Burned Out Vehicles for Post-Apocalyptic Games

  A burned out wreck that I created by torching die-cast vehicles for my post-apocalyptic games

I decided my next terrain project for my post-Apocalyptic games would be to make some burnt-out, abandoned vehicles. I decided to use some die-cast cars available in retail stores such as CVS drug stores, Menards, etc. I figured that I wasn't the only person to ever decide to do this, so I went on my favorite online miniatures source, The Lead Adventure Forum. In their Workbench area, I asked for ideas on how to modify inexpensive die-cast vehicles to look burnt out. Much to my surprise, the suggestion was to burn them!

    Step 1: Use wire cutters and pliers to remove most of the plastic from the die-cast vehicle

Whaaat?? Play pyro and set it afire? Other posters confirmed this suggestion, so I set about this as methodically (and carefully) as I could. First, I used wire cutters and pliers to get rid of as much of the plastic portions as I could. This includes the tires, which would be one of the things that burnt off and melted. I wanted to leave pretty much just the metallic hulk. Next, I used 91% alcohol and swabbed the car and soak cotton balls to stuff inside the vehicles. I set it on fire and was surprised by the intensity of the fire. I wanted the metal portions to look burnt and the paint to peel or bubble. I adjusted the techniques a little, using less cotton ball material and toning down the heat and size of the flames.

    Stuffed with alcohol-soaked cotton balls, the trucks go up in flames pretty quickly!

Still, I was happy with how the burning of these die-cast vehicles simulated a burned-out wreck. One of the pickup trucks even split in half, with the metal connecting pieces melting. Others had the doors burnt off and falling to the stone pavers I was using as my surface. Once the vehicle looked good, I would either blow out the fire or douse it with some water to put out the flames. You have to be careful with water, though, as it may also wash away the soot that looks so good built up on the colored surfaces of the vehicles.

    The goal of the torching of the vehicle is to get some bending and bubbling of metal, and soot stains

Next, I took the hulks and based them up on textured plastic that I wanted to use to simulate the road surface. First, though, I sprayed the plastic with black spray paint. I set the vehicles on top of the plastic and noted where the metal touched the surface. I scratched away the paint in those places, exposing the raw plastic. I used two part epoxy to attach the bottom parts of the vehicles to the plastic surface. Once secured, I added Woodland Scenics ballast to the surface on top of Tacky glue. I wanted to represent a raised or melted asphalt effect. This was painted black and then dry brushed with a dark gray. I think it turned out okay, but felt it was too boring looking.

    I added some watered down black paint to supplement the soot stains and cover up any bare metal

I then added turf, brown tufts, and more fine blended gray ballast to give the road surface some detail and an interesting look. I also added some plaster bricks and washed them and the gray ballast with a black wash to dirty them up. All in all, I was happy with the look of the road surface around the vehicles. 

    The warping and contortion of the metal gives this a look you couldn't get from just painting it

I did have to go back in and put some black wash on parts of the vehicles that didn't get much soot. I also added some watered down black paint to other parts where the soot had been scratched, or where I felt there needed to be more of a burned look to it. In the end, I am happy with this experiment. I think in the long run, the soot and melted metal are the two things that make these burnt out wrecks look convincing. Interestingly, the soot will still rub off to the touch even after two coats of matte clearcoat spray. I really don't know what else to do, except remember to touch the models by their bases and not by the cars themselves.

    A freebie large truck becomes a great terrain pieces to break up sight lines on the post-apoc streets

I also had a long plastic truck that was given to me as a freebie by Diabolical Terrain. I thought it would make a great wreck, laying on its side. I placed some masking tap on portions of the decal before spraying it with acrylic black primer. Actually, before that, I had based it up with a styrene tube propping up one side. My thought was to paint it like an aluminum pole so it looked like it has slammed into a light pole, taken it down, and was now resting on it.

    I used a combination of masking off pieces of the decal on the truck and dry brushing & washing

After the black priming, I removed the masking tape. I also touched up the metallic pieces with various shades of metallic gray, pewter, and silver. Once I was happy with it, I did a heavy black wash. By no means is this the most amazing scatter piece for a post-apocalyptic table, but I think it looks okay. It will take up a decent amount of space the tabletop. Actually, that was the whole point of the burnt out vehicles. I wanted to break up the sight lines that areas of road will create on the table. Most skirmish games require cover to give players interesting decisions to make. Where do they move to? Where do they hole up?

