A Day on the Farm

Typically, Jezza and the gang prefer to stick to the main roads, as they provide a clear, long line of sight to spot any potential threats. However, a massive herd of zombies forced them to take a detour down a crumbling country road. 

As they rounded a bend, they caught sight of overgrown fields and an old farmhouse, with a rusty car sitting in front. Just as Jezza considered stopping to loot the place, the van hit a massive pothole. The vehicle lurched violently and tilted to one side before coming to a halt. A flat tyre... and they’d used their only a few spare weeks ago. With no other option, they have no choice but to investigate the farm, hoping to find a replacement tyre.

For this game, we played the "A Day on the Farm" scenario from the Zombie RV rulebook. We set up the table as closely as possible to the scenario description, though a few substitutions had to be made—I couldn’t find my tractor model, so we used a car instead, and a ruined barn stood in for the proper structure. We placed four search tokens on the table, but the scenario specified that “the search token in the barn is a spare tire,” so we already knew where we needed to go. This somewhat diminished the need to check the other tokens.

Turn 1

With the bleating sheep in the top field distracting the zombies, Jezza and the crew decided to make a dash for the farmhouse, using it to block the zombies’ line of sight.

The dice gods were on their side—Jezza, Hamster, and The Stig all rolled successfully for a third action, allowing them to cover an impressive 18". Unfortunately, newcomer Tiff was left trailing behind. Before the game started, we rolled to determine Tiff’s gear, and he ended up armed with a fireman’s axe.

Turn 2

The bleating of the sheep continued to distract the zombies on the farm, drawing their attention away. Two unfortunate sheep quickly found themselves surrounded by the undead. With the zombies preoccupied, Jezza and the gang seized the opportunity to advance toward the ruined barn without interference.

Turn 3

Inside the barn, they spotted a zombie looming over the spare tire. Jezza raised his shotgun and fired, only to miss completely. Undeterred, he took a second shot and missed again. Though he successfully rolled for a third action, he chose to hold back, unwilling to risk making more noise and attracting the nearby horde.

The Stig, unfazed, opted for a melee approach, charging the zombie. Unfortunately, his attack proved just as ineffective as Jezza's shots. Seeing the struggle, Hamster decided to step in, aiming his trusty pistol at the zombie. However, his roll of a '1' spelled disaster—his pistol ran out of ammo for the second game in a row. To make matters worse, the rules dictated that any missed shot automatically hit a fellow survivor engaged in melee with the target. As a result, Hamster inadvertently wounded The Stig.

Now injured, The Stig could only take one action per turn, leaving him in a precarious position. Things were going from bad to worse!

Firing the pistol had an unintended consequence: Hamster’s shot attracted the newly spawned zombies to the ruined barn. Thankfully, the barn’s sturdy walls kept the undead from reaching the gang inside.

Turn 4

Despite his injuries, The Stig managed to eliminate the zombie he was locked in combat with. This gave Hamster the opportunity to grab the spare tyre. Meanwhile, Jezza, recognizing the danger posed by the approaching zombies, decided to retreat toward Tiff’s position. To protect the others, Jezza deliberately made more noise than The Stig and Hamster, successfully drawing the zombies away from the barn. Elsewhere, the remaining zombies on the table remained preoccupied with the last of the sheep.

Turn 5

Using the same tactics that got them to the barn, the gang used the farmhouse to block the zombies' line of sight. Things were getting tense—a 'fast' zombie had spawned on the farm, and only one sheep remained as a distraction. Poor Stig was left creeping along in the barn on his own, unnoticed by the zombies.

Turn 6

With the situation escalating, Jezza, Hamster, and Tiff decided it was time to make a break for the van. Unfortunately, all three failed their rolls for a third action and were caught out in the open. The 'fast' zombie charged at Hamster and attacked him but, luckily, failed to do any damage. Meanwhile, The Stig continued creeping through the ruined barn, trying to avoid drawing attention.

Turn 7

Tiff moved in to help Hamster, swinging his axe and taking out the 'fast' zombie. However, he ran out of actions and was left exposed. With the horde closing in, Jezza and Hamster made a run for the van, diving inside just in time. When the zombies activated, they swarmed Tiff, overwhelming him with sheer numbers and knocking him down. Tragically, he was overrun and taken out. Still unnoticed, The Stig kept creeping through the barn.

Turn 8

As the chaos unfolded, the zombies cornered and dispatched the last remaining sheep. Jezza and Hamster were safe inside the van, but poor Stig remained wounded and alone, still hiding in the ruined barn.

At this point, we called it a night with The Stig still trapped in the barn.

It was another bittersweet outcome for the gang. Newcomer Tiff had already been lost during his first outing, and The Stig’s fate—last seen hiding in the ruined barn—seemed sealed. The assumption was grim: the zombies would likely finish him off, leaving the gang down to just two members.

As for lessons learned, the lack of ranged firearms continues to be a significant drawback. Not that it might matter much—this gang seems incapable of hitting anything with the weapons they do have. Additionally, the scenario setup took away some of the suspense. Knowing the required search token was in the barn made the other tokens feel irrelevant, dulling the sense of discovery.