Post-apocalyptic campaign finale

Last week we played through the finale of our post-apocalyptic campaign. As you might recall, we were using the still-under-development "This is Not a Test" ruleset from World's End Publishing. I wanted to make it a special event, so I organized a four-player scenario.

In the center of the table, the brave defenders gather in an abandoned factory to make their last stand against the marauding hordes. Pat's tribe of technology-worshipping primitives had come to an alliance of sorts with Josh's Preservationists.

Advancing from either side of the battlefield came Jon's raiders and Tim's mutants, bent on ruling the ruins of the old world and acquiring the artifacts that the defenders have accumulated. The objectives for each side were fairly straightforward.

• The defenders needed to keep the attackers out of the warehouse and away from the two relics, each represented by a crate on a cart.
• The attackers needed to gain access to the factory and steal the relics, killing as many defenders as possible. 

Those inside the factory were given improved defenses, and there were only two official points of entry into the factory -- no climbing up wall or through windows. Defenders were also allowed to secretly booby-trap two pieces of terrain each. The attackers were each given another 100 or so points to their force. To keep things interesting, I gave each player a secret objective. Completing their secret objective would boost their chances of winning. Here are the secret objectives for each faction.

• Thieving buggers that they are, the raiders wanted to acquire both relics for themselves. 
• The mutants have reached grown tired of enduring constant discrimination and scorn. They have decided to wipe the earth clean of their oppressors and are trying to have the highest kill count even if that means turning on the raiders once the building is breached. 
• The Preservationists are normally helpful, but can't allow the tribals to share the knowledge contained in the artifacts with Raiders or Mutants. They aim have the highest kill count even if that means turning on the tribals if the building is breached. 
• The tribals are a bit skittish of everyone. Their secondary objective is to save their own skins by getting at least half their number off the board edge if the factory is breached. To aid in this, they were allowed to enter the sewers underneath the factory and reappear across the board near a decrepit power station. 

Here's the initial setup. The Mutants are on the left and a couple of raiders are visible in the lower right.

It very quickly became apparent that this game would be focused on shooting...

The Raiders began taking casualties fast and were slow to activate, perhaps not expecting such a barrage of fire from the old factory.

The Preservationists also took hits, but their brain-in-a-jar medic quickly began returning the wounded to action.

The Mutants advanced toward the factory under a hail of mostly ineffective fire.

A few of the raiders neared the factory, while some took up firing positions in a derelict mining structure.

As the forces drew nearer, the Tribals got concerned and began taking to the sewers.

The first of the raiders breached the factory but were incinerated by a Preservationist flamethrower. A tribal was "accidentally" caught in the crossfire, and the defenders' fragile alliance began to deteriorate.

At the other side of the factory, the mutants also breached the defenses and entered the factory.

Surprisingly, the Preservationists' treachery did not cause the tribals to flee. Those who had just exited the sewers at the power station turned back to help their fellows, attempting to blast their way through the mutants at the building's entrance. One mutant chupacabra went down, but the sudden flurry of action attracted the attention of a grazing Brahmin-deux.

Brahmin-deux tolerate gunfire and other loud animals, but not the invading their sacred personal space. The two-headed cow monster promptly attacked, but was driven back by the furious tribal firepower. The assault on the factory proved too much for the raiders. Having taken serious losses, they broke off their attack. Even the corrupted minds of the mutants realized that the Preservationists' positions were too entrenched to defeat. The tribals returned to their retreat, and the battle was over.

The clear winner was Josh the Preservationist player, who ended the game with the factory secure, the artifacts still inside and the highest kill count. The raiders were too battered to contest, and the tribals hadn't yet managed their retreat. We wrapped up the game at 5 turns. Had we continued, the tribals may have been able to get half their warband off the table, and maybe the mutants (whose strongest units were still outside the factory) would have been able to tear into the Preservationists, but we'll never know....

Final Thoughts & Observations
All in all it seemed to be a good game. I do wish I'd put just a bit more terrain out, started the attackers a bit closer to the factory and not increased the defense bonus that the factory gave the attackers. Firepower really seemed to rule the day in this game -- melee combat was entirely nonexistent. And the increased numbers of the attackers didn't quite give them the edge I thought it would. On the other hand, I was really pleased with the way the secret objectives functioned. Secret objectives will definitely feature in future games of all types.

"This is Not a Test" has served us well as a post-apocalyptic gaming system, and the campaign mechanics made it possible for our warbands to advance, sometimes in surprising ways. Many thanks to author Joey McGuire of World's End Publishing who allowed us to play game even though it was still under development. At last report, the final version (edited by CSW's own Patrick) is nearing layout and completion.

Hope you all enjoyed our campaign. We're going to take a few weeks to play some other games before launching into our summer fantasy campaign, which is going to have more than a few surprises of it's own. Stay tuned!

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member