Level 2 - Game 5 - Session 6

This game spanned a fortnight due to our group's dynamic we play DooM tbg only every other week, and on the off week indulge in other games or movies or rockband... whatever. This game lasted over the fortnight because of real life commitments (i.e some of us work!) which meant the first half of this game was played out then 'paused' as we took an early night of it, I'm sure if it weren't for our commitments beyond playing silly games we'd have stayed up all night to finish it there and then,

And so.. from hazy recollection... the first half..

As I recall the pushing was done by a reckless Marty with many shotgun rounds being expended, due to the turn order for this game (we cycle the order of players in each game..) Denz would open the round usually thwarted by several cards from (me) the invader, or softening up targets then Ace would go, uninterrupted due to the carefull skill card she'd pick up a couple of kills or further soften large targets and then Marty would do a mad rush into the frey using killer instinct to wreck havoc among the invaders that are in play.

This procedure basically got the players pretty safely through the first 3 area's even exploring the mysterious and as yet undiscovered vault room... the vault, still closed. The players smashed their way through what I can only say was a paltry effort by the invaders to stall them, seemingly via the tactic 'we'll stop them with our mounting corpses'

And so, with an Archville recently spawned into play, the players had reached area 4 and only two deaths to account for the game was called to a pause.

I took some pic's of the pause so if the board were disturbed we could set it back up.

 Left: this single Archvile taunted and followed Denz.

Right: the point at which the players reached as we decided to pause the game. with blue marine (Marty) about to get locked in and devoured



Left: this is what happens when Ace gets bored waiting for her turn... one of our pet bearded dragons becomes integral to a 'dice stacking game'

So to part two of this shenanigans.

With the aid of some beer and the promise of food after the game, the players launched into this round of play, through some trickery the invader quickly came up with a third kill almost straight away, using the lock-in card along with a few other bits to nail down a separated Marty and then separate Marty's body parts form each other.

This allowed a spawn which Marty (ab)used to spawn across the room sweeping up tokens as he went and getting the 2nd part of the unlock for the vault. With this new occurrence Denz went back via area 3 running for the vault room eagre to find what was inside, meanwhile Marty and Ace dispatched a wandering Mancubus and Hellknight, Ace taking great pride in nearly outright killing the HK in one shot... With Denz completing his mad rush back through the level only to be caught short by the Archvile and a lone Imp on his return taking substantial damage.

Ace and Marty were doing all the could to make entry into area 6 both of them very low on health this struggle ends badly as Denz comes running into Area 4 only to see the blood and viscera of his team-mates being liberally applied to the walls, the multiple Trites of area 6 weakened Ace to a critical level and Marty had once more re-spawned into action ever eager to be right at the front ready for his killer instinct ability to overpower whatever he chooses to get angry at.

However, in the furor of getting the red key, and trying to regroup the team It's all a bit too much the Invaders, mostly Archvile and Hellhights at this stage;  proving too strong to simply run past and ignore, and too tough to take down easily. The players enter into the corridor leading to area 5 with only a few points of health each and 4 kills stacked against them. In the battle of what has come to be known as 'the café of wooden benches' Denz decides that his SMG needs a break... and so, promptly breaks it while attempting to see of a Z-Sec Zombie which frustraitingly just refuses to die (even to the point that when he does kill the damn thing, I spawned another one in the spot where it had just died!!)

The card deck was perilously low at this point... and if the deck runs out its an immediate frag against the players, so they were all tooo aware that just 1 more death would be too much.

With Zombies chasing them and the corridor of area 5 stacked with even more ferocious Hellknights the marines put their game faces on... BFG time... a slight oversight of range meaning that in the flash of instatanious death that see's off a Hellknight and 2 archville, the blast is enough to remove half of the already damaged Marty.

This assault coupled with chain-guns all-round means that nothing can withstand the onslaught the marines now present. The amount of ammo being expended enough to reforge into a small monument to the marines, chain-guns wielded by Marty and Ace buzzing and spewing out death before them.

So the players jauntily wade through the sludge and gore that was once a corridor full of hell-spawned deamons and then...

Klaxxons sound, lights flash... The last card is drawn from the invader deck, and the 'timer' frag is added to the pile, that's now 5 frags stacked up, not a single one of the marines has more than 4 hit points remaining and they know all too well that the next room has a Cyberdemon waiting.

So, with BFG's drawn, the remaining chain-gun whirring a buzz of anticipation and a small discussion on how best to get through the teleporter, the marines make entry into Area 7.

Ace goes through, and shreds the Zombies that confront her upon materialisation followed swiftly by Marty who in swift and direct action rushes the remains of the mob and dispatches them with good old fashioned buckshot to the face at point blank range.

The team Commander then injects himself with the experimental concoction of steroids and adrenaline resulting in him entering a berserker mode.. and jumps through the teleport.

