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Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas


Battlestaff

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Okay, this last weekend I was watching Night of the Living Dead. This was because I had recently finished reading The Zombie Survival Guide. I got to thinking that this would be a good setting for a short campaign.

 

The characters are going to be heroic level characters. As they are supposed to be normal people (and are encouraged to base the characters on themselves), I am going to keep an eye on the builds (no super-ninja's or anything like that).

 

The plot would start well into a strong infestation, when things really start to collapse. There will still be pockets of humans running around, and society has only recently begun to really fall apart (food shipments slow down then stop, power goes out, etc.).

 

The meta plot would involve the players trying to get to a "safe place." What exactly this will be I have not defined. I'm thinking a prison, since they are already designed to be hard to get into, but that can always be changed. Anyway, it hwill be far enough away to make the trip interesting, but not so far that the trip is too risky. As a side benefit, if the campaign is going well, things can always be shaken up to continue on with the game (the place was overrun, someone else has taken over and won't let the players in, etc.)

 

What I'm looking for are some ideas for single game session ideas. I already have the meta-plot worked out, as well as the first several adventures (scrounging and supplying, checking for survivors, hints and rumors of a nearer "safe place," etc.)

 

Any ideas you can come up with will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any suggestions in advance.

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

This is actually a fairly popular subject on this forum. Several of our boardmates have run zombie horror survival campaigns, and have posted the logs from their games. I'm sure you'd be able to cull ideas from the scenarios they describe (and they also make fun readin'):

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20809

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27152

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27153

 

Other folks have posted various pre-generated characters suitable for such a game, which you may use as inspiration for your own characters, as NPCs or even PCs:

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27876

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26435

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14168

 

In case you weren't aware of it, William Mistretta's excellent Twilight of the Dead website is practically a required resource for zombie survival horror using HERO, exploring the genre and its varients, delineating the rules from HERO most appropriate to it, and of course writing up zombies themselves. The fact that it's based on George Romero's "Living Dead" film world would make it even more relevant to what you want to do:

 

http://www.yamoslair.com/totd.html

 

I hope you find some of that helpful. :)

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

One thing to keep in mind is the NotLD Zombies are an order of magnitude deadlier and almost impossible to kill or eradicate in comparison to Romero's Dawn of the Dead Zombies.

 

They don't spread a contagion like Romero's, but they also can't be killed by brain injury. Just plain icky if you ask me.

 

I've yet to see a write up that captures the aspects of that style of Zombie or the unique problems they'd represent to roleplayers (a almost impossible to kill swarm attack foe)

 

TB

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

One thing to keep in mind is the NotLD Zombies are an order of magnitude deadlier and almost impossible to kill or eradicate in comparison to Romero's Dawn of the Dead Zombies.

 

They don't spread a contagion like Romero's, but they also can't be killed by brain injury. Just plain icky if you ask me.

 

I've yet to see a write up that captures the aspects of that style of Zombie or the unique problems they'd represent to roleplayers (a almost impossible to kill swarm attack foe)

 

TB

 

Ummm, Night of the Living Dead is where that whole shoot them in the head thing came from, you know movie done by George Romero at a friends house, chocolate syrup for blood and all that. Or is there another Night of the living dead I don't know about (seriously there could be).

 

I think you are thinking of Return of the living dead where the zombies pretty much couldn't die, except by incineration which just spread the zombification.

 

 

Battlestaff, another thought for a place to send them (because personally I wouldn't go near a prison, too many live people I'd be worried about) is a secure government facility, military base, research facility, even a power plant or oil refinery, these types of places tend to have pretty secure walls or fences, sturdy buildings etc without the concern for "bad" people, besides alot of prisons have morgues and / or cemetarys.

 

That Zombie Survival Guide is great, you also might check out All Flesh Must Be Eaten, it is a well done Zombie RPG great as a game or as a reference, it even has a random zombie ability table.

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

Ummm, Night of the Living Dead is where that whole shoot them in the head thing came from, you know movie done by George Romero at a friends house, chocolate syrup for blood and all that. Or is there another Night of the living dead I don't know about (seriously there could be).

