Talesin
2013-10-18, 10:30 AM
Hey all.
I'm trying to introduce a few friends to a dice based roleplay game in the next few weeks. I'm playing with five people in total, three guys and two girls. I believe two of the players would enjoy a traditional fantasy based D&D game but I think the setting would put off many of the others.
I'm attempting to adapt the 3.5 system, the one i'm most familiar with, to try and have some fun with the players but I could use a bit of help.
With halloween coming up it makes sense to try and run a 'scary' (though not horror) type game and I know quite a few of the players enjoy Zombie based films so i'd like to attempt to run something similar to that. Given the above point about the fantasy setting it makes sense, to me anyway, to try and run it in the modern day setting.
I'd like to base the complex they are in around the place we work but I appreciate that playing a game in a real place can limit the options you have.
I'd like to run a one-shot game but leave it open ended so that it could be continued in the future if/when they want.
Storyline
I'm thinking that they will all be members of the site's emergency team working late one evening. The team has been trained with all the regular things you'd expect like first aid and such, but has also received additional training to combat any potential zombie apocolypse.
This'll give me excuses to hide weapons and guns around the complex as well as give them radios and ways to heal themselves. I think the primary objective would be to attempt to get off of the site but requiring a vehicle because they'll find out, either by the internet or TV or something, that the infestation is much bigger than they realise.
Game Mechanics
I'm thinking of doing away with skills all together and just giving the players 'traits' based on what kind of character they are. The three types i'm thinking are strength, dexterity and intelligent.
So Strength based characters get bonuses in combat with heavier weapons and doing strength based skills.
Dexterity characters can move faster, maybe a bonus with guns and doing dex based skills.
Intelligent characters get bonuses to their defense as well as intelligence based skills.
Given they'll be fighting 1 kind of enemy, zombie, i'm thinking of making combat just based on a single dice roll. Strength characters roll a D8 in combat, with dex and int rolling a D6.
However if they get a weapon that works well with their class, heavy weapons for strength characters, guns for dex characters and something for intelligence (maybe a precision thing so they can use their intelligence to pick their target's weak spot), then they can move up a dice class. So D6->D8 or D8->D10.
Rolls of 5 or more will kill a zombie. 3 or 4 will incapcitate them for two rounds, while below that doesn't do anything. The zombies will attack back using a D6. 5 to hit intelligence characters, 4 to hit dex/strength. 2 hits and you're infected and start to turn. Dunno what negatives to give you based on turning but could potentially be dampened by picking up first aid equipment.
I could also run skills on a similar system, better dice if you're better at the skills.
Does anyone have any advice or tips for running this sort of thing?
I'm hoping they'll enjoy the game and want to play more like it. If so I could then expand the game into running one of the actual commercial systems out there (unless you know a good one I could use?).
Thanks for your help.
I'm trying to introduce a few friends to a dice based roleplay game in the next few weeks. I'm playing with five people in total, three guys and two girls. I believe two of the players would enjoy a traditional fantasy based D&D game but I think the setting would put off many of the others.
I'm attempting to adapt the 3.5 system, the one i'm most familiar with, to try and have some fun with the players but I could use a bit of help.
With halloween coming up it makes sense to try and run a 'scary' (though not horror) type game and I know quite a few of the players enjoy Zombie based films so i'd like to attempt to run something similar to that. Given the above point about the fantasy setting it makes sense, to me anyway, to try and run it in the modern day setting.
I'd like to base the complex they are in around the place we work but I appreciate that playing a game in a real place can limit the options you have.
I'd like to run a one-shot game but leave it open ended so that it could be continued in the future if/when they want.
Storyline
I'm thinking that they will all be members of the site's emergency team working late one evening. The team has been trained with all the regular things you'd expect like first aid and such, but has also received additional training to combat any potential zombie apocolypse.
This'll give me excuses to hide weapons and guns around the complex as well as give them radios and ways to heal themselves. I think the primary objective would be to attempt to get off of the site but requiring a vehicle because they'll find out, either by the internet or TV or something, that the infestation is much bigger than they realise.
Game Mechanics
I'm thinking of doing away with skills all together and just giving the players 'traits' based on what kind of character they are. The three types i'm thinking are strength, dexterity and intelligent.
So Strength based characters get bonuses in combat with heavier weapons and doing strength based skills.
Dexterity characters can move faster, maybe a bonus with guns and doing dex based skills.
Intelligent characters get bonuses to their defense as well as intelligence based skills.
Given they'll be fighting 1 kind of enemy, zombie, i'm thinking of making combat just based on a single dice roll. Strength characters roll a D8 in combat, with dex and int rolling a D6.
However if they get a weapon that works well with their class, heavy weapons for strength characters, guns for dex characters and something for intelligence (maybe a precision thing so they can use their intelligence to pick their target's weak spot), then they can move up a dice class. So D6->D8 or D8->D10.
Rolls of 5 or more will kill a zombie. 3 or 4 will incapcitate them for two rounds, while below that doesn't do anything. The zombies will attack back using a D6. 5 to hit intelligence characters, 4 to hit dex/strength. 2 hits and you're infected and start to turn. Dunno what negatives to give you based on turning but could potentially be dampened by picking up first aid equipment.
I could also run skills on a similar system, better dice if you're better at the skills.
Does anyone have any advice or tips for running this sort of thing?
I'm hoping they'll enjoy the game and want to play more like it. If so I could then expand the game into running one of the actual commercial systems out there (unless you know a good one I could use?).
Thanks for your help.