    The Bucknuts investigate a burned out wreck, hoping to find something to salvage

I'm happy with my burnt out wrecks, and plan to create some more. I'll keep this page updated with new ideas or refinements I make on the techniques I used. I hope you like them, and stay tuned for more!

    This VW bug could probably have used more charring on portions of the blue painted surface

    Some colors show the soot stains better, like this tan colored pickup truck

Acheson Scatter Terrain for Post-Apoc & Modern Games

    Acheson Creations has always made quality, inexpensive terrain - here is some of the latest I painted

I continue to plow away on the terrain that I have purchased for my modern and post-apocalyptic games. My latest accomplishment is to paint up a number of pieces from Acheson Creations. Most were bought from the Miniature Building Authority booth at Cincycon 2023, but some have been sitting in my unpainted tubs for longer. They painted (and flocked) up very quickly, and I already have them tucked away in my downstairs closet displaying all my terrain on shelves.

My next post-apocalyptic game is planned to be on an urban battlefield, so I jumped these pieces to the front of the painting queue. I particular like the miscellaneous pieces which include tires, barrels, and a concrete slab. I grabbed four of them from MBA at Cincycon. I also picked out the stacks of tires, knowing how easy they'd be to get ready for the tabletop. My standard method is to run the pieces through the dishwasher on low heat. Next, I spray them with Krylon matte black. I follow that up with a 50/50 mix of acrylic black paint and water to ensure complete coverage. Then I dry brush it a dark gray, light gray, and so on. For the rims of the tires, I painted them with a metallic gray steel-colored paint. Finally, they receive a black wash and flocking and they're done!

I think these Acheson concrete pillars will look good for a bombed out or post-apocalyptic area  

I also liked these lone concrete pillars or pilings that look like they belong on a ruined city or post-apocalyptic tabletop. They received the identical treatment as the tires, above. Now that I see them in a photograph, I may have to create some piles of rubble to mix in amidst them. Or who knows? Maybe I already have something that will work for that -- I will have to check.

   The Bass Reeves, one of my post-apoc gangs, prowl through the rubbish looking for things of value

The final pieces are absolute trash. Well, two piles of garbage and a row of trash bins, that is! The trash piles are NOT Acheson. I'm not sure where I picked them up. My guess is that they were cast for me by my friend Tim Peaslee a couple years ago, and could very well be Hirst Arts or something similar. They took the most time to paint up due to having to put more than just black and gray in them. I could have spent even more time picking out details in the trash with other colors, but decided to keep it simpler. They are designed with a flat back and I believe meant to be shoved up against the wall of a building to show trash piled against it. The row of trash bins ARE Acheson Creations, and was the first time I found this casting in 28mm. I should probably buy more for my modern games, but hey! That gives me something to look for next time I see MBA or RRB Minis and More at a show!

All in all, these pieces should flesh out my tabletop more. I honestly believe it is the random "scatter" pieces that can make a game table seem to come to life. Acheson Creations makes some great pieces for that! If you see someone carrying them at a convention, you should pick some up!

More Sci-Fi Terrain & Ruined Buildings

    All that remains of this ornate church is its ruined facade -- a 3-D print I purchased at ATC 2022

I'm really enjoying cranking out more ruined buildings for my post-Apocalyptic games, as well as Sci-Fi terrain for Space Station Zero. This update includes the last of the ruined buildings that I bought from Rusty of Jarls Workshop at Advance the Colors 2023. I am really happy with how the two-story facade of a ruined church turned out. I am looking forward to running another post-Apocalyptic game and getting all of these on the table together! Likewise, I'm itching for Jenny and I to get in another game of Space Station Zero soon. This batch of fairly small buildings or scatter terrain should add some variety and color to our exploration of the derelict space station. 

    The rear of the 3-D print -- you can see there is room for 28mm to fire from the 2nd story platform

The two-story ruined church is the eye-catcher of this batch, I think. It comes in two parts, and I used 5-minute epoxy to affix the top half to the bottom part. Rusty's print was exceptionally clean, as always, and required almost no cleanup prior to priming. I followed my usual black spray prime, followed by a 50/50 mix of black paint and water, to get it ready. A dark gray dry brush with light gray highlights was all that was required to paint this model. Next, I did a black wash, which I think "blends" the dry brushing strokes well, giving the model a smoother looking appearance. I added in patches of green grass flocking with white glue to break up the all-gray look. Otherwise, this was an extremely fast model to paint up. I thought about putting more debris like bricks and ballast on there, but as tumbled stones were already sculpted into the model, I didn't think it was necessary. I think a mix of different heights of ruins will add to the look of the table, so I am really glad I picked this one up from Jarls Workshop!