Thanks to the players being clever with their turn order ... Marty makes 'sight' on the Cyberdemon and promptly takes out the Hellknight in one attack with his chain-gun ripping through it like hail stones would go through paper its demonic form splattering its innards in a cone behind it and then evaporating into ash as its demonic form burns away from our reality. In this same moment the chain-gun sputters then explodes leaving Marty holding its smouldering shell stood directly in front of a blood spattered Cyberdemon.

From behind them bellows Denz roaring out as he runs in, not even slowing down he dives through the obscuring steam barges past the bemused Marty starring at the wreck of his chain-gun and the giant daemon now towering over him. Denze pushes out his fist and charges headlong into the things gut, and straight out the other side dripping with its blood as it literally tears in two at the force of his monumental attack bellowing triumphantly as the unknown drugs start to leave his system... Ace dashes past, and they quickly make exit as a flow of zombies begins filling the room behind them coming inn via the teleporter.

LEVEL 2: THE SHORES OF HELL - COMPLETED!!

Level 2 - Game 3 - Session 4

As this game started it was clear exactly how it was going to play out, I was ever so slightly tipsy having been necking rum & coke all afternoon and although I could still think straight, It's fair to say the invaders were acting a little more irrationally than normal.

Coupled with the now powered up characters the invaders stood little chance, the starting area was cleared before the zombies and Daemon realized the marine players were there, the weapons that were scattered about quickly assimilated unto the players stacks of hardware.

The marines, led by a seemingly unstoppable wave of destruction; known as 'Denz' flushed the 1st area uncontested, the invaders scored a frag by focusing attacks on the weaker marine, the other two had increased armour levels, this meant I got some rather strong words and a stern look from Ace...

After having respawned, Ace then led the charge into the 2nd area, but as the door opened, an awaiting Archvile jumped around its concealing corner and got a 2nd frag on Ace. The team again headed by 'Denz the unstoppable' cleared out an impressive number of invaders via use of grenades and blow-through attacks. Even the perma-darkness of the 2nd area posed no threat and while Ace went toe to two with a Hellknight the other marines cleaned up any remnants of the smaller invaders. Denz felt the wrath of an overwhelming attack by a Zombie and a Maggot which unleashed an enraged attack rending armour from the beguiled Denz and then tearing a large and quite important section of his torso away leaving the marines remains to slump lifeless to the floor.

Even with Ace's new-found death dealing Assasin skill the Hellknight Nearly got the upper hand but failed to take enough health before it was filled with SMG ammo and reduced to a pile of smoldering demonic ash. Some tactical maneuver later and the marines made entry into the main room of the level, the 'Cafeteria'

The staggering size of this area, meant that the marines had to work together as best they could, staying together and creating a unified front, The massive invaders that dominate this room were splitting their attacks  between the marines, several smaller Trites and some Zombies managed to break open the defensive block of armour that was Marty, his extra armour shattering under repeated and constant attacks. As the marines attempted to make headway several ranged attacks took out the weakened Marty, a tirade of Imps and zombies had been pecking away at Ace's health and eventually she too succumbed to the numbers of attacks being made against her, leaving Denz the one true bane of the invaders backing away from three Cacodemons.

Ace respawned at the other end of the room, collecting a BFG, without ammo, she ran toward the seemingly doomed Denzil, he was carrying the all important plasma ammo which had been carried over from the 1st level, because of the turn order, Denz going before Ace, in the next round having avoided any significant damage from the closing Cacodemons Denz runs to Ace, hanging over the ammo, followed by Marty collecting several items around the cafeteria hall including a chain-gun which He immediately opens fire toward the Cacodemons; bullets raining out and chewing into their thick hides, Ace then slams home the plasma charge and incinerates the gaggle of Cacodemons.

The proximity to their remaining frag now weighing on there minds the marines entered Area 6 Ace holding the almighty Big Fucking Gun at the ready, Denzil ever vigilant for an extra kill with his Alert ability and Marty eager to kill everything he can get his chain-gun to point toward. All the invaders of Area 6 are met with swift and deadly greetings from the marines weapons, Ace obliterating a Hellknight and an Archvile in one blast, a crowd of Trites evaporate as a grenade from Denz lands among them, and running in after, the manic grin of Marty seen in the strobing flashes of his chain-gun tearing away the frail bodies of two other Archviles.

The marine players decide to attempt to push forward and onward their shattered and bloodied bodies nearing exhaustion and win or die state of mind keeping their feet moving, as they ran toward the locked Yellow security door, Denz calls over their communicators "run for it, I'm grabbing a health pack, I'll follow behind"

That was not a good idea, the brief spilt of the marines allowing the invaders to spawn in several Imps and Zombies... enough to ambush and defeat the very low on health Denzil.