Sir James and I ran this game at HAVOC convention this weekend. Here's the After Action Report. Hope it's not too long. When a group was suddenly forced to stop it was due to a random event and we ad-lib'd from there.
Evacuation After Action Report
Sit Rep:
It's Z-Day +4. It's hard to believe that the nightmare of the "Lazarus Virus" has only been going on for 4 days. As the undead shamble throughout the town, you consider your dwindling supplies and realize that you can't last much longer. Then a miracle occurs; the Emergency Broadcast System announces that the Marines are on their way. The only "catch" is that you must meet them partway. The USMC will establish a LZ in the parking lot of the local ATF. They state that they will hold it as long as possible but that they won't be coming back after they leave. If you want to live, you must make it onto the chopper today. The only thing standing between you and a seat to safety is the horde of undead.
Teams:
Survivors
1) Rainbow Motel – group of 5 random travelers led by a fairly successful Elvis impersonator and a pistol-packing secretary, these survivors were staying in the motel when the calamity stuck.
2) The ‘Burbs – group of suburbanites led by an "off duty" police officer and his fiancée, these 5 survivors include the young mother and her baby from across the street.
3) Trailer Trash – group of rednecks from the "wrong side of the tracks" led by Jim Bob and Mary Sue, this group includes Grandpa…in his wheelchair.
4) Boulevard Diner – group of customers and employees led by Large Marge and her double-barrel shotgun and the dishwasher with his pistol, this group includes a child that was waiting for her mom.
Rescue Forces
1) Thin Blue Line #1 & #2 – each with 3 police officers sent by squad car to help with the evacuation by locating survivors and getting them to the LZ.
2) Alpha Team/Bravo Team – each with 5 "gung-ho" Marines charged with establishing and maintaining the LZ
Layout:
Each of the four survivor groups started out in a corner of the town. The LZ for the evacuation was in the center of the town. The 2 police teams arrived in squad cars at opposite ends of the town. The Marines were inserted via helicopter.
The Evacuation:
0715: The first Blackhawk approaches town. The crew performs a quick visual of the LZ and decides that it is secure enough for the first load of Marines; Alpha Team. The chopper touches down for a few brief moments as the Devil Dogs de-bus. The chopper then vacated the LZ for Team Bravo insertion.
0721: The suburbanites try to make a break for the LZ. At the door the soccer mom freezes up and refuses to leave. The rest of the team quickly returns to the house. The cop secures the door while his fiancée tries to reason with the soccer mom.
0723: "Elvis" and his group bolt out of the hotel. Elvis levels his two pistols and lays waste to a near by zombie. The rest of the team climbs into a Hummer and tries the engine…and it works! The only problem is that several zombies were attracted by the gunfire and begin to approach their meal.
0725: Thin Blue Line #1 rolls into town…and stops at an intersection just as a tractor trailer truck passes in front of them and smashes into a car. The road is blocked! Meanwhile, officers lay down a hail of gunfire at nearby zombies…missing all of them and attracting more!
0726: The "Trailer Trash" group makes a break for a car as there are only a few of their former neighbors wandering around outside. Mary Sue runs into the trailer next door and rescues the "heavy drinker". The others move out and form a perimeter around Grampa in the wheelchair to protect him from the approaching walking dead.
0731: Large Marge steps out of her diner and lays waste to the closest zombie. The rest of the group rush out and piles into one of the cars in the lot. Luckily, it starts.
0733: Thin Blue Line #2 speeds into town only to find the road blocked by a massive car wreck. They sit in the car as they try to decide what to do as several of the undead begin to shuffle towards them.
0734: Another Blackhawk approaches the LZ. It lands only long enough for Bravo Team to dismount and help out Alpha Team. Meanwhile, it turns out that a news crew somehow bribed their way on-board. The reporter and camera man get out with Bravo Team and do some shooting of their own.
0748: Team ‘Burbs have better luck this time. The soccer mom is terrified of the zombies…but is even more afraid to stay behind alone. They make their way toward the LZ and kill some of the closest zombies. Unfortunately for them, the baby is scared by the noise…and begins to cry.
