Zombies

Geoff Martin of the Southern Strategists recently light-heartedly described me as a 'wargaming snob' in that I have only ever shown any interest in gaming historical periods. However, I prefer to consider myself a 'wargaming purist' as it is the history of war and the human experience of it that is reflected in the gaming I prefer. Needless to say I was somewhat sceptical of any enjoyment factor when Geoff proposed that we have a zombie game at the Mess last week. I had previously only experienced fighting against zombies once in a Victoriana African exploration game where they proved near impossible to kill....and of course to the purist fighting zombies is hysterical not historical!

Never the less, the zombie game was held and fun was had by all who played. Geoff and his mate Bradley have constructed a shopping mall model for their zombie project which includes a car park, a number of shops and cafes, as well as an escalator. While this model is yet to be completed, it proved an ideal layout for such a game where three of us played as humans, with three character figures each, while my 10-year-old son and his friend played the multitude of zombies that we had to combat.

The aim of the game was for the humans to enter the mall from the car park, search the shops within the mall for a number of packages and ammunition, and return to the car park with the items without losing any characters. Each character was armed with a variety of weapons, including swords, pistols, shotguns and a chainsaw (which came in very handy for cutting through walls).

The scenario proved to be challenging but the humans gained a minor victory by retrieving most of the loot and escaping while losing only two characters. Sadly, one of my characters ( the bald guy with the Samurai sword) drew a dud chance card that saw him being surrounded and killed by zombies only a few steps away from the finish line. I like to think he sacrificed himself so that the others could survive.

This proved a very enjoyable and simple game that was fast moving and held the interest of all the players. The kids thought the game was 'cool' and it certainly proved fun trying not to be killed by an every-increasing horde of undead. However, it's unlikely I will be dragged in to playing such a game very often as for this 'purist' it was certainly on the fringe of what I consider wargaming.

The Shopping Mall  and car park. Entry to the mall was through the glass doors at the front

The humans being attacked by zombies as they first enter the mall to begin their search.

The humans escaping and about to cross the finish line as the zombies close in on them.

My samurai sword character holding off the zombies so that the others could escape...well that's my version of events anyway.

My three characters at the start of the game approaching the mall. The shotgun-wielding cop and the samurai sword bloke proved very effective in disposing of zombies.

Rodger Wood took the photographs of the game and more of them will be able to be seen on the Southern Strategists blog once he uploads his report of the game....hopefully this week sometime.