Zombie Poll

[Edsel]

This Saturday I will be running my zombie game again. My zombies have been based on the traditional zombie and the Hero Designer version of them can be found here (http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20809), 2nd post. The remainder of the thread tells more about my game thus far.

I recently bought and watched the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. These zombies parted from the traditional model in that they are not slow shamblers. They can move as fast as a normal person. Since they don't tire perhaps they are even faster.

What do you think zombies for a classic Dawn of the Dead type game should be like.

[SirViss]

I just think that giving the players a few phases on how to "get out of here!" probably just ramps up the tension. :eg:

[waiwode]

Okay. I love the fast zombies of 28 Days and DoD '04. But.

Some of the best bits in a zombie game are the effects of slowly encroaching, inexorable horror. Still, I normally give zombies a "spurt" ability, a quick lurching shamble that will catch players quite off guard:
Spd 2, Move 4" no Non-Combat Move Zombies? +5" Running, useable 2/day for 1 phase, only when within 5" of prey, Activate 11-. Still a lot slower than a person over a stretch, but a sudden 5" half-move can put the chomp on a character when they least expect it.

I'll share with you a cool scene from another zombie game I ran.

Driving, they come across a recently boarded up gas station. Always needing gas they cautiously approach. They aren't hailed or shot. After clearing away the local "geeks" they explore. In the "check-out" section they find lots of snack wrappers, empty pop cans, and spent casings.

From the dark garage they hear a weird rustling. They get a light on it ... hanging from the forks of the auto-lift is a zombie, thrashing wildly and swinging back and forth ... the garage attendant who barricaded himself in, then, out of ammo and food and surrounded by zombies, hung himself.

(Of course with no life to attract them the "geeks" began to disperse.)

No real threat, but it was the best "atmosphere" scene of the day.

Doug.

[bblackmoor]

Okay, that's just creepy.

I do really like the effect of the turbo-zombies in 28 Days Later, particularly the one who runs around the mansion at the end (very scary), but in general I still prefer the shambling type. However, I also borrow a trick from Feng Shui, and give zombies and other slow, shambling monsters the ability to cover additional ground when no one is looking (additional Running with Invisible Power Effects).

[Longshot]

Okay. I love the fast zombies of 28 Days and DoD '04. But.

Some of the best bits in a zombie game are the effects of slowly encroaching, inexorable horror. Still, I normally give zombies a "spurt" ability, a quick lurching shamble that will catch players quite off guard:
Spd 2, Move 4" no Non-Combat Move Zombies? +5" Running, useable 2/day for 1 phase, only when within 5" of prey, Activate 11-. Still a lot slower than a person over a stretch, but a sudden 5" half-move can put the chomp on a character when they least expect it.

I'll share with you a cool scene from another zombie game I ran.

Driving, they come across a recently boarded up gas station. Always needing gas they cautiously approach. They aren't hailed or shot. After clearing away the local "geeks" they explore. In the "check-out" section they find lots of snack wrappers, empty pop cans, and spent casings.

From the dark garage they hear a weird rustling. They get a light on it ... hanging from the forks of the auto-lift is a zombie, thrashing wildly and swinging back and forth ... the garage attendant who barricaded himself in, then, out of ammo and food and surrounded by zombies, hung himself.

(Of course with no life to attract them the "geeks" began to disperse.)

No real threat, but it was the best "atmosphere" scene of the day.

Doug.

My "something else" vote was for this way cool idea.

[Rapier]

My campaign is full of zombies, vampires, ghosts etc.

To keep the players on their toes I mix things up quite a bit.

Lesser Undead Zombie: slow, shambly
Greater Undead Zombie: fast, mean and hungry
Voodoo Zombie: Aunt Shirley who has had her mind wiped by a voodooist

I've done the same kind of thing with vampires. I have four different species of vampire in my campaign, each with its own vulnerabilities and susceptibilities (around the central vampire theme).

I did this, mostly, so that the players never have a "oh, gee, another zombie, whatever shall I do? :woeful gesture:"

[DRThrush]

I voted "somthing else", because I do the "they're faster when you ain't lookin'" zombies, as mentioned above.

