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D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 12:15 am
by ArchAngel
So, I had this idea for a single session D&D interlude, maybe as a small break for your D&D group from their normal campaign, and I wanted to run it by you guys to gauge interest and get some advice.

Everybody starts new with a "lite" character sheet. You roll for stats, but you have to put them in order to which you or the group sees you as. I might make strength and intelligence as my high stats, but dexterity and charisma will be pretty low. So on. Not worrying about classes, races, skills, etc. The character sheet would be you, so they'd take your name, height, weight, age, etc. (It won't be terrible if some people want to smudge these details)

The campaign would begin at the table your group is at, ready to continue their D&D campaign, but now, as the DM, but now, Zombies strike. Maybe the one person in the house who refuses to try out D&D ran in with a bite mark, screaming how some crazy guy outside bit him/her. The person dies and turn. Maybe play yourself as an NPC in the group, or start with the DM turning. Actually, I like that idea. Show up with ketchup soaked gauze on your arm and explain how the bum on the corner rushed you and bit your arm. Then pass out and die. Not really die, you need to DM the game. Just pretend to die, then shift into your roll as the DM.

The group has to organically decide what to do, how to handle the situation, what to grab from the house, etc. Everybody starts unequipped, but they grab the baseball bat that's in the closet for a d6 club. Any tasks can be rolled for by a d20, with bonuses from the respective attribute, chosen by the DM. Maybe a skill bonus for someone who explains how they have a real world skill. Like, Arctic, you'd get a skill bonus for getting the jeep back up and running.

It might be a good idea to have a computer or tablet for the DM to have the best representation of the surrounding environment. If there's an gun store near by, it'd be good to know. Maybe let the players use their phones early on to start out, but once it progresses a little, the cell phone towers go out and they can no longer get a signal (and this is where they have to turn in their phones). If one of them remembers where that gun store is, or a hardware store, etc, they can work their way there. And maybe if their characters loses, say, a right arm because someone judicially decided to chop it off to avoid infection, they can now only roll with their left. Ideas.

The party can choose bunk up in your house or set out for greener pastures, team up with other survivors or set up an isolated camp in the woods, but in the end, they need to see how long they can survive a zombie apocalypse. And this game, it's okay to kill off the entire party in one session.

So, what do you guys think? Is this something you'd want to try? What sort of pitfalls do you see?
I'm wanting to try this out with my group to see how it goes. It sounds like a really exciting way to play out a zombie scenario is a very visceral way.

I also have this other stranded on an island variant, you know, like with those pics that give 3 options of equipment to choose what to be stranded on a deserted island with; I don't know if that sounds more appealing. No volleyballs. Or maybe yes, but it has to be a psychopathic volleyball.

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 7:40 pm
by Orodrist
Honestly if we did something like this on the forums I'd be in. I'd have an unfair advantage though.

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 9:15 pm
by ArchAngel
Haha, it's part of the game. I have one friend who is special forces, so I have a feeling he'd have a distinct advantage.

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 12:21 am
by JOJ650s
I do love Zombie apocalypse scenarios,
well till I remember that real zombies wouldn't look like redeads from Ocarina of Time that is. >_>

I can already see a good way to make a flame arrow of sorts and a poor makeshift bow out of household goods. ^-^
A nearby group of zombies could possibly be burned down with an single arrow,
though if the house that's being used for shelter is flammable... then... well... hmm... :P

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 12:31 am
by LAC
this idea sounds totally epic :O

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 1:08 am
by ArchAngel
Glad you guys think it's cool.

The concept of makeshift or improvised weapons would be a big part of it, I imagine. The GM would have to think quick on his or her toes to make it work, as well, as maybe determine how "durable" these weapons are. A crowbar might last forever, but a makeshift spear might have only a couple good stabs in it. Also depending on what the person uses and how they describe they make it, the quality and damage of the weapon could vary.

While each individual zombie might not take a terrible amount of hits, I think it might be cool to mix up some special zombies (Left 4 Dead style) instead of just having pure hordes. Playing around with this idea.

One of the challenges is adapting combat to work better with a zombie horde. People don't get locked in duels with zombies, they mow them down or get grab and torn up. Trying to simplify combat with zombies (people v. people can stay relatively d&d like), where a zombie is mostly a grab and bite. Probably going to use modified 3.5 grapple rules, more or less. 1 successful attack roll, the zombie grabs you. After you are grabbed, any successful attack rolls result in a bite. Since bites are pretty fatal, maybe let them do a reflex save if it's a hit.
Ideally, 1 or two zombies isn't much of a problem for an armed group, but a horde is very dangerous, but not impossible to fight off, especially if they use their environment properly.

I'm probably not going to let my friends know much choice of mechanics. I'll let them find out how it works after I turn and attack them. If one of them thinks it's going to be like one of those zombie games, they gon die.

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 2:39 am
by Orodrist
ArchAngel wrote:Glad you guys think it's cool.

The concept of makeshift or improvised weapons would be a big part of it, I imagine. The GM would have to think quick on his or her toes to make it work, as well, as maybe determine how "durable" these weapons are. A crowbar might last forever, but a makeshift spear might have only a couple good stabs in it. Also depending on what the person uses and how they describe they make it, the quality and damage of the weapon could vary.
Hehehehe.
Spoiler:
That, comrade, is a flanged mace, made from 1/4" steel plate, filled and weighted with weld beads until it totaled about 8lbs, and welded to a chunk of 1 1/2" square tubing using multiple beads of welding rods with 70k lbs tensile strength.

EDIT: I umm...fire.

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 6:16 am
by ArchAngel
Yeah, that'd totally work.

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 2:35 pm
by ccgr
awesome idea!

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 12:34 am
by ArchAngel
If I ran this as an experiment here, who'd be interested?
People really could just funnel in anytime. Whenever someone wants to join, I just have the party meet up another survivor down the road. When you die, you're out. And when the last survivor pops off with no one else in the queue for joining, the zombies have taken over and humanity is extinct.

I'd probably run this after I try it live, but I was curious if that's something you'd guys want to try or not.

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 12:39 am
by Orodrist
I'm in haha.

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 1:52 am
by JOJ650s
I might just join this.

I have never played a D&D game before,
I have done roleplaying, but not in a tabletop fashion.
That'd probably slow things down a bit. >_>

Regardless, I'll look forward to reading this.
(And to see Orodrist in action of course. :mrgreen: )

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:47 am
by Chozon1
JOJ650s wrote:I might just join this.

I have never played a D&D game before,
I have done roleplaying, but not in a tabletop fashion.
That'd probably slow things down a bit. >_>

Regardless, I'll look forward to reading this.
(And to see Orodrist in action of course. :mrgreen: )
This. Though I've actually done a bit of tabletop.

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 4:13 pm
by ArchAngel
It would be a very lightweight version of D&D. Diet D&D lite, now with more water.

Re: D&D: Zombie Apocalypse.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 6:20 pm
by ArcticFox
Sounds fun. I'm in.

This part kind of reminds me of the scene in the 13th Warrior when the vikings are each standing up one at a time to join the quest.