Berlin '85 - Chemwar! New Year's Battle Report

In accordance with ancient custom, once more this year I hosted a New Year's Day game. This year we went with tried and tested themes - World War III and zombies. The (admittedly thin) backstory is that World War III started in 1985, and the ensuing nuclear, biological and chemical exchange has created "chem-zombies" - lurching, half-dissolved horrors that crave nought but the flesh of the living.

Into this fairly bleak setting, behind Soviet lines, we drop a downed Blackhawk helicopter bearing some secret item (upper centre of photo), which the Americans (centre at right) must recover or die in the attempt. Add chem zombies, and Robert's your mother's brother, you have a game.

View from the US table edge

Factory buildings containing barrels of "fun sauce"

chem zombies in fun sauce barrels

Scattered liberally around the table were chem zombie spawning points, represented by Eureka's excellent barrels-with-zombies models. These barrels became known as "fun sauce" containers for obvious reasons.

Some of these barrels are not like the others...

Since this is essentially a skirmish game, we use a tried-and-tested variant of our favourite simple skirmish set, GW's "Lord of the Rings". It gives a straightforward, fun game, and with the state of some of the boys' noggins on New Year's Day, we like to keep it simple.

Downed chopper is a very nice "toy" model

Soviets suited for the occasion

All of the models used in the game were sculpted by Kosta Herastinides for Eureka Miniatures. We used his excellent zombies, Soviets in NBC gear, and my newly-painted US infantry in MOPP suits.

 

Conscript Brian tried a flank march along the table edge...

...but couldn't avoid the chem zombies!

 

 

Conscripts clockwise from left: Kevin, Mike A., Greg, Dallas, Frederick, Brian, Dave V.  Mike F. and Cam showed up later

As it turned out, the Americans failed to achieve their objective, so the nude photos of Nancy Reagan or whatever was so important in the Blackhawk remained unrecovered. But we had a fun time all the same.

I owe special thanks to my wife Pam for whipping up a spectacular German lunch for us, and to Conscripts Mike A. and Dave V. for bringing snacks.  Thanks lads!