0752: Thin Blue Line #1 tries to do some fancy driving. The driver backs up the squad car and prepares to drive up onto the sidewalk and squeeze between the burning truck and the corner of a building. The cops riding "shotgun" rollup the windows as a group of zombies close in.
0807: Thin Blue Line #2 decides that they need to proceed on foot. They climb out of the car and are promptly attacked by some zombies. They fire at several nearby zombies…and start to burn through their ammo at an alarming rate. They manage to fend off the bites but are barely hanging on!
0810: Elvis hops into the car and they pull out of the parking lot…and run out of gas!
0812: Team Trailer Trash manages to fend off the zombies and Mary Sue checks the car door and sets off the alarm! The loud whoops attract some unwanted attention and the survivors are assaulted by group of zombies. They are locked in a life and death struggle among the pink flamingos and lawn gnomes in the front yards. Things don't look good.
0813: Large Marge gets into the car with the rest of her team. This car also runs out of gas shortly after pulling out of the parking lot. These high gas prices finally ARE going to kill someone!
0814: The driver of Thin Blue Line #1's car is in a panic. There are zombies clinging onto the car and trying to break in. The cops are so engrossed with their predicament; they fail to notice the scantily clad co-eds pleading for help from the building across the street. The driver of the car guns the engine and tries to squeeze the squad car between the wrecked truck and the corner of the building. He manages to do this AND scrape off the zombies! Things are looking better…until he tries to press his luck. He spots some zombies closing in on Team ‘Burbs. He tries to make a sharp turn to run over a zombie…but misjudges the angle and ends up wrecking the car on a fire hydrant!
0834: Meanwhile at the LZ, the Marines are laying down a hail of lead. They appear to be gaining the upper hand as they are eliminating more zombies faster than they shamble to the LZ. The news crew notices someone signaling for help from the school across the street…and mentions it to the Marine in charge. Two Marines are dispatched to the school on an ad-hoc rescue mission.
0838: Team ‘Burbs is in serious trouble. A zombie has managed to grab onto the baby in the stroller. It bites the child sending her into a frenzy. Her screaming is like blood in the water…more zombies lurch toward them. In a panic, Soccer Mom abandons her baby and makes a run for it. The rest of the team are horrified…but not related, so they also make a dash toward the LZ. The cop takes a couple of shots to put the kid out of his misery before it is ripped to pieces.
0841: Large Marge and her team get out of the worthless car. Large Marge and her team see that the road to the LZ is filled with zombies and head for some nearby woods. They come across a zombie…but it takes a blast to the head and drops.
0855: Everyone in town is surprised to hear the sound of a steam whistle. No one knows where it's coming from.
0901: Thin Blue Line #1 is really earning their pay today. They kill several zombies that were attacking Team ‘Burbs. However, one officer is pulled to the ground by several zombies. When he rise again, he's not the man he was.
0910: Team Trailer Trash is in danger of being overrun. Jim Bob is clearing a path for the others with 12 gauge shotgun, but the last zombie grabs an arm bites deep! Knowing that it was all over, Jim Bob tells the others to make a run for it. The rest decide to take his advise and make a break for it. Jim Bob is pulled down as more zombies close in him.
0912: Things are looking bad for the Thin Blue Line #2. They are running low on ammo. The more they shoot; more zombies are attracted to the sound. One officer tries to use his Taser to be quiet…and creates an Enraged Zombie! This zombie jumps forward and latches on, but misses the bite! More zombies are approaching and they haven't moved any closer to the Evac Point.
0915: Team Trailer Trash makes it to the main roadway. Grandpa starts to lag behind. The wheelchair can't keep up. In fact, when they try to cross the railroad tracks…the wheelchair gets stuck! The rest of the team flees on leaving the old man to his fate.
0927: From one end of town, the mystery of the steam whistle is solved as Ash and the Deathmobile roar into town. He lays waste to any zombie in his path that was closing in on Grampa. As he passes Team Trailer Trash, they inexplicably try to carjack him. Ash turns his shotgun on the living for the first time in memory. Several shots are exchanged, but nobody falls.
