After the Third Apocalypse - Zombie Campaign part 3

 Part 3 of my campaign set in my post apocalyptic world of 2500AD. The Zombies of Russia periodically rise up and batter their way through eastern Europe intent on devouring the rich pastures of western Europe.

The campaign will involve four battles, all using the One Hour Wargames rules for Pike and Shot as adapted for Zombies and appropriate scenarios to build a narrative. Basically it will let me play with the three armies I have painted.

Following the Zombie victories in part 1 & 2 the Medieval forces need to stop the Zombie menace.

The Medieval forces have the technology to produce armour that can stop zombies biting them and turning them to zombies. This stops their casualties becoming part of the problem. They have primitive guns and can run out of ammunition. Not all the Medieval forces are armoured, so these have to be protected in walled cities or hastily prepared field fortifications.

Narratively this battle in the campaign is to stop the zombie hordes destroying these lands.

15: Fortified Defence - stop the Zombies occupying the two towns by the end of the game.

There are two fortified towns in this scenario represented by walled buildings. The Zombies need to take both by the end of the game. However, both towns also come with additional fire power in the form of artillery that can engage in fire and close combat. The Medieval forces can locate one unit in each town, when that unit is destroyed the artillery is automatically destroyed as well. Units are destroyed when they reach 15 casualties.

Human units that have reached 9 or greater casualties must roll a morale die each turn. If the total of their casualties and the die roll equals or exceeds 15 they must retreat one full move.

Once during the game the Zombies can remove any remaining units of their army and replace them with a complete new set of 6 units of zombies on their start line. 

I have added additional scatter terrain in the form of fenced fields and a road to the board. These have no impact on the game and are their to make it look better as the OHW setups can be quite bare. Realising that the fields are not that interesting without anything in them I have created additional terrain for the next game.

When a unit is destroyed, I will show it by placing a red counter for each base. 

On to the battle.

End of turn 1 - the zombie hordes approach the battlefield. The Medieval forces have deployed one unarmoured unit with guns in each town with the supporting artillery. Three armoured units with guns cover the gap between the first fortified building and the woods and a unit of mounted knights are in the rear as a reserve.
The zombies have already taken some losses from gun fire. 

End of turn 2 - The zombies have reached the first fortified building but one unit has been destroyed. The artillery has run out of ammo.
 Further losses have been inflicted on the other zombie units but two of the three human units have run out of ammo.

End of turn 3 - The zombies have contacted the human line and inflicted casualties but all have received significant casualties themselves.

End of turn 4 - at the wall of the fortified building the battle continues with zombie casualties of 11 vs human casualties of 6.
The next human unit to the left failed its morale roll after a devastating zombie attack caused 6 casualties, taking them to 11, and have retreated. In the center the humans have caused 14 casualties on the zombies while only receiving 5. On the right the humans have destroyed the zombie unit but have received 7 casualties. 

End of turn 5 - another three zombie units have been destroyed and only one remains. Nonetheless they have caused significant casualties to the human units. From left to right - 10, 11, 7, & 7. As well only two of the front line units have ammo left.

End of turn 6 - the zombies have brought on their second horde. It advances towards the human lines. Some scattered fire causes eight casualties on the zombie unit approaching the building but the human units both run out of ammo.

End of turn 7 - one zombie unit is destroyed but the human unit in the building now has 12 casualties. The rest of the human line awaits the zombies. (I realise now that the humans should have advanced into contact at this point and caused the first casualties rather than wait for the zombies)

End of turn 8 - the human units in the fortified building have been destroyed. The humans in the center are holding on with the support on the flank but the humans on the right have retreated after reaching 14 casualties.

End of turn 9 - the zombies occupy the first fortified building. In the center the humans retreat after both having 11 casualties. On the right the zombies catch and destroy the retreating humans and the fire from the fortified building is ineffective and only causes 3 casualties on the zombies.

End of turn 10 - the zombies in the center contact and destroy the human units. The knights counter attack but only inflict a few casualties. The remaining fortified building fights back against the zombies causing 7 casualties against 1 received.

End of turn 11 - the zombies in the center get ready to flank the knights. Disappointing combat rolls by both sides. On the right the first zombie unit is destroyed after only inflicting 1 more casualty. Maybe the humans will hold on. 

End of turn 12 - The knights have been able to destroy their immediate opponents but now face new ones on their flank. The knights have received 11 casualties so will struggle. At the wall of the final building the humans hang on, with only 4 casualties to the zombies 8.

End of turn 13 - The knights have retreated in the center having received 13 casualties. At the wall the humans bravely fight on with the zombies now at 14 casualties against 6 for the humans.

End of turn 14 - It looks like the humans will hold on. The zombies at the wall have been destroyed. The human defenders have 8 casualties and the zombies only have one more turn.

End of turn 15 - the zombies have lost! 

Figures:

Medieval figures are from Pendraken 

Zombies are N scale railway people from Aliexpress. They come painted, all I had to do was base them and add some red. This is a very quick and cheap way of creating a zombie horde. Not as good as Pendraken's but much easier to get the mass.

The town buildings are made by me, originally for my VSF War in the Antipodes.

Onto the final part of the campaign where the Zombies fight the later Medieval tech humans who are performing a courageous last stand.