What is the best system for a zombie apocalypse game?

[Warsmurf]

I'm thinking true horror setting where everything is night impossible. Maybe the characters are gifted with small powers, maybe they are just lucky enough to be stranded in the nearest local Home Depot (or Ye Olde Port of Home)?


Anyhow, what is a good system to run a game like this.

[Lord Loss]

All Flesh must be Eaten is a very very good system and is what I'd use. It's certainly the most popular zombie-oriented RPG.

[Bobikus]

All Flesh must be Eaten is a very very good system and is what I'd use. It's certainly the most popular zombie-oriented RPG.

Yeah, All Flesh Must Be Eaten is almost entirely about setting up zombie apocalypse type scenarios in nearly any setting.

[SurlySeraph]

AFMBE is made for it.

New World of Darkness would also work; you mentioned "gifted with small powers," and the stuff in the Second Sight book is perfect for that.

[The Rose Dragon]

WHY DO YOU NOT HAVE ALL FLESH MUST BE EATEN ALREADY YOU MONSTER.

Alternately (and surprisingly), this is one of the things Summerland would cover well, if you can find a copy. Though be prepared to have the zombies be covered in plants.

[Bobikus]

AFMBE is made for it.

New World of Darkness would also work; you mentioned "gifted with small powers," and the stuff in the Second Sight book is perfect for that.

On that note, Inspired in AFMBE allow for humans that are gifted with small powers. The Undead however can have everything from detachable limbs to fire breath to invisibility to flight to mind control.

[navar100]

For a different take, you can simulate "28 Days Later" in 3E D&D using Magic Incarnum and the Lost template using rage.

[Socko525]

AFMBE all the way. I don't have my books in front of me, but there are several different supplement books for bringing AFMBE into different worlds/different time frames. I can't remember where I saw it (I'm thinking it was one of the Eden Studios presents books, either Volume 1 or Volume 2) that had rules for bringing AFMBE into a LOTR/D&D setting.

[Elvenoutrider]

Im a hardcore afmbe fan, but ive also seen gurps used effectively for a zombie apocalypse game

[Doc Roc]

AFMBE or Savage Worlds, hands down.

[Ducklord]

What about D20 Modern? I once planned to run a zombie apocalypse game with those rules, but never got to..

[The_Jackal]

Left 4 Dead 2

[Kiero]

If you want something expressly written for the job, you can't beat AFMBE.

[Tyndmyr]

Left 4 Dead 2

Excuse me, sir, you accidentally got a two in there.


I would strongly advise reading the Walking Dead before/during play.

[Callista]

What about D20 Modern? I once planned to run a zombie apocalypse game with those rules, but never got to..

It could definitely work, but I would recommend deliberately reducing XP handouts to keep the PCs low level and in danger. Even with the higher danger level of D20 Modern, PCs will quickly level out of the dangerous zone.

There are also Ordinary classes (like NPC classes) which might further decrease the power level and increase the danger level.

[Ravens_cry]

Hmm, most zombie media I am aware of start pretty in medias res. Which is nice for the authors because they don't have to explain how this happened, and why it wasn't taken care of. However, using a non-zombie dedicated system could have its advantages. It means you could start a game, and not have the players be aware immediately aware it was a zombie game, adding to the scare when they do show up.
One thing I have wanted to try was a medieval zombie game. Say the Black Death didn't just kill you, it also raised you as horrific shambling monster. It actually makes sense for the zombie outbreak to get as big as it does.

[Alpha0010]

World of Darkness works well. (I think it was the new version, but I didn't know there was a new and old) We had a campaign where we made characters for a regular game and then the zombie apocalypse happened. Unfortunately we all died very quickly since for that game we all decided to make characters with less focus on combat abilities.

[Demonix]

I was thinking about using twilight 2013 for zombie survival game. never got off the ground though.

[Kuma Kode]

What kind of zombie apocalypse are you planning on doing? Viral infection a la 28 Days Later? The Night of the Living Dead supernatural? Viral infection/mutation a la Resident Evil? Strong light/dark safety ratio like I Am Legend? Something more aligned with Lovecraft? Stephen King? Teen slasher film?

[wormwood]

I played for quite a while in a Savage Worlds Zombie Apocalypse game. It was awesome. I started out with a slingshot and a stick, wandering around town, alone. By the end, I was quite the sniper/sneak, but I was still toting the slingshot for silent killing.

We had one guy in the group who took the Arcane Background: Weird Science. He flavored it mostly as cobbled together radios for communication, molotov coctails for fireballs, layered armor for protection, etc.

The GM ramped things up pretty well as we went along. Our main antagonist was a one-armed sentient zombie who had voodoo-like abilities... and blamed me for his being a zombie. Apparently, I wasn't as helpful as he would've liked when his arm was getting munched on.