 

I think you are thinking of Return of the living dead where the zombies pretty much couldn't die, except by incineration which just spread the zombification.

 

 

Battlestaff, another thought for a place to send them (because personally I wouldn't go near a prison, too many live people I'd be worried about) is a secure government facility, military base, research facility, even a power plant or oil refinery, these types of places tend to have pretty secure walls or fences, sturdy buildings etc without the concern for "bad" people, besides alot of prisons have morgues and / or cemetarys.

 

That Zombie Survival Guide is great, you also might check out All Flesh Must Be Eaten, it is a well done Zombie RPG great as a game or as a reference, it even has a random zombie ability table.

My mistake, I was refering to Return of the Living Dead.

 

It was the "Living Dead" part that threw me, Romero's stuff only had "Dead" in the title after the first, and the Zombies I was talking about were in the follow on "Living Dead" movies.

 

TB

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

My mistake, I was refering to Return of the Living Dead.

 

It was the "Living Dead" part that threw me, Romero's stuff only had "Dead" in the title after the first, and the Zombies I was talking about were in the follow on "Living Dead" movies.

 

TB

 

Well then I agree with you, those zombies would take all the fun out of a zombie infestation, fast, semi-intelligent ("send more paramedics"), and basically unkillable. I think spear gun is the only option, nail them to telephone poles and such. As I recall though they electrocute them in the second one, but its been along time since I've seen those movies, I do remember nuking them was a bad idea.

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

Well then I agree with you' date=' those zombies would take all the fun out of a zombie infestation, fast, semi-intelligent ("send more paramedics"), and basically unkillable. I think spear gun is the only option, nail them to telephone poles and such. As I recall though they electrocute them in the second one, but its been along time since I've seen those movies, I do remember nuking them was a bad idea.[/quote']The third movie in the series showed that electrocution just stunned them for a prolonged period, still didn't kill them.

 

TB

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

Well then I agree with you' date=' those zombies would take all the fun out of a zombie infestation, fast, semi-intelligent ("send more paramedics"), and basically unkillable. I think spear gun is the only option, nail them to telephone poles and such. As I recall though they electrocute them in the second one, but its been along time since I've seen those movies, I do remember nuking them was a bad idea.[/quote']

 

 

Nuking them would be a good idea........from orbit.....and never go back. :D

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

As an example of holing up in a prison for protection from the living dead check out "The Walking Dead" a comic by Robert Kirkman. It's been collected into several graphic novels (volume 3 is when the prison enters the picture).

 

http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Dead-Vol-Days-Gone/dp/1582403589

 

It's a mostly character driven series that's not all about splattering zombie brains everywhere and is well worth a read.

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

I've always wanted to do something like this. The kicker? I'd tell them "Build a modern day character, X number of points. Anything you want" (screening out the super ninja and stuff, of course). Dont let on that it's a Zombie attack or anything until . . . strange things start happening. Then spring it on them and watch the fun.

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

I've always wanted to do something like this. The kicker? I'd tell them "Build a modern day character' date=' X number of points. Anything you want" (screening out the super ninja and stuff, of course). Dont let on that it's a Zombie attack or anything until . . . strange things start happening. Then spring it on them and watch the fun.[/quote']

 

 

I'd like to run or play in a game like this, but the problem is what to do about players who dislike the genre. As unlikely as it seems not everybody likes zombies which really is a shame. :thumbup:

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

InputJack ran a short zombie apocolypse game a couple of months ago. It was pretty fun. I played an up-and-coming college football star. I was jealous of one of the NPC ideas, though. IJ created an NPC that was a guy who was at a sci-fi convention when the attack started. He was dressed as a Klingon with full leather armor and had a bat'leth sword.

 

Why didn't I think of that!?!

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

Personally, I'd really recommend decreasing character power level. As I mentioned in the '39 point me' thread, I and all the folks in my group were built on 50 points or less. At most, I'd allow a Competent Normal point level (50/50pts.)

 

The folks in Zombie movies tend to be random normal folks thrown together, not something like a rock star, pro athlete, military intel specialist, etc. Giving the players more skills makes the world less scary.

 

I just watched 'Dawn of the Dead' last night, and rather think such a game would be fun as well.

