised people to look there for shelter.

Would Erica have flown over the PMS compound? Or have any knowledge of it or be otherwise familiar with it? At the very least, the individual buildings should be indicated on the topo maps stored in the helo's GPS. No detail of course at 1:25,000 resolution, but enough to get the layout. Is the police wireless computer network available for either the ground cars or helo?

Lastly, I was discussing the tactical situation with my friend who was in the military (AF). He said that the buildings are defensible even given the limited personnel and resources, but only if all the people work together. Unfortunately, the AF personnel haven't given the civilians any reason to do so, and in fact have given them plenty of reasons not to cooperate. Either or both of my characters could logically push for a positive relationship between the two groups. Speaking OOC, are the other players willing to work towards this? Or is survival secondary?

I don't mean that in a negative way. Some PCs and players just aren't into cooperation because of their nature, and I don't want to force anything down anyone's throats that they don't want. Besides, it's also well within this genre for to die in a blaze of self-defeating infighting. But for once I think it would be different if the military in a "walking dead" situation weren't completely psychotic or acting in a counter-productive manner, a la Day of the Dead, 28 Days Later, etc.

(To quote my friend, "it sounds like the USAF in this scenario... is already zombified.")

 

[Mr. Handy]

You're welcome, Tony. It was actually Cole who said that about the PMS. Erica did not fly directly over the compound, but she had to have seen it in the distance when she was flying west over Route 30 before she landed about a mile north of the T-Bone. The buildings would be visible in the chopper's stored maps, but you won't be able to see details or have any indication of what's underground.

The buildings can be defended if everyone works together, but the mistrust between the two groups is an obstacle that needs to be overcome first. This is possibly the greatest challenge of Chapter 2, and one of the major themes. Your characters are in a good position to try to get the groups working together, but it won't be easy. Most of the USAF characters are PCs, but Captain Lereux and Lieutenant Malone are Keeper-only characters - otherwise cooperation would be a lot easier to achieve if the players want it. People who don't get along with each other may be a greater danger to survival than the zombies themselves.

The USAF does seem already zombified. Part of the reason for this is that they've been fighting the undead all morning and some of them are suffering from PTSD and other mental maladies. A few of them began Chapter 2 with reduced Sanity totals. For example, Lereux has a POW of 14 and thus a Characteristic San of 70, yet he began with only 50 and is currently down to 47. This is likely to only get worse as time goes on.

Also, Jim Kerr doesn't actually have the knife. Randall still carries it - he only showed it to Jim, but didn't give it to him. Jim does have the crowbar he found in Chapter 1, and that's what he'd be using. He needed to roll against STR x 5 (or 65), not just his STR, but that 100 is a critical failure no matter what. Since the crowbar is made of solid metal it won't break, but I'll say Jim pulled a muscle while trying to pry the grating loose. He takes 1 damage, but this can be easily recovered through First Aid. He cannot try again until he has received treatment (or given it to himself - the base skill level for First Aid is 30%), or he has rested for several minutes. Others are free to try, of course.

The "pole" in the motel parking lot is actually a tall post with a light at the top, and it isn't portable. It is currently off, but at night it is normally lit up. It can be used to anchor the bottom of the zipline.

I'll write the update later this afternoon. It should be posted by early evening (Eastern U.S. time).

EDIT: Lt. Blanco doesn't actually have Spot Hidden on her character sheet, so she only has the base skill level of 25%. This makes her roll a failure, but Dr. Hausmann can give her the mirror now that she's awake, since she knows where it is.

 

[Stompie]

( @ handy)
From what you can gain from the PMS- the PMS is basically a rightwing racially orientated militia group that is involved in a variety of criminal activity ranging from narcotics distribution, white slavery, kidnapping and murder. Their leader, Horst, was involved in criminal dealings with the Hammond and Earl. Bad people.

Damn those right wing slaving meth head nazi muffins!

Theirs no description as far as perimeter, as far as I know.

Should we try to coordinate scouting mission? or try a fly-over?

 

[SuAside]

first order of business would be to inform and motivate people to do something about it...

not everyone would gladly lay down their lives in a deathtrap of survivalists, you know.

 

[SuAside]

euhm, handy, i don't want to be a nag, but a .45 hollow point is extremely unlikely to ricochet back up at that downwards angle that Lynne is supposed to be shooting. not quite something that should happen for a 80% roll...

i think you're being a bit cruel here.

 

[Mr. Handy]

Bo and Kimberly know a little about the perimeter of the PMS compound, but I don't think they told anyone else. Scouting the place out could be helpful, but it's not without risk. That's something that the characters can discuss and work out.

Flying over the compound may not be so simple. The PMS might notice that, for one thing. They've also proven to be heavily armed, so they might even have the means to shoot down a helicopter. The helicopter group is in a hurry to get to Omaha as soon as possible, so they wouldn't want to go out of their way to fly over the compound, nor would they want to take the risk. Asking Warren AFB to perform the aerial recon once contact is reestablished is a possibility that the military characters might consider.

