I have always loved zombie movies, games and media of any sort. Recently, I have begun my journey into the dark, deep world of tabletop gaming. Therefore, it only makes sense to fuse the two together into an ongoing project of mine...
D20 of the Dead!
Yes, I am designing a 3d6 tabletop gaming experience designed to toss players into the heart of a zombie apocalypse and see what occurs. I've got my playmats, my hundreds of zombie miniatures, a complete rule set, and more...but what I need from you, the readers of the Escapist, is IMAGINATION!
You see, I am setting this campaign in an open world of urban, suburban and rural areas, which allows the players to chart their own course through the chaos surrounding them...but that is not enough! I need CINEMATIC MOMENTS to keep attention hooked, HIGHLIGHTS to accentuate encounters and UNIQUE EXPERIENCES to keep things fresh. I have assembled an assortment of ideas, mostly based on zombie media I have previously played, seen or read, but I am just one man! I need perspective and critical review! And that is where your mission begins, should you choose to accept it...
What do YOU think would happen in a zombie apocalypse? What deranged survivors would the players encounter, what exotic locales would they explore, what insane plots would be revealed?
Feel free to go nuts, but please TRY to follow these basic guidlines:
- Romero zombies ONLY- We're talking shamblers here, folks. Slow and steady wins the brains.
- Limit the amount of dangerous survivors- Gunwielding psycopaths are the most dangerous thing in this setting; I can't throw too many at once at my players.
- Set the scene- Please try to incorperate your scenario into the urban, suburban, or rural locale.
- Think small(ish)- Brutal gangs are fine, but please no authoritarian governments.
- Scenarios, not encounters- I already have systems to control looting, adds, and the like, so I'm looking for the setting, not what happens (although specific things are ok).
Some examples from my campaign ideas:
- Players discover group of survivors holed up in a warehouse on the city waterfront. The warehouse is surrounded by zombies, and 6 friendly survivors are trapped inside with an ample supply of food and water. There is an electric generator which provides power to a computer in the manager's office, where the leader of the survivors, Dave, spends his time. Over time, the bleak news coming over the internet will cause Dave to go insane through desperation and dispair, eventually leading to an attempt to open the warehouse doors and let in the zombies. This will occur after two (2) weeks or if the players confront him about his condition.
- Players encounter a sobbing priest who tells them of the fall of his church's sanctuary. Father Oriely fled the scene after seeing his fellow clergyman turn into a zombie, and he feels he has done his friend a disservice by not giving him release from his damnation. He will attempt to recruit the players into accompanying him back to the church to put the zombie priest to rest. The chapel is crawling with zombies, but if the players succeed, Oriely will reward them with an engraved .44 magnum named "Revelations" which provides a +1 on attack rolls if it is given, but not if it is stolen. Father Oriely will attempt to rebuild his church and try to find more surviors.
These are just two of the many ideas I have in store...but I want to know what YOU think. What is YOUR zombie apocalypse scenario? I will edit this post to include ideas I think will fit in the campaign.
TL;DR? ZOMBIES BE COMING UP THE HELL RIGHT NOW! GRAB THE SHOTGUN!
D20 of the Dead!
Yes, I am designing a 3d6 tabletop gaming experience designed to toss players into the heart of a zombie apocalypse and see what occurs. I've got my playmats, my hundreds of zombie miniatures, a complete rule set, and more...but what I need from you, the readers of the Escapist, is IMAGINATION!
You see, I am setting this campaign in an open world of urban, suburban and rural areas, which allows the players to chart their own course through the chaos surrounding them...but that is not enough! I need CINEMATIC MOMENTS to keep attention hooked, HIGHLIGHTS to accentuate encounters and UNIQUE EXPERIENCES to keep things fresh. I have assembled an assortment of ideas, mostly based on zombie media I have previously played, seen or read, but I am just one man! I need perspective and critical review! And that is where your mission begins, should you choose to accept it...
What do YOU think would happen in a zombie apocalypse? What deranged survivors would the players encounter, what exotic locales would they explore, what insane plots would be revealed?
Feel free to go nuts, but please TRY to follow these basic guidlines:
- Romero zombies ONLY- We're talking shamblers here, folks. Slow and steady wins the brains.
- Limit the amount of dangerous survivors- Gunwielding psycopaths are the most dangerous thing in this setting; I can't throw too many at once at my players.
- Set the scene- Please try to incorperate your scenario into the urban, suburban, or rural locale.
- Think small(ish)- Brutal gangs are fine, but please no authoritarian governments.
- Scenarios, not encounters- I already have systems to control looting, adds, and the like, so I'm looking for the setting, not what happens (although specific things are ok).
Some examples from my campaign ideas:
- Players discover group of survivors holed up in a warehouse on the city waterfront. The warehouse is surrounded by zombies, and 6 friendly survivors are trapped inside with an ample supply of food and water. There is an electric generator which provides power to a computer in the manager's office, where the leader of the survivors, Dave, spends his time. Over time, the bleak news coming over the internet will cause Dave to go insane through desperation and dispair, eventually leading to an attempt to open the warehouse doors and let in the zombies. This will occur after two (2) weeks or if the players confront him about his condition.
- Players encounter a sobbing priest who tells them of the fall of his church's sanctuary. Father Oriely fled the scene after seeing his fellow clergyman turn into a zombie, and he feels he has done his friend a disservice by not giving him release from his damnation. He will attempt to recruit the players into accompanying him back to the church to put the zombie priest to rest. The chapel is crawling with zombies, but if the players succeed, Oriely will reward them with an engraved .44 magnum named "Revelations" which provides a +1 on attack rolls if it is given, but not if it is stolen. Father Oriely will attempt to rebuild his church and try to find more surviors.
These are just two of the many ideas I have in store...but I want to know what YOU think. What is YOUR zombie apocalypse scenario? I will edit this post to include ideas I think will fit in the campaign.
TL;DR? ZOMBIES BE COMING UP THE HELL RIGHT NOW! GRAB THE SHOTGUN!