Each weekend, the players assembled to play what has been designated as an episode. Each week, a recap of the most recent episode’s happenings was posted to allow those who have been missing for many or few episodes to get a feel for what they have missed.
Date: October 17, 2020
Attendance: David, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: It is July 15, 2019, and just another sweltering day in Houston, Texas at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base. Inspections are taking place as usual on the fresh batch of medium tactical vehicles from EAB Systems before the units are to be shipped out to hot spots around the globe. Sgt. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly (Tommy) and Sgt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce (Joe) worked outside in the Texas heat, ensuring the communication packages and engine specifications were up to standards before deployment. Inside his temporary office, private contractor Maxwell “Mad Max” Q. Klinger (David) toiled on his paperwork to guarantee the numbers worked out the right way. Both sergeants and the contractor had received military bonuses recently and were interested in investing the money for long-term growth. Looking to take care of their newly received funds, O’Reilly, Pierce, and Klinger had appointments downtown with financial representatives of Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe at the main Houston branch of the Bank of the Northern Hemisphere. With O’Reilly and Klinger getting a head start downtown, (Pierce arriving for a later appointment), the two coincidentally arrived at 220 Main Street just as Jack Steele (Mike), arrived to receive new “orders” from his handler, Brock Samson, at an analog drop in the bank’s vault. Steele was a former criminal turned wet works asset by a government black-ops agency, as he had shown a predilection of using sharp objects to resolve situations. As O’Reilly and Klinger waited patiently in the bank lobby to be seen by their financial representative, three masked men bearing sawed-off shotguns burst into the bank, firing indiscriminately, and forcing bank patrons onto the floor. Klinger instead dove behind a desk preparing for action with his Desert Eagle pistols. Recognizing vault emergency lights flickering, Steele failed to stealthily move down the hallway, but he did arrive in time to see O’Reilly attempt to tackle one of the bank robbers, later to be found as part of the Shaker Blast gang. Combat ensued with the bank robbers shooting those PCs who fought close-quarters against shotguns, but despite the damage, Klinger was able to pick-off the thieves from his vantage point, with O’Reilly and Steele (sporting twin wakizashi blades) pursuing and finishing off the robbers who tried to run. The final gang member in the get-away car was foiled when Pierce arrived on the scene, using his 1974 AMC Gremlin to T-bone the Shaker Blast 2014 Chevy Impala. The PCs were interviewed by the police and hailed as heroes in the local media, although Steele eluded the spotlight due to nature of his profession. All the PCs were promised a reward from the bank president, as a token of thanks.
Combat: Two members of the Shaker Blast gang are killed, and two are subdued during an ill-fated bank heist.
Date: October 24, 2020
Attendance: David, Jerry, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: The local news stations led with the term “heroes” on many of the evening broadcasts, with word of the party foiling a daytime bank robbery from the notorious Shaker Blast gang. Each of the party members did what their respective professions expected: give a full report to the police, but avoid media coverage (particularly for Steele).Word traveled quickly and by the morning, the story was national news, even seen in California by Benny Johnson as he started his off-season program after sustaining an injury from his last strongman competition. Several weeks later, the Houston PCs were assembled to receive a reward directly from the Bank of the Northern Hemisphere in the way of $10000 dollars plus an all-expenses paid 14-day Alaskan trip on Argo Cruises leaving out of Los Angeles in early March 2020. Both Sgts. O’Reilly and Pierce were ordered by their superiors to accept the offer as good PR, with Klinger also accepting with the EAU founder’s granddaughter tagging along (who “mysteriously” fell unconscious at random times). Steele was directed to take the cruise as bait to draw out other foreign agents looking for reprisals from his previous work. Via air or ground, the PCs eventually made it to Los Angeles to board the Azure Queen cruise ship, commanded by Captain Shields. Amenities aside, the party eventually ran into each other at various dining and entertainment venues (Johnson was a performer for feats of strength) aboard, including watching a magic show with the Amazing Ricardo, who seemed to lose control at an odd time during his act. The PCs also tracked on a religious group called the Resurrection Crusade being on board, but only met a few members. As the ship heading north, there was not much to note on the first day of travel, but on the second evening on the open seas, several of the PCs were awakened by a massive light show of sheet lighting (with little “pops” of thunder) in the early morning hours. O’Reilly took notice of a trio of Resurrection Crusade women seeming to celebrate outside during the weather phenomenon; coincidentally the same three who had been at the initial Amazing Ricardo show. The last PC to head off to bed was Steele who earlier encountered a South American agent, who invited him for a romp in the sack. As he returned to his cabin, he heard a loud crash, but could not locate the sound. In the morning, Pierce found the pool was closed for a deep cleaning, from blood in the water.
Combat: None.
Date: November 7, 2020
Attendance: Jerry, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: Pierce was still speaking with the pool boy responsible to sanitizing the area from blood, when he noticed the sizable divot in the polished teak flooring outside of the pool. More inquiries were made about what made the dent, but workers could not say as nothing that large was found. Pierce noticed a graphite-lite substance as a residue in the cracks and later surmised the indent might have been something man-sized. On his way to breakfast, B.J. noticed the same thing, and connected with Pierce the same level. Radar used his drone to get a better view of the situation, noting one of the inner balcony railings on the fourth level seem bent, with the metal cut. Focusing elsewhere, the PCs found several of the ship’s passengers to be staying in their cabins for a variety of reasons, and, upon investigation, it appeared to have something to do with illness. One trio of women from the Resurrection Crusade did not seem deterred, and the PCs eventually heard of their antics in the form of terrorizing staff and passengers while obnoxiously singing nursery rhymes. Steele saw their handiwork firsthand with an assaulted bartender but was interrupted by chasing down a foul-smelling naked man who babbled incoherently. As the Azure Queen arrived in San Francisco, the party learned that new travelers could board, but current passengers were turned around at the transportation terminal. Radar used his drone to acquire antibiotics from a local military supply depot and returned his drone back to ship just as the Azure Queen left for Seattle. Pierce volunteered his services with Dr. Logan, to help ease passenger distress, and later found himself in bed with one of the three Resurrection Crusade women, whose sexual antics were a bit curious. B.J. and Steele continued to help in the kitchen, but more and more restrictions were made on their movement. B.J. trounced a drunk former MMA fighter named Floyd Foster, as he harassed the waitstaff. Radar camped out in the communications area, monitoring internal cameras, and turning off the 24-hour news cycle on the COVID infections (but accidentally turning on the Playboy channel for 20 minutes). Wanting more answers from the crew, the PCs broke into the captain’s quarters, finding a weird dagger and not incriminating notes. Later, a trio of PCs freed the ship’s purser from the brig but left the babbling man in his cell (even after he lifted B.J.’s cellphone). The evening ended with collecting weapons.
Combat: Max Steele is able to take down a foul-smelling naked man, while B.J. overpowered a former MMA welterweight champion.
Date: November 28, 2020
Attendance: David, Jerry, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: The party had finished its rounds of collecting weapons aboard the Azure Queen, and felt it was best to stow the shotguns and Steve Marcus in Klinger’s suite. With some PCs just meeting each other for the first time, the entire party was assembled in one place and plans were made for the next step in securing the ship. While Marcus claimed to want to kill the captain, cooler heads came through to move toward currying favor of critical crew members, focusing on the security staff. With Security Chief Hull dead, C.J. was the next in line and the PCs met with him to get closer to reaching the absentee captain. The meeting was positive and happened at the best possible time, as Bart radioed in the discovery of missing security weapons and the “escaped” Marcus. This turn of events brought Captain Shields to meeting with the PCs whom he deputized with the task of finding the missing weapons and Marcus. While most of the party went off to feign searching, Pierce and Klinger interrupted Bart’s improvised interrogation of the babbling man Steele had apprehended previously, who was later found to not be listed on the passenger manifest. Suspecting another oddity, Pierce and Klinger were able to eventually communicate with the prisoner, role-playing out a means of interaction via Night Ranger songs. Revealing his name to be Atticus Dabble, the PCs mused his arrival from a “door” meant something worrisome to go along with the other portents seen during the voyage. By morning, the shotguns were “found”, but Marcus was still “missing”. The PCs did find a drunk Jane, who threw herself at party members for sexual opportunities. Tranquilizing her, she was left in the brig for safety, but other members of the Resurrection Crusade held a religious revival on the main deck. While occupied with gaining parishioners, Radar and Pierce investigated Resurrection Crusade rooms, finding bizarre cult items and a questionable sacrificial area, along with a doped-up Jane. Wondering if there might be a connection with Dabble, Pierce brought a cryptic book to the brig, where Atticus was incensed about the book and the bile that he had previously vomited. Pierce thought it a good idea to scoop the bile with the black book and fell into a seizure, awaking with the word “Brulyx” on his lips. Dr. Logan was able to bring Pierce back to health soon enough for the party to called on to investigate a riot happening in a cargo bay turned hospital, where dead passengers seemed alive.