[OneCalledBlue]

AFMBE is perhaps the best. But it can work well in DnD 3.5 and D20 modern if you keep the power levels low. E3 with NPC classes is awesome in a zombie apocalypse. ;)

Also nWoD is pretty lame for zombies and necromancy and stuff (depending on which way you want to go).

oWoD has voodoo, four different types of necromancy and even rules for mutant zombies, vampire ghouled zombies and mage zombies (Mage:The Ascension), Thin blolod zombies, werewolf abominations and right down to mind control zombies and even voice controlled zombies. lol.
Plus it is very easy to give powers to ordinary people.

[Odin the Ignoble]

Hero System

Failing that, AFMBE has some pretty nice game and plot ideas, although all the fluff stuff can be used for another system. If you don't feel like putting allot of effort into the game, it's pretty straight forward.

Low Level d20 Modern works pretty well too.

[Kuma Kode]

Well, d20 Modern isn't like D&D... "High level" means your characters have more HP and can hit things better, not that they have earth shaking powers... if the zombiepocalypse is designed to escalate, such as having zombies evolve or appear in Mobs (as in, the Swarm template's bigger and terrifyingly broken cousin), then level isn't really a problem. Your players get the thrill and positive reinforcement of leveling up while still being threatened by new and increasingly powerful horrors... because face it, standard zombies, no matter how big their number, will get old.

That's why nearly every zombie video game out there has variety. Fast ones, vomiting ones, ones that blow up, zombies on fire, zombies that crawl on ceilings, etc.

But yes, as has been said, All Flesh Must Be Eaten was designed for zombies, but depending upon your specifications a different system may function better. I am supportive of Ravens_cry's suggestion of using a more generic system and then revealing it as a zombiepocalypse a bit later, so the players are as surprised as their characters.

[The Rose Dragon]

But yes, as has been said, All Flesh Must Be Eaten was designed for zombies, but depending upon your specifications a different system may function better. I am supportive of Ravens_cry's suggestion of using a more generic system and then revealing it as a zombiepocalypse a bit later, so the players are as surprised as their characters.

You can do both, if you cheat a bit, and allow players to have a bit more power than usual.

Start with Witchcraft. Lesser gifted and mundanes fit right in with a zombie apocalypse, but the game Witchcraft itself is not based on the scenario. It just happens to use the same game system with AFMBE, however, which means you can spring it on them if they are not aware of the connection. And even if they are, they might not expect it.

[Kuma Kode]

You can do both, if you cheat a bit, and allow players to have a bit more power than usual.

Start with Witchcraft. Lesser gifted and mundanes fit right in with a zombie apocalypse, but the game Witchcraft itself is not based on the scenario. It just happens to use the same game system with AFMBE, however, which means you can spring it on them if they are not aware of the connection. And even if they are, they might not expect it.

That's... sneaky as hell... and I like it.

[SurlySeraph]

Also nWoD is pretty lame for zombies and necromancy and stuff (depending on which way you want to go).

oWoD has voodoo, four different types of necromancy and even rules for mutant zombies, vampire ghouled zombies and mage zombies (Mage:The Ascension), Thin blolod zombies, werewolf abominations and right down to mind control zombies and even voice controlled zombies. lol.
Plus it is very easy to give powers to ordinary people.

Eh? NWoD has rules for a variety of zombies in Antagonists, several versions of voodoo and necromancy (in Second Sight, the Vodoun vampire discipline, Mage spells, certain Sin-Eater manifestations and rituals), and Revenants if you want more powerful undead (no mage zombies as far as I know), plus it's really easy to give powers to ordinary people (Second Sight, psychic and thaumaturge merits). Plus the rules are easier to find and (in my opinion) easier to learn than OWoD.

[OneCalledBlue]

Oh yes, the nWoD rules are much easier to pick up and it is a heck of a lot easier to find stuff in the books (and find the books themselves).
But you have a much greater range and more flavour with the oWoD stuff.
Everything is a little generic in nWoD. :P

That is why the system kind of flopped when it was released. oWoD still enjoys more sales on the second hand market than nWoD gets as a shiny new system. lol.

But yes, it's ease of use is a real plus to it.

[Bobikus]

What kind of zombie apocalypse are you planning on doing? Viral infection a la 28 Days Later? The Night of the Living Dead supernatural? Viral infection/mutation a la Resident Evil? Strong light/dark safety ratio like I Am Legend? Something more aligned with Lovecraft? Stephen King? Teen slasher film?

AFMBE with some splatbooks can do pretty much all of this.

[FelixG]

All Flesh Must be Eaten is pretty much the most awesome system for Zombie games

[Kuma Kode]

"True horror where everything is nigh impossible" sounds a lot like Call of Cthulhu, as well. More importantly than what system is best is what systems are you and your players familiar with? The benefits of using a system that you're familiar with could certainly outweigh the benefits of using a system particularly designed for zombie horror. Horror needs atmosphere and immersion, and if you have to grind the game to a halt to look up rules because you're using a new system, it will likely drag it down.