    This Acheson Creations chimney ruin has been sitting unpainted for years

Next up, is an Acheson Creations building that I have had sitting in my unpainted tub for a number of years. It is originally meant for their Frontier America line, but in the end, it is a ruined building and won't look out of place mixed in with the other ruins.  It is a square chimney with some stones tumbled down. I believe it is modeled to represent the rest of the house having burnt down, leaving only the chimney standing forlornly. I really miss Acheson Creations. They were my favorite building and terrain producing manufacturer. Fortunately, some companies like Miniature Building Authority and RRB Minis & More are carrying some of their pieces, and you can still see their stuff at conventions where vendors bought up some of Acheson's products.

    The Green Dragons prowl amidst the ruins of a house where only the stone chimney stands

This was done with the usual method above, except an added preparation step at the beginning. Since Acheson pieces sometimes have a paint-defying mold release agent on them, I run them through the dishwasher at low heat first. I did an extra black wash on the inside of the chimney to represent its smoke-darkened stones on the interior. The wooden beams were done in Howard Hues Camo Brown dry brush and tan highlight. Looking at it now, I should probably added more shrubs or flowers or something growing amidst the ruins for a more 3-D look. Oh, well - I made up for that on the next piece!

    See the lizard outline beneath the flocking going up the column? No? Good - that's how I wanted it!

I almost didn't paint this last piece. I bought it when our former Acheson Creations local rep, Bryan Borgman, was selling off most of his stock. It is a ruined, circular pillar. Sounds great, right? Well, molded into one side of the pillar is a bizarre statue of a lizard with outstretched arms and holding a dragon-headed staff. Obviously, it is meant for fantasy games. However, as I was painting it up, I got the inspiration to simply cover the lizard and staff with flocking and flowering plants. I really liked the way they disguise the outline of the lizard. One more piece for my ruined post-Apocalyptic tabletop!

    This piece is also from Acheson Creations (I believe) that I picked up from RRB Minis & More

Now, on to my smaller terrain pieces for Space Station Zero for part two of this post. These were actually finished several weeks ago, but I simply hadn't had time to take pictures of them and write up a blog post. Speaking of weeks, it has been awhile since Jenny and I played out a mission in this cooperative, solo/multiplayer game. Hopefully, we will get in mission #2 in soon! Anyway, I really like the look of the dark green metallic craft paint that I have used for some previous Sci-Fi terrain. The snaking light green hoses came out really nice, being a three-color base coat, dry brush, and highlight. The dark metallic gray and copper for machinery components looks cool. I went with a slightly darker metallic grayish-silver for the base of the miniature.

    Sci-Fi domed building from RRB Minis & More - will work great as a stand alone small terrain piece

Next up is a piece 3-D printed by RRB Minis & More. I picked it up from them this past December at Shore Wars 2022 in Mentor, OH, I believe. The roof comes off on this one, but I decided that since I am using it for Space Station Zero, I really won't need to remove the roof for games. So, I epoxied it down, and added it a control panel I also bought from them atop the entrance to make it look even more high tech. The color is technically metallic brown, according to the craft paint maker, but I like how it looks for Sci-Fi stuff. I did the accent pieces in Pewter and Metallic Gray. For the glowing control panels, I painted them black first and did tiny dots of red, yellow, and green to look like lights. I like how it looks and am pleased with how it turned out!

    Another Acheson Creations Sci-Fi terrain piece picked up (I believe) from RRB Minis & More

The next piece features a new metallic cover I'd purchased when painting the flying drones for Space Station Zero. Like with the Dark Green, I really like how this Dark Red looks on surfaces that are supposed to be metallic or otherwise shiny material. This one was incredibly easy to paint. I gave it a black base coat and then a couple coats of the metallic red and metallic pink (NOT how it was marketed...it was supposed to be red!). The black base coat would show through, requiring multiple coats to look like this. 