Combat: The PCs arrived to help quell a "riot" engaging four deceased passengers. Combat will continue next week.
Date: December 12, 2020
Attendance: David, Jerry, Mike, Tommy
Summary: The combat from last week continued but with a very different vibe as the entire party soon realized the resurrected passengers were more than a match for them physically, and sound tactics called for a retreat, with Radar leading the way while searching for a firehose. Chaos ensued in the lower levels, and with the party monitoring on-ship communication, some quick math found the main deck would be overwhelmed in short order. The party convened in Klinger’s suite with Radar leaving to check on cameras (making eye contact with a crazed passenger as their elevators passed in opposite directions). From his perch on the top floor, he was able to see everything falling apart: dead from the lower levels began to spill into the passenger areas, killing anyone seen, with the corpses rising to do the same minutes later. The only group the undead avoided was led by Alexandra who seemed to sway the zombies away from a growing faction of parishioners. Meanwhile, the PCs decided to abandon the Azure Queen, but felt lifeboats and life rafts would not be able to get them across the 50-mile span to the California coast. Marcus suggested the captain’s launch, or the zodiac housed in the aqua-garage, and the PCs decided the latter would best serve their needs; Marcus was also the only survivor who had any boating skills. Using crew access passageways, the PCs reunited with Radar in the communication center, and left soon after Captain Shields was seen striding to the bridge. Using the same passageways, the PCs arrived on the main deck to find it overrun with undead and needing a distraction for the party to transition to another stairwell. A grenade and a singing B.J. provided the needed distraction as the strongman used his superior speed to lead the zombies away long enough for the party to transition to the lower decks. After his full circle around the deck was complete and B.J. returned to the party, the group continued to descend into the lower areas of the ship but ran afoul with a group of zombies which had wandered from the cargo hold. A fragmentation grenade was very effective at softening them up, and the PCs used additional firepower to clear a path. Reaching the aqua-garage, the group was met by a coherent Dabble who explained he was waiting for them with supplies in hand. Any idea of returning to find more survivor ended when an explosion shuddered through the ship and it began to list. The PCs took the zodiac and fled to the mainland.
Combat: The PCs retreat from the initial zombie horde, but later engage the undead selectively using sound tactics.
Date: January 2, 2021
Attendance: David, Jerry, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: The shoreline was a welcome sight, as the PCs awoke the morning light cresting the California coast after resting for the night at sea. Checking their mobile devices and binoculars found sandy beaches and rocky coastline, with the latter being chosen for landfall as it was closest a lighthouse, which was selected as a temporary base of operations to get a better vibe on the upcoming apocalypse. While en route, Klinger contacted EAU Systems looking for information, and finding there was the same amount of confusion and chaos that Radar was finding on communications channels. The closest EAU facility was in Hayward, but that was north of the Pacific Grove, where the PCs had made landfall. With Ranger Lawson quick to buy-into the PCs story, the group organized the Point Pinos lighthouse to suit their needs, with Wynona and a retcon Jane working on tarps to help shield their PPE after Dabble explained the relationship between Brulyx zombies and lifeforce. Klinger’s perch at the top of the lighthouse gave a quality view of the sleepy town of Pacific Grove, along with the upcoming chaos that most NPCs seen had a difficult understanding. Shots fired in the distance led to that belief when directing his gaze to flashing police car lights, which were later joined by additional squad cars and an ambulance. While Lawson headed south to find his mother in a retirement center, the party advanced upon the scene of the first responders finding foolish citizens taking cellphone video of undead killing townsfolks. Taking all four abandoned vehicles, the PCs returned to the lighthouse, finding a young Lindsey and her dog, Peanut Butter, taking shelter in the back having lost track of her parents and sister in the chaos. The PCs siphoned the fuel they could, then split the party with Radar, Hawkeye, and Marcus taking the zodiac around the northern coast to raid an abandoned U.S. Coast Guard pier for weapons and supplies, while investigating the possibility of using port security boats as an upgrade to the zodiac. Back at the lighthouse, Steele found Peanut Butter tied up, with Jane and Lindsey missing. A search of the facility found nothing, but Klinger spotted the two from his perch, noting Jane was leading Lindsey towards a shambling figure near the beach. Steele and BJ raced to recover Lindsey, aided by Klinger’s sniper skills to pick off the zombie who was attacking Lindsey. Caught up in the moment, BJ shot Jane leaving her to die.
Combat: Several zombies were avoided, but one needed to die when Lindsey was in danger. Jane was also shot down.
Date: January 9, 2021
Attendance: David, Jason, Jerry, Mike, Tommy
Summary: It was only at the last second did BJ pull his shotgun to the right, avoiding Jane but giving her enough of a scare to make her faint. Still, it was after he returned Lindsey back to the lighthouse, reuniting her with Peanut Butter that he knew it would be wrong to leave Jane on the beach to be attacked by any slouchers while she was unable to defend herself. Returning with an unconscious body, BJ and Klinger noticed the noise of gunfire had attracted the attention of several figures, but the incoming rainstorm made it difficult for the PCs to determine whether they were living or undead. Nearby Trapper John was realizing world had gone from bad to worse, with the previous evening news about worldwide rioting turning into stories of the dead attacking the living. Even the Tesla factory where he worked at was shut down, so he drew upon his military training to gather supplies and attempted to flee the area in his Model 3. At the Coast Guard Pier, Radar, Hawkeye, and Steve worked feverishly to prep 3 Defender boats, daisy-chaining them with the zodiac with the plan to wait until morning before reuniting with the party. Unfortunately, the plan went awry as the gunfire at the lighthouse did attract an evening sloucher to the front door, who attempted to breech the entrance with its supernatural strength. Sensing life inside, its moan attracted two more slouchers who attempted to break into the side windows of the house. BJ used his “Salty Balls” tactic to draw the undead into the back door while the rest of the party exited the front, which appeared to be the only thing to wake a sleeping Dabble. Fleeing in the ambulance to the Coast Guard pier, Trapper followed the emergency vehicle and was able to also board a Defender while the PCs headed out into the open ocean; their last sight of the area being lifeboats escaping the remains of the Azure Queen. While traveling south to Los Angeles, the only interruption in the voyage was meeting the USCGC Tern, with different party members debating about unloading different NPCs for various reasons. With nobody budging, the PCs made it to Los Angeles, but their hopes to access Klinger’s weapon-stocked truck were dashed as the port was overrun with slouchers. Crestfallen, the PCs continue south looking for someplace to dock, even going so far to cross into Mexico. Arriving at the Ejido Eréndira inlet, the group traveled inland on their last drops of fuel, mowing down undead from the beach upon arriving at San Vicente.
Combat: Three zombies were evaded in Pacific Grove, but Klinger let loose on six zombies with a .50-cal machinegun while safely on the last Coast Guard Defender.
Date: January 16, 2021
Attendance: David, Joe, Tommy
Summary: The gun barrel cooled in the early morning hours after Klinger used the .50 caliber Browning to chew up the slouchers who greeted the party has the Defender sputtered to shore at San Vincente. The PCs were keen to the noticeable din of undead in the area and concluded the machine gun would attract other zombies. Finding a signal tower, the PCs used their phones to investigate the town looking for an automotive shop to start working on their plan to travel overland. Leaving the remainder of the party in the Defender, Hawkeye, Klinger, and Radar with Peanut Butter disembarked the Coast Guard boat and headed east into town using the PPE ghillie suits to move inconspicuously toward El Negre del Taller Mecanico. As the PCs traveled, the trio noticed a handful of children running supplies between houses, while trying to avoid the notice of area slouchers. Periodically, the party would hear shooting and screaming in the distance, but kept moving during the day, thanks to the advice of Dabble. While in sight of the Taller Mecanico, the PCs were greeted by a child similar in age to Lindsey, who communicated with Hawkeye through his phone’s translation app, and were peppered with questions about if/when the American army was to arrive to save the town from the undead. Sharing with her the disappointing reality of the situation, the girl left, but not before informing the PCs of the dead inside Taller Mecanico. More civilians arrived gawking at the party as Hawkeye and Peanut Butter lured two slouchers out of the facility, but Klinger’s 50-cal rifle scared off the dog during combat. The additional gunfire riled the area zombies, and more calamity arose as the children scattered, with the party moving in on their target. The trio secured the roof and the inside of the facility, finding everything they needed for their plans to travel over land, but became concerned when Dabble and Wynona radioed back that the rest of the party had abandoned the Defender and had to take shelter under the highway bridge to avoid area slouchers. Realizing the sun was setting soon and that lifeforce would be more luminescent to the undead, Radar manned one of the pickups and used his Combat Driving to weave through town to pick up the rest of the party, returning them to the shop. As night fell, the party grouped on the second floor of the shop, with two lookouts on the roof. During the evening, more slouchers arrived, circling around the outside of the building.