I like to throw in some zombie dogs too, for the "they're fast when yer lookin' at 'em too" zombies.

-Dave

[Vanguard]

I voted "fast DoD '04 type" although I probably should've voted "something else".

I wasn't really thinking about it until I read some of the posts here but I think I'd prefer a mix of zombies. Some of them the speedy type from DoD and some of the slow shamblers from the original. (I don't consider 28 Day's "zombies").

BTW, nice "atmosphere" effect there Waiwode.

[waiwode]

Thanks for the kudos. It's not me, I just write this stuff. It's the evil worm in my brain that thinks all this stuff up! :)

Doug.

[Edsel]

I like the faster-if-unseen movement. I may revamp my zombies for Saturday's game and give that a try. Sounds like 28 Days Later is a movie I need to rent.

[bblackmoor]

I like the faster-if-unseen movement. I may revamp my zombies for Saturday's game and give that a try.

If you haven't read it, you should track down a copy of Feng Shui. It has all kinds of really cool schticks for action-movie style games. Converting them to H5 is not usually very difficult.


Sounds like 28 Days Later is a movie I need to rent.

Oh, it's awesome. I would have to say that it's my favorite zombie movie, and not just for the scary zombies: it's a really good movie on a lot of different levels. It is also unusual in that I prefer the theatrical release to the "alternate ending", which is almost never the case.

[waiwode]

I like the faster-if-unseen movement. I may revamp my zombies for Saturday's game and give that a try. Sounds like 28 Days Later is a movie I need to rent.

d00d! 28 Days is an awesome zombie movie, it really is a must. And if you can stand to watch through it again, it is one of the few movies for whihc the Directors Commentary is a good thing. I devoured all the extras, and I normally don't pay much attention to them at all.

My favourite zombie movie of the last ten years. Well, other than Shaun of the Dead.

Doug.

[Rapier]

I like the faster-if-unseen movement. I may revamp my zombies for Saturday's game and give that a try. Sounds like 28 Days Later is a movie I need to rent.
DEFINATELY a must see. I've already seen it 7 times...and I don't own it yet! :)
Its kind of a Dawn of the Dead Meets Resident Evil. VERY good. I give it two rotten, undead thumbs up!

[Prometheus]

I would also have to recommend it. The explanation in the first sequence is kind of cheesy, but the whole thing turns disturbing in a heartbeat. And Frank is cool as hell.

Except for the tunnel scene (and a great scene at that), 28 Days zombies seem to come in small numbers. It's how they're able to multiply that makes them as nasty a threat as shambling hordes.

You may want to compromise on the zombies in game. Dropping a horde of shamblers on a group of PCs will make for good drama, but if a bunch of sprinters get the drop on them, it's over.

Maybe fresh zombies are stiff limbed shamblers, but a well fed zombie turns into a sprinter? Or maybe zombies are a twisted caricature of life in reverse, turning from the rigour mortis of the grave into frenzied predators?

[Captain Obvious]

I've never used zombies enough that I've felt I've needed to branch out from the traditional type (but I'm a staunch traditionalist, so I may never tire of them). However, the fast-when-unseen zombie is a damn good idea for ramping up horror.

Maybe, though, just maybe, in a modern day horror scenario, a fast zombie could have a place. Prometheus set me thinking...

Maybe a fresh zombie is stiff, mostly because of rigor mortis. The virus that causes zombieism can alter the chemical balance of muscular tissue enough to get the body to move, and partially counteract the rigor mortis. Eventually, the rigor mortis fades, partly due to viral effects and partly due to continuing natural decay. As this happens the zombie speeds up. Eventually, the zombie is as fast or faster as a normal human, but the decay process is only imperfectly held off by the virus. Eventually, the zombie gets real loose-limbed, and gets slower and weaker as a result. During this time, it begins to appear drunk, stumbling and falling often. At some point, the zombie can no longer walk, and begins a more rapid decline, as its ability to catch prey falls to almost nil. Soon after, the zombie is reduced to lying in wait for prey, appearing as a normal corpse right up until it grabs. This phase usually leads quickly to a final death unless it is able to sustain itself on numerous scavengers. Of course, the virus remains active in the corpse for at least a short while after final death, so careless handling of the remains may lead to infection. If rats and dogs are susceptible to the virus, a great many will be infected by scavenging.