    The final terrain piece is another from Acheson Creations, which I did in a blue metallic

Finally, a smaller version of the Acheson domed structure was done in blue, as well. I probably should have jazzed this one up with one of the control panels I bought from RRB Minis & More. However, things were pretty busy and hectic for me at that point. I just wanted to finish them and feel like I was getting things completed. 

All in all, I am happy with the additions to my Sci-Fi and post-Apocalyptic terrain. Next up, is some even smaller pieces of scatter terrain from Acheson Creations. So, stay tuned!

Ruined 3-D Printed Buildings for Post-Apocalyptic

Bucknuts investigate one of my new 3-D printed buildings I bought from Jarls Workshop at ATC 2022

One of our HMGS Great Lakes members 3-D prints some amazing buildings, and I talked him into coming to last fall's Advance the Colors 2022 as vendor. Rusty Parker calls his shop "Jarls Workshop," and I bought quite a few items from him at the show. Most of them were ruined buildings that I could use for my post-apocalyptic games. I grabbed four of them earlier this week, and prepped them for painting.

    Rusty's excellent 3-D prints paint up quickly with base coat and dry brush for concrete and brick

Rusty's prints are of very high quality. He understands the different types of material, which gives the best results (which he uses), and invariably produces clean, flash-free buildings. I prepped them by spraying them with Krylon Matte Black primer, then following that up with a 50/50 mix of acrylic black paint and water. Once it's dry, it is a simple matter to dry brush the buildings. I start with a dark gray and follow up with a lighter gray highlight. Most of these buildings had sections of brick on them, too. Once I was done with the gray, I painted the brick sections with Iron Wind Metals Red brown. I followed that up with a dry brush of Howard Hues Middle Eastern flesh. The final touch was a relatively heavy black wash.

    Adding Woodland Scenics flocking to the dirt floor of this print makes it really pop, I feel

Next, it was on to the flocking. For the 2-story and 1-story buildings, I painted the areas that were sculpted to represent a dirt floor with white glue. I also dabbed white glue in the corners of the buildings and other spots where the wind might blow dust and dirt. In these areas, I also added some light gray Woodland Scenics clump foliage. I really felt the flocking made the 2-story and 1-story buildings "pop," so to speak. I even considered adding some posters on the walls or similar items, but decided to leave them relatively generic. I can also use these buildings for the bombed out interior of a city in Modern Skirmish games using my Wars of Insurgency rules.

    This 6-story corner shell of a skyscraper is probably my favorite of the buildings I bought from Rusty

Probably my favorite of the four buildings is the 6-story corner shell of a skyscraper. The moment I saw that sitting on Rusty's vendor table at ATC I knew I had to snatch it up before someone else did! I think it will be an iconic looking piece of a post-apocalyptic tabletop. Although this one did not have brick sections, it did have a stone tile facing on the first level. I decided to give it a dry brush of a dull, washed out green over top of the gray. The hint of color gives it a nice look, I think. What's more, I decided to add rubble on this piece. I used Woodland Scenics coarse mixed gray ballast, as well as loose resin bricks I'd bought from a game store, and some craft sticks for beams that have fallen loose onto the floor. All of these also received a dry brush or black wash. 

    Close up of the rubble, bricks, and beams that I added to the building to give more character

 I really like how the extra little bits added to the character of this very cool 3-D print. I wanted to give it a more three dimensional quality but also not impede miniatures from being put inside the building itself to take cover. I bought a total of six ruined buildings, so the next two will be following these four onto my painting desk shortly. One is a duplicate of the 2-story brick and concrete ruin that is at the top of this page. I may add a washed out color for the exterior and interior walls to make it look different. The second building is a sprawling, 2-story affair that will have a relatively large footprint on the tabletop. That's good because the next scenario I plan to run for my post-apocalyptic games will be inside a city. So, the more buildings I have, the better!

    I really look forward to seeing this 6-story ruin on the tabletop for my next post-apocalyptic game!

So, stay tuned for more update (hopefully) soon!

    Another view of the 2-story brick and concrete ruin from Jarls Workshop

Finally! Second Post-Apoc game: 'I Smell a Rat...!'

    F Troop, a survivor gang drawn from a former Army unit, search for loot on the outskirts of town

It had been since July of 2022 that I ran our first post-apocalyptic game, Water or Gas? Waaay too long! And just when I was ready to host the long-awaited sequel, the flu bug made a run through our gaming group and I had to postpone twice more. Five of us finally got together, though, this past Sunday to play out, "I Smell a Rat!" -- the second scenario in what will hopefully be a continuing series of games. It also happened to be Super Bowl Sunday, so we had the TV on in the background to keep an eye on the commercials and regular scoring between the Chiefs and Eagles.