Combat: Two slouchers were lured into the open and destroyed outside Taller Mecanico. Radar played bumper cars with two more on the way to pick up the NPCs.
Date: January 23, 2021
Attendance: Bailey, David, Jerry, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: It is hard to imagine that it was only a week ago that the world turned upside down and the dead began their reign, but as the sun rose above the horizon, the PCs realized their situation continued to spiral downward with even more slouchers circling the outside of Taller Mecanico. Inside, Klinger jury-rigged an AM/FM radio with C4 and worked with BJ on a plan to lure the zombies away from the garage doors, so Hawkeye’s trio of trucks could move out with the intent of retrieving supplies from the moored Coast Guard boat that helped deposit the party in San Vicente. With BJ’s superior speed, he weaved his way through town heading east into farmland, realizing that his movement and singing drew the attention of a sizable herd of undead. Once he had reached a satisfactory distance, he lured the zombies into a blast zone, with Klinger detonating enough slouchers to turn them into crawlers. The explosion was loud enough for the radio chatter to pick on Radar’s equipment, where he learned of two individuals requesting assistance: Frank Burns from the police station and Sgt. Roman Garcia from a local maquiladora near the meat market. Leaving Taller Mecanico, the three trucks headed out to the tributary finding the Coast Guard boat had drifted downstream. Radar waded into chest-high water with his towing chains attached to his pickup and pulled the boat ashore. After boarding, Hawkeye sensed a presence and rooted out a non-English speaking gentleman whom the party later learned worked with the Espinoza cartel. Augustine was more than happy to comply with the PCs as almost all the supplies were removed from the boat (except the zodiac), with the party quickly leaving the area as slouchers began to congregate. On the way back to base, an overjoyed Frank and an eager Roman were picked up from their respective areas, as well as BJ way out east as he was finding it difficult to outmaneuver the ever-growing herd which he initially attracted. With Jane, Wynona, and Lindsey put to work creating more canvas ghillie suits to hide their PPE, the PCs and NPCs set to work building mounting systems for the three .50 machineguns and placing them atop of Taller Mecanico. Eager to start in their liberating of the town from undead, the PCs let loose with their stockpile of munitions, tearing into the herd which had continued to circle around the repair shop. The evening ended with the PCs using their tactical superiority to annihilate undead.
Combat: Dozens of slouchers were hobbled with Klinger's explosives and many more were killed while milling around the outside of Taller Mecanico.
Date: February 13, 2021
Attendance: Bailey, David, Mike, Tommy
Summary: It was Klinger that recognized it to be a Tuesday, only the second to have passed since the world was overcome with undead and it felt like recognizing days of the week seemed not germane to those who were living a day to day existence trying to survive. He also recognized the creepy way Jane liked to caress Dabble’s arm when he took one of his all-day naps. Other eyes spotted more details during the previous evening: Radar saw a set of headlights drive south on Hwy 1 and turn around about five miles from town, Steele recognized more zombies continue to straggle in from out of town as the undead masses perpetually grew, and Burns concluded that the slouchers seemed to have more direction as they massed closer to the highway and last known location of the boat more than anywhere else. Lindsey was still glum about Peanut Butter, and Radar set off with her and Burns to scope out the east part of San Vicente, calling out for the dog, but returning empty handed. The trip did merit other nuggets. When leaving Taller Mecanico, Steele and Klinger several zombies going against the flow of lumbering after pickup, as if ordered to stay put. When returning, the PCs noticed a stack of canned food at the nearby baseball diamond, which was not there the previous evening. Believing it to be a trap (or a gesture of good will), Klinger used his sniper rifle to nail a large can, to see if the supplies were connected to an explosive device, while Radar used one of his drones to scope out the area, finding slouchers sitting hidden in the two dugouts. Joining the party on the roof, Dabble explained that his “nap” helped him realize where Peanut Butter was located, at the Ferrer Catholic church on the west side of town along with four American college students from Temple University. A two-pronged rescue mission was worked out involving everyone from the 4077 (now the party nickname), with Dabble and absent PCs staying behind. As the mission began to unfold, Lindsey (brought along as Peanut Butter would be recognize her voice) cratered as her vehicle became surrounded by a large pack of zombies, and the party returned to Taller Mecanico frustrated. That evening, the PCs and NPCs did their own things respectively, dwelling upon where is line is to designate if the town might be unable to be saved; also watching that meteor. Morning came and as the sun crested the hills to the east, the electricity stopped as the western North American power grid failed.
Combat: Radar's combat driving was useful as he pinballed zombies off of the cattle prow attached to this truck.
Date: February 20, 2021
Attendance: Bailey, David, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: It was a straightforward plan that with not much to debate about: find Peanut Butter, save the college kids, and escape out of town facing minimal zombie encounters, and it was Burns’ responsibility to set thing off by using the Molotov cocktails he created previously to scare any undead away from the bay doors so the party could leave Taller Mecanico in their trio of pickups and head on their trek to Ferrer Catholic church. From the outset, things seemed awry as the first firebomb slipped from his grasp and ended on the roof of the building the PCs had used as their base of operations for the past few days, setting things ablaze. Burns quickly tossed his remaining collection of combustibles from the roof, and the party was able to get on their way for the rescue operation. Skirting west and then clockwise around San Vincente, the 4077 recognized that not everything was the same as their last jaunt, with evidence of the thinking zombies in the area as empty streets now smacked of ambush spots, with slouchers waiting patiently in deserted houses and a mini-van pushed into the middle of one avenue. Deft driving by Radar allowed the caravan to avoid serious hazards at first, but as the group continued west and north, it came to a point where the lead vehicle’s ram prow could only do so much to the increasing thickness of undead which seemed to wander directly toward party, as the streets became chocked and unnavigable. Fearing being overwhelmed, the decision was made the current course of action was not attenable, and the call for retreat was made, with Radar wheeling around south to return to the less zombie-infested east side of town. Unfortunately, as Klinger’s pickup sharply turned onto Sexta boulevard, he lost control of his vehicle as a run-over crawler temporarily jammed his steering, having the truck crash into a new pool construction area adjacent to the road. The rough stop thrashed Wynona about the backseat, knocking her out and damaged Klinger and the other NPCs in the vehicle. Surrounded by the dead and unable to get his engine started to back out, Klinger panicked and consigned himself to death, choosing to reach into his explosive satchel to detonate his explosives. Sgt. Garcia and Jane were both aghast at his actions, trying to prevent the grenade’s pin from being pulled. The last thing Garcia saw was the grenade in his hand, as Klinger sat back and allowed the inevitable, even while Dabble approached the truck.
Combat: Most of the PCs used their trucks as weapons, but very few zombies were destroyed. Klinger dropped a live grenade in the cab of truck, that his NPC passengers scrambled to deal with.