Not everyone is up for doing something about the PMS, and some people are going to have to play defense unless you're completely abandoning the T-Bone. Of the NPCs, there are some who already are on board. Mitchell and Baldwin are probably the most gung-ho. Kimberly and Mr. Foo are also willing to do something. Kerry certainly wants to, but she may be afraid to go back there. Alice has already convinced David to come along. Other characters may need to be talked into it.

If the bullet wouldn't ricochet, then it would simply wound Lynne's foot or calf on the way down. In any case, Lynne isn't going to be walking any time soon. Welsh and I did mention this possibility a few days ago. The rats are moving pretty fast around people's feet, and it's easy to miss even at point blank range. Lynne only missed her roll by 1, but a few people did the same thing this round. Bo missed his Sanity roll by 1 and it cost him 6 Sanity points and control of his faculties. I did give Lynne a Luck roll, but she isn't very lucky, and I rolled high for damage. At least she didn't get bitten, too.

 

[Helbent4]

You're welcome, Tony. It was actually Cole who said that about the PMS. Erica did not fly directly over the compound, but she had to have seen it in the distance when she was flying west over Route 30 before she landed about a mile north of the T-Bone. The buildings would be visible in the chopper's stored maps, but you won't be able to see details or have any indication of what's underground.

Handy,

Thanks for the clarification. The preference would be for a night attack if the USAF can be persuaded as this takes advantage of their training and equipment. This is up to the NPC OC, but it's really in their interest. If the helo returns, then the FLIR can be used to best effect. It's second to none when it comes to surveillance and spotting things like sentries, occupied buildings, running vehicles, etc. If there was cooperation between the different groups, then the civilians could "hold the fort" for long enough. My preference would be for a diversionary attack on the surface while the assaulters use the connecting tunnels to infiltrate the PMS compound.

The buildings can be defended if everyone works together, but the mistrust between the two groups is an obstacle that needs to be overcome first. This is possibly the greatest challenge of Chapter 2, and one of the major themes. Your characters are in a good position to try to get the groups working together, but it won't be easy. Most of the USAF characters are PCs, but Captain Lereux and Lieutenant Malone are Keeper-only characters - otherwise cooperation would be a lot easier to achieve if the players want it. People who don't get along with each other may be a greater danger to survival than the zombies themselves.

Tactically speaking, the problem is that the AF have set up a classic "Point Defense". That is, all their eggs are in one hard-to-defend basket, the motel. If they lose that for any reason, they are toast. One sniper could tie them all down... if they got close enough.

What's commonly considered a better defense would be the "Defense in Depth". The motel would still be fortified to be used as a fallback position. But by using mobility and defensive works (fences, tire fields, barriers of wrecked vehicles, spike pits, punji spikes etc.) the enemy is slowed down and engaged well before they can assault the objective. But this takes manpower both to set up and also to execute, which means integrating the civilians in some manner.

EDIT: Lt. Blanco doesn't actually have Spot Hidden on her character sheet, so she only has the base skill level of 25%. This makes her roll a failure, but Dr. Hausmann can give her the mirror now that she's awake, since she knows where it is.

Wow, sorry, I don't know why I thought she did. Thanks for clearing that up. I did not make further reference to that in my post. He other choice was to use a spatula, if there are any.

I will post Max's attack rolls once the rats have gone. Unless he has a higher DEX?

 

[SuAside]

Watching Bob head back towards the garage she said, "just a sec." She called out to Bob, "Hey, Trooper! Get the other Staties together some place. We need to talk about stuff!"

i presume you mean the state troopers?

note that Bob isn't a state trooper, he's with the National Parks Service.

 

[Helbent4]

i presume you mean the state troopers?

note that Bob isn't a state trooper, he's with the National Parks Service.

Suadise,

Ah! Sorry, that fact slipped me by. I understand now why he was flying the CDC researcher around. I think he's going to get deputised into the Nebraska State Patrol pretty soon, along with a lot of other people. Unless he really doesn't want it, although this works to his advantage (as a fed he'd have little authority in this siuation).

"Statie" is probably more of a NE USA nickname for State Trooper, but not being from Nebraska I figured hey, sounds like something they might say.

 

[Mr. Handy]

You're welcome, Tony. A night attack on the PMS compound might be a good idea if the USAF is willing to participate, but there are also some problems with it:

1) You would have to wait until it gets dark - can you afford to wait that long?

2) The PMS has military-grade equipment - might they also have night vision gear? Even if they do, it still only levels the playing field unless your plans depend upon them not having it.

3) Zombies present an added variable that could complicate any attack - they have no body heat and don't show up under infrared.

Even though the CO and XO are NPCs, if something happens to both of them that would put Lt. Blanco in command and give you a lot more freedom to make plans.

Adding layers to the motel's defense to slow down attackers would be helpful, but you're right about needing more manpower to set that up. Without the aid of the civilians, that won't be possible. Remember that Captain Lereux told Sgt. McCain, Sgt. Black, and Javier Ramirez to coordinate defenses with the civilians.