 

As for scenarios, just reemmber to never let them get complacent with their surroundings. The thing about 'Dawn' that was great was that their stronghold was eventually ruined, not by zombies, but by a biker gang. In a world where it's everyone for themselves, humans will be humans' worst enemies.

 

I also like the idea of saddling PCs with responsibilies for DNPC types. Make them find the children that have been living in the ruins, eating out of garbage cans. Overburden them, and see if they make the tough decision to sacrifice their NPCs to save their own bacon. :)

 

Even in places free of zombies, the PCs may also have to deal with other real threats. Disease, from all the corpses around, then you have to start thinking about things like packs of dogs loooking for food. If the dogs are immune to the contagion that turns people into zombies, but eat the meat, are they then able to transmit it via bites? That could make every carnivore scary.

 

I'm not sure how to simulate the effect of stress upon the players, but if the group starts with a reasonable number of NPCs, you'd get the joy of some committing suicide from the pressure.

 

Hope some of these thoughts come in useful.

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

This thread seems to be the best place to suggest something thats been poking around in my head for a while...

 

We should do a write up for Solanum Zombies, ala the Zombie Survival Guide.

They're a bit different than Romero Zombies

 

One thing that I think could make a huge difference in game play that I haven't seen yet is an idea I had for the write up...

 

Phys. Limit: No awareness of threat: Always considered "Out of Combat" against ranged attacks...1/2 dcv, Hit Location Penalties are 1/2 normal

 

This makes the zombies a whole lot easier for our shoopkeeper and schoolteacher PC's to blow away, and makes even a mediocre combatant like a mall security guard, nationalk guardsman or beat cop into a significant tactical advantage for the good guys. Seems to fit the genre to a "T" and allows the PC's to only drop a few XP in to targeting PSL's rather than blowing 16 or more points making themselves into 733+ zOMBIE Killorzs

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

This thread seems to be the best place to suggest something thats been poking around in my head for a while...

 

We should do a write up for Solanum Zombies, ala the Zombie Survival Guide.

They're a bit different than Romero Zombies

 

One thing that I think could make a huge difference in game play that I haven't seen yet is an idea I had for the write up...

 

Phys. Limit: No awareness of threat: Always considered "Out of Combat" against ranged attacks...1/2 dcv, Hit Location Penalties are 1/2 normal

 

This makes the zombies a whole lot easier for our shoopkeeper and schoolteacher PC's to blow away, and makes even a mediocre combatant like a mall security guard, nationalk guardsman or beat cop into a significant tactical advantage for the good guys. Seems to fit the genre to a "T" and allows the PC's to only drop a few XP in to targeting PSL's rather than blowing 16 or more points making themselves into 733+ zOMBIE Killorzs

I'm a week and a half away from my copy of the ZSG, do you mind refreshing my memory on what this type zombie had going for it?

 

TB

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

I'm a week and a half away from my copy of the ZSG, do you mind refreshing my memory on what this type zombie had going for it?

 

TB

 

Not much beyond a very well thought out and widely available pseudo-scientific text explaining how & why they work. The book does address a few things that should probably be dropped onto any "semi reastic" zombie scenario such as the degeneration of a Zombies STR as time goes on... It goes like this... Zombies have no pain regulation preventing them from overstressing and tearing their muscles, so initially they are capable of feats of STR similar to those in a PCP rage, but because they lack both glandular action (no adrenaline) and any kind of healing, the more unnatural strength a zombie uses, the more damage it inflicts on its own muscle structure.

 

I'd have to give the book a quick simread to see what else is different, but the big motive I have for wanting to cok up a write up for Solanum Zombies is because the ZSG is so widely available. Its a darn good campaign setting book, sans rules.

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

Assuming the zombies aren't the type to swim well or walk along the bottoms, getting to an island can be a "safe" place, at least a more manageable level of zombies to deal with. Starting the game in San Francisco with the goal of getting to Alcatraz (island, prison, but not in use as such so no prisoner issues) could be good.

 

Local National Guard Armories would be one of the places I'd try to get to.