Date: February 27, 2021
Attendance: David, Jerry, Tommy
Summary: When people look back upon why Klinger did it, some would point to his fascination with weapons and preparing for doomsday, combined with some sort of PTSD, as the reason why he committed suicide, after pulling pins on multiple grenades in the cab of his pickup truck while surrounded by zombies. Sgt. Garcia’s effort was only good enough to stymie one explosive, but he was not able to counter a second, and when the first grenade detonated killing him, the second grenade exploded soon after. Jane and an unconscious Wynona also perished in the eruption of shrapnel, and the nearby slouchers fed on the escaping PPE. Only B.J. had a good view of the dual-blast, watching from the back window of Hawkeye’s pickup at it sped away from the scene, seeing Dabble become engulfed in flame, then winking out of sight. The convoy of now two trucks turned from San Vicente and headed south to escape from the town, cementing the notion that Peanut Butter and the four college students were on their own. As the vehicles sped away, a local gardener named Jeffe Sanchez flagged down the trucks with flaming arrows used to set zombies afire. The PCs moved south to find refuge at a farm but left soon after when they realized how close they were to the town. Continuing, the PCs tacked south, then northwest, using roads which cleaved through the mountains between San Vicente and the coast, avoiding the vehicle graveyards previously seen on Federal Highway 1. As darkness fell, the 4077 took shelter at a small stopover named Canon Guadalupe. During the night, Radar was able to contact a passing military helicopter who instructed them to stay put and wait for help to arrive, while Jeffe found a portable generator in a nearby shed. Concerned about who might show up in the middle of the night and with only four hours of rest, Radar gave the order to get back to return to Federal Highway 1. The driving was slow as the PCs spotted occasional slouchers moving along the road and Radar did his best to avoid vehicle graveyards and other obstacles. Moving along, the PC arrived at an ad-hoc military checkpoint at Los Malcriados. Expecting safety, the party was met at gunpoint, separated from their vehicles, supplies, and then from each other. Radar’s conversation with checkpoint leader, Captain Martinez, did not pan out, as the commander was more interested in the U.S. Army communication gear and drones than the PCs.
Combat: With the exception of the damage caused in Episode 11, none.
Date: March 13, 2021
Attendance: David, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: The 4077 woke to a morning sun that cast a pale sickly yellow tint on everything, as the party recognized their dilemma of being surrounded again, except this time it was Mexican soldiers, and not hordes of zombies. Cpl. Herrera returned in the morning to follow-up on the interview which ended abruptly the previous evening but was met with obnoxious and contemptible behavior from Radar and Jeffe. Flustered, the corporal left but ordered guards at the front of the tent to ensure the two PCs would hopefully not cause further issues. Steele awoke in his tent with Burns still asleep, but was not satisfied in staying put, and moved stealthily under his tent to recon the area. He found twenty civilian tents, surrounded by another twenty soldiers’ tents, and his estimations were about a total of 40 civilians and 40 soldiers inhabited the fenced area surrounded by two-fold parked cars to defend the checkpoint at Los Malcriados from any zombies which might cause issue. Hawkeye was roused by Herrera for an interview, but instead requested Capt. Martinez when offered to get results directly. Martinez met with Hawkeye, wanting to gain access to Radar’s communications and drone gear, but when it appeared that would take time, the captain relinquished that trucks would be arriving soon to take the PCs and their gear elsewhere. Meanwhile, Radar stripped nude and attempted to assault one of his guards, physically and fecal-wise, but caused only more of a stir, enough for Jeffe to escape and meet Steele at the base of the guard tower. Finding petrol and small cannisters, the two decided to begin creating Molotov cocktails, while concocting a crazed plan to escape the military checkpoint. Fortunately, they were found by Hawkeye, who chastised them for their antics. Looking to find the rest of the NPCs connected to the party, Hawkeye found Lindsey with Isabel, a former police officer from Mexico City, who briefed him on where the trucks would take them, and that their interests were mutual. The PC party and Isabel’s party were transported southeast to a military encampment at Uruapan, to the town gym for check-ups from medical staff. Seeing an opportunity to ingratiate himself, Hawkeye connected with an army doctor, while Jeffe attempted to show value by displaying his understanding of hydroponics, to get start on bringing in a stable food supply. During the night, the PCs continued to hear the same military clicker outside of Uruapan as at the Los Malcriados checkpoint.
Combat: Naked PCs verses armed Mexican soldiers are not much of a combat.
Date: March 27, 2021
Attendance: Bailey, David, Jerry, Joe, Mike,
Summary: Time has a funny way of passing, and when Hawkeye happened to spy a wall calendar noting it was Sunday (the second Sunday after the apocalypse started), it just seemed like real life was years ago. The 4077 awoke to that crisp day with some PCs poised with things to do, while others played the waiting game with the soldiers in the Republic of Baja. Bringing B.J. as his second, Hawkeye sought to meet with General Gustavo Carranza about the freedoms allotted by the military to their civilian guests. In doing so, Hawkeye was assigned to Corporal Ruiz, as an interpreter and liaison from the PCs to leadership. Jeffe was content to smoke his supply of blunts when leadership ordered him to begin working on his hydroponics lab to increase the base food supply. Needing extra hands, Steele, Burns, and Eduardo were conscripted by Privates Gomez and Garza to assist. Upon arrival, the promised supplies were scarce, with Jeffe directed his band to go forth and clean-up the nearby soybean fields. While getting their hands dirty, the party did come across a body carrying an empty 9mm pistol with a bag of cookies, which Jeffe pocketed for later use. Frustrated about the lack of supplies, the two stoned privates suggested the PCs sneak off base to a local winery which was cleared of zombies, but where supplies were assuredly available. Back at the camp, Hawkeye and B.J. met with General Carranza, who renamed Uruapan into Camp Obrador and made many overtures for the certain result of getting access to the drone technology that Radar refused to share. Later, B.J. attempted to connect with Lindsey, but was shooed away from the women’s’ dormitory. With the entire party back together, the PCs headed south to Vinicola Aldo to retrieve what they could. While on foot, as the party reached the property, the distinct cry of an infant in distress could be heard from the main house. Scattering, several PCs moved to the front door, but Hawkeye and Jeffe circling around the back. Gaining entrance through the front, the PCs found a newly created male zombie rising, forcing most of the PCs to flee except for Steele who chose to fight. Around back, Hawkeye and Jeffe found an open door to spy in at two flesh-eating zombies toying with an infant in a make-shift bassinet. Debates of the morality of the situation were tabled when B.J. fought to save the child, allowing Hawkeye to draw the other zombie outside, using a procured rifle to soften it before Jeffe set it ablaze.
Combat: When saving an infant, the PCs dispatched two flesh-eating zombies and one sloucher, also preventing a second sloucher to animate.
Date: April 10, 2021
Attendance: David, Jason, Joe, Tommy
Summary: The zombie pandemic has certainly been a physical struggle for humanity, but one aspect often ignored is the mental toll it has taken upon its survivors, and as he fought to keep his body alive, perhaps it was Trapper John’s fragile little mind that bore the brunt of the apocalypse. It is at Vinicola Aldo where he ended up after disappearing from the party at Ejido Eréndira, having been spirited away by forces beyond the grasp of reason. A new man, Trapper Jonux now envisioned himself a Warhammer 40K space marine, seeking to wipe out the heretics (zombies) of the land. It was the noise of Hawkeye’s assault rifle which stirred him, and both men were startled to see each other as the Hawkeye was searching the Vinicola Aldo grounds. The party burned the bodies of the defeated zombies from the previous combat while the house was searched, noticing Pvt. Gomez running up the road where he arrived at threats from Jeffe and his shotgun, as the party spied smoke billowing forth from the town north of Camp Obrador. The newly found truck was loaded up with supplies as Gomez related that scouting parties had been attacked north of the Camp Obrador, and all personnel had been recalled. Needing his rifle, radio, and the PCs assigned to him, the party returned to the base after Trapper Jonux and Jeffe dispatched a soldier zombie hiding in an upstairs bedroom closet. Newly found weapons were concealed by Jeffe at the worksite for the new hydroponics facility, but everything else was shared with the army as the party sought to learn more of the situation and military leadership had an increased desire to access Radar’s drones. Through negotiation, General Carranza got his wish and Radar’s eyes in the sky were able to see that scouting parties in the north had been set upon something other than zombies. While doing so, Radar intentionally lost his first drone, and fuel issues led to only one drone to be left as operational. Jeffe learned the military clicker heard outside the base had something to do with Eduardo, and Hawkeye connected with Isabel who had been moved to private quarters, after an “alleged” attack by one of the soldiers. To show his work, Trapper Jonux used his charisma to persuaded non-combatant NPCs to help him prepare a kiln so he could melt down scrap metal to create his “power armor” to smite more “heretics”. The next day, the PCs traveled west to find the missing drone, but found and destroyed three zombies instead.
Combat: One sloucher was destroyed during close-combat in an upstairs bedroom, and three more slouchers were killed on a wide-open road.
