Chicago Skirmish Wargames

The survivors went in two by two

Hoorah! Hoorah!

The survivors went in two by two

Hoorah! Hoorah!

The survivors went in two by two

Mad Dog, and Me-Shawn too

And they all went into the tunnels

for to escape the walking dead...

12 went shuffling into the subterranean gloom holding hands like school kids on a day-trip. They thought they had made it when they saw the light beckoning at the head of the tracks, but then, from the Stygian dark, a shamble of walkers emerged, shattering the party, filling the subway tunnels with screams of terror.

They fled, using the pinprick of light to guide them like the North-star. The survivors emerged, panicked, but alive. Sadly three never made it out of the dark. The thought of being ripped apart in the pitch-black was more than they could handle. They decided they had journeyed enough for the day and made an impromptu camp.

Dawn's wan light tried hard to pierce the impenetrable fog that came rolling in off the lake, but with little success. Visibility was down to feet and inches. A dew studded sign told them where they were. UP, Northwest Commuter Line. It was a start.

Welcome to Chapter One of our Walking Dead: All Out War campaign! When we last saw our survivors, they were using the subway tunnels to escape the horde in downtown Chicago. The group lost a few members in the blackness, and the 9 remaining survivors have emerged from a manhole near the UP Northwest train tracks.

The play area had a train tracks leading to a rail yard. The players started at the far end of the train tracks. The tracks and yard were surrounded by fencing that kept zombies out.

Running parallel to the tracks was a road full of abandoned cars. There was a dense forest separating the 2 areas.

The players were tasked with heading down the tracks to the end of the yard, and trying to start the train. There was a catch, however. It was a very damp morning with thick heavy fog rolling in off Lake Michigan. The tracks and yard were fenced in, and well lit. The survivors could march right down the tracks to the train. There was nothing to search on this route, though. The road was full of cars and loot, but to get there, the survivors would have to go through the foggy forest.

Visibility was so bad, they could only see a few feet in front of them. This was represented in game by a dice roll; Any time a survivor moved (only outside the tracks/fence area), the GM rolled a D10, and this determined if zombies appeared, and how far away they were. The forest was a HUGE risk, but had the promise of rewards.

Just like Episode 1, we livestreamed this game, so please watch it for all the (very gory) details. I'll hit some highlights below:

Right from the start, the survivors decided to run towards the cars. The promise of loot was too much to pass up...

Zombies appeared with disturbing regularity from the fog.

Some of the runners made it to the cars, and found bandages, and a couple old guns.

By the midpoint of the game, 3 of the 9 survivors had sustained bites.

A small group stayed in the safety of the fenced in area. As they got nearer to the train yard, they could see zombies piling against the fence.

Once they entered the train yard, they saw a conductor was hard at work trying to get the train going... She yelled out for help.

At this point, the objectives of the game changed. The survivors were tasked with helping protect the conductor as she completed her work on the train. This would take 7 turns. Survivors had the chance to help her with this task. If the character decided to assist the conductor, this would be their only action for the rest of the game. Each survivor that decided to assist would take one turn off the completion counter.

Immediately, a few of them dedicated themselves to helping. With their assistance the timer dropped to 4 turns. They tried to start the train, and almost got it going...

The noise of the engine attracted the zombies piling against the fence, and they knocked it down.

They were heading right for the group!

Some survivors prepared to hold off the horde while the conductor finished the work.

The survivors still in the woods made a mad dash for the train. A couple made it into the yard and dedicated themselves to helping.

The train got moving, and the survivors rode it northwest towards Park Ridge. The survivors who had not made it to the train yard had to roll a die to determine if they made it on the train in time.

Unfortunately, 3 survivors were lost to the horde of walkers.

This was a very tense game. The survivors took a lot of risks, and most of them didn't pay off. They still managed to complete their objective. It is a long ride up north. Maybe they will find more survivors to help out on the path...

Our next campaign game will be in a month due to Thanksgiving, but stay tuned for our next interlude piece, coming soon!