Third Chainsaw Warrior Playtest

Last weekend we had another game – same rules and layout with a few minor tweaks. Specifically:

1. We wrote out exactly what each trap did, took out the not applicable ones and made a “room deck” of about half “Empty”, a quarter traps, a quarter supply dumps and a handful of zombies. On the Third Floor a deck was made up of 24 cards (one for each room), including Darkness.
2. A model could salvage a weapon or clip from a fallen model for 1 AP. The Reaper got 1 spare clip.
3. The medi-kit had a 4+ chance of saving an ordinary trooper if he had been killed that turn (otherwise they were only useful for the two Chainsaw Warriors who had 3 wounds each). As they cost 4AP to use it wasn’t easy to take advantage of this. Each squad had one medic.
4. The Meat Machine and the Mutants were not reshuffled into blip pile – other blips were. We also introduced a few blips with 2 or 3 zombies, not just singles.
5. Unconverted blips only get 2 APs (compared to 4 APs for everything else). This was mainly to encourage conversion, as placing more models makes the game look better.

This time I took the forces of Darkness. The troops made a good start, with Squad Chainsaw finding first a sub-machine gun (handy) and then a secret passage which led almost directly to the first staircase.

On the other side of the map, the other squad advanced steadily. There were a handful of zombies which were soon dispatched.

Their good fortune continued when they found that the staircase wasn’t blocked. They were through to the second floor after less than 7 minutes with no casualties. It was looking as though it was going to be a walk in the park.

Moments later tragedy struck. A soldier on overwatch had a bit of bad luck and fell victim to a sudden surge of zombies.

The second squad reached their staircase and also found it to be passable. This created a slight rules difficulty because previously we had played that when they went up to the Second Floor they came out at the one immediately ‘above’ and then had to make their way to the other stairs to go up to the Third Floor. In this case both stairs from the First Floor were in use. We ruled that both First Floor stairs would lead to the same Second Floor staircase (some kind of off-board connecting passageway).

As in the previous game, soldiers took the lead, making their way in single file from the stairs to the first room. So far so good, but it was about to turn nasty. A line of blips blocked their way and I was saving some real stinkers for them.

A Chaos Agent had been lurking for some time, playing the long game and waiting for an opportunity. He closed in on the Chainsaw Warrior who was bringing up the rear and lunged, completely bungling it with a roll of 3. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzt.

A bermuda shorts wearing zombie (strength 6) followed the squad up the stairs, but using what little brains remained in its rotting head, it lurked at a safe distance from the blade and its rotating teeth. Up front the squad had the room secured with plenty of overwatch.

The troops push on into a corridor packed with blips. Two are revealed as the martial arts Chaos Agent (strength 11 = nasty) and the blue mutant (strength 16 = very nasty).

The Chaos Agent is shot down as he springs into the doorway to attack, but the mutant is tougher and meaner. The soldier goes to low ammo as he fires desperately, before being struck down in close combat; the second casualty has fallen to the forces of Darkness.

They weren’t just facing attacks from the front. The tight warren of rooms are ideal for creeping up and it is easy to overlook a threat from the sides or rear. A Chaos Agent managed to close with the medic, but was killed in close combat.

It was following a similar course to the last game – an easy First Floor, soldiers take the lead on the Second Floor and take casualties due to lower fire power. Another soldier went down at the front before the Chainsaw Warrior pushed through to the front and started mopping up. He made short work of the remaining zombies, but the flip side of leading from the front was soon revealed when the corridor was full of mines. He took a wound and then had to roll for each item of equipment – luckily none were destroyed.

After his close shave, the Chainsaw Warrior hacks through another host before revealing the Meat Machine (still represented by a minotaur).

The Meat Machine was stronger than even the Chainsaw Warrior and had two wounds, but luckily rolled a 3 before being shot to pieces in the following turn.

The Chainsaw Warrior pushed on single handed. Here he reveals the secret to clearing a room full of zombies – basically you walk in and chop them all up.

Pursued by a horde of zombies, the squads filed after their leader into the gathering gloom. At the rear an unlucky soldier fires off his last few rounds before being felled by the Chaos Agent’s blade.

Yet another squad member was down, but they were on to the third and final floor. Enemy activity steps up to 3 blips per turn, and a mutant lurks at the top of the stairs.

The Chainsaw Warrior hacks through them and pushes on (frankly recklessly) into another room of zombies. This breakneck pace could be cut off short at any moment with a bad roll….

…but it isn’t. Down they go, one after another. Handily the warrior can make a 90 degree turn for no point cost in response to each move, so it’s hard to sneak up on him.

He kills them all, but they are piling up at three blips a turn, and every room is becoming a tough fight. The ammo situation is becoming increasingly critical, with only a couple of spare clips.

A moment of extreme peril as the martial artist Chaos Agent springs out of a doorway, but is cut down before he can strike a fatal blow. The soldiers follow the Chainsaw Warrior as he pushes on, the Reaper bringing up the rear. There are about 17 minutes left, but they have only searched a quarter of the top floor, and are fighting for every room.

There are a couple of dead end rooms in the bottom right hand corner, and the Reaper goes on his own to check them out. A couple of zombies are soon dispatched, but then disaster strikes when the final room contains a net trap. With no wirecutters and no help, he must expend 6APs to free himself, and the command point rolls are dismal for 2 turns in a row. Unable to free himself he fights off a strength 6 zombie (his score is base 12, – 1 for darkness, -2 for net = 9). He beats it but is wounded. Next turn another a strength 8 zombie attacks. With barely better than even odds, he beats that too and hurries to join the others, but down to his final wound.

With zombies attacking all around, the squad winds its way deeper into the building. A combination of spreading out to search and poor command points result in another two soldiers being killed. Ammo is becoming critical as there is a single spare clip remaining, and some are having to go on to low ammo.

A worse disaster strikes when a strength 6 zombie (who nearly didn’t bother attacking due to his poor chances), gets a lucky hit on the Reaper and he loses his final wound. It’s now just two soldiers and the Chainsaw Warrior with ten minutes on the clock. A stroke of luck at last – the next room contains Darkness.

With actions and command points, the warrior looses off his laser lance, firing all 3 shots but without a single hit. With no reload, he has little choice. “Guess I’m just going to have to take you with me”, he grits before triggering his implosion waistcoat. With 9 minutes left, he secures a minor victory – destroying Darkness by sacrificing himself.