Date: April 17, 2021
Attendance: Bailey, David, Jason, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: Jack Steele and Frank Burns became conscious about the same time in the medical recovery area at Camp Obrador, noticing a ball of yarn and some sort of dainty creations at their collective bedsides, as both were recovering from wounds inflicted by the undead while the party had investigated the mansion at Vinicola Aldo. It had all seemed a blur, but the pair remembered needing medical treatment and Dr. Pena administering a new drug to enhance their healing: a 30-cc injection of Micoxaphalin. Although overwhelmed with the desire to pet dolphins, both PCs left the make-shift hospital to find the rest of the party. While Hawkeye continued his medical rounds at the base, Radar, Jeffe, and Trapper Jonux found their missing drone, but realized something was awry. Further investigation found a trap set with a flashbang grenade, which the party easily disabled. Wanting to look around just a little longer before returning to Pvts. Gomez and Garza, a local farm establishment was reconnoitered uncovering live chickens and some supplies to pack in the back of Radar’s Toyota Tundra. Returning to Obrador, the party reunited and negotiated their chickens and other findings into doles from General Carranza, who was eager to reward the 4077 for showing their value. Being given more freedoms, the PCs decided to continue at Camp Obrador in good faith until the situation changed. The following day, the entire party used their Tundra to head farther north, looking to acquire additional supplies. Again, leaving Gomez and Garza at Los Malcriados, the PCs moved another five miles up the road to Las Cañadas, finding the highway lined with burning tires from vehicles which had crashed off the road. Noticing an 18-wheeler conspicuously parked on the shoulder, the party decided to investigate, finding the backdoors of the storage area trapped with additional flashbangs and a thermite composite on the exterior hinges. Burns sensed movement inside, while Trapper Jonux confirmed non-mechanical noises when he investigated the top of the trailer. With the higher vantage point, Trapper Jonux heard a distinct female scream further north and encouraged the party to investigate. Upon arrival at a roadside Mini Market, the PCs found a young woman caged in the back of a U-Haul truck, set upon by slouchers. As combat ensued, the party was attacked by more undead, but dealt with mix of the ten zombies lurking around the area..
Combat: Four slouchers and a crawler prowled around the parking area of Glens Grocery, while a Thinker and four more slouchers awaited inside. All ten were dealt with.
Date: April 24, 2021
Attendance: Bailey, David, Jason, Jerry, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: It had felt likes weeks since B.J. had seen any of the 4077, not with his new responsibilities precluding him from going out on supply runs and drone retrieval missions north and west of Camp Obrador. Making sure the base had proper mess hall facilities per General Carranza’s agreement took a bit of hustle, all while ensuring Lindsey (and Isabel) were safe in the latter’s private home. Regardless, there were things to do, and the former strongman champion was able to get things done. As for the rest of the 4077, the PCs raided the fuel stores and anything that seemed valuable from Glens Grocery, while keeping watch on the zombie mass that began to gradually encircle the convenience store. Finding an abundance of canned food and a working 1984 Plymouth Duster, the party loaded up the U-Haul truck, formerly used as a mobile prison, and returned to the checkpoint at Los Malcriados to pick up Pvts. Gomez and Garza before returning to Camp Obrador to show off their wares to General Carranza. Now surrounded by Mexican soldiers, the PCs decided to take some time to heal their wounds and deal with several projects needing completion. Trapper Jonux worked with Armando to build several suits of aluminum/steel wool scale mail armor to better protect the party when encountering zombies. B.J. worked with Isabel to conscript the female guests of the base to make his army canteen operational, although he is still in need of food stuffs. Steele and Burns worked with Jeffe on finishing out the hydroponics facility requested by military to increase food output for base personnel. Radar ensured his drones were in working order from the continued use, as the Army decided to resume patrols of the areas north of the camp. Hawkeye reconnected with leadership and Isabel, wondering if the party had attained enough self-sufficiency that the PCs were no longer in need of either group. Also, during this time, the 4077 was informed their lodgings would be upgraded to commandeered houses for 2-3 PCs each, because of the value the party added to the camp. However, when counting heads, chronic complainer Steve Marcus was conspicuously absent, as he had been for several days. Coincidentally, Hawkeye took notice of a different uniform design, and upon investigation, learned of a small National Guard force camped outside to the east, which had access to a light armored vehicle, and were trying to curry Carranza’s favor.
Combat: None.
Date: May 8, 2021
Attendance: Bailey, David, Jason, Mike, Tommy
Summary: The day started out like any other day in a post-apocalypse world with the PCs looking to connect with other NPCs at Camp Obrador, and to make plans to help further the cause of the 4077. Jack was the first to notice the darker clouds of smoke from the mysterious tires burning north of the base and was quick to notify General Carranza during a staff meeting. Carranza thanked him, encouraging him to embrace his former life’s work which would in turn be properly rewarded; this while speaking in Japanese. Jack left more worried that he was being paraded than taken seriously. Frank found Jeffe smoking a blunt and conscripted his Spanish-speaking ally to go about the base inquiring with the soldiers about if there was anything to the rumor Carranza eliminated any civilians that he did not see as useful to his cause. The soldiers continued to remain tight-lipped, causing Frank to raise even further suspicions. Cpl. Ruiz connected with Radar, who convinced the soldier that he should accompany the 4077 on their next foray outside of the base. Trapper Jonux donned his armor from his tech priest (“It’s just Armando”), joining the party as plans were made to find a lost drone (again?), locate supplies, and connect with the enemies north of the camp. Stopping again at Los Macriados, the party found all vehicle tires intact, but deflated with evidence the U-Haul was searched, but the previously stored food was left alone. A large X of blood was painted in the guard tower, but the army soldiers were left behind as usual. Further north, a surreptitious box was seen in the road, prompting investigation. Stuffed with newspapers after Jeffe perforated it with his crossbow, a note (in Spanish) inside encouraged the reader to turn around, with no need to continue further. Later up the road, the PCs found a line of traffic cones with two notes: (in Spanish) a message like the previous note and (in English) a warning for the Americans to head east and not north. During the readings, critical Perception rolls heard zombie moans and a woman in distress, but not akin to Episode 16. Going off-road west of Glens Grocery, the party came upon a baseball bat-armed woman engaging two dozen zombies in front of an overturned mini-van. The 4077 attacked the horde of undead using weapons and vehicles, but to protect the woman and raise her above the zombies onto the minivan, Trapper Jonux became surrounded as well. The combat will continue in Episode 19.
Combat: Four zombies were destroyed at the outset of the continuing combat.
Date: May 15, 2021
Attendance: David, Jason, Jennifer, Mike, Tommy
Summary: Although calendar-wise, it had only been three weeks ago that the dead had risen with the Wave overtaking civilization, but for Lt. Hanna Heller, she had been working diligently with Army Intelligence for months on tracking down the rumors that COVID was a Chinese biological weapon that had gotten out of hand. A fact-finding mission is what brought her to the Baja peninsula to meet with an Egyptian doctor who had information to share, but as the zombie outbreak spread globally, she was caught without communication and a means to return home. Having fled Ensenada, she had taken shelter south of the city, trying to connect with survivors while staying away from slouchers. Desperate herself, but not wanting to turn a blind eye to others in need, she was attracted by the distressed noises of Sasha Gowin as she fended off dozens of zombies. Hanna happened upon the scene as the PCs had arrived to join the fray, attempting to save Sasha and a surrounded Jonux. It was Jeffe and his homebrew-green-toxic-napalm-zombie-melting concoction (thanks to James and the Mitchell Christmas party) in which he was able to single-handedly save everyone while eliminating the zombie horde in one fell swoop; unfortunately, the napalm is no longer available for the future. Connections were made between the 4077, the two women, and Danny, the unconscious husband of Sasha who had succumbed to injuries, after their mini-van had veered into the area because of spike-strips on the road. While looking for Radar’s drone, the PCs investigated the outskirts of Benito Garcia finding additional 18-wheeler trailers (filled with undead) forming a wall to the south of the town with burning tires and cars, with a single entrance through a car maze on the highway. Going into the town, the party found plenty of smoke, some wandering zombies, and more signs of the blue bird symbol seen painted on a previous message. Checking out a facility outside of town, the PCs found a Tienda Six food distribution center with the central building cleared of zombies. Unnerved, Sasha spoke about Op Fenix and their crazed views of a new world order, making note of how soldiers of Camp Obrador are part of the problem of the old world. Returning to base, the PCs met with Carranza comparing notes on the information gained. Later, Jonux and Radar confronted Isabel, asking for her insights about the situation, receiving encouragement to talk to the base civilians.
