Welcome to the Waco Wasteland! (Homebrewish PA Campaign)

Juan and Hannah work frantically to keep The BMF alive. Juan has Hannah fix a tourniquet around an injured leg while he injects a stimulant cocktail to keep his heart beating. After a desperate few minutes that feel like an eternity, the two of you manage to get him stabilized--but only stabilized, not yet conscious or responsive. Reggie, who has been on lookout during the medical work, says quietly, without turning around, "Uhhh guys... I have some bad news. The firefight has attracted some unwanted attention. I make... 12 shamblers coming in from the East, I put 'em at almost 200 feet away. Don't appear to have seen us yet. We've also got 11 stumbling out of the buildings across the street, make that... say 50 or 60 feet away, also haven't seen us, but all targets are more or less converging on this position.

((Distance and horde size determined by dice. The Heal check was successful, but only barely, i.e., not enough to restore extra hit points. And the Lay On Hands roll was terrible--snake eyes.))

Well crap.

I see a few alternatives. One is cut and run away from the hordes. I a, hopeful we could outrun them, but we also don’t know if there aren’t others shambling up the other way. (Suggest a Juan or Hannah sneak a look the opposite direction of the horde at 200.)

The other is to hole up and hide. This has the benefit of not abandoning the BMF, who might yet be helpful / deserves our succor.

Finally, we can start shooting some more - seems to be our MO thus far.

I lean towards hiding, with some quick, attention to making entrances secure if possible. Leaves us the option to fight, but does lose us any option to run. The bunch from across the street are close enough to beleaguer us quickly.

“Juan, can you take a look the other way? See anything ____ward?”

“I think we should sit tight, and hope they shamble on soon. Too many to fight right now,Mandy we can run with the big guy there.”

Well crap.

I see a few alternatives. One is cut and run away from the hordes. I a, hopeful we could outrun them, but we also don’t know if there aren’t others shambling up the other way. (Suggest a Juan or Hannah sneak a look the opposite direction of the horde at 200.)

The other is to hole up and hide. This has the benefit of not abandoning the BMF, who might yet be helpful / deserves our succor.

Finally, we can start shooting some more - seems to be our MO thus far.

I lean towards hiding, with some quick, attention to making entrances secure if possible. Leaves us the option to fight, but does lose us any option to run. The bunch from across the street are close enough to beleaguer us quickly.

“Juan, can you take a look the other way? See anything ____ward?”

“I think we should sit tight, and hope they shamble on soon. Too many to fight right now,Mandy we can run with the big guy there.”

Having familiarized myself with all the entrances I will stealthy check the area to see if there is an escape route,

I'll wait to see what Juan's check says, but unless our experience says something different, I would expect that once Zambos congregate somewhere, they might tend to hang around there for a while unless something distracts them. We could end up hiding for much longer than would be prudent or beneficial. I would love to be able to save BMF, but I expect that it may be that the kindest thing to do will be to kill him quietly with a knife or crossbow bolt and make like a tree and get the fuck out.

((The red dots are the approximate locations of the zombie mobs....at least, of the ones you can see.))

Juan takes a quick peek through the crack of the back door. He turns back to the group and shrugs: "Nothing. Or nothing I can see. 'Course, hard to see much with all the piles of the dead... but we could use those piles to hide from the mob to the east, since they stand a decent chance of seeing us sneak out the back otherwise ((Experience check)). On the other hand, those aisles are a little tight, and if there's any bodies in there that aren't totally corpsified, then it could be dangerous ((Hard Experience check))."

Reggie quickly points out a way they could try to reinforce the door ((Exp check)), and even a way to cover some of the windows to avoid the prying eyes of the undead ((Hard Exp check)). Hannah shakes her head: "I don't like it. What if they besiege the place? You so much as sneeze and they'll start banging the windows in. And what if they don't leave? Doesn't that happen sometimes? ((EC)) A passive siege could be just as bad. Much as I hate to say it, we need to mercy-kill our friend over there and GTFO." The two of them turn to Juan, expectantly.

((Reggie & Hannah had to make Humanity checks--Reggie against Stress for running the risk of staying still while zombie hordes walk by, Hannah against Detachment for her willingness to kill or abandon a recent ally--but both passed. You may roleplay that as desired--perhaps as a rationalization, or as compartmentalization, or however else. On a related note, in my continued ripping off of RM, I'm splitting up Humanity into three categories of 15 points each. I'll add the stat to a quick-ref character bio in the first post and keep track of it for you since there isn't a place on your character sheets.

Also, just FYI, I'm only noting when I run some of these checks in case of you are interested--but I'm not saying whether or not they were successful.))

Juan pulls out his ice pick and walks over to BMF, "Hannah, I'll do it but we have to agree on this, I think we can get out, and I think it's for the best."

If the party confirms, I'll dispatch him quick, coup-de-grace through the eye, and I'll lead them out the back.

I nod and quietly say, "Thank you Juan." I look down at BMF. "If only he hadn't been shot," I whisper, and shake my head. While Juan is doing that I check around for any supplies that I can take easily and quickly. I'm not going to loot BMF, but anything he has lying around will do us more good than him.

