The Long Road
It would appear that not only do Zombies exist, Werewolves are a thing, the Devil is real, Magic exists oh and I have sex on the regular with a 400 year old smoking hot Vampire, but I am cursed.
Yep, cursed. Cursed to be picked, chosen, selected hell no VOLUNTEERED for missions I don’t want, need or can handle.
But such are the vagaries of what is left of the command chain 30 days into this war that never should have been. Someone apparently now believes all the reports I was trying to submit, but gave up on. Some genius G2 officer put 2 and 2 together finally and verified my claims. That was an interesting discussion in front of the brass. Which lead immediately to this ‘very important mission’. Because now that we believe in the impossible, we want what it has. Some uber tank thing. I’ve been loaned to the Germans [the good ones] to ‘secure’ plans for this super vehicle.
I didn’t ask to be ‘the leading expert on paranormal activity in warfare’ either. It just happened and I swear I mostly did not know she was a vampire when I fell for those soul swallowing blue eyes and crooked little smile, honest.
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SCENARIO INTRODUCTION
A month into the war and we were beginning to understand. Now the skeptics were the ones ridiculed, the naysayers pushed to the side, the unbelievers ignored. The Lycans were real. Not just slathering beasts, but rather a well-organized group of guerilla clans with one objective: to throw all of the foreigners off the German soil. The zombies… well, maybe they were slathering beasts, but they were real nonetheless, a constant threat to NATO and Warsaw Pact alike.
The big problem, however, was the vampire Eagle Aerie coven. Vampires were fast, strong, brutal, and extremely intelligent. They were also well organized and wealthy as only a tribe that had accumulated wealth for 400 years could be. They had put that wealth and intelligence to work in creating the most advanced weaponry on the planet. From gauss-rifle-armed tanks to the world’s first combat drones, the Eagle Aerie coven always seemed a step ahead. So, when word got out that a gang of thugs had stumbled on plans to the coven’s Slayer tank after wiping out a vampire hide in the center of Lütgentreich, East Germany it attracted a lot of attention—a lot of attention and a lot of guns.
Soviet
Elements of the 33rd Motor Rifle with attached special KGB officer, enter via hexes (any/or) A1, A2, A3, and B1 on turn 1: 3 x T-62, 4 x URAL Trucks, 4 X Infantry, Petrova.
West German
Elements of Paratrooper (Fallschirmjäger) Battalion 263, set up on or within 2 hex of P9: 5 x Infantry, 2 x Milan, Hudson.
Elements of Paratrooper (Fallschirmjäger) Battalion 263 enter via S11 on turn 2: 1 x Wiesel TOW, 2 x Wiesel 1, Whitman.
East German
Elements of the 7th Panzer Division set up within on or within 1 hex of R2: 4 x Infantry, 1 x M37-M.
Elements of the 7th Panzer Division enter via S1 on turn 2: 2 x T-72M, 1 X BTR-70, 1 x Infantry, 1 x BMP-2.
Zombies
12 x Zombies, 6 x Puker. Put all the zombies in a cup. Players alternate picking and placing a zombie from the cup in any hex of Lütgentreich. The game controls the zombies (see 12.1). Rogue
Vampires
1 x Hunter. Place in a random hex of Lütgentreich. May only move in City or Forest hexes. The Rogue Vampire moves after the zombies each turn. Moves toward closest non-zombie/vampire unit in the City or connecting Forest and attempts to engage it in Close Assault.
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Anyway enough about me. Battalion 263 has a few good men left. Their leader Whitman is a straight from the movies Aryan squared jawed, hard eyed killer type German is their leader. He is all business. Me not so much. I’ve seen too much, of course he wont listen and thinks we are on a fools errand. I’m sure attitude will be corrected momentarily.
Why? Well he and I are looking through our binocs at the town from the edge of some rolling green fields. What I see is shambling, twisted decaying humans. Or zombies, I know he is looking for the right words to properly express to abject wrongness of what he sees and wrap this around his closed mind. He simply says ‘zee civilians of Lutgenreich are out and about.’ In his clipped German accent.
‘Yes, well you better direct your boys to start shooting from here including those Milans before we go into town.’ That comment triggers a rapid response ‘Nein, we cannot fire on our citizenry.’
I say, ‘Look pal, I get it, from here you can deny the reality. Let me help you.’ I shout out to Smitty who has been along for this whole crazy ride and knows the true horrifying score. ‘Smitty, Yeah, buddy, light up grid reference K6, use that Milan, more pain more gain.’ Smitty gave a thumbs up and spun around spoke quickly in German to the Corporal equivalent, snagged the launcher, shouted “Clear, for backblast” and pulled the trigger! All before Captain noble guy here could utter a word.
The round sputtered, and then rocketed across the open field. The sound drew the attention of the ‘civilians’, as one they began to move toward us. ‘What have you done?’ He goes to reach for his pistol just as the round impacts against a quaint three story stone building at the edge of town. The devastation is complete. Dozens of bodies are torn to shreds. “Good shot…Good Shot, one more Smitty. Before they move on us and spread out. Herr Whitman – look through your binoculars now please, and look carefully.”
“Mein Gott..what have you done? What the hell is going on in that town.” He says. He facial expression transitions from shock, anger to then horror. “What are they?”
“Well sir,’ I say it’s a long story, but if I were you I’d spin up those MGs of yours and your troopers ASAP, because they are coming for us.’ I turn to my crew and say ‘let them have, single shots at range, head shots if got what it takes, bring the pain boys.’
The rest of the German troopers take our lead. They have eyes. They can see what is closing in on them.
At an alarming pace the zombie horde close up on us. I mean really fast, damn these things. I spend a mag, punch the release, load another without thinking and get after it. In the distance I see Russian tank exhaust and trucks loaded with troops approaching.
Of course. Now they come, while we are fighting undead corpses. Well one thing at a time. Maybe we should have waited on shooting these things until the Russkies got closer. Oops. ‘Whitman, you got to get some help with these zombies…I’m thinking arty?’ Shell those people? He says. I just laugh, denial. It is indeed a powerful thing. “Whitman, sir, you have to understand, I’ve seen these things. Tear my men to small pieces then suck the brains out of them. It is wrong, it is funky. But trust me. We do not want these things up close and personal.” Silence, he had a haunted look in his eye. The zombies close up to about 250 yards out, much further and arty is going to be a no go. “Ja..Ja. Ok.” He spins around and issues a curt series of orders in German, we have a dedicated battery on call, so ToT is rapid. The first shots are good enough, he calls for FFE [Fire for Effect] and boom, the blooms are glorious, dead bodies split asunder, shit goes massively kinetic, dirt flies through the air, parts are everywhere. Thankful no blood though right. There is indeed goodness in everything. I am Mr. Positive today.
As we slide left to the lee of a small rise, Zombies close in on the Germans who were not quite fast enough in their retrograde bounds. Whitman wants to wait and help. I suggest to him, that its too late and he is going to need to face up to shooting his own men when they turn into zombies. I further suggest to him, it would be better to have the incoming Wiesals take care of the rest of the zombies so that we can get to town, you know mission and all that jazz. A slight glaze goes over his expression. Woodenly he turns and issues more orders. Lets hope he doesn’t lose his shit. My German is weak at best. ‘Ein Bier bitte.’ Stuff like that.
Tanks in the distance roar, their main guns firing, and mgs chattering are no doubt tearing the dead citizens of Lutgenreich to bits. Further off in the other direction the sound of 37M East German mortars crumping draws my attention. East Germans too. Oh excellent. Two enemies to fight. Volunteering is the best.
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Editor: More to come