Combat: Thanks to "zombie napalm", eighteen slouchers were melted, but another five were later destroyed by conventional means.
Date: May 22, 2021
Attendance: Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Tommy
Summary: At the outset, the day’s agenda was straightforward: drive north and deal with Op Fenix to ensure the safety of Camp Obrador. Lt. Heller and B.J. jumped to it with the former meeting with General Carranza and latter serving up breakfast in the canteen where officers and privileged enlisted grabbed their chow. B.J. was concerned when he was told about the need to go to half-rations, but did a fantastic job feeding the soldiers that arrived. Heller’s meeting allowed her to gain access to weapons, but just not the sniper rifle the party formerly owned. While Radar prepared vehicles, Jonux met with Carranza about camp disappearances, who vowed to investigate the matter, but later he met with a lead woman in the women’s’ dormitory named Mabel Aguirre about the missing men. Mabel indicated she (and another woman named Maria) had seen their husbands taken from the men’s dormitory in the middle of the night, naming four specific soldiers with a fifth unknown leader. Realizing that time was ticking by, Jonux grabbed B.J. (with his new gear) and Heller (with Pvts. Gomez and Garza) to head out with their three-vehicle caravan to encounter Op Fenix at Glens Grocery. When the PCs arrived, no one living was to be found, although there were about a dozen zombies which milled about in an 8-mile area. Not content with returning to Camp Obrador empty-handed, the 4077 continued north unmolested and raided the Tienda Six food distribution center south of Benito Garcia, dealt with wandering slouchers, and loaded up their vehicles with metal siding and food supplies, while flirting with the idea of raiding past the semi-trailer wall separating the mass of burning tires from the facility being pillaged. Returning to Camp Obrador just past noon, the party entreated Carranza for more resources, acquiring soldiers and two Freightliner trucks to make a second foray to Tienda Six to recover the remaining food stores, returning the camp to full rations and providing enough food for the months to come. As the sun set, while Radar hid away to play on his new Nintendo Switch and B.J. made plans for a great breakfast the next day, Heller and Jonux continued their interviews with base personnel about the missing men, clearing up any misconceptions about where the adult males were going. Captain Pena made the most sense of the situation, but lingering questions about Major Urbina remained. However, the party members did not want to continue to pester Carranza with questions.
Combat: A half-dozen flesh-eating zombies were dealt with in several smaller combats.
Date: May 29, 2021
Attendance: Bailey, David, Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: It was the first day of April, but no one felt like fooling around, and hearing about more strangers arriving in the morning at Camp Obrador set people afoot. The PCs heard the rumble of the two APCs enter the camp with twenty additional soldiers and another thirty civilian refugees. Different uniforms indicated these troops were part of the federal police out of Mexicali who had survived the Wave and were looking for shelter. Lt. Heller was the first to connect with Sub-Lieutenant (nee Sgt.) Carrasco and observed his trepidation as both met with General Carranza in the morning, where the former received his new insignia. Radar’s eyes glazed over about the new APCs, immediately calling on Carranza to designate one for the 4077; a request the general politely declined. Hawkeye was concerned about the new people on the base as it appeared there was a lax protocol for taking care of new arrivals. Later, Hawkeye assisted Burns and Steele in creating bombs out of scrapped material, particularly from houses designated for demolition. B.J. was quick to enumerate the new food stores the PCs brought in last episode, while the entire party was made aware that though the food brought in lifted the half-rations mandate, medicine levels continued to dwindle. Jonux continued his crusade to determine the culpability of the missing civilians from camp, questioning Carranza and later Major Urbina about the crime and punishment of those involved, but was frustrated when he received insufficient answers. Later, both Jonux and Lt. Heller encountered the brash Capt. Giron from Camp Nuevo Guerrero, another base of survivors far to the south. According to Giron, both bases engaged in an officer exchange to assess the capabilities. Giron’s bombast did not sit well with either PC, also when Giron later met with Jeffe about his hydroponics, certain odd questions were asked. Back with Carranza, Jonux, Heller and Jeffe spoke in disdainful terms about how Giron conducted himself, with Carranza later calling the captain in for a dressing down. The next morning, Giron and Capt. Felix, the helicopter pilot, returned to Camp Nuevo Guerrero earlier than planned while the PCs headed north to Benito Garcia to stymie the potential buildup of zombies, held in a wall of semi-trailers, suspected to be weaponized against Camp Obrador. As the party began destroying trailers, Hawkeye noticed Radar’s former drone watching them. The combat will continue next week.
Combat: While attacking Benito Garcia, five slouchers are dispatched.
Date: June 5, 2021
Attendance: David, Jason, Jerry, Joe, Tommy
Summary: Brother Jonux and B.J. continued their destructive tear across the semi-trailer wall just south of Benito Garcia, prying open the sheet metal tops, then lobbing Molotov cocktails at the masses of zombies held inside, while Burns and Lt. Heller (as NPCs) continued to fight their way out of the smoky horde of undead drawn to the location by the noise. The PCs outside took greater attention to the drone high above, surmising it was providing an unwanted visual feed to parties unknown, and clipped it with a well-placed shot from an FX-05, causing the pilot to move the drone out of sight using a cloud to hid it. As Jonux and B.J. completed their sortie and headed out to evac, chatter on the comms indicated something had gone wrong with Burns and Heller, leading to their apparent capture by an unknown group. Soon after, a young voice chimed into Heller’s comm, demanding food in exchange for the hostages. Not having fifty pounds of food available, B.J. and Jeffe returned to the Tienda Six distribution center to find something to use as a ploy to get back the captured PCs. Upon entering the main building, both were thrown back by an IED connected to the door, with a pair of slouchers emerging from the smoldering entry. Both PCs made quick work of the zombies, finding trinkets to fill a crate to be disguised as food. Mistakenly, the party spent much of the afternoon waiting a Glens Groceries, as the kidnappers were not specific about the gas station to meet at. Back at Camp Obrador, Radar did some nosing around the perimeter of the base finding an unknown doctor named Gustavo Saldana who was more than willing to talk even though he was handcuffed. Further investigation found another building northeast of the camp where a pair of guards would not budge without the correct password. Dropping off Saldana, Radar hitched a ride of Cpl. Ruiz and set off to find the rest of the 4077. Staying with the plan to stay away from Obrador, the party found a gas station named Planta de Gas Gaspasa, guessing this was the location the kidnappers originally meant. Speaking again to the hostage takers, both sides rattled their sabers until Lt. Heller was able to speak with the party about how this group calling themselves B.G. Reyes was just a crowd of young street thugs who had fled to the Benito Garcia and decided to make it their turf. The PCs decided to camp for the evening, inside of a shipping container at Planta de Gas Gaspasa as a means for defense.
Combat: Dozens of slouchers were set ablaze inside the wall of semi-trailers.
Date: June 12, 2021
Attendance: Bailey, David, Jason, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Mike, Tommy
Summary: Faith Skylark had needed some time away after suffering from several family losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Houston-native felt an impromptu vacation in Cabo San Lucas would be best to get her mind off her recent personal tragedies, and with her private detective salary, southern Baja seemed to fit the bill. However, her arrival in Mexico revealed the “everything is normal” advertisement was false, and when the dead rose, her vacation turned into a struggle for survival as she began her trek north to get back home. Successful so far, her luck ran out at Benito Garcia with her car breaking down, but she was taken in at Largo Descanso elder care by Silvero and his son, Yahir, promising to help her connect with a group of Americans which they had seen in and around the town. Frank Burns was also in Benito Garcia, but running for his life, having just escaped from his kidnappers, BG Reyes, and “staying alive” from hungry slouchers. Although Lt. Heller stayed behind to cover his escape, Burns knew he needed to get out of town, and luckily was able to perceive the sounds of human activity at Planta de Gas Gaspasa, where the rest of the 4077 prepared to stay for the night. Hunkered down for the evening, the PCs were scantly bothered by zombies, but their main disturbance came from their military comms, with contact being made by a man named Jose Turcios, who wanted to speak with Hawkeye. As a representative of Adan Pulido, the leader of Op Fenix, Turcios notified the PCs his group was aware of their activities and made this proposal: if the party decided to forego returning to Camp Obrador, he would guarantee a safe, zombie-free passage north through the city of Ensenada, to help them continue their return to Houston. Debate ensued within the party about viability and morality of the situation with limited information shared and counter-offers made by both Turcios and Hawkeye, but a true solution could not be resolved. In a gesture of good faith, Turcios coordinated with the Man in Red to return Lt. Heller to the 4077, along with a snooping Faith, as both were dropped by at an abandoned building just outside of town. Retrieving the lost PCs did take some guile as the party did need to clear several wandering zombies, and combat did draw more to the area, but sound tactics allowed for success. The game ended with the PCs preparing to leave Benito Garcia but remembering why they were originally here: to retrieve medical supplies.