    F Troop advances, ready to forage the ruins for supplies (figs from Battle Valor Games)

In my second scenario, various gangs of survivors have heard that another gang was recently wiped out by the Machines and their Bots on a foraging expedition. A number of rival gangs were also aware that the deceased gang members had a headquarters in a trailer on the edge of a town. Most were of the opinion that there had to be some guns, ammo, or other useful supplies stashed in the trailer or nearby. The goal was to be the first to loot the headquarters! Unknown to the would-be looters, swarms of rats have been drawn to the area by the smell of the gang's rotting food. Amidst the swarms could be seen the huge shapes of ROUS's (Rodents of Unusual Size, for fans of The Princess Bride).

    The Green Dragons, my newest team, advance onto the board wearing their HazMat suits & masks

There were three weapons caches on the board (3 Renown Points each) -- in the trailer, hidden inside a rusted van, and also inside a broken down taxi. These were spread across the center of the board, and would require a "Normal" task roll to successfully loot it. At eight other scattered points on the tabletop were crates marking the location of medical equipment or food supplies (2 Renown Points each). However, the first time a player character came within 6" of one of those spots, they had to stop their move and roll a d10. On a 1-2, a ROUS appeared, 3-5 swarm of rats, 6+ no effect. If one appeared, a card was immediately dealt to the player two spots to their left at the table. The controller of the swarm or ROUS added the extra card to their hand, and could use that card or one of their other cards to activate the creatures.

    The rowdy Barbarozas investigate a pile of rubbish, hoping to find something useful

Players could also get a RP by knocking out of action a rival player's character, killing a ROUS or swarm, or even while controlling a rat and knocking out another player's character. This last one was to ensure proper bloodthirstiness among the rival players rather than any gentleman's agreement! Finally, players could earn an RP for spending two actions carving off some meat from a downed swarm or ROUS -- White Castle rat-burgers on the menu tonight! Ha, ha!!

 

    Winners of the first scenario, the Blood Brotherhood move up past a ruined building

The board was roughly 6' wide and 4's across. I am thinking of shrinking it down a bit for the next game. There was less interaction among rival teams in this game than I was hoping for. Jenny's Blood Brotherhood and Andy's Barbarozas had a running fight through the second half of the game, but otherwise, little other gun play happened between players. I even sweetened the pot for players who had a character knocked out of action last game. They would receive a bonus 1 RP each if they got revenge and knocked out members of that gang. With the lack of targeting each other that occurred, I am thinking my board is too spacious.

    The Followers of the Dark Prophet were the first to trigger the arrival of a swarm of giant rats

The game opened with each player starting near one of the four corners or mid-point of one of the long edges. I had tried to distribute the equipment caches evenly across the board, and all five players immediately began heading for them. Allen's Followers of the Dark Prophet were the first to come within 6" of a crate. A rat swarm appeared, though, and the startled Daffyd of the Followers tried to leap back. His fellows opened fire on the swarm, but that seemed to only enrage the vermin. Almost immediately afterwards, Jenny used the extra card (or one of her own?) to charge the rats into Daffyd. He went down, screaming horribly, devoured by a moving carpet of rats.

    The Barbarozas welcomed the rats arrival and waded in with axes and swords to carve up a meal!

His horrified brethren continued to pour fire into the swarm, but succeeded in putting only one wound and one Shock marker on the rats. Since swarms remove a wound at the end of each turn, the second turn dawned with an almost fresh rat swarm ready to charge again.  However, the concentrated gunfire of the black-clad Followers finally dispersed or killed most of the rats before it could charge again. This seemed to check Allen's enthusiasm for moving ahead quickly, though, and he explored more cautiously for the next couple turns.

    Dragons leader Ting and Wang survey the dilapidated trailer before moving in to search it

Meanwhile, the wild Barbarozas charged onto the board with a rocker's rebel yell. This elicited movement at the first crate, and sure enough, another rat swarm emerged from a pile of garbage. It charged into Barbarozas, who despite toting guns, are always ready for a hand-to-hand brawl. Their team trait is "Ferocious," which adds +1 on their "to wound" roll in melee. I had modeled the team on the classic "bad guys" of Mad Max and other post-apocalyptic movies. Andy's rock and rollers quickly dispatched the rat swarm and then showed their barbaric nature by immediately carving up the carcasses to take home for dinner!

