...or hurray, i'm done!

http://www.mosierworks.com/projects/theDead/index.html

well, or as much as is goint to get done 'til the companion.
still going to do a print run, but in the meantime here's the whole deal.

and now...sleep.

Congratulations.  Dead Meat is one of my all time favorite pickup games and just from skimming, it looks like you ported over the elements that made it so much fun.  Strangely, I've recently been talking with Sean Wipfli and working on a _very_ similar project off and on.

Good luck with this.

Pete

Thanks, Pete!  Yeah, loved Dead Meat from the minute i first read it.  also wanted to throw in a little Maslow, and a liberal sprinkling of Kirkman. :haw:

Quote from: pspahnCongratulations.  Dead Meat is one of my all time favorite pickup games and just from skimming, it looks like you ported over the elements that made it so much fun.  Strangely, I've recently been talking with Sean Wipfli and working on a _very_ similar project off and on.

Good luck with this.

Pete

It always feels good when you finally finish:)  Congrats!  I hope lots of people enjoy it.

Downloaded it and gave it a quick read through.  Looks really good, hopefully I'll have some time to read it all the way and maybe run a quick game or two using it in the next couple of weeks.

Really liked the rules system being based down to the basic neccessities.

Thanks, AG & Peter!  

QuoteReally liked the rules system being based down to the basic neccessities.

that was my primary design goal, for the most part...strip anything that wasn't integral to the genre.  Some might argue that the whole Relationship thing might not have a place, but for me the stories/movies have always been more about the survivors than the zombies.

I no longer have a copy of the original Dead Meat, but a few things I recall.

This seems to have eliminated the idea of making 3 sequential PCs.  

However, it has added Relationships, Cold, and Fear.  Plus it has the narration rule that the player narrates success while the GM narrates failure.  

Also, is Dead Meat still available somewhere online?  The URL I had for it is down.

Quote from: kregmosierThanks, AG & Peter!  



that was my primary design goal, for the most part...strip anything that wasn't integral to the genre.  Some might argue that the whole Relationship thing might not have a place, but for me the stories/movies have always been more about the survivors than the zombies.

I have to agree with you there.  Just a bunch of shamblers isn't to fun to watch, but those who are trying to stay alive among a bunch of them is.  Along with the idea that we become monsters ourselves or have to beware of other people.  Like the military group in 28 Days Later.

Quote from: jhkimI no longer have a copy of the original Dead Meat, but a few things I recall.

This seems to have eliminated the idea of making 3 sequential PCs.  

However, it has added Relationships, Cold, and Fear.  Plus it has the narration rule that the player narrates success while the GM narrates failure.  

Also, is Dead Meat still available somewhere online?  The URL I had for it is down.

Not sure...i haven't seen it online in years.  

The idea of making 3 PC's was neat, but i wanted the player to have a bit more emotional investment in a single PC.

I think relationships are great.  I really need to read The Dead more thoroughly, so I don't know if it's covered, but I've been putting together something that contains positive and negative relationships (based on traits like selfish, greedy, honest, etc.), with bonuses for roleplaying the traits well even (sometimes especially) if it puts others at a disadvantage.  I was mainly trying to recreate the different personas you'd find in survival horror by giving incentives to roleplay the "asshole" who refuses to open the door because he told the other PCs not to go outside as well as the "noble guy" who dies trying to protect his friends.  Still have a lot of work to do to get it where I want it, though.  

The original Dead Meat file can be found here:

http://home.att.net/~dreamwalkerrpg/DEADMEAT.pdf

Pete

Pete,

It's not nearly that involved, but that's essentially where Cold comes into play.  Your character chooses not to open the door to help the screaming survivors locked outside?  No problem...but you gain a point of Cold.
Cold then influences your Relationship max value, and ability to interact with others.  

I'm kinda suprised no one has dinged me on the fact that there's NO experience/leveling up system at all.  That was entirely intentional.  In theory, i might add something to the Companion about the possibility of raising Perks, but i kinda like the hopelessness of a lack of self-improvement

Quote from: pspahnI think relationships are great.  I really need to read The Dead more thoroughly, so I don't know if it's covered, but I've been putting together something that contains positive and negative relationships (based on traits like selfish, greedy, honest, etc.), with bonuses for roleplaying the traits well even (sometimes especially) if it puts others at a disadvantage.  I was mainly trying to recreate the different personas you'd find in survival horror by giving incentives to roleplay the "asshole" who refuses to open the door because he told the other PCs not to go outside as well as the "noble guy" who dies trying to protect his friends.  Still have a lot of work to do to get it where I want it, though.  

The original Dead Meat file can be found here:

http://home.att.net/~dreamwalkerrpg/DEADMEAT.pdf

Pete

Hey, really nice!  I like the clean, simple mechanics.  I'd have to run this thing through in play, but from reading it it sounds like you would be focusing on the core elements of the genre.  I really like the campaign set-up idea as well.  And the flavour text was great, especially that last story about the father and son. I definitely did a double-take.

Quote from: kregmosierI'm kinda suprised no one has dinged me on the fact that there's NO experience/leveling up system at all.  That was entirely intentional.  In theory, i might add something to the Companion about the possibility of raising Perks, but i kinda like the hopelessness of a lack of self-improvement

Doesn't bother me any.  Most of the time I wouldn't be running a long term zombie survival game. One shots or a three parter at most.  Others may think differently but that's my opinion.

Plus I'm used to running Little Fears a lot back in when it came out.  No leveling up or improving in there either.  Actually you get worse and loose belief.

Quote from: kregmosier...or hurray, i'm done!

http://www.mosierworks.com/projects/theDead/index.html

well, or as much as is goint to get done 'til the companion.
still going to do a print run, but in the meantime here's the whole deal.

and now...sleep.

Thats a fun little deal. I especially find the "Darkland" amusing.

Kreg, as a fanatical zombiphile and gamer enthusiast I have to give props where they're due. This game is really friggin' sweet. I've run zombie apocalypse games using both the new WoD system, HERO System and GURPS. My biggest beef with them was that they were too complicated for the "oh shit!" survival horror you need to run this type of genre and keep the adrenaline flowing. It kills a moment to stop the action to figure out bonuses or do complicated math, especially when that moment is the climax, where the zombies are overrunning the barricaded home the PCs are holed up in. AFMBE is too... I dunno... there's just something about it that I don't like and I can't put my finger on it. It's cool, but not what I want for my zombie games.

I just finished reading The Dead and I really like it. And the whole Relationships/Cold thing is amazing. That's what a zombie game needs. If you read any zombie book or comic or watch any zombie movies they're usually about the relationships between the living (and the stupid shit that makes them do) or their loss of all emotion. It's about time a zombie game got that right.

I know, I'm gushing. I can't help it.

And the production quality is also top notch, especially for a 'small press' sort of thing. So yea, this is a game I plan on running.

-=Grim=-