Let's say I had an idea for a game kicking around upstairs that involved your typical survival-horror setup (zombies, average people, guts everywhere) that involved crazy-powerful PCs.  I'm talking superpowers and crazy weapons (magic swords, super science, basically anything from the Melty Blood games.)

You zombie freaks: how would you balance the horror aspect of a bunch of dead bodies trying to eat folks against the bull in a china shop feel of a high-powered game?

My first guess would be the "One Bite and You're Hooked" mechanic from AFMBE, but that rings false in my mind (not in the least because I just don't like it in movies/books/games.)

Another idea might be to make the real villains something higher-order than the walking dead: Necromancers, power-armored Nazi scientists, demons or aliens.  But that runs the risk of turning our smelly antagonists into set dressing for the "real" fights against the big bosses.  (Then again, even Romero does this in Dawn.)

What's your take?

Quote from: fonkaygarryLet's say I had an idea for a game kicking around upstairs that involved your typical survival-horror setup (zombies, average people, guts everywhere) that involved crazy-powerful PCs.  I'm talking superpowers and crazy weapons (magic swords, super science, basically anything from the Melty Blood games.)

You zombie freaks: how would you balance the horror aspect of a bunch of dead bodies trying to eat folks against the bull in a china shop feel of a high-powered game?

My first guess would be the "One Bite and You're Hooked" mechanic from AFMBE, but that rings false in my mind (not in the least because I just don't like it in movies/books/games.)

Another idea might be to make the real villains something higher-order than the walking dead: Necromancers, power-armored Nazi scientists, demons or aliens.  But that runs the risk of turning our smelly antagonists into set dressing for the "real" fights against the big bosses.  (Then again, even Romero does this in Dawn.)

What's your take?

The only way I see something like that working for me is if you had a more modern fantasy feel to it. There would have to be "smart" zombies. maybe some of the abilities the living have stay with them when they reanimate, like magic abilities and such.

I could see a division between mook zombies and Big Bad Undead working.  That would give the proceedings a Resident Evil feel, which isn't a bad thing.

Tossing a lot of civilians into the mix might help the conflict out, too.  All the PCs heroic posturing wouldn't mean a damn if their wushu action theater BS let a schoolbus full of kids get turned into Alpo.

I've been using mutant-zombies.

For my Zombiepocalypse game there is the lone hero and a baby meandering about, they've run into

Type/Stage 1 Zombies (the mindless undead)
Type/Stage 2 Zombies: Hounds (who are feral animalistic, and run often on all fours) with some predatory instincts and cunning
Type/Stage 3 Zombies: Reptoids (fully intelligent, lizard like abilities and slightly varied mutations.)

Type/Stage 4 Zombies: Which are incredibly varied mutants from the Bloodwinged "harpies" (with bird traits and nasty bone wings covered in ropey blood laced tissue), to the sewer dwelling, body hording, Maggotmen

The thing is I've no clear identification of what makes each zombie different and how--that is Stage 1's don't necessarily evolve or change into Stage 2 or 3's...something to do with the source of zombies determines why/where, and the method of infection/transmission--which hasn't been revealed.

One guy claimed it was a god, another a disease, still others the lone hero has run into before they died had different explanations.


But the thing is I've kept a consistent tone with the fact that there are hordes of stage 1, packs of stage 2, and most stage 3 are loners.
While Stage 4 zombies tend to act based on whatever template they're mutating from/into.

Make them Return of the Living Dead style zombies.  Or at least remove the "headshot = killed" convention from NOTLD. They...just...keep...getting...back...up.

One thing you can do is have the characters working on large scale goals or complicated things that take more than power to solve.  I dunno if the characters are supposed to be heroes or just saving themselves - that makes a difference.  It's great having super powers but it might get you down if all of your non-powered friend get eaten.

Suppose 1000 zombies from a destroyed town are approaching a city of 100,000.  The characters can take out any one or any dozen zombies but how do they stop them all and contain the infection?

Maybe zombies keep mindlessly wondering into the water supply, clogged the filtering systems, and scared off the workers.  The characters would have to first figure out that the now infected water is a big issue, figure out how to restart the plant, and stop more zombies from getting in.

Make the Zombies capable to do a couple of things.
 
1. Fast. 28 days later fast. Surprise them with this.
 
2. Let them Tunnel. Not through concrete, but the dirt (and maybe through wood floors). Don't tell them about this.
 
Try to balance them power wise vs the PC's at 10 to 1 as in 10 zombies is equal to one PC. 20 should kill a lone PC in direct combat.
 
You could also have the occasional Super Zombie. The kind that can shoot out and choke people with it's intestines, jump 15 feet into the air, and won't die until after total destruction. Don't tell the PC's about this.
 
Every minor NPC or setpeice person that dies turns into the weaker zombies, PC's and more powerful or important NPC's turn into Super Zombies.
 
Oh yeah, huge numbers, out in the open they should be dealing with hundreds, if not thousands, of zombies.

zounds...sounds like Marvel Zombies!

sheer numbers is pretty intimidating...even a cape's gonna have pause when they encounter dozens (or more) of the things, but i really think the the Resident Evil model would serve you well. (with the Type I-IV Silverlion proposed.).   it's definitely a break from what i'm doing (standard Romero-zombies vs. low-powered 'every-man' types) so it's hard to say since i've been focusing on that for so long.

Can I reccomend "Enter the Zombie".
 
It has all kinds of ideas for a Wu-Xia Zombie games.

The next time my group needs a short break (one or two evenings max) I want to have them stat themselves up and then start the session with a zombie ripping through the window and dragging me off (my GM chair is right next to a glass patio door).

What system should I use? Cheap is better, and if it's a big name system I'll probably already have it. However, if there's an indie or small press thing out there that works great I'll go for it, especially if it's got apdf (i.e. cheap) option.

Hell, there are probably half a dozen small-press zombie games on this board.

If one of them doesn't chime in, I'll suggest one at random.

I've got to add that the primary quality of good zombie movies and stories is that the zombies are rarely the primary antagonists. This role more commonly fall to the humans, who are typically duplicitous, selfish, violent and seemingly unwilling to treat their fellow survivors with any degree of humanity - supposedly the only thing that separates them from the ravenous living dead.

With this in mind, I'd work in a bunch of corrupt, violent humans who are willing to do ANYTHING to survive and prosper in a world gone dead.

Quote from: mattormegI've got to add that the primary quality of good zombie movies and stories is that the zombies are rarely the primary antagonists. This role more commonly fall to the humans, who are typically duplicitous, selfish, violent and seemingly unwilling to treat their fellow survivors with any degree of humanity - supposedly the only thing that separates them from the ravenous living dead.

With this in mind, I'd work in a bunch of corrupt, violent humans who are willing to do ANYTHING to survive and prosper in a world gone dead.

Interestingly enough, this is why I've had so many zombies in the zombiepocalypse---and why the hero plows through them, I want it to seem 'tough' but not as tough as it gets when he DOES find other humans.

Quote from: mattormegI've got to add that the primary quality of good zombie movies and stories is that the zombies are rarely the primary antagonists. This role more commonly fall to the humans, who are typically duplicitous, selfish, violent and seemingly unwilling to treat their fellow survivors with any degree of humanity - supposedly the only thing that separates them from the ravenous living dead.

Oh, most definitely.  It's the human element that gave the zombie genre its longevity.  But how would you best use that "us vs. us" feel in a game where the power level was an order or two of magnitude over, say, AFMBE?

FG, isn't the horror of zombies that they are legion, and that people you loved might be among the horde, forcing you to destroy their bodies to save your life?

Hey, it's just a thought....