 

Howabout a group of Astronauts trying to get through suddenly zombie-infested Cape Canaveral to launch the Space Shuttle and deploy the zombie-killing satellite? (it's been discovered that a certain type of transmission can shut them down, but needs to be broadcast from space to work on the zombies who in this version were created by a space-borne plague)

 

"Braiiins! Gold! Braiiins!" - even a horde of zombies can't bust into Fort Knox! Getting there's your one hope!

 

For an added complication, have the PCs be foreigners on vacation/business trip in another country, so aren't even familiar with the area/language/etc. "When in Rome...RUN!"

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

I just picked up the book World War Z by Max Brooks. He's the same guy who wrote the Zombie Survival Guide. I've only read the intro to the new book so far but it looks like something that would be useful as an idea for a campaign game. Basically it recounts the history of a 10-year long war that humanity fought against the zombies when they rose up and came perilously close to wiping out mankind.

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

I just picked up the book World War Z by Max Brooks. He's the same guy who wrote the Zombie Survival Guide. I've only read the intro to the new book so far but it looks like something that would be useful as an idea for a campaign game. Basically it recounts the history of a 10-year long war that humanity fought against the zombies when they rose up and came perilously close to wiping out mankind.

 

OOoh shiney!

 

 

Adds book to list of "books I need to get"

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

One of the major differences between Solanum zombies and typical romero-esque zombies is that the infection can be spread not just from a bite but from any fluid to fluid contact (similar to 28 days later but with a much longer incubation period). So be extra careful when blowing them up!

 

How would you model the threat of fluid to fluid transmission using HERO?

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

One of the major differences between Solanum zombies and typical romero-esque zombies is that the infection can be spread not just from a bite but from any fluid to fluid contact (similar to 28 days later but with a much longer incubation period). So be extra careful when blowing them up!

 

How would you model the threat of fluid to fluid transmission using HERO?

 

I'd probably do the Infection power as a base attack (Transform is the most obvious, or a fatal virus write up similar to rabies) which then needs to be modified with advantages. A heavily limited (requires fluid contact) Damage Sheild covers one route, allowing for contagion from the bite, while a Triggered area of effect when body is inflicted could cover blood spatter. Dealing with pockets of contagious material suspended in other media like water would be rough.

Itd take me some number crunching to work out, but it is do-able... combining some of the elements from a good write up for the Aliensacid blood and traditional european Basilisk would both give some starting points

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  • 2 weeks later...

Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

This is actually a fairly popular subject on this forum. Several of our boardmates have run zombie horror survival campaigns' date=' and have posted the logs from their games. I'm sure you'd be able to cull ideas from the scenarios they describe (and they also make fun readin'):[/quote']

 

For another approach on the zombie horror survival campaigns, see this recent post, where the PC's try to survive as zombies ;)

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Re: Night of the Living Dead Hero Plot Ideas

 

well, sounds like you're looking for some quickie scenarios for in-betweens. I personally like to mix things up a bit, introducing the human element or even more amusing genre mixes.

 

Scenario 1: the classic "my sister/brother/best friend/parent has been bit!" Makes for some drama for a player willing to be a little dramatic. Not so good for the survivor who will just shoot it in the head and say "bummer." It will make for some drama if the killer character is in the group though.

 

Scenario 2: Save the Princess! You've got all the classic stuff... undead, a princess (visiting from some little country or maybe England or something), and towers (any high-rise). Mix details to your preference.

 

Scenario 3: we are comedy relief. One I have as a planned scenario is the survivors meet another group of survivors... a bunch or gamers doing what they would in such a situation. As is usual for a gaming group, the variety of their backgrounds varies wildly (for the geek infection also spans beyond class boundaries) which makes for a very eclectic mix of incompetency and expertise in a wide variety of skill sets. The classic "gaming gives me skills in life" mindset will provide comedy as some assume they can do things they've done or operate under gaming rules to solve problems. As an offset, they know a lot of information about a lot of things, and there is usually a former military guy or whatever. I was personally use an RN, 2 IT people (there's always one), a "lives with mom", a former marine sniper, and a pizza joint employee. Again, vary to your story and tastes (or selected jokes).

 

If these didn't suck, I'll give more if ya like.

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