This is Not a Test 4player Match!

 We got in our first game of 'This is Not a Test' a few days ago, and I must say it was an excellent 'starter' scenario for teaching more than a few new players the mechanics of the game.

Scenario Rolled: Pest Control

Complications: Rad Areas [3]




Participants: Purifier Patrol Pyre- Peacekeepers
The Dunmore Throop- Raiders
Brotherhood Outcasts- Preservers
Olde Main Traders- Caravanners




Prelude: Tesla Energy is the lifeblood of the Electric City- its greatest strength, and primary commodity. Dozens of settlements, towns, and even one Vault rely on the energy collected and created within the walled city. Pulsing veins of wireless towers push through the wastes to deliver their important cargo- and its only the craziest of raider groups who will risk the wrath of every organized defense force in the area to attack them.



Of course, that doesn't mean that there aren't dangers involved. The high tesla charge is harmful to living creatures nearby, and worse? For some reason they attract feral ghouls. Now, the creatures don't bother the towers- but they make routine maintenance incredibly dangerous. So its no surprise that bounties on the dangerous rad zombies are quite a lucrative (if hazardous) way to make some cash. Of course, sometimes, you aren't the only group looking to collect some ghoul heads...

A nice little infested suburb. Preservers start on the left corner, while the
Traders start on the right near the church.

Other side of the map, we have Purifiers starting on the left near the trees and
the raiders starting on the other side of a old tank.

The infested bunker in the middle. The pylon was an indicator of the 'rad-zones'
while the strange pods showed where zombies would be spawning.

Not all painted (for shame!), but the Traders deploy by the church.

The Raiders rush forwards to get out of their fairly open deployment zone.

Purifiers rush directly towards the shack in front of them, hoping to close it down
quickly so they can move onto other objectives.

Dang it! A grotesque Irradiator crawls right out of that shack!

Two ghouls slid out from hiding to get in the Raider's way.

Old military personnel have joined the Ghoul ranks, crawling from
an old troop truck to get in the way of the Preservers.

A trio of military ghouls crawl from the wreckage of an old
cockpit. It must have been nice and warm in there!

The ghouls charge straight in the big Tom, and learn that messing with
him might be a mistake.

The irradiator dealt with, and shack closed, Purifiers move on towards the downed
cockpit, even as a straggler ghoul takes out Officer Baldwin in the back.

Ghouls assaulting the traders take down one of the unpainted Caravan
Guards- who is luckily saved by a sawbones later on.

The Preservers manage to shut down the truck nest, but lose two acolytes
doing it. The leader and power-armored duo are trapped under a fleshy wave.

Ghouls pulling themselves out of an old, burnt out house. It takes the entire
game, but the Traders eventually do toss a firebomb in the nest.

An irradiator slices down Harriet at the last minute!

End of Game:  What a fight! With six zombie nests (4 + 2 for additional players) and some high rolls, every team was totally busy with shooting Ghouls rather than each other. Not a single shot crossed the table from a player to another player- and that was alright. It made for an excellent first game to learn the rules and try out new warbands. We did make some mistakes (not pushing back enemy models when winning a melee being a particularly punitive mistake), but that's part of the process!

The Purifiers won with 19 points, followed by the Traders with 18, the Brotherhood with 15, and the Raiders with 13.

Stay tuned, and if you have any suggestions for the future, feel free to leave a comment!