Combat: The PCs destroyed six slouchers during their rescue operation.
Date: June 19, 2021
Attendance: David, Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Kelli, Tommy
Summary: With everyone back together and with an additional American (Faith) added to their group, the 4077 set out to complete the primary mission of their foray into Benito Garcia: pick up medical supplies to help restock Camp Obrador. Having added a fuel tanker truck to their collection of vehicles, the PCs (and PCNPCs) split into two groups: the U-Haul, tanker trucker, and Avalanche would return to the farm outside Checkpoint Los Macriados, leaving the tanker, then return to Camp Obrador while the rest of the party would stay behind with the Tundra to raid Farmacias Similares, as this pharmacy was closer to the highway. Hearing the grind of the vehicle barricade being pushed aside by the semi-truck, the remaining party members did their best to negotiate the roads of Benito Garcia to arrive at the pharmacy with Lt. Heller at the wheel and Jeffe on watch. As Brother Jonux, Faith, and B.J, entered the pharmacy through broken glass doors, the team split looking for medicines in the back and bandages on side aisles, while Jonux dispatched any slouchers. Without any drug knowledge, B.J. found the pharmacist area in the back had been raided previously, but without any specific focus, as pill bottles were strewn across the floor. Faith found the bandage/antiseptic aisle in complete disarray, resulting in time lost rifling through the entire aisle’s contents found on the floor. Outside, groups of slouchers congregated around the intersection forcing Lt. Heller and Jeffe to use Molotov cocktails to disperse as much dead as they could. With the trio taking what they could, the party returned to the Tundra and used Lt. Heller’s deft driving skills to flee Benito Garcia, while Jeffe noticed the Man in Red observing them from afar. On to the farm, the PCs decoupled the fuel tanker, leaving it in the barn, before taking the semi and Tundra back to Los Macriados to pick up Gomez and Garza, then returned to Camp Obrador. Checking in Gen. Carranza was all smiles when Jonux and Heller reported of their successes, while Faith was introduced to Capt. Pena during her medical check-up. Jeffe returned to his hydroponics lab, and found Sgt. Zavala and Mr. Fonseca in charge, with Jeffe learning his operation was no longer solely his. B.J. went to look for Lindsey but found her and Isabel missing, with only a basket remaining. Concerned for Lindsey’s safety, B.J. and Faith went east to look where the two supposedly were picking flowers, finding both on a “girls’ day outing”.
Combat: About two dozen slouchers were destroyed in hand to hand combat or scared away by fire.
Date: June 26, 2021
Attendance: Bailey, David, Jason, Joe, Mike, Tommy
Summary: The cool, still morning air was interrupted by the familiar sound of helicopter blades whupping through the air with the MD Defender from Camp Nuevo Guerrero arriving again at Camp Obrador, as the party went about on their own individual tasks. Burns searched through the remaining houses of Uruapan looking for material to create a full body suit to block any zombie ability to sense his person. Brother Jonux and Steele worked with Armando on outfitting the Freightliner semi-truck to make it more battle ready for the possible return to sloucher-infested Benito Garcia. Hawkeye made his medical rounds with Cpl. Ruiz. Radar modified the party comm system into a short-wave radio to prevent outsiders from listening in, while Jeffe returned to his hydroponics lab to check on his product. As the PCs worked at the forge, Gen. Carranza arrived and introduced Lt. Antonia Sagrada as the new combat engineer from Camp Nuevo Guerrero, sent to re-purpose the resources of Camp Obrador to turn Uruapan into more of a permeant military installation. While finding the right materials for his bodysuit, Burns encountered a young man name Ricardo who did not speak English. Needing a translator, Burns brought him to Jeffe, and Ricardo regaled the party with stories of how he escaped south from Ensenada to find any military help to save his classmates who had survived the COVID outbreak by holing up at the Hotel Villa Marina. More PCs became involved in hearing the story as Jeffe gave a bleak outlook on life, but other PCs wondered if something could be done. At lunch with Carranza, the general tasked the 4077 to obtain more fuel and a Caterpillar bulldozer from two locations south of Camp Obrador, to help with Sagrada’s plan for a base upgrade. Other party members found an abused Sasha returning to base. Timewise, she had left on foot for Benito Garcia before the PCs had their encounters with the BG Reyes and the Man in Red. Bound and with a sign on her neck reading, “This Is The Line”, she related she had medicines to save her husband, after she was let loose by Lt. Rubio. Putting their heads together as the afternoon hours heated up, the party still had questions about the guarded warehouse on the outskirts of town. Arriving together, the group spooked the two guards, who denied their access. Strong words and even stronger fists were thrown about until the door was opened only to find a bound Steve Marcus inside.
Combat: One Mexican soldier was squarely beaten down.
Date: July 3, 2021
Attendance: David, James D., Jason, Jennifer, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Mike, Tommy
Summary: As the space-time continuum shifted, instead of a large contingent of PCs showing up at the warehouse outside of camp, only a handful arrived via pickup truck, altering the previous combat to what-might-have-happened. Jonux, Steele, and Radar went the “way of the snake” while B.J. used his stealth to circle around behind the warehouse to see if he could get a peak inside. As Jonux talked up the two guards, Steele and Radar noticed from inside the vehicle that a small contingent of soldiers walked calmly toward the party. Around back, B.J. did break the window glass and noticed that five females and one male (possibly Steve Marcus) were chained inside but moved away from the area as Jonux brushed away any concerns from a questioning Sgt. Cruz, allowing for the party to return to the forge, but only after Radar finished leveling up on his Nintendo. Hawkeye met with Ricardo Barrera from the Villa Marina Hotel, who repeated his story of escaping Ensenada and traveling to Camp Obrador to find military help to save his teachers and classmates while using the grain tunnels and sewer system to flee the area. Faith and Jeffe met at the hydroponics area, looking to enjoy some recreational drugs, but found an unknown solider named Cpl. Valdez who had wandered into the area following a radio signal from Camp Obrador. Jeffe and Faith both warned him of how things at the base were not as they appeared, having him change his clothes so that other soldiers would not recognize him as part of the Army. At the behest of General Carranza, Lt. Heller connected with Lt. Sagrada as leadership thought it would be good for the only two female officers to make some sort of connection, where the latter shared her plans for upgrading the camp into a more authentic base. Later in the evening, Jonux and Valdez met with Sagrada making overtures of rape and murder which were happening in the camp. Shaken by what she heard but realizing those outranking her might be the guilty, the young lieutenant spoke from her heart, saying that Col. Salgado at Camp Nuevo Guerrero would be the person to bring this information to. Looking at logistics, the party discussed their options and decided an unannounced trip south to Camp Nuevo Guerrero near Bahía de Los Ángeles: a coastal bay on the Sea of Cortez, located along the eastern shore of the Baja peninsula. The party made their final upgrades to the semi-truck and planned to leave in the morning.
Combat: The space-time continuum wiped away the downward spiral of the PCs killing Mexican soldiers.