[Susano]

If you haven't read it, you should track down a copy of Feng Shui. It has all kinds of really cool schticks for action-movie style games. Converting them to H5 is not usually very difficult.


Case in point: http://surbrook.devermore.net/herosource/fu.html

[bblackmoor]

Case in point: http://surbrook.devermore.net/herosource/fu.html

Who's the man? You're the man! Damned straight.

[Vanguard]

Semi-Spoiler for those that haven't seen 28 Day's later. Read at own Risk:




















Ok, I saw 28 Day's later when it first came out and was highly disappointed in it. To my way of thinking, it wasn't a zombie movie, it was a "rabid virus turns normal humans into animalistic cannibals".

Did I miss something or since I expected more I'm slightly biased?

[Badger]

I love Captain Obvious's recent explanation a couple of post back. I was starting to form an idea along that line somewhat. It really gives it some "oomph" in my opinion. It also does seem like a good idea to add other animals into possible zombie candidates somewhat. Mammals anyway.

Just my two cents. Course 2 cents cant buy anything nowadays. :nonp: :)

[bblackmoor]

To my way of thinking, it wasn't a zombie movie, it was a "rabid virus turns normal humans into animalistic cannibals".

That's like saying that Return Of The Living Dead isn't a zombie movie, it's a "toxic chemical turns normal humans into animalistic cannibals". By your this kind of definition, the only "real" zombie movie is the first one, White Zombie.

I think that's a little too restrictive a definition to be useful.

[Rapier]

I've never used zombies enough that I've felt I've needed to branch out from the traditional type (but I'm a staunch traditionalist, so I may never tire of them). However, the fast-when-unseen zombie is a damn good idea for ramping up horror.

Maybe, though, just maybe, in a modern day horror scenario, a fast zombie could have a place. Prometheus set me thinking...

Maybe a fresh zombie is stiff, mostly because of rigor mortis. The virus that causes zombieism can alter the chemical balance of muscular tissue enough to get the body to move, and partially counteract the rigor mortis. Eventually, the rigor mortis fades, partly due to viral effects and partly due to continuing natural decay. As this happens the zombie speeds up. Eventually, the zombie is as fast or faster as a normal human, but the decay process is only imperfectly held off by the virus. Eventually, the zombie gets real loose-limbed, and gets slower and weaker as a result. During this time, it begins to appear drunk, stumbling and falling often. At some point, the zombie can no longer walk, and begins a more rapid decline, as its ability to catch prey falls to almost nil. Soon after, the zombie is reduced to lying in wait for prey, appearing as a normal corpse right up until it grabs. This phase usually leads quickly to a final death unless it is able to sustain itself on numerous scavengers. Of course, the virus remains active in the corpse for at least a short while after final death, so careless handling of the remains may lead to infection. If rats and dogs are susceptible to the virus, a great many will be infected by scavenging.
Oh. I kind of like that. Rigor Mortis doesn't usually last more than 24 hours...but I could definately see zombies morphing. A freshly fed zombie is speedy and mean and a starvin zombie is slow and shambly. Or zombies start out fast and mean and as they start really falling apart get slow and shambly.

[Dog Soldier]

I've always loathed, hated, and despised zombie movies. Never liked the idea, it never made enough sense for me to even suspend disbelief. The never bloat up properly, no one ever smells them coming, they don't have large chunks fall off. Not to mention there are no maggots.

Zombies in no way resemble a proper corpse, re-animated or otherwise. Now if there was a zombie movie in which the pursuing zombies slowly fell apart until they were no longer capable of pursuit and dissolved into masses of writhing maggots I could buy it.

Of course there's not much thrill in the hero's just having to stay ahead of their pursuers for a couple of blocks. Not much thrill in having the hero's gag and hurl when they smell the zombies coming either. No movie zombies have anything like the sort of gross out factor that a reanimated corpse should cause.

