How is Ambush Z Similar & Different to FoF?

[Anonymous]

I’m wondering if there’s a 1-page doc or web page that compares/contrasts Ambush Z to Force on Force? I’m considering a project to adapt horror elements from my Weird Wars books for play in FoF scenarios. Obviously the FoF rules don’t have the provisions for any monsters/beasts/horrific threats, so I’m looking for any sources that might aid my project. I have this FoF thread about the topic over in the FoF forum.

That’s got me considering the Ambush Z PDF if it could in fact be useful to me. I know nothing about Ambush Z though, so I don’t know if the rules are even similar to FoF. If anyone can point me to a reference, or give a brief synopsis of the the fundamental ways the 2 rules are similar and different, I’d greatly appreciate it.

[kyoteblue]

The rules are close to each other.

[Anonymous]

kyoteblue wrote:

The rules are close to each other.

Thanks for the reply. So is Ambush Z the same Troop Quality & Morale dice for stats, with universal target numbers of 4 and combat consisting of Firepower (# in Team + Bonuses – Penalties) Vs Defense (# in Team + Bonuses – Penalties)? What about zombies; are they stat’d like a team of Irregulars or something similar?

Sorry for the many follow-up questions, but I’m trying to wrap my head around it.

[kyoteblue]

Victoria has posted some AAR’s about Ambush Z  here and you can get a better idea of how it plays, I have the rules but have never played them.

[Victoria Dickson]

Zombie stats depend on zombie type, and the Quality increases by one or two levels as the game goes on.  They have no Morale stat.

http://crazywargames.blogspot.co.uk/

[Anonymous]

kyoteblue wrote:

Victoria has posted some AAR’s about Ambush Z here and you can get a better idea of how it plays,

OK cool, I’ll look for the AAR’s then

Victoria Dickson wrote:

They have no Morale stat.

Ah OK, that makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Something I’m curious about is whether or not Zombies have any additional repercussions on Unit Morale? In the base FoF rules, taking casualties, being fired upon by a D4+ weapon, IED detonated within 10″, being subjected to an airstrike or other ordnance, or each time your unit injures a non-combatant or worse, all cause the Unit to make a Morale roll. As well, less confident Units have to morale check whenever they’re fired on by a support weapon, or in the worse case (low confidence), whenever they’re fired upon by any weapon. Failing the roll can cause the Unit to become pinned and result in their TQ dice being stepped back a dice type, or even force them to pull back.

Do Zombies bring anything else to the table that can force a Unit to Morale check?

[Victoria Dickson]

There are rules for the stress level of a unit, which causes the loss of fire dice as it increases.  You can try to decrease stress too.  Stress is tested for at the start of each turn after the first.  Stress tests are modified by things like having dependants with you, having abandoned casualties and for having lots of zombies in LOS.  I haven’t used the stress rules yet because I manage to get my butt kicked easily enough without them. 

Morale checks are taken for taking casualties or being within 12″ and LOS of fast zombies (called Romeos in the rules) or mind control zombies (called Dexters).  Killing your wounded causes a permanent drop in Morale level.

I hope that is of some help.

 

 

 

http://crazywargames.blogspot.co.uk/

[Anonymous]

That was lots of help Victoria, thanks. Combat stress is 1 of the advanced rules in FoF, so that was something I was wondering about and probably my next question. It sounds like there’s a bit more to it in Amush Z, which is good because it feels a bit undefined in FoF. It’s supposed to scenario specific in FoF, so that’s part of the reason. Morale sounds similar, but I can see where it differs due to a very different enemy.

[Anonymous]

I noticed in Victoria’s AAR’s that Zombies seem to be continually reinforcing each turn, but I’m not clear from the reports how this happens. I did notice in QRS for Ambush Z that it mentions that for the 2nd turn and onwards, there’s a roll on the scenarios Reinforcement Table. What I’m wondering though, is if there’s anything like the Insurrection Level value in core FoF. For those rules a D6 roll Vs Insurrection level value is made at the start of a turn and an even or under roll results in new units arriving at hot spots. Is there something equivalent for Ambush Z?

[Victoria Dickson]

Zombie reinforcements arrive automatically at the end of every turn, the reinforcement roll only determines how many and what type.  The reinforcement table varies with each scenario, there isn’t a ‘standard’ one, I just used the one for the first scenario for my games.

There’s also an equivalent of the insurrection level, called an infection level.  This is used whenever you enter a building to see if there are zombies in it and also every time a unit fires to see if more zombies are attracted by the noise, a D6 roll of less than the infection level and you roll on the reinforcement table to see how many arrive.  This is in addition to the automatic reinforcements at the end of the turn.

Edit to add: I just checked and the rule book contradicts itself slightly, in one place it says zombie reinforcements arrive at the end of every turn, in another it says at the start of every turn from turn 2, in practice it makes no difference. 🙂

 

http://crazywargames.blogspot.co.uk/

[Anonymous]

Victoria Dickson wrote:

…There’s also an equivalent of the insurrection level, called an infection level. This is used whenever you enter a building to see if there are zombies in it and also every time a unit fires to see if more zombies are attracted by the noise, a D6 roll of less than the infection level and you roll on the reinforcement table to see how many arrive. This is in addition to the automatic reinforcements at the end of the turn…

Aha, well that makes sense and more or less what I expected. Thanks for explaining that. 🙂

Something you mentioned earlier…

Victoria Dickson wrote:

Zombie stats depend on zombie type, and the Quality increases by one or two levels as the game goes on. They have no Morale stat.

Is that increase in zombie Quality something that automatically occurs every round, or every other round, or is it triggered by some type of condition or event? And does it only occur for zombies already on the map / in play?

[Victoria Dickson]

The Quality level increases automatically every 3 turns, though a roll on the reinforcement table can make it happen sooner.  It counts for all zombies from then on (which saves a lot of keeping track of who’s at what level).  Zombies have a maximum quality by type, so some may only rise one level in total during the game, others may rise two levels.  Decrepit ones start at D6 and can only go up to D8, normal ones start at D6 and can rise to D10 and the fast ones are D8 but can go all the way up to D12.

 

http://crazywargames.blogspot.co.uk/

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