Date: July 10, 2021
Attendance: David, Jerry, Joe, Kelli, Tommy
Summary: So, after the discussions ranged through the cool night air, the 4077 finally decided on their course of action: non-violently free the hostages kept to the east of Camp Obrador, then take them and the entire party south toward Camp Nuevo Guerrero under the guise of retrieving the bulldozer reportedly seen near the town of Ejido el Ajusco. Although sniping the guards was on the table, the PCs conscripted Lt. Heller (PCNPC) to create a delayed sedative that B.J. could administer in the evening chow of the guards. The decision was to watch and prepare the rest of the day making as little contact of any other persons that would raise suspicions. Realizing it might be a very long time until the next time they saw each other, B.J. did search out Lindsey and divulged the 4077 plans, saying his goodbyes to both her and committing Isabel to watching over the girl. As Radar and Hawkeye prepped for rollout, B.J., Faith, and Jeffe ventured toward the prisoner warehouse while the moon was full, almost running into Major Urbina strolling in the same area, but making it to their destination, finding the two guards unconscious from Heller’s sedative. Creeping into the back window, Faith was only able to pick half of the locks, forcing Jeffe to bludgeon the remaining locks, freeing the five females and Steve Marcus. Fleeing into the night, the group took refuge in the Vinicola Aldo manor house, and waited until the morning to be picked up by the caravan of two pickups and semi-truck (no trailer) as they headed south toward “Ejido el Ajusco”. Just past the vineyard, Jeffe realized a Humvee with Urbina and four soldiers was trailing behind at a distance; this after the Major observed the party’s preparations in the morning. Needing to alter their travel plans, Faith used the party motorcycle to investigate and preliminarily draw out any slouchers from the sleepy town, realizing that most of the population of 469 had turned, but were still milling around the area. Splitting the party by vehicle, the Buell drew most of the zombies south of town near another vineyard while the Tundra and the Freightliner lured remaining zombies, allowing the Avalanche to search for a flatbed trailer and the bulldozer reported to be somewhere in town. What Hawkeye found was a much larger than anticipated Caterpillar D9 bulldozer, forcing the 4077 to alter plans again. Avoiding direct combat (except for crushing zombies), the PCs reunited in a southern field to plan their next move.
Combat: Two soldiers were drugged unconscious, and four slouchers were crushed by a 54-ton bulldozer.
Date: July 17, 2021
Attendance: Jason, Joe, Kelli, Tommy
Summary: With the vehicles in hand, the 4077 took stock of what to do with the newly acquired Caterpillar D9 bulldozer in Ejido el Ajusco. Brother Jonux thought it would be a great idea to turn it north and allow it to cruise toward the Humvee with Major Urbina, but a more sensible plan arose of having Hawkeye and Radar remove critical parts of the earthmover so Urbina’s group could not drive it themselves. With Faith and Burns (in PCNPC mode) riding along with the Buell and lobbing Molotov cocktails, the mass of zombies which Faith had previously lured outside of town was frightened away by the gouts of flame as the party left the bulldozer and headed south to find the fuel depot at Santo Tomás. As the PCs moved on, they noticed that Urbina’s Humvee did not directly follow as the local topography and the stir of slouchers made travel along uncharted road difficult. Still, they anticipated their tail would not take too long to outmaneuver the throng of undead. Only a couple miles down the road, Santo Tomás was already astir with zombies as the moan and weapons fire from Ejido el Ajusco had alerted the undead to a possible meal north of town. However, rather than massing in a single group, the zombies were found strung out in an area not as rugged as Ejido el Ajusco, except for a copse of trees lining the road. Navigating past the undead did take some time, but eventually the PCs arrived at the Pemex fuel station, with guns a blazing. Thirsting for battle, Brother Jonux threw himself into the fray, with maddening screams for the Emperor. The rest of the party joined suit as Hawkeye worked on the electric gas pumps, switching them to manual so the party could top off their tanks before the long haul to Camp Nuevo Guerrero at Bahía de los Ángeles. Several times during the combat, the party was nearly outflanked by undead as the hungering zombies tried to attack Hawkeye who was defenseless (but not without his own tactics) during the gas pumping. Radar used his flail while Faith decided to forego melee combat and perched atop the semi, picking off zombies with her pistol. Even the newer fast-attack zombies were no match for the 4077, and as dozens of bodies littered the area, the PCs found a break fuel up, and to search the corpses and local businesses for goods (a.k.a. loot), before mounting up again to leave town. It was then that Radar realized the party would be returning to a familiar site: a former resting place, the town of San Vicente.
Combat: A combination of thirty eight slouchers, thinkers, and [new} fast-attack zombies were beheaded and burned.
Date: July 31, 2021
Attendance: David, Joe, Kelli, Tommy
Summary: As the last sloucher crumpled to the ground, the party was able to take a breather, a least for a bit, before the next wave of zombies approached them from north of Santo Tomás, while Hawkeye finished pumping gas from the Pemex fuel depot’s reserves. Taking stock of their surroundings and checking if Major Urbina was still following, the 4077 headed south, past the scope of their original mission, to the real destination: Camp Nuevo Guerrero. Just 30 minutes south of Santo Tomás, Radar was the first to recognize the familiar site of the bridge over the Ejido Eréndira inlet denoting the city limits of San Vicente. Several PCs acquainted with the area spotted a mass of vehicles lining the bridge (not there when they left) along with many more zombies walking in the general area. Hawkeye also noted the U.S. Coast Guard cutter, formerly used to transport the PCs south, had been moored in a different location than where the party left it. Sensing something amiss, the PCs traveled south to circumvent the town. As the area was his former stomping grounds, Jeffe took the lead, even driving near his old home, which he found was surrounded by many unknown vehicles. Curious if someone had taken residence on his property, Jeffe found his friend Jancarolo and dozens of other citizens had taken refuge in his house, saved by someone he referred to as the Hooded Lady. Too scared to leave because of raiders, but scared enough of the undead, the citizen had repurposed Jeffe’s underground hydroponics lab as a living space, with supplies being brought regularly. Promising to return to help them, the party continued outside of town only to see an armed, black-clad woman watching them. Sent because of his bilingual skills, Jeffe contacted her as she warned the party to avoid San Vicente and to not return. Speculating she was some sort of revenant, the 4077 headed south for short bit of time, making a turn at the town of Alfredo V. Bonfil, and noticing a lone horseman watching them on a ridge. Soon after, a large U-Haul truck accelerated from behind the party caravan. Taking aggressive maneuvers, Hawkeye fast-tracked ahead, performing a highspeed bootleg turn, before using his truck’s ram prow to shear the U-Haul onto its side. With Hawkeye coming back for another pass, Radar and Jeffe sprang from their vehicles, engaging with assault rifles and hand-to-hand. Damaged from the crash, the former cartel enforcers, Los Ejes, were mowed down by the 4077.
Combat: The 4077 ended a high-speed chase with members of Los Ejes with a crash and firefight, killing off six enforcers.
Date: August 7, 2021
Attendance: David, Jason, Jennifer, Kelli, Tommy
Summary: As the burning U-Haul continued to smoke from the battle, the party remained to collect items from the slain Los Ejes gang members (they DID smell good), with Jeffe finding a 48-count box of Sundown Burritos and Radar sharing a map of the area denoting points of interest. Heading out, the 4077 continued south on Highway 1 with Jonux in the lead while Faith scouted ahead via motorcycle. Less than an hour up the road, the PCs recognized vehicles organized on the side of road and speculated how to deal with the central base of Los Ejes. Sensing movement, Jonux moved forward feigning surrender, but initiated hand-to-hand combat with a half-dozen of Los Ejes members. The other PCs joined in and the 4077 quickly handed Los Ejes a defeat. Not wanting to waste time, the party collected weapons and continued south, curious about dealing with the pinch-point designated on the map. Choosing “the way of the snake”, the party sent Jonux ahead with evidence of how other Los Ejes members were slaughtered, scaring the gang, and allowing the PCs to move past any barricades. Although weather conditions hampered travel, the party arrived at the outskirts of Camp Nuevo Guerrero, heeding posted signs to wait overnight. Mid-morning, mounted soldiers welcomed the PCs into the camp area, but discouraged bringing any vehicles with them (even the NEW Iron Man-painted APC Jeffe had found). At the camp boundary, the party spoke with Clarissa who gave each PC a three-question interview. Deemed worthy, the party was bifurcated into civilian and military designations with the former finding food and the latter seeking out Colonel Salgado. Heller was greeted by Capt. Giron, while Radar was happy to find that Peanut Butter had survived San Vicente. Meeting with a receptive Salgado, the PCs made accusations of war crimes in Camp Obrador by Carranza and Urbina. Faith was sought out by a local elder asking for “the Americans” as she seemed to be haunted by a spirit named Dabble. Upon arrival, the “spirit” insulted the party for leaving him behind in San Vicente, but then disappeared. Asking for two days to deal with the matter, Salgado left the camp via helicopter, traveling to Camp Obrador to deal with an apparent mock zombie Urbina. Satisfied that justice was served and wishing to return to Houston, the party re-supplied their caravan, loaded up any American citizens, and headed north along Highway 3, while Faith nibbled on the eerie burritos.
Combat: Six members of Los Ejes gang are dispatched, with another dozen are scared into submission.