We’ve introduced you to Maya, the waitress who turned a cleaver into a weapon of war. We’ve terrified you with Matriarch Elara and her enforcer, Silas the Self-Flayed.Now, it’s time to smash these two forces together.Below is a narrative mission brief designed for Zombicide style games (or adaptable to any d20 modern RPG). It uses the specific character traits of the STLs we’ve created to tell a story on the tabletop.Print this blog post out, fire up your 3D printer, and get ready for a siege.

MISSION BRIEF: THE LIBERATION OF JOE'S DINER

THE SITUATION Maya has gathered three terrified civilians and holed up in the only defensible structure left: Joe’s Diner. They have food, water, and thin walls.Outside, the humming has started. The Skin Saints have surrounded the building. They aren't mindlessly bashing on the windows like regular zombies. They are waiting for a command. Matriarch Elara stands in the street, watching the diner with serene patience, while Silas slowly drags his chains toward the front door.MAP SETUP

• Center: A 2x2 tile area representing the Diner (must have at least two doors and windows).
• Surrounding: Street tiles enclosing the diner.
• Deployment: Place Maya and 3 "Civilian Objective Tokens" inside the Diner. Place Matriarch Elara and Silas at the furthest edge of the street tiles.

OBJECTIVES

• Survivor Goal (Maya): SURVIVE for 8 Rounds OR Escape with at least 2 Civilians off the map edge.
• Enemy Goal (Skin Saints): "Liberate" (Capture) all 3 Civilians.

SPECIAL RULES1. The Fanatic's Hum (Psychological Warfare) The Saints don't groan; they hum a terrifying, synchronized chant.

• Effect: Any Survivor attempting a Ranged Attack while inside the Diner suffers a -1 penalty to their die roll due to the maddening sound echoing off the walls.

2. We Do Not Kill, We Save (Capture Mechanic) The Skin Saints do not want to eat you; they want to flay you alive later.

• Effect: If a Skin Saint (Walker/Runner) reduces a Civilian or Survivor to 0 Health, do not remove the model as a casualty. Instead, lay the model on its side. They are "Subdued."
• Effect: A Skin Saint can spend an action to pick up a Subdued character and carry them toward the map edge. If they leave the map, that character is lost forever (flayed). Maya must kill the carrying Saint to free them.

3. Silas, The Breacher Silas is designed to break things.

• Effect: Silas does not need to roll to open doors. If he ends his movement adjacent to a closed door, it is automatically destroyed.

4. Elara's Command The Matriarch directs the flow of battle.

• Effect: As long as Elara is on the board, all Skin Saint "Runners" get one extra action per turn.

GET THE MODELS TO PLAY THE SCENARIOThis mission is playable with proxies, but it only truly comes alive when you have the actual characters on the board.

• 👉 [Download Maya, The Lone Waitress]
• 👉 [Download The Skin Saints Bundle (Elara & Silas)]

Good luck, Survivors. You're going to need it.