I'm keeping the shotgun

Juan walks quietly over to the BMF and looks at him for a moment, trying to gather the strength to do what must be done. He suddenly takes a deep breath, swings, and connects, driving his ice-pick deep into the BMF's eye. The BMF begins shaking violently for a moment before exhaling and lying still. The pick is covered with sticky bits. Juan straps his new shotgun to his back as Hannah briefly gives the gas station a once over, finding a car battery (15lbs) that somehow still works (according to its built in juice-o-meter). She also picks up a (1. shotgun/2. rifle/3. handgun) of some kind from what looks to be the BMF's "draw pile." There are a number of guns piled haphazardly in the "discard pile" ((if anyone wants to grab one--though it'll be heavy and lack any ammunition)).

You all then successfully sneak out the back door, avoiding the notice of the two dozen odd zambinis shambling toward the Valero.

Do you go [a.] toward the wooded suburban area to your southwest (i.e., veer away from Lake Shore Drive) or [b.] loop around behind the Conoco and the Bible-Believing Bookstore (i.e., continue down Lake Shore Drive)?

Ledger
Hannah:
+Shotgun/Rifle/Handgun if so desired

Juan:
-2 Pistol Bullets (now 14/17 total; 15/17 on current clip)
-2 Shotgun Shells (now 4/6)
-2 uses of First Aid Kit (now 8/10)
+ Pump-Action Shotgun (2d8+2, 20, Range: 30, 4/6 shells)

Reggie:
-1 full clip (4/6 on current clip)

"Let's loop around the back and see if we can't quietly get back on the road, I don't want to get bogged down on side streets"

"Agreed, I didn't want this to turn into an extermination mission," Hannah nods, tapping the handle handgun she took from the Valero station. (So this thing has no ammunition?)

So this is out-of-character. Some of this is obvious to the naked eye, and pretty much everybody knows that part of it. Some of this is inference, which might not have occurred to your character. If somebody wants to know it in-character, they'd need to roll an experience check or something similar. Anyway, basically, the scene is this: the BMF had a large pile of weapons to his right, which were all empty. Anyone may take as much of that as he likes. I was prompting you in particular to pick from the much smaller and much smaller line-up of weapons the BMF had arranged along the floor to his left. Inference: he'd gathered up the weapons of his fallen comrades and laid them out in a row where he could reach them easily so he would never have to stop firing for longer than it took to grab the next weapon, just in case his enemies got the drop on him. Those weapons all (obviously) only have the ammo that is currently in the clip (thus Nigel's 4/6 Shotgun). There might be more ammo somewhere, but it's location was not obvious to a quick look-see and y'all appear to be bugging out to avoid the zambos.

Short version: the guns I prompted you to take have one clip each. You may take however many other empty weapons you like, but remember: guns are heavy and--this is still Texas--guns are not exactly rare. That doesn't mean they're worthless by any stretch of the imagination, especially not any that look military, but this isn't, like, Planar Loot or something.

Damn I was hoping I had a +3 Desert Eagle .50 of Holy Ball Shrinking lol. But yeah that makes sense. Back to sneaking and praying that we're done with armored Zombie Berserkern for now!

((I rolled a d8 on the pistol table and you ended up with a Colt M1911, which is pretty good: 2d6, 7 bullet clip, .45ACP ammo. I also rolled you a d20 to see if you critted, i.e., that it had a silencer--it did not--and a quick, and therefore difficult, scavenge check for the same purpose, to no avail. So you now have a 2d6 handgun with 7 bullets. I'll add it, and Reggie's FaBE glasses to your loadout page.))

You all successfully sneak out the back of your miniature Alamo, make your way through the rows and rows of piled corpses, and get across the street without either of the mobs seeing you. I'm assuming you want to continue on the outskirts of town for as long as possible before cutting into urban areas--and so you all continue west on Lake Shore Drive. You come across Lakeshore Village Healthcare Center. It seems pretty clearly inhabited--the windows are reinforced, there are signs of zombie sweeping operations to clear them from around the walls, the field across the street is cultivated with a makeshift fence around it, and there appears to be two guards standing out in front of the building. Juan puts up a hand to stop the group before they are seen by the guards ((Perception)), but Hannah and Reggie are privately pretty sure they've heard of this place somewhere before--and that it's just another settlement like your own ((Experience)).

What do ye do?
1. Work your way around it (north or south?).
2. Stroll up for a chat with the guards (what do ye say?).
3. Take a Third Option (which is...?)

2. if voted upon,
hands off weapons, stroll up with open gestures. "Hey, fellas" (are they both dudes?) we're coming from the east, and have some news you might be interested in." if they seem amiable tell them about the whole Valero scene and try to get intell out of them

Note: I am perfectly fine if hannah wants to take the lead with them.

I wanted to sneak around at first blush, but yeah might be good to try out a chat. I also vote we do the thing, doing our best non-chalant, non-threat walk up. (Assuming they're guys for this I trust you to correct my pronouns if the guards are women or present as such)

"Hey y'all, how's it going? We're just passing through from east and seen some things y'all might want to know about."