In voodoo lore a zombie was suppose to be made from a fresh corpse after a difficult ritual. There shouldn't be swarms of them.

[bblackmoor]

Different strokes for different folks. Some people despise science fiction movies for the same reason. Ditto for fantasy. No harm in that.

[Dog Soldier]

Well, maybe if they were just a lot grosser. Zombies should be just freakin vile but they're not much past icky.

[Vanguard]

That's like saying that Return Of The Living Dead isn't a zombie movie, it's a "toxic chemical turns normal humans into animalistic cannibals". By your this kind of definition, the only "real" zombie movie is the first one, White Zombie.

I think that's a little too restrictive a definition to be useful.

In "Return of the Living Dead" the people did actually die (if I recall, it's been a loong time since I've seen it). I can't rember if they ever did in 28 Days.

In DoD, the people DID, in fact did die, so they were "zombies". You actually got to see them stop breathing etc and then they got back up.

As I stated before, maybe I went into it with a different mindset and expected something else (what, I'm not sure) so when I didn't get it, it turned me off the movie.

For those of you that did like it, why did you? What was it about the movie that made you like it? Maybe if I have a bit more information I can readjust my thinking and change my mind -- It's happened before. :)

[Susano]

Ok, I saw 28 Day's later when it first came out and was highly disappointed in it. To my way of thinking, it wasn't a zombie movie, it was a "rabid virus turns normal humans into animalistic cannibals".

Did I miss something or since I expected more I'm slightly biased?

IIRC, the director didn't want it labeled "a zombie movie." To him it was a biological terrorism horror film.

Oh, and people have sent me some zombie write-ups and I have posted them on my website.

28 Days Later Infected: http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptionsmovie/infected.html

Night of the Living Dead zombie: http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptionsmovie/livingdead.html

[Prometheus]

Ok, I saw 28 Day's later when it first came out and was highly disappointed in it. To my way of thinking, it wasn't a zombie movie, it was a "rabid virus turns normal humans into animalistic cannibals".

Did I miss something or since I expected more I'm slightly biased?



I've always loathed, hated, and despised zombie movies. Never liked the idea, it never made enough sense for me to even suspend disbelief. The never bloat up properly, no one ever smells them coming, they don't have large chunks fall off. Not to mention there are no maggots.

Some zombie movies have made an attempt at social commentary, so there's not alot of room for the gross out. Zombies aren't always old dead bodies either. Night of the Living Dead takes place in one night, and most of the dead are pretty fresh, 28 Days Later infects people, so you can argue they aren't dead, etc. It's also hard to maintain a level of suspense if you can always smell the dead coming for you.

If you're looking for the extreme (and very funny) gross out though, check out Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. Paper thin plot and wild zombie-physics, but the pudding and lawnmower scenes are... you just have to see them to believe them.

This is the same director who's Lord of the Rings trilogy won Oscars.

[Dog Soldier]

I'm a First Responder on a Volunteer Fire Department and I've seen fresh corpses. Most of those I've seen are in no conditions to get up and wander around no matter how you re-animated them. The infection things sort of works for me but I didn't really think of 28 Days as a zombie movie myself, same with Resident Evil. I didn't really like them that much but I never thought of the critters as zombies.

[Adventus]

And dont't miss: SHAUN OF THE DEAD. :)

Zombie slackers.

[Mark Taylor]

Zombies in no way resemble a proper corpse, re-animated or otherwise. Now if there was a zombie movie in which the pursuing zombies slowly fell apart until they were no longer capable of pursuit and dissolved into masses of writhing maggots I could buy it.

This is just how I do my zombies anyway (mostly products of Necromancy in fantasy games, because the Horror campaign I've run didn't involve zombies). Freshly-dead zombies are as fast as any living human. As they fall apart their muscles decay and they slow down. I tend to include maggots for the "eww" factor. A group of zombies piling on and wrestling your character to the ground is even more horrible if they're dripping maggots on you while they do it. If a Necomancer wants to animate completely decayed bodies (skeletons), that requires more difficult magic (in HERO System, increased END cost), because only the magic is holding them together.