    Ting watches in horror as Wang is attacked by a swarm of rats as he crept towards the trailer

Meanwhile, across the table, the dark red-clad Blood Brotherhood crept onto the scene. Winners of the first scenario in RPs, they showed they were still a force to be reckoned with. When their exploration prompted a loud roll and the appearance of an ROUS, the Brotherhood did not panic. Brother Foresight, who seemed to anticipate the appearance of the monstrous rat, took aim with his shotgun and dropped it with one shot. 

    Before Wang could respond, the rats attack again on the next turn, swarming all over him

I was playing my newest painted gang, the Green Dragons. I sent Feng to the left to investigate one of the crates between my position and that of the Followers of the Dark Prophet. I sent Chen to the right to check out another crate. While Feng fumbled finding anything, and eventually gave up, Chen found a packet of medical supplies and quickly pocketed them. The Dragons' leader Ting, accompanied by his loyal henchman Wang, crept towards the trailer. The two eyed the steel bars reinforcing all the windows and wondered if it was truly abandoned. Ting waved Wang forward. As the green-clad survivor neared the trailer, a seething gray mass emerged from underneath the trailer. Another swarm of giant rats had appeared! 

    The rats had less success against the Blood Brother, as Justice dispatches a ROUS with his shotgun

The rats quickly charged (Joel was merciless when controlling the rats) and inflicted a Shock on Wang. When Ting's turned arrived, I was unsure what to do. If I shot into the melee, Fistful of Lead rules state that you randomize who you hit. However, if you charge into melee, all combatants roll again. So, if the rat swarm rolled high and I rolled low, I could lose both characters. What to do, wondered my leader Ting? I decided to have the leader take up a good firing position and use his "Encouraging" trait to remove Wang's shock. Wrong decision, apparently, as on the next turn, Joel acted with the first of his SIX cards (he also received an extra card because his gang, F Troop, had Advanced Communications as their team trait). The swarm acted before Wang could, and took him out in a flurry of sharp teeth and raking claws. Joel then used the swarm's "Unstoppable" trait to immediately charge Ting!

    The Barbarozas move onto the rusting taxi, gleeful to attack another rat swarm when it appeared

Ting was apparently made of sterner stuff than Wang, though. As the rats came clambering over the walls he was sheltering behind, he splattered one after another with quick pistol shots in melee. Soon, the rat swarm all lay dead or dispersed squeaking for somewhere to hide. In the game so far, two player characters had been taken down by the rats. Had I made them too tough? Apparently not, as they would prove an afterthought in the rest of the game, and no more losses would come at their hands. All in all, I really liked how this mechanic I'd created worked. Giving a rival player control of the "monsters," and giving them an extra card to use for them, gave them more tactical decision making. They could use that card for themselves and one of their originally drawn cards for the rats. Or vice versa. I will definitely keep it for future scenarios!

    Ever on the hunt for humans, a Scout Bot rolls onto the table, attracted by the gunfire of our teams

Since we had lost 10% of our forces, that would also trigger the arrival of the machines at the end of the turn. At 10%, a Scout Bot rolls onto the field. The player who has lost the most figures (or the first to lose them if tied), gains control of it, just like with the rats. Allen was given a Scout Bot, which he placed in Jenny's deployment corner. Meanwhile, things were heating up between Jenny's Blood Brotherhood and Andy's Barbarozas. I knew that once the hooded brethren headed for the broken-down taxi that Andy would take that as an affront. His rockers had been heading there since turn one. He immediately opened fire while sprinting for the hard cover of the taxi. Another swarm of rats scampering over the rusting body of the vehicle didn't faze the Barbarozas in the least.

    Almost as if expecting it, Brother Foresight wheels and blasts with his shotgun, disabling the bot

On his turn, two of Andy's characters charged into the swarm and eventually dispatched it. Raven, the second in command of the gang, then opened fire on Brother Temperance, who fell to the ground with a cry, his dark red robe slowly becoming darker. The cool-headed nature of the hooded brethren was apparent, though. Deacon Justice, the second in command whirled around and blasted away at the Scout Bot, which came rolling up behind the Brotherhood. One of his shots hit something vital and the mechanical scout crashed to the ground, its one wheel spinning crazily. Equally nonplussed, Grand Master moved up to the taxi and blasted away at the three enemy gang members. When Fredrik, with his flowing locks of hair, charged into the Grand Master, the hooded commander slammed his submachine gun into the gut of the fearsome barbarian. Shocked, he recoiled and fell back.