The goal will be to give them information about the Valero situation (no reason to be coy as far as I can tell, we ain't going back for more guns) and see if they have any info on it. During the course of responses, one thing I want to be clear on is that we sneaked away and didn't have any zambonis following us. Don't want to get blamed if a few happen to show up.

The guards tense up when they see you, but they have decent defensive positions and trade isn't completely unheard of in the Wasteland--which is why people bother posting guards in the first place. You put your hands up to show that you haven't drawn your weapons and approach smiling. They nod, guns pointed down, but fingers trigger-ready. Juan notices this ((Perception)) and mutters to Hannah, "Ex-Military, or cops maybe--look at the way they handle their guns."

"Hey y'all, how's it going? We're just passing through from back east and seen some things y'all gentlemen might want to know about. Or ladies. Or otherkin-presenting gender-non-binary neutrois. I don't mean to impose my metaphysical assumptions about being and non-being on your respective autonomous self-ideations, y'all."

One of the guards spits and eyes Hannah for a moment, pretending like he's being wary instead of just checking her out (but--((Sense Motive))--Hannah totally notices that he's just checking her out while trying to look tough). He cocks an eye at his partner and looks back at the group, raising his eyebrows: "Ooookay. Shoot. What's goin' on?"

"Well, we ran into a spot of weirdness back at the Valero. Some gangbangers or something, weird tattoos on their heads, fighting... well, honestly, I'm not sure. Some guys who ate something or took something and went crazy"--at this the two guards start and look at each other wide-eyed--"and we somehow got drawn into the damn thing and now they're all dead. Good news is the gangbangers had a ton of weapons on 'em, way more than we can carry. Bad news is the shooting attracted walkers and now the place is crawling with 'em."--once again, their eyes widen, and Hannah begins speaking more quickly--"Oh no no no don't worry, we gave 'em the slip. They're just milling around back there; they're not coming this way. Well, not because of us anyway."--Hannah begins to falter--"Can't... promise... they won't come... y'know... on their own." She smiles weakly.

The talkative guard frowns for a minute, apparently for effect, before grinning wide: "Don't you worry, missy, we're not afraid of a couple a' walkers. An' we're much obliged fer the weapons tip. Now, are y'all wantin' to come inside for trade'r is this jes' a friendly chat?"

My inclination is to chat for bit to try and get any gossip we can out of them but to keep moving. I suppose we could try to sell some of the stuff we've acquired to free up inventory space, but I'd rather not get sidetracked and/or waylaid. I can be persuaded otherwise though.

No, I agree, that seems like the right play

You all chat for a while with the guards, but the whole time, though none of you can put your fingers on it, something feels strangely... off and you decline their invitation to come inside. They shrug and say "suit yourselves" and continue to chat more or less pleasantly. You don't learn much of value in the gossip swap--a couple of leads on possible jobs ((+Leads: you can cash these in in-between jobs, or sell/trade them to others before then)), but not much else beyond a vaguely worded warning to "Watch out for yourselves out there. Looks like nasty weather headed our way." The skies are completely clear in every direction.  

((You may retroactively do things/say something if you wish, but I'll move us on to the next encounter))

Y'all mosey along to the intersection of Lake Shore and Airport road. You are facing south. A couple hundred yards off to the southeast (i.e., along Lake Shore) you see black smoke billowing above the tree tops. The trees block the source of the smoke and the smoke is obscuring the road. Off to the west, you spot a dirt road leading you (according to your gas station map) to some kind of city water facility--the Waco DAF Plant. Taking that route will take you out of your way, but will allow you to skip past whatever is going on with the smoke.

Random time check: you've been on the road for about two hours and fifteen minutes.

1. Continue on Lake Shore.
2. Take the roundabout way through the DAF Plant.

"Guy's, I don't love the look of that, and we've gotten way to much excitement from this snatch and grab. I vote we skirt it"

(OOC: I'm going to be more than slightly disappointed if we missed out on joining a cult dedicated to the worship of Kim Mulkey.)

Hannah nods in agreement. "Yeah I'm with you. Black smoke generally means something burning that isn't supposed to. Let's go the long way."

After an uneventful trip skirting through the woods and around the DAF Plant (I'm assuming y'all want to skip checking it out--it looks abandoned, is surrounded by a fence, and all the gates are locked), y'all come out on Lake Shore Drive at roughly the intersection of Lake Shore and Stewart Circle. The first thing you notice is that the road is remarkably clear--and this was obviously post-collapse work, because there are cars lining the shoulders and sidewalks, having been pushed into yards and side roads. Someone, at some point, cleared this road, possibly with machinery, while being able to provide security sufficient to deal with the zed-heads the noise would attract ((Perception + Experience)). Your intuition tells you that you might be able to find a working vehicle around here, and then you avail yourself of the strangely cleared road for as long as it lasts ((Experience)).

You may perform whatever other checks or actions you want, but your basic choices here are: do you try to find a car and would you like to continue along the cleared Lake Shore or cut in to the suburbs because a cleared road is suspicious?

I'm going to take a quick lead on this and go start pulling on handles of the better looking vehicles (preference for pick ups), if there are objections to driving voice them now