[Mark Taylor]

Case in point: http://surbrook.devermore.net/herosource/fu.html

Interestingly I converted most of the Fu Schticks from Feng Shui to HERO System before I was aware of the versions on your site, and my take on many (if not most) of them is very different from yours. Maybe I'll post them online some time, provided you don't feel that would be stepping on your toes in any way, since you did it first. :)

[Just Joe]

OK, I'm going to discuss the main issue on which I disagree with a number of you first, and then give my more positive (and long and rambling) response afterward in another post.

I really really dislike the Feng Shui faster-when-you're-not-looking idea. It just doesn't make any sense. Rather than replicating an essential or otherwise desirable feature of the zombies or their world, this idea replicates a writer/director cop-out. Unless you're running a more than half comical game, I don't see why you'd want to do this, no matter how common it is in the movies.

[Captain Obvious]

I suppose it could be done wrong, and come out looking stupid. For instance, if the PCs get into a car and drive away from the shambling horde, out into the desert, and decide that they've got at least a day's head start when they stop to camp, that same group of zombies showing up would be pretty ludicrous.

On the other hand, if the characters drive up the street and wreck the car, but decide they have ten minutes or so to barricade the door to a nearby building, when that group of zombies shows up within a few minutes, it ramps up the fear.

Horror is all about things happening that shouldn't. People shouldn't change into animals, demonic aliens shouldn't be lurking in the antarctic, and dead bodies shouldn't move. Challenging the assumption that when dead bodies do move they stagger and shamble very slowly adds another layer of "shouldn't-ness" and adds to the horror.

I'm interested in seeing your longer explanation, though.

[Just Joe]

I did not vote in the poll, because I am too ambivalent. Slow and stupid zombies have a special place in my heart, but slow and stupid tends to get boring. Slow and stupid and uniform gets boring fast.

An added complication is that for all of HERO's many virtues, the interplay of speed and movement rate does not work well for chases and situations when one has to choose between fight and flight. Among players I know, nearly all 50+50 PC's would be 3 (or 4) speed and even most 25+25 PC's would be 3 speed. So just making zombies 2 speed with 6" running tends to make them slow compared to PC's. I have no completely satisfying solution to this problem, though that will not stop me from endorsing others' suggestions and making my own about how to make the zombies interesting.

I don't quite like Waiwode's suggestion about the +5" running on activation, because it seems too fast, and I would feel like I was "cheating" (not literally) if I did that. Nevertheless, I think there's something appealing about it, and I would like to suggest less powerful versions of the same basic idea. If you want zombies to speed up as they get closer to represent their increased urgency as they approach prey (and to challenge your PC's) you might give them a base 6" move and a disadvantage restricting their movement when not within a certain range of prey (e.g., use modified range chart, but no more than -3") or give them a slower movement base (3"-5") but allow them to try to push their running when close to prey (effectively 10- or 9- activation; maybe set it at +2" or +3" standard). In any event, I agree that they should not be allowed to make out-of-combat moves.

Also, I would allow the zombies to perform flying tackles or move-throughs or similar (perhaps specially designed) manuevers so that they could full move before attacking (even if that's just 4" or so).

I like DRThrush's idea of zombie dogs and perhaps other zombie mammals (I loved the cat from the original Reanimator* movie). Zombie rats could be cool, but you would have to find a managable way to deal with them logistically.

Something like Rapier's lesser, greater, and voodoo zombies sounds good, but I'm not sure whether you can make it fit in the particular game you're running. This (and the usefulness of other suggestions, discussed below) depends on your versions of the cause and nature of zombiehood. Maybe there are different strains of the virus, leading to faster or slower zombies (and stronger or weaker, etc.). Maybe it can infect the living who manifest partial symptoms while alive (the infection might or might not be curable). Maybe the quantity or quality of toxins affects the nature of the zombie.

These ideas blend into Prometheus' and others suggestions about faster or slower zombies based on various circumstances. Before reading these, my thought had been something like the following. The slow shamblers would include the long-dead, those who were slow before death (e.g., the very old), and those who suffered substantial brain or spinal cord damage before or after death. The fast would be the recently dead who were not slowed down by other factors. "Recent" in this context might be anywhere from an hour or two to weeks, depending on what suits you.