    After killing the rats, the Barbarozas use the taxi as cover and fire away at the Blood Brotherhood

Still, Grand Master knew he was outnumbered and backed away. This left the Barbarozas time to find the weapons cache hidden in the taxi's trunk. When Fredrik saw the bots begin to arrive, he shouted to his gang to begin to fall back. He even yelled out "Truce - machines!" to the Brotherhood, and the gun play between the two gangs died out. The Brotherhood was less ready to call it a day, though. Seeing the Green Dragons members entering the trailer, he growled and was tempted to go after them. However, seeing Brother Temperance lying motionless, and worrying more rats might be about, he sprinted over to him. He slung him over his shoulder and backed slowly and grudgingly off the table.

    Meanwhile, Joel's F Troop was scavenging the ruins picking up useful equipment unhindered

As mentioned, my Green Dragons were headed towards the trailer. Chen sprinted along the edge of a patch of scrub, checking out if the coast was clear to make a dash for the trailer's door. Ting followed him up, taking up each position Chen vacated. Seeing no other gang members near the trailer, Chen sprinted and took cover by the staircase leading up to the door. Ting took his place by the scrub, covering him with his pistol. On his next turn, Chen vaulted onto the stairs, and dashed inside the doorway. He immediately located the weapons cache, and gathered it into a sack for ease of carrying.

    After killing the rat swarm that took out Wang, Ting follows Chen towards the trailer

Meanwhile, the hapless Feng, after failing to find the supplies, moved to a patch of woods. He could see the shadowy shapes of F Troop through the trees. Unwisely, he stopped moving and sheltered on the edge of the trees. Making up for his lackluster first game, Joel was on fire that evening. He sent one of his F Troop soldiers through the woods and opened fire on Feng, dropping him with a well-placed shot. Confident that Feng was down, the trooper backed away through the woods. Joel was successful in looting the crates he found and also secured the weapons the gang had hidden inside the rusted van. Eventually, he decided it had been a good foraging expedition, and withdrew -- never having suffered a shot or the claws of any rats.

Followers of the Dark Prophet continue exploring, unaware they are being stalked by a Scout Bot

Ting saw Feng crawling away, bleeding. He darted towards the staircase and shouted encouragement to Feng to shake off the wound and get up. Feng failed his Recovery roll again, but finally on the third try was successful. He staggered erect and began stumbling towards the Green Dragons entry point. Ting and Chen returned the way they came, first to cover by the staircase, then to the scrub, and finally darting for the table edge. Ting scooped up Wang's body along the way, hoping that he was merely unconscious and not dead. Eventually, all four exited the table with RPs from a weapons cache, medical equipment, and killing a rat swarm. 

    The Scout Bot blazed away at the dark-robed Followers, but was unable to score any hits

Jenny got her revenge on Allen by bringing on the second Scout Bot in Allen's deployment area. It fired away at Solomon Bey, the leader of the Followers of the Dark Prophet. His "Sixth Sense" trait forced Jenny to re-roll the hit she'd placed on him and Solomon was more lucky on the second roll. The Followers used the ruins as cover as best they could to minimize the chances for the Scout Bot to score any hits. Jenny's rolls were unsuccessful, and soon there were no more humans in the area for it to hunt down. All of the players had escaped. A late-arriving Sentry Bot similarly missed the opportunity to get shots at the withdrawing F Troop. 

    Ever the caring leader, Ting carries Wang off towards medical treatment at the Dragons base

All teams scored successes, with four of the five suffering an "Out of Action" result on one of its gang members during the course of the game. Everyone also brought home equipment of some sort and likely will be using the RPs earned to add a trait or two to its team members. I am learning each game how to make scenarios more interesting using these rules. I am thinking the next game will likely be inside the ruins of a city, with slightly more intact buildings and streets and alley ways to explore. I have some ideas on what random "monsters" the players will run into, as well.

So, stay tuned for the next game report. Hopefully, the wait won't be as long this time!