0943: The Marines make it to the school and rescue 2 teachers and 3 children. The civilians run for the LZ as the two Marines provide security. Back at the LZ, things are getting a bit hairy as the zombies press forward.
0952: Team Elvis flees the car. They try to run for the LZ but there are zombies in the way. Elvis and his girlfriend, who closely resembles Ann Margaret, blast away several of the closest zombies and giving themselves some breathing room. However, they didn't get them all. One zombie pops up from the bushes, attacks and bites Elvis' girlfriend!
0954: Team Trailer Trash gets confused and splits up. Two of the team sprint towards Ash and the Deathmobile, shooting at him as they go. All the shots go wild and only succeed in attracting more of the undead. Two others head to a big rig near the diner. Grandpa is still in his wheelchair and stuck on the railroad tracks.
0956: Large Marge and her group take a shortcut through the woods. They manage to scramble through the bramble and make it to the back of the building next to LZ without running into anymore zombies.
0958: The Blackhawk crew sees the children and teachers waiting at the LZ and they take the bird down. The kids and one teacher climb aboard the chopper…right in front of the news cameras! The other teacher took just a moment too long…for this trip. The Blackhawk soars into the sky; bringing the children and a teacher to safety…and ending their nightmare. The rest of the Marines are making a valiant effort of maintaining the LZ. They are barely holding on…but the LZ still looks like it will hold.
1001: Team Trailer Trash is completely broken as a group. Two members take this opportunity to get a big rig truck they have always wanted and plan on hooking up the double wide at the park. Grampa is still stuck at the railroad tracks. Two attempt to jump up onto the Deathmobile with Ash. One takes a shot at Ash. Bad idea. Ash drops him in the middle of the street with a blast from his shotgun (12-gauge double-barreled Remington with a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger) he got on employee discount from the Sporting Goods section of S-Mart. Daisy Mae jumps onto the Deathmobile. Ash explains quickly that she can come on for the ride, but stop attacking him!
1010: The news chopper that has been circling around gets a message from the station: the reporter on the ground have enough footage and wants to leave NOW. The news chopper drops into the LZ but only stays long enough to pick up the news crew. Then it flies away…to the dismay of the survivors within sight!
1015: Team Elvis sees the helicopter fly away…and realizes that the number of people making out before the LZ collapses is limited. They decide to improve their odds of an empty seat on the evac birds by shooting at Team ‘Burbs! The shooting doesn't appear to have any effect other than really upsetting Team ‘Burbs.
1026: Team ‘Burbs are within sight of the LZ…and being shot at by Elvis! They return fire as the run for the LZ. They can move faster now that they're not "encumbered" by the baby stroller.
1028: Team Trailer Trash just can't seem to seem to play nice. Daisy Mae still trying to carjack the Deathmobile from Ash. She takes a swing at his head with a crowbar and jumps on him. Ash yells, "Get off me you crazy, witch". Well, not really "witch", but you get the idea. Ash pushes her off the Deathmobile into the street to her fate and disappears down the road with a whistle blast.
1034: The Thin Blue Line #2 is having real problems. One officer has three zombies on him and cannot get free. The other officer out of the vehicle has a zombie on him and is no help. The patrolman with three on him takes a bite to the leg and screams as he fights to avoid being pulled down into a feeding pile. The officer in the patrol car tries to "help" out and backs up over the melee. The good news is that he takes out the zombies. The bad news is that he also runs over his partner! The officer with the single zombie takes it down in melee and jumps into the patrol car. "Hit the gas!" he screams as more zombies approach.
1036: With all of the various parties of survivors heading to the LZ, each brings their own horde of zombies. The numbers begin to have an effect as the LZ perimeter is breached!
1038: Another Blackhawk is arriving to extract survivors from the LZ. However the crew sees that the LZ is not secure at this time. The Marines and remaining schoolteacher, who is armed with a hockey stick, are engaged in a swirling melee with the undead below. They go into a hover to wait to see if the LZ can be re-secured. As they do, the crew chief notices something in the distance. It is the scantily clad co-eds of sorority, Alpha Omega Chi, on the roof of their building. The crew decides that these buxom beauties have suffered long enough. They head over and remove the girls from the roof.
