Zomtober: The Time of Terror

It's that time of year that people who massively overplay the significance of Halloween annoyingly refer to as 'Spooky Season' which the rest of us call October.

It's also the time of Zomtober, a small annual event involving a few miniature gaming blogger (blogger who focus on miniature gaming, not gaming blogger who are very small) painting something zombie related each week.

I've not participated since 2019 (not sure why) and the event has dwindled a bit, however, long time Zomtoberer Blax Kleric has decided to... er...reanimate the event and I thought I'd go along for the ride.

Okay, I know, they're not zombies, well one of them could be, possibly, or is at least zombie-adjacent.

However, I only saw the post about Zomtober yesterday and these were what I'd finished. Also, long time readers will know that I have a habit of stretching the boundaries of what counts as a zombie somewhat.

So let's start there...

This is the Hessian, a Supers Unlimited miniature from Kitbash Games that I picked up from a small Kickstarter last year (?). It was actually the only miniature I got from the Kickstarter as I wanted to support the company but couldn't see an immediate use for the rest of the releases.

However, should I change my mind, Kitbash Games have an Esty site where their range can be bought.

It's a really cool miniature with a really nice sculpt that only required a minimal amount of cleaning up. The hands come separately and interestingly mine came with two left hands holding swords, which I assume is insurance against such a thing piece snapping in transit.

Does the Hessian count as a zombie? Possibly. The model clearly draws influence from the legend of Sleepy Hollow (although he's more horseless than headless), but this puts him in ghost territory which is arguably in the right ball park.

As to how I'll use the Hessian, there are a number of options. Firstly, all Supers Unlimited models come with game cards for both Super Mission Force and Pulp City. Unfortunately he isn't aligned to any of my villain teams for Pulp City, but I can still use him.

Alternatively, the Hessian joins my surprisingly large collection of miniature scarecrows, and although he won't be hitting the streets of Gotham, he could definitely join the Children of the Fields for folk horror games of 7TV.

Also in terms of 7TV, he also makes for an ideal villain for Scooby Doo and chums to unmask as a disgruntled janitor, although this certainly takes him out of zombie territory.

This is not a zombie.

It's Dr Red, orangutan and chief scientist of the Ape Revolutionary Committee, a primate socialist collective determined to work for better treatment of simians in Pulp City. And when I say 'work for' I mean 'blow things up until they get it.

Dr Red has sat part painted in my queue for about three years. He's part of an ARC job lot I bought off eBay. He was missing his bionic arm and so I've replace it with the spare arm I got with my Trapjaw miniature.

I'm not sure why I stopped painting him half way through, but I suspect it had something to do with the white coat and the fact that the more you look at orangutans, the more you realise that they aren't the colour you think they are.

Fortunately the recent Kickstarter I backed from Kitbash Games took my head into Pulp City (via Freedom Force) and in the search for something to do I finally got the urge to finish him off.

I definitely have enough members of the ARC to play a game but the original models from Pulp City aren't easy to get your hands on at the moment (although there are rumblings that this could change fairly soon) and so I'm unlike to expand the Revolution in the immediate future.

However, I might use another manufacturer to add some minions to the force (as at least two of these give should get minions for free) as most of the game cards are available to download on the Citizens of Pulp City Facebook group (or at least they were the last time I checked.

A SCAREcrow and a TERRORist. How very Spooky-Seasonal.

Acquired: 83 

Painted: 231

Lead Mountain: 454

7TV: Scooby Doo & The Case of the Disappearing Dogs

A mysterious satanic cult has been searching for a suitable hound to sacrifice to Beelzebub in order to summon a demonic hell hound. Without a dog of their own, they have been dog-napping every four legged friend they can lay their hands on.

Upon hearing of the case of the disappearing dogs, Mystery Incorporated have decided to investigate. Fred has the bright idea of sending Shaggy and Scooby out for a walk as bait, whilst the rest of the team provide back up in the Mystery Machine...

I now have a Mystery Machine!

...yes it's 7TV time again. This month's bizarre plot comes courtesy of Matt's complaint that a Cultist unit allows him to have a dog handler, but I didn't provide him with a dog. That sounds like a plot hook to me.

We were playing the Race scenario, which basically has a mechanic to encourage players to run down the countdown deck quicker in return for extra plot points.

I was running a 25 ratings hero Mystery Incorporated cast:

Fred Jones (Co-Star)

Daphne Blake  (Co-Star)

Velma Dinkley  (Co-Star)

Norville 'Shaggy' Rodgers  (Co-Star)

Scooby 'Dooby' Doo  (Co-Star)

The Mystery Machine  (Vehicle)

Matt, meanwhile, was running 26 ratings (I was being nice) of dog-napping, demon worshipping cultists:

Sinister Mystic  (Co-Star)

Harbinger (Extra)

Cult Leader (Extra)

4 Cultists (Extra)

If he insists of photo-bombing...

ACTION!

The area where dog-walkers have been assaulted.

Shaggy and Scooby off for a nonchalant stroll.

With their prey in sight, the Cultists spread out.

Shaggy and Scooby make a rush for what looks like a clue.

The gang leap out of the van looking for clues.

The cultists are thrown into disarray by this surprise...

...and open fire at the Mystery Machine.

