Lycan 01
2008-12-01, 03:59 PM
So I picked up Left 4 Dead, Valve's new zombie-killing masterpiece for the 360, on Friday. While taking a break to rest my eyes, I decided to scribble down some ideas I'd come up with. You see, I've always toyed with the idea of a zombie outbreak RPG. As I played L4D, I couldn't help but start thinking of ideas and mechanics for a L4D RPG. So, I wrote down my ideas, and I ended up with a working system. In theory, at least.
So, here's what I've gotten so far. I'm still tweaking a few things, but the rules and stuff are pretty simple. This is really just a casual RPG - short sessions, and short life-spans...
Naturally, its a work in progress, so I'll be updating it regularly. I just have to transfer most of my notes from paper to computer. If anybody is interested enough, I'd like to actually test it out here on the forums at some point...
LEFT 4 DEAD
Left 4 Dead is a zombie survival RPG that features a team of 4 human survivors trying to escape from hordes of infected zombies and mutants. The game is run by a Director, who controlls the monsters and tells the survivors what is happening. Sessions are short, but can be strung together for small campaigns. Sessions consist of getting from one Safe Room to another - essentially, get from Point A to Point B without getting killed. Campaigns involve the survivors going from Safe Room to Safe Room until they get to a Rescue Zone, which they must defend from undead assault until their rescue arrives.
This system is D20 based, and very easy to understand.
SURVIVORS
The players take control of a Survivor - a human who is immune to the viral outbreak that has turned nearly everyone around them into zombies. They come from all walks of life - cops, teachers, doctors, bikers, et cetera.
CREATING
Creating a survivor is simple. Every survivor has a set amount of HP, every survivor starts out with a handgun, and every survivor has the same skills. However, the player must decide what skills his/her character are actually good at.
PLAYING
Survivors play the same as any other PC in an RPG. The player decides their actions, rolls for attacks and skills, and keeps track of the survivor's HP and Items.
SKILLS:
Skills are done on a 20 Point Buy system. You have 20 points to put into whatever skills you wish - they all start at 0.
Awareness - Aids the survivor in understanding their surroundings
Heal - Determines the effectiveness of recovery items
Dexterity - Effects actions such as climbing, jumping, gun-prowess, et cetera
Scrounge - Aids in finding Weapons, Items, and Ammo
Repair - Aids in repairing weapons, machinery, and other items.
Technology - Aids in the use of radios, machinery, and other items.
Lockpick - Locked doors can lead to short-cuts and Items... or trouble
Knowledge - Allows for better navigation, planning, tactics, and ideas.
HEALTH
Every survivor has 100 HP. You lose HP when you are injured, and you recover it when you use Recovery Items. If you reach 0 HP, you are Incappacitated. While Incappacitated, you are left on the floor unable to move. You may still fire you handgun(s), however. You also have a temporary 30 HP, which slowly drains over the next few rounds until you are helped back up by a comrade or you reach 0 HP again. Upon reaching 0 HP while Incappacitated, you die for good.
ITEMS
Every survivor can carry 1 Primary Weapon such as a shotgun or machine gun, a pistol or pair of pistols, a First Aid Kit, a throwing weapon such as a pipe bomb, and a bottle of painkillers. Only a limited amount of Ammo can be carried for each weapon.
DIRECTOR
The Director controls the game. He makes up the areas, controls the enemies, and tells the survivors what the see and have to do. His job is to present the players with a challenging but fun session. However, what makes him different from other RPG GMs is that he can change the game on a whim. If the survivors are fairing poorly, his job is to lower the challenge of the game until they can get better. Perhaps there will be less zombies, or special enemies won't have as much HP. But if the survivors are blasting through everything with ease, he can throw a few waves of zombies or spawn a special enemy or two in order to make the game more fair.
THE SETTING
The Director must explain to the survivors where they are, what they see, and what they can do. He can't just say: "You're in a building full of zombies." He must be precise and detailed so the players know what is actually going on. A better way of putting the previous statement would be for the Director to say: "You're looking down a hallway. To your left is the kitchen, which has been trashed. There are three zombies in there, and they have not spotted you. To your right is a closet, and you can see a shotgun in the back of it. At the end of the hallway is a door. You hear lots of noise from behind it... There are either a lot of zombies in there, or something big is waiting for you." That sounds much better, wouldn't you agree?
THE SESSION
The Director must make up the session. Its quite simple really. Start the survivors out in a Safe Room, set up a route or two for them to take, and throw some challenges at them as they make their way to the next Safe Room. If the Safe Room is down the street in a pawn shop, so be it. If you want it to be a few blocks over at the entrance of a police station, thus setting up the next session, go for it. The Director also has zombies and other things at his disposal, which he can use at his discression, so long as the players are up against relatively fair odds.
ENEMIES
The Director controls the amount of enemies the survivors run into, as well as the enemies themselves. He says how many zombies are milling about the street, but he also decides if the Hunter lurking in the window above the survivors wants to attack them mid-battle or once their guard is down. The Director has other tools at his disposal, too. He can place certain obstacles, such as a locked door that the survivors must find a way to open. He can also add other threats, such as a car with an easily triggered alarm, which will bring forth a horde of zombies to attack the players. The possibilities are endless!
GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP
The Director must be fair. He must not try to dominate the players and ruin their lives. He should not throw a super-zombie with 1,000,000,000 HP at them during the next session just because they got to the Safe Room faster than he wanted them to. But he should not let the survivors just breeze through the game without any trouble. The Director must keep the game fair for everyone... even the zombies.
Items, Enemies, and other things will be covered in the following post(s).
So, here's what I've gotten so far. I'm still tweaking a few things, but the rules and stuff are pretty simple. This is really just a casual RPG - short sessions, and short life-spans...
Naturally, its a work in progress, so I'll be updating it regularly. I just have to transfer most of my notes from paper to computer. If anybody is interested enough, I'd like to actually test it out here on the forums at some point...
LEFT 4 DEAD
Left 4 Dead is a zombie survival RPG that features a team of 4 human survivors trying to escape from hordes of infected zombies and mutants. The game is run by a Director, who controlls the monsters and tells the survivors what is happening. Sessions are short, but can be strung together for small campaigns. Sessions consist of getting from one Safe Room to another - essentially, get from Point A to Point B without getting killed. Campaigns involve the survivors going from Safe Room to Safe Room until they get to a Rescue Zone, which they must defend from undead assault until their rescue arrives.
This system is D20 based, and very easy to understand.
SURVIVORS
The players take control of a Survivor - a human who is immune to the viral outbreak that has turned nearly everyone around them into zombies. They come from all walks of life - cops, teachers, doctors, bikers, et cetera.
CREATING
Creating a survivor is simple. Every survivor has a set amount of HP, every survivor starts out with a handgun, and every survivor has the same skills. However, the player must decide what skills his/her character are actually good at.
PLAYING
Survivors play the same as any other PC in an RPG. The player decides their actions, rolls for attacks and skills, and keeps track of the survivor's HP and Items.
SKILLS:
Skills are done on a 20 Point Buy system. You have 20 points to put into whatever skills you wish - they all start at 0.
Awareness - Aids the survivor in understanding their surroundings
Heal - Determines the effectiveness of recovery items
Dexterity - Effects actions such as climbing, jumping, gun-prowess, et cetera
Scrounge - Aids in finding Weapons, Items, and Ammo
Repair - Aids in repairing weapons, machinery, and other items.
Technology - Aids in the use of radios, machinery, and other items.
Lockpick - Locked doors can lead to short-cuts and Items... or trouble
Knowledge - Allows for better navigation, planning, tactics, and ideas.
HEALTH
Every survivor has 100 HP. You lose HP when you are injured, and you recover it when you use Recovery Items. If you reach 0 HP, you are Incappacitated. While Incappacitated, you are left on the floor unable to move. You may still fire you handgun(s), however. You also have a temporary 30 HP, which slowly drains over the next few rounds until you are helped back up by a comrade or you reach 0 HP again. Upon reaching 0 HP while Incappacitated, you die for good.
ITEMS
Every survivor can carry 1 Primary Weapon such as a shotgun or machine gun, a pistol or pair of pistols, a First Aid Kit, a throwing weapon such as a pipe bomb, and a bottle of painkillers. Only a limited amount of Ammo can be carried for each weapon.
DIRECTOR
The Director controls the game. He makes up the areas, controls the enemies, and tells the survivors what the see and have to do. His job is to present the players with a challenging but fun session. However, what makes him different from other RPG GMs is that he can change the game on a whim. If the survivors are fairing poorly, his job is to lower the challenge of the game until they can get better. Perhaps there will be less zombies, or special enemies won't have as much HP. But if the survivors are blasting through everything with ease, he can throw a few waves of zombies or spawn a special enemy or two in order to make the game more fair.
THE SETTING
The Director must explain to the survivors where they are, what they see, and what they can do. He can't just say: "You're in a building full of zombies." He must be precise and detailed so the players know what is actually going on. A better way of putting the previous statement would be for the Director to say: "You're looking down a hallway. To your left is the kitchen, which has been trashed. There are three zombies in there, and they have not spotted you. To your right is a closet, and you can see a shotgun in the back of it. At the end of the hallway is a door. You hear lots of noise from behind it... There are either a lot of zombies in there, or something big is waiting for you." That sounds much better, wouldn't you agree?
THE SESSION
The Director must make up the session. Its quite simple really. Start the survivors out in a Safe Room, set up a route or two for them to take, and throw some challenges at them as they make their way to the next Safe Room. If the Safe Room is down the street in a pawn shop, so be it. If you want it to be a few blocks over at the entrance of a police station, thus setting up the next session, go for it. The Director also has zombies and other things at his disposal, which he can use at his discression, so long as the players are up against relatively fair odds.
ENEMIES
The Director controls the amount of enemies the survivors run into, as well as the enemies themselves. He says how many zombies are milling about the street, but he also decides if the Hunter lurking in the window above the survivors wants to attack them mid-battle or once their guard is down. The Director has other tools at his disposal, too. He can place certain obstacles, such as a locked door that the survivors must find a way to open. He can also add other threats, such as a car with an easily triggered alarm, which will bring forth a horde of zombies to attack the players. The possibilities are endless!
GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP
The Director must be fair. He must not try to dominate the players and ruin their lives. He should not throw a super-zombie with 1,000,000,000 HP at them during the next session just because they got to the Safe Room faster than he wanted them to. But he should not let the survivors just breeze through the game without any trouble. The Director must keep the game fair for everyone... even the zombies.
Items, Enemies, and other things will be covered in the following post(s).