Don't forget to consider individual variation prior to death that might carry over. Small variations aren't worth the extra record keeping, but an occasional very strong and/or very big (maybe fat) zombie can be tougher and a bit more interesting. You might even consider a rare "high" Dex (11?)for a recently dead zombie. Whatever Dex you choose, consider giving them something like +2 OCV and -2 DCV (or design particular manuevers) to represent their all-out-attack style. I think I even made all my zombies 11 Dex once and decided they were not especially slow but were still very easy to hit because they didn't defend themselves (in a game that was high-powered enough that 4 Dex zombies never would have hit anyone).

* The climax of Reanimator also had some clever ideas about how things can go from "just" zombies to something more outrageous, and more dangerous.

It seems like I had a couple more ideas, but if so, I lost track of them.

BTW, Waiwode, I loved your hanging garage attendant. I'm going to look for opportunities to steal the idea -- and modify it to fit my game, of course.

[Just Joe]

. . . if the characters drive up the street and wreck the car, but decide they have ten minutes or so to barricade the door to a nearby building, when that group of zombies shows up within a few minutes, it ramps up the fear.I suppose so, but I would still feel like I was cheating. And my players might feel that way too -- which would lead to more irritation than fear.



Horror is all about things happening that shouldn't. People shouldn't change into animals, demonic aliens shouldn't be lurking in the antarctic, and dead bodies shouldn't move. Challenging the assumption that when dead bodies do move they stagger and shamble very slowly adds another layer of "shouldn't-ness" and adds to the horror.I agree in part, but I still think there should be a level of internal consistency. The players don't need to know the reasons for everything, but beyond the basic suspension of disbelief required for the genre type, I think players should be able to trust that the GM has a (perhaps secret) explanation as to how things happen as they do.



I'm interested in seeing your longer explanation, though.I hope I did not accidentally mislead you. I would not consider my second post in this thread an explanation. It's more a hodge-podge of commentary and suggestions.

[Labrat]

Use both. My experience with this kind of game is this... unless you only get together to play it once in a blue moon, you can only get so far with one carbon copy creature with only cosmetic alternating themes. Have reanimated body parts (Evil Dead, etc.), 'ghouls' (what I used to use as 'fast, fresher reanimated corpses long before DOTD04) and maybe a stray skeleton or two with just enough muscle mass to justify movement. You could have 'toxic zombies' that explode with acidic bile when hit (this works like a charm) and 'singers' that moan in a constant mind numbing pitch that threatens concentration, mental stability and every nerve.

My experience is that the GM tires of running a game with only one type of threat (or two, the 'single zombie' and the 'ungodly horde'). It gets played really fast.

Just re-watched DOTD04. Boy am I happy that they went for the 'fast zombie' in that. Talk about counter-genre (save for '28 days later', but I don't consider them 'zombies'). Bravo!

Good luck, and remember 'beat 'em or burn 'em, they go up pretty easy'.

[Badger]

You also could have them "age" depending on where it is taking place. Rotting tends to go faster in hot steamy jungle than it would in frozen wasteland. So a zombie in the South Pacific would be shorter lived than that one in Alaska.

[Badger]

Though I do have to admit the not being able to smell them coming has always bothered me a bit. Course the absence of maggots not so much. Just a little bit too much. Getting tackled by a bunch of zombies and then having maggots pour onto you well you just might have to make a save vs. insanity. :)

[jackalope]

I just watched Dawn of the Dead, and then got onlien and noticed this poll. Creepy!

I voted for Other. I think it should depend on how fresh the zombie is. A fresh kill that has just risen should be every bit as fast and strong as a normal person pushing himself to their limits, and running on full adrenalin.

Four hours after death, rigor mortis begins to set in. The zombie begins to slow down. After 12 hours, rigor mortis has completely set in, and the zombie becomes the slow lurching horror we all know and love. From this point decay begins, and it slowly falls apart, collapsing into goo after about three or four weeks (in warm, humid climes) or three or four months (in drier, colder climes).