I think I know why you thought Lt. Blanco had 62% Spot Hidden - you must have actually been looking at the character listed above her on the character sheet, Alexandria Mikhalin. She has Spot Hidden at 62%.

Max has a Dex of 9, but the rat has a Dex of 15. So does Duke, so if he engages in hand-to-hand it's a toss-up which one will go first. If he fires his rifle, he goes first. I think the best thing for you to do is wait for Stompie to post for Duke, who will go first no matter what. If Duke doesn't finish off the rat, then you can make attack rolls for Max. The rat's attack would still be resolved before Max goes, of course, just like last round.

Wallace (also played by Stompie) has also been deputized into the NSP, by Bo in Chapter 1. Wallace is a former reservation cop. He's currently in the garage.

I may be able to post a little more often during this coming week. I think I can post a major update on Monday night if enough other players post by then, or failing that on Tuesday,

 

[Helbent4]

You're welcome, Tony. A night attack on the PMS compound might be a good idea if the USAF is willing to participate, but there are also some problems with it:

1) You would have to wait until it gets dark - can you afford to wait that long?

2) The PMS has military-grade equipment - might they also have night vision gear? Even if they do, it still only levels the playing field unless your plans depend upon them not having it.

3) Zombies present an added variable that could complicate any attack - they have no body heat and don't show up under infrared.

Handy,

All good points.

1) It's a toss-up as to what's better. Patton did say, "a good plan executed violently today is better than the perfect plan tomorrow."

Still, I would say first things first, and it seems like a good idea to secure the immediate area and also try and get in some kind of recce done. It's not that the women are safe enough where they are (they're not) but that if we grab them immediately, but our defenses are not better prepared, then it's like going straight from the frying pan into the fire. Defense is always stronger than attack, so if the PMS decides to have another go in the mean time then we have the advantage.

2) Darkness doesn't just limit the visual spectrum, it's also the time they're going to be relaxing, sleeping, and so on. I'm willing to believe that some of the militiamen have NVGs and some may even have night ops training, but most or all? Snipers, sentries and team leaders would have them. We have to use what advantages we have, and darkness is at least a slight advantage. Also, the idea I had was to launch a diversion up top to distract them, so these element(s) would be engaging at stand-off distances where the (hopefully) superior sniping will count. If not, its main purpose is still to be a diversion.

3) The undead are going to be there day or night so that evens out. Every surface element is going to need a rearguard. Corpses, moving or not, show up as good as anything else in passive IR NVGs, LLTV and Starlight scopes (Gen. I, II,.+ III) because those amplify ambient light. Thermal (FLIR) picks up heat and are fantastic at seeing heat emissions like living people, engines, thermal plumes from fires, even footprints (if the sensor is sensitive enough and the ground is cold enough) even through light cover like bushes or trees. This avantage is lost for the walking dead, but they would still show up like rocks, trees, buildings, etc. because everything still radiates stored heat at different rates.

Bottom line: the only TVS (Thermal Vision System) I know of in friendly hands is the helo's FLIR, and that would be used to recce the locations of the living PMS inside the compound, not the undead outside.

Even though the CO and XO are NPCs, if something happens to both of them that would put Lt. Blanco in command and give you a lot more freedom to make plans.

Blanco's going to have a chat with the XO, and then take it up with the CO. Suggestions for a more effective quarantine protocol and defensive arrangement will be tendered. He's already acting in an illegal manner, so it's not like he can refuse to listen with risking being summarily removed from command. Hopefully this will not be taken as an ultimatum as long as he respects the input of his subordinates.

Adding layers to the motel's defense to slow down attackers would be helpful, but you're right about needing more manpower to set that up. Without the aid of the civilians, that won't be possible. Remember that Captain Lereux told Sgt. McCain, Sgt. Black, and Javier Ramirez to coordinate defenses with the civilians.

That's an excellent idea. Too bad the civilians don't seem to have any reason to cooperate. They're not desperate to take manners into their own hands... yet.

I think I know why you thought Lt. Blanco had 62% Spot Hidden - you must have actually been looking at the character listed above her on the character sheet, Alexandria Mikhalin. She has Spot Hidden at 62%.

Makes sense.

Wallace (also played by Stompie) has also been deputized into the NSP, by Bo in Chapter 1. Wallace is a former reservation cop. He's currently in the garage.

This is where I got the idea from. That, and the "ALL-OR-NOTHING-BOX" in the "Planet Terror" segment of Grindhouse.

"Chief, are you sure you want me to open the "all or nothing box"? "Do it, Tolo... Everyone grab a badge and a gun... you're all deputies now!"

 

[Stompie]

Night attack is a no-go. Our Protagonists don't have access to NVG's. Only flashlights. What better way to give you're position away?

Besides, you wouldn't want to get caught in a firefight with nazi-muffins that could outflank you, almost invisibly.

Best bet is surprise