Zombie Survival Sim: Discussion
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:38 am
The following is a basic guide for a Sim/RP type game I've been fleshing out, and am now currently looking for volunteers to take it for a spin. If I get enough positive feedback and support, I'll go ahead and set up a sim for people to play in. If not, no hard feelings, and we'll just let this thread settle to the graveyard at the bottom of the page.
Setting/backstory: The game will take place inside a large, generic city after a typical style zombie apocalypse. It will focus on the efforts of a small group of survivors (PCs and NPCs) as they not only try to stay alive day to day, but also try to improve on their situation.
Game play: The game takes place at a day by day turn system. Each day is broken down into three play phases.
Phase 1, planning: The PCs will meet to discuss what they want to get accomplished that day, such as scavenging for food/supplies/weapons, to searching for other survivors, to scouting, and/or pretty much any project they think they can realistic accomplish. The ability of the group to accomplish these goals will depend on what supplies and manpower they have available.
Phase 2, implementing the plan(s): This is where the GM, me, figures out how well or how poorly things go for you. This will be accomplished by a combination of dice rolls, common sense, and dramatic license (I like letting awesome things happen). Better plans will get bonuses for success, while stupid and poorly thought out plans will be more likely to fail (and get people killed).
Phase 3, results: This is where the GM, still me, generates an end of the day report, letting everyone know just how things went; what was accomplished, what was gained, and what was lost.
Classes: These represent general character types, and a group's ability to accomplish certain goals can receive bonuses for having the right classes matched to the right missions.
Leader: This class is all about people interaction. These are the charismatic individuals who know how to speak well and convince others to get along, to work harder, and to to take risks. Leaders make a group work together better, and have better chances of resolving and preventing inter-group issues.
Scout: This class is based around being sneaky. These are the people that can move quickly and silently, who can get in and out without attracting attention. They are also more aware of their surroundings and better at spotting things others might miss. Having scouts in a group increases the odds of finding useful things, and lowers the chances of ambushes. Scouts are also the best choice to send out solo on exploration missions.
Soldier: This class is all about fighting. They know how to use the best weapons, and use them well. Soldiers use weapons more efficiently, wasting less ammo. Soldiers increase a group's ability to survive encounters with zombies and hostile survivors.
Builder: This class is proficient in the use of tools and building supplies. If you need something built, modified, or torn down, this is the class to have do it. Builders are more efficient in construction type missions than other classes, reducing the supplies used and lower the odds of breaking tools.
Doctor: This class is the one to turn to when the inevitable happens. No matter how careful you are, someone is going to get hurt, or sick, and when they do a Doctor offers them much better odds at recovery. A Doctor improves a group's ability to survive and recover from injury and illness.
And there be the basics of the game. If things look good for going forward I'll post up the remaining details (How to read the end day reports, character creation, etc). The only real goal of the sim is to survive, after that it's whatever the group decides it wants to accomplish. Hole up in a few fortified rooms and just eek out a meager survival? Go for it. Try to reclaim the entirety of the city from the undead? By all means, try.
If you think you'd be interested in this, let me know. If you have questions, please ask.
Setting/backstory: The game will take place inside a large, generic city after a typical style zombie apocalypse. It will focus on the efforts of a small group of survivors (PCs and NPCs) as they not only try to stay alive day to day, but also try to improve on their situation.
Game play: The game takes place at a day by day turn system. Each day is broken down into three play phases.
Phase 1, planning: The PCs will meet to discuss what they want to get accomplished that day, such as scavenging for food/supplies/weapons, to searching for other survivors, to scouting, and/or pretty much any project they think they can realistic accomplish. The ability of the group to accomplish these goals will depend on what supplies and manpower they have available.
Phase 2, implementing the plan(s): This is where the GM, me, figures out how well or how poorly things go for you. This will be accomplished by a combination of dice rolls, common sense, and dramatic license (I like letting awesome things happen). Better plans will get bonuses for success, while stupid and poorly thought out plans will be more likely to fail (and get people killed).
Phase 3, results: This is where the GM, still me, generates an end of the day report, letting everyone know just how things went; what was accomplished, what was gained, and what was lost.
Classes: These represent general character types, and a group's ability to accomplish certain goals can receive bonuses for having the right classes matched to the right missions.
Leader: This class is all about people interaction. These are the charismatic individuals who know how to speak well and convince others to get along, to work harder, and to to take risks. Leaders make a group work together better, and have better chances of resolving and preventing inter-group issues.
Scout: This class is based around being sneaky. These are the people that can move quickly and silently, who can get in and out without attracting attention. They are also more aware of their surroundings and better at spotting things others might miss. Having scouts in a group increases the odds of finding useful things, and lowers the chances of ambushes. Scouts are also the best choice to send out solo on exploration missions.
Soldier: This class is all about fighting. They know how to use the best weapons, and use them well. Soldiers use weapons more efficiently, wasting less ammo. Soldiers increase a group's ability to survive encounters with zombies and hostile survivors.
Builder: This class is proficient in the use of tools and building supplies. If you need something built, modified, or torn down, this is the class to have do it. Builders are more efficient in construction type missions than other classes, reducing the supplies used and lower the odds of breaking tools.
Doctor: This class is the one to turn to when the inevitable happens. No matter how careful you are, someone is going to get hurt, or sick, and when they do a Doctor offers them much better odds at recovery. A Doctor improves a group's ability to survive and recover from injury and illness.
And there be the basics of the game. If things look good for going forward I'll post up the remaining details (How to read the end day reports, character creation, etc). The only real goal of the sim is to survive, after that it's whatever the group decides it wants to accomplish. Hole up in a few fortified rooms and just eek out a meager survival? Go for it. Try to reclaim the entirety of the city from the undead? By all means, try.
If you think you'd be interested in this, let me know. If you have questions, please ask.