Saturday Night saw the continuation the occasional campaign games set in
England during the Black Death, when the Dead rose from their Plague Pits and terrorised the land.
In previous events we have seen the Oakley Militia attempt to quell the village of Littleham.
(Episode one).
Several
miles away is the small town of Begley, surrounded by dense woods on one
side and a fast flowing river on the other, they had been largely
protected from the nightmare spreading across the land. However news
reach them by a local Parson that an infestation had broken at at
Gatford on the road to Begley and the walkers are edging ever closer to
Begley.
Daniel Fanshaw the local land owner leads the Begley trained bands under Captain Henry Milton on an expedition to Gatford.
The Village of Gatford with the undead already in evidence as the Begley trained bands approach. A heavy wagon can be seen outside the stable this was to play a key role in the strategy of the living.
Daniel (played by Dave an occasional wargamer, I say occasional we last played 20 years ago when we were at sixth form...
sorry mate.. I siad I would not mention it..) had a straight forward plan, use one unit to create a distraction whilst the second crossed the river and blocks the bridge preventing further incursions.
The Begley Militia enter the table drums beating and flags unfurled, straight away attracting the attention of several walking corpses. The Militiamen prime their weapons and take aim.
The walkers prove difficult to put down taking several musket balls before they are dispatched.
The noise from the constant discharge of Calivers and Muskets causes more of the dead to rise from their burial mounds, the current of the river holds them at bay for now.
The second militia unit skirts the town house and heads for the bridge, the clink of helmet and brest plate disturbs a 3rd plague pit,
this should but pressure on the living.
Danial Fanshaw draws his sword and after passing his courage test charges into the encroaching undead (we were using an adaptation of the LOTR rules, so his 3 attacks and high strength score made him very effective). His efforts shields his raiding party as they rush over the bridge.
Meanwhile on the left flank the sheer mass of undead allows them to clamber over each other as they fall into the water edging ever closer to the defenders, their poor marksmanship only serves to attract more of the foul creatures.
On the opposite bank the militia see the wagon parked outside the stable and rush towards it, knowing that if they can position it on the bridge they can stem the evil plague when the river rises in the coming weeks with the on set of winter and the anticipated rise in river levels.
Their rapid movement awakens a final burial mound which spills forth it's foul contents. Once again our hero throws himself into the fray.
The militia steady themselves for the advancing dead, one of the militia falls to retreat far enough and is pinned by one of the walkers, he is soon swamped and his colleagues are forced to stand and watch unable to assist him, they prime their weapons hoping to avenge him once the dead have finished lunch.
On the river bank the shotte continue to distract the main concentration of zombies, despite dispatching several they edge ever closer to the far bank.
Having secured their goal the militia drag the heavy wagon back towards the bridge, Daniel fights on carving his way through wave after wave of undead, but they just keep on coming.
View of the whole encounter with fighting taking place across the table.
The Militia fall back from the river bank choosing to enter hand to hand to dispatch the first zombies to cross in the hope that the others will be drawn to the firing at the bridge as they themselves had ceased firing.
Sensing their numbers weakening the militia close with the advancing zombies hoping to clear the western river bank.before others arrive.
Well they had several of their number run out of ball due to a few rounds of poor dice rolls.
Disaster strikes the Begley militia, two of their number are struck down before the last of the zombies are dispatched. The lack of breast plates or helmets meant no saving throw.
With the western side of the river clear of the walking dead and the heavy wagon blocking the bridge, the militia pour fire into the zombies pinned in the river trapped between the musket fire and the current, a small victory in the on going war against the undead.
Nice to get a game in over the weekend for a change and a chance to blood new units, with maybe a player back from a 20 year hiatus......