Shag and Scoob are cornered,
but disguise themselves as fishermen.

In a flurry of gadgets, our heroes run.

Fred creates a distraction...

...the jet-packs (yes, jet-packs) to safety...

...whilst the girls spread out to grab the clues.

Shaggy and Scooby think they're safe...

..but the Sinister Mystic pursues them...

The girls are cornered whist the cultists shoot up the van.

Almost out of gadgets, Fred ponders how to help.

The Mystic catches up with Shaggy and Scooby.

The cultists close in, whilst the girls cower.

Scooby tries vainly to help Shaggy.

Velma drops her glasses and is ambushed by a gargoyle.

The Harbinger unleashes an energy blast that floors Fred.

And in a further blow, Shaggy is knocked out.

Surrounded, Daphne makes a break for it.

Unable to grab Diva Daphne,
the Harbinger punches the van...and wrecks it!

Outnumbered, Scooby plays dead to escape.

The Harbinger seems to have a change of heart,
whilst Fred moves to protect his girl.

The servants of Satan close in...

...only for Daphne to light one up with a rocket cigarette.

Shaggy runs off wailing, "Raggy! Relma! Roh no!"

With time running out, Daphne also chooses to hide.

Suddenly the Mystic bursts out of the trees,
and blasts Scoob, who limps away.

"Scooby-dooby-doo, where are you?"

 ROLL CREDITS

In what turned out to be a game of two halves, the Scooby gang used their frankly offensive amount of gadgets to snap up four of the objective tokens and gain a convincing early lead. However, from that point, their lack of weaponry worked against them, and the Cultists numbers and armaments began to take their toll, with both Shaggy and Velma taken down in quick succession, and Fred severely hurt.

I actually made an error in calculating the victory points, so we thought I was leading 4-3 on the final turn, and so the Sinister Mystic's hail mary shot to weaken Scooby was aimed at bringing the score level. However, I'd forgotten that stars and co-stars are worth 1vp per health they have, rather than one each, so the score was 6-4 to the bad guys.

Not a very happy ending. No wonder this episode was never aired.

Great game though...

7TV: Scooby Doo and the Gruesome Ghoul of Gatorsburg

I appreciate that I've been quiet recently. I've been a bit out of sorts with the whole blogging thing. I think it might be because I binged a bit in April and over-faced myself. Anyway I'm back now and here's a game I played with Mike a couple of weeks ago as I was keen to get Mystery Incorporated on to the tabletop.

We played 'The Search', which is a scenario in the free PDF from Crooked Dice, in which Mystery Incorporated and the Crystal Cove Police Department (played by me) hunt for clues surrounding the disappearance of a bystander (Father Addams, the local priest), whilst the baddies, led by the Gruesome Ghoul of Gatorsburg, try to stop them. I had to grab the objective tokens (for which I scored points), and each time I did I got to roll to see if I'd located the missing priest. Once found, I would need to keep him safe and get him off the table.

Mystery Inc. and the CCPD start the search.

The Gruesome Ghoul awaits with his Ghosts and Zombies.

The team decide to split up to search for clues...

The CCPD shoot first and ask questions later; one Zombie down.

Jinkies! A clue!

Scooby and Shaggy find another clue. The Ghoul takes a bullet.

Hey Fred! Do you think this might be important?

The Ghoul's horde finally gets close.

Sheriff Stone is knocked flat and in danger. 

He somehow holds on whilst the deputies thin out the horde. 

Fred continues to search, seemingly unaware that Daphne is with him.

Scooby gets attacked by one Ghost...

...then a second one. Scooby-Dooooooo! Noooooo!

The Sheriff finally succumbs heroically.

Velma takes over, directing the deputies.

Fred finds the final clue!

In a blur of action, snacks and gadgets, Shaggy avenges Scoob.

Concentrated fire brings down the Ghoul, and the cast is axed.

A typically convoluted plan means Fred doesn't find the missing priest. 

Scooby and the Sheriff were both found dazed, and information pointing the location of Father Addams was found, although Mystery Incorporated couldn't claim credit for his rescue. The Gruesome Ghoul was unmasked as Terence the Choirmaster, who was trying to force the church to repair his organ. The CCPD are going to face some serious questions about their excessive use of lethal force, as the 'ghosts' and 'zombies' turned out to be the hypnotise members of the choir...oops!

Despite the fact that by the end of my third turn I'd found three of the clues and begun to slaughter the zombies, the game ended up being quite close. Fred's intricate plan was foiled by the Gruesome Ghoul being unmasked, forcing the rest of the cast to flee, ending the game early. I didn't manage to locate the priest, which meant Mike grabbed enough points to bring the final score to a knicker-grippingly close 8-7 to Mystery Incorporated.

The game was loads of fun, and the Scooby Gang are suitably thematic in their abilities. The amount of gadgets they get seems odd, but I suppose this reflects the wackiness of their adventures. The only thing missing from the game, as you can see, was the Mystery Machine, and so I've recently rectified that issue with a small purchase...

This is a Hot Wheels Elite 1:50 scale diecast model and is really good in terms of scale. My only grip is with Shaggy and Scooby being in the front seats, so I may need to do something about that.

Otherwise, you can look forward to it showing up in the next episode.

Scooby-Dooby-Dooooooo!