[Just Joe]

I've been thinking more about non-human zombies today (mammals only*). Besides, rats, cats, and dogs, here's what I've come up with.

Medium-to-large monkeys and/or apes could really work, especially if they appear early as part of the outbreak (from a research center a la "The Hot Zone" -- scary non-fiction, though not with zombies).

A zombified zoo could be interesting, though it might be hard not to make it comical (but if you want comedy, it could be great). Zombie lions and tigers and bears could be very nasty, though I'm not sure the viceral fears of animal predators and of the dead walking mesh well. Elephants and rhinos risk goofiness, but could be quite deadly. Giraffes, pandas, and sloths are suitable for comedy only, but they're VERY suitable for that purpose.

Without going to the zoo, you can call on zombie squirrels (actually pretty nasty if it really happened, but hard to take seriously in a game). Zombie bats** metaphorically hover at the edge of silliness, but you might be able to make them work. Like many of the suggestions above (but not the giraffes and such), they would certainly work in a game with just an edge of black humor. Making them work in a more serious game would be more challenging, but is not out of the question.

* For anyone going firmly in the comic direction, consider zombie woodpeckers, cockroaches, frogs, and many others. For less comical games, snakes and alligators might be worthwhile, but then you have to come up with an excuse for not having zombie turtles.

** There are vampire bats. Why not zombie bats? Heck, maybe they could be zombie vampire bats. Actually, this could make another interesting early appearance, especially if the PC's don't know what they're up against. Maybe they'll think the bats were sent by a vampire and wonder why they're so putrid. Bats, BTW, are very prone to rabies due to their close quarters living and social nature. I imagine a zombie virus could spread quickly among them.

[Toadmaster]

I'm undecided so I put something else. The traditionalist in me says slow moving shamblers but the fast movers in 28 days later and the new DotD are really cool.

BTW for those who don't think 28 days later and / resident evil are zombies why?

[Labrat]

I'm undecided so I put something else. The traditionalist in me says slow moving shamblers but the fast movers in 28 days later and the new DotD are really cool.

BTW for those who don't think 28 days later and / resident evil are zombies why?

The 28 Days Later breed were 'infected'. They never died, they just gave in to the Rage.

[Rapier]

The 28 Days Later breed were 'infected'. They never died, they just gave in to the Rage.
A houghan (sp?) gives you a potion. You drink the potion and get a blank expression on your face. The voodoo master gives you an order and you do it, since the potion has taken away your will. You are a zombie...and you are still very much alive.

Don't get bogged down in definitions. Gaming can be much more fun if you push the envelope. Your players will also be appreciative as it will keep them on their toes and make things more fun for them.

[Dog Soldier]

A houghan (sp?) gives you a potion. You drink the potion and get a blank expression on your face. The voodoo master gives you an order and you do it, since the potion has taken away your will. You are a zombie...and you are still very much alive.

Don't get bogged down in definitions. Gaming can be much more fun if you push the envelope. Your players will also be appreciative as it will keep them on their toes and make things more fun for them.


That makes it sound like taking Ecstasy at a Rave :rockon:

[Susano]

Interestingly I converted most of the Fu Schticks from Feng Shui to HERO System before I was aware of the versions on your site, and my take on many (if not most) of them is very different from yours. Maybe I'll post them online some time, provided you don't feel that would be stepping on your toes in any way, since you did it first. :)

No problem. I'd even love to host them, so we can have even more FS/HERO goodness. And for the record, I have two versions of some fictional characters on my site -- some by me, and some sent in by others. I have no problem with it.

[Labrat]

A houghan (sp?) gives you a potion. You drink the potion and get a blank expression on your face. The voodoo master gives you an order and you do it, since the potion has taken away your will. You are a zombie...and you are still very much alive.

Don't get bogged down in definitions. Gaming can be much more fun if you push the envelope. Your players will also be appreciative as it will keep them on their toes and make things more fun for them.

That's acceptable too. I think that if you would take a poll of those interested, though, we like our zombies of the 'returner' flavor. Nothing wrong with your alternative though, it's just less scary IMO.