1041: The Thin Blue Line #2 is moving away from where their partner fell. Well, he fell, then got back up and began to shuffle down the road. The driver suddenly stops the car and puts his head on the steering wheel. "We have to go back for Steve! We can't leave him there! What if he is just hurt and needs our help!". Zombie patrolman Steve at this time lunged through the passenger side window and attempted to take a chuck of flesh out of the neck of patrolman in the passenger seat. "I'm very sure that Steve is beyond our help! Let's get out of here!" yells the cop fighting for his life against his former partner. The car speeds away down the road.
1051: The Marines and remaining teacher re-establish the LZ. Several of the Marines are bitten…but their bulletproof vests appear to have another benefit as not one of the Marines is infected.
1059: Survivors are getting more desperate. More gunfire is exchanged between Elvis and Team ‘Burbs. The remaining cop from Thin Blue Line #1 sees this and also fires on Team Elvis. The shot flies true and Elvis "leaves the building". Hail to the King, baby!
1101: Large Marge and her team make it to the LZ just as another chopper arrives. Marge isn't as fast as the others. Her team makes it onto the chopper as does the remaining teacher. The chopper lifts off and flies away. Marge is left on the ground and watches it disappear behind the trees.
1102: Thin Blue Line #1 is down to one patrolman. He is surrounded by at least 6 zombies. Ash is approaching and just needs a few more moments before he clears off the undead from the man in blue, but it is not to be. The last officer from Thin Blue Line #1 is pulled to the ground in a feeding circle. Ash wipes out the group of zombies seconds later, but nothing can save the patrolman. The Deathmobile continues on into the sunset.
1105: Things have gone from bad to worse. The LZ perimeter is barely being held. A few "squirters" make it through…but the Marines always seem to get to them in time…if only just. The evac Blackhawks are on station and another drops in for pick up. The mother who abandoned her child to the zombies takes a seat and turns her head away from the chaos around her. The off-duty cop, his fiancée, and few other survivors also jump onto the helo also. Third lift is gone.
1106: Thin Blue Line #2 approaches the railroad tracks and see Grampa in his chair. The two patrolmen stop the car and help the old man into the back of the car and put his chair into the trunk. As they pull across the tracks a tree falls to the ground blocking part of the road and forcing them to stop. It appears that a large gust of wind knocked it over (player leaning in). A zombie appears from the wood line and grabs the arm of the officer driving. The walking corpse takes a large bite out of the patrolman's arm before anything can be done. His partner in the passenger seat shots down the zombie, but the damage is done.
1113: Another chopper lands in the LZ. This pilot must have lost someone dear to the virus as any sane pilot wouldn't have risked it. Just as the chopper touches down, the perimeter breaks. Large Marge is grabbed by a "crawler" and bitten on the lower leg. All others on that side of the bird have their backs turned fighting off the zombies. Nobody sees that she has become infected. She breaks free and climbs on to the chopper…neglecting to mention the bite.
1124: The Sergeant of Alpha Team sees that the situation at the LZ is hopeless. He orders a pair of Marines to grab any nearby survivors, get on the chopper, and tell the crew to go…NOW!
1125: The last flight out of Northridge dusts off. The pilot is busy with the controls…but the copilot and crew chief salute the remaining Marines. At least 28 people rescued in the operation, well, soon to be 27. 17 civilians and 8 Marines were left behind.
1137: While en route to base, the pilot becomes aware of a disturbance in the rear of the aircraft. The crew chief is yelling over the intercom. It takes a moment but the pilot realizes that one of the passengers was infected! A few more moments pass as he tries to figure out what to do. He's preparing to put the aircraft into a violent bank in hopes of forcing the zombie to fall out. Just before executing the maneuver, the crew chief tells him that the "situation" is taken care of. Large Marge's body is tossed from the chopper.
1143: Two F/A-18's drop FAE ordnance on the LZ.
