Need a system for a zombie survival game

[Apocolithp]

Hello playground, so I'm looking for a system that will work well with a zombie survival theme, I'm looking for something that has wide verity of modern skills such as medical, science, guns, electronics and that sort of thing and also does not have a level up system, probley homebrew so they get more skills as they go for doing stuff and such but overall I'm avoiding level ups, any thoughts are appreciated!

[Worira]

All Flesh Must Be Eaten?

[SowZ]

Are you going for a more zany zombie adventure where when the fear and truly scary parts come it catches the people off guard or a truly terrifying one?

Do you want a system where the people are heroes or where zombie fights are difficult and to be avoided? Are you looking at semi-plausible-ish zombies, (a shot to both lungs would kill it even if it took a while, it has to eat and drink,) or magical zombies? (Only brain shots kill it.)

[Apocolithp]

A truly terrifying one if i can pull it off, an im goin for a George A. Romero style zombie so headshots only, hehe dunno if magical is what i was going for, more like the virus type.

[SowZ]

A truly terrifying one if i can pull it off, an im goin for a George A. Romero style zombie so headshots only, hehe dunno if magical is what i was going for, more like the virus type.

Well, Romero zombies are definitely magical. But that is okay. You can have the magic spread by a virus, OR not mention the magic at all, OR play in a game where the laws of physics and biology are warped. If the reason the zombies can exist is not a plot point, it shouldn't really matter and if characters get into an argument in game about how the zombies are magic or not, no need to confirm it! Let the getting in character go like crazy.

Honestly, WoD is a no level system where you increase in skills. Homebrewing a Romero zombie is easy. Give it's head 3 wounds, its arms/legs 2, its torso 5. Limbs/torso can be destroyed. WoD has aimed shot rules, (most shots will be aimed at head,) but otherwise roll a d10 for location. A 1 is L. Leg, 2 is R. Leg, 3 is L. Arm, 4 is R. Arm, 5-9 is torso, 10 is head. Explosives roll on the location chart three times and apply the damage to all. It moves at a walk. It moves at a shamble with one leg missing, (half speed,) and a crawl with both legs missing, (one fourth speed,) with torso gone it is just a head so it does not move at all but is still dangerous if anyone walks close.

For each arm missing, it gets -1 strength. For each succesful melee hit a zombie gets on a player, there is a 10 percent chance of infection. (Roll a d10, 1 is infection. Roll another d10, that is how many hours before he turns. The die gets -1 for any extra successes after the first on an attack.) If a zombie gets a succesful grapple attack and damages, (a deep bite,) there is immediate infection.

That should be easy enough. WoD is also reasonably rules lite but not so much that it is hard to run, IMO. If anything, this allows the rules to get out of the way so people focus on the horror. It is easy to ignore other monsters, (magi, vamps, werewolves, etc.) and just do zombies/other survivors who may be the biggest threat of all.

[Lunarix]

GURPS does a good job with this as well. One of the guys in my gaming group ran a short zombie apocalypse adventure (i.e. escape from the city) and it was pretty fun.

and for all the reasons SowZ brought up, WoD is also a good system for this.

[SowZ]

GURPS does a good job with this as well. One of the guys in my gaming group ran a short zombie apocalypse adventure (i.e. escape from the city) and it was pretty fun.

and for all the reasons SowZ brought up, WoD is also a good system for this.

Oh, yeah, GURPS works for just about anything. Especially if people don't like the rules lite nature of WoD, GURPS may be your thing. If the group doesn't like lots of rules, GURPS may not be your thing.

I don't think there will be a best system for a zombie horror game. There are a number of pretty compatible systems, (some, like All Flesh Must Be Eaten ar enot only compatible but structured around zombies,) and then you find which style fits your group best, of course.

[hamlet]

Palladium has a fairly good Zombie Survival book out. Quite excellent actually.

[Apocolithp]

Hmm i have never played WoD but i will look into it, awesome thanks for the help and i will probley use the aimed shot rules if nothing else i figure, and im sure i can modify it so that a gun skill can modify it.

[SowZ]

Hmm i have never played WoD but i will look into it, awesome thanks for the help and i will probley use the aimed shot rules if nothing else i figure, and im sure i can modify it so that a gun skill can modify it.

It's just a simple minus to the roll depending on the size of your aimed shot. A head would be a fairly small penalty, the eyes would be a very hard penalty.

[goose1009]

I ran a really good one with Mutants and Masterminds, worked really really well. Didnt even have to modify anything, everything worked right out of the gate, just have to use amuch lower PL than what is considered normal starting PL.

[Z3ro]

Gotta throw my hat towards All Flesh Must be Eaten as well. It's a zombie RPG in a box, with one of the best systems for representing such s senario. Doubly good if you're going for the terrifying, running from zombies more so than fighting zombies.

[Jude_H]

All Flesh Must Be Eaten is made for this. I'd use it before GURPS or Palladium any day.

Shotgun Diaries is also made to do Romero, and is typically what I'd use. It sounds much lighter than what the OP is looking for, though.

[Big Fau]

Have you tried Left 4 Dead?

[Halna LeGavilk]

Dead Reigns, from Palladium, is a fairly good one as well, more for fear filled zombie adventures.

[Jjeinn-tae]

A truly terrifying one if i can pull it off, an im goin for a George A. Romero style zombie so headshots only, hehe dunno if magical is what i was going for, more like the virus type.

As many have said, All Flesh Must Be Eaten fits this perfectly.

When you run it, you create the type of zombie, how they're killed, how they spread, things like that. Headshots only, hyper perceptive leaping zombies that are spread by a virus in the air? Easy. Clones of any of the special infected from Left 4 Dead? Easy. Slow shambling zombies that pose no threat to anyone as they can't navigate past difficult terrain craving brains? ...Easy, though that might not be as fun.

[SowZ]

I've never played All Flesh Must Be Eaten so I didn't recommend it, but I have heard only good things about it and when I did a quick rules read through it seemed like it should work.

Plus, 30 Bucks for a game you only need one book to run is entirely reasonable. I know there are a few inexpensive supplements, too, like a Wild West one or a supplement to encourage higher action in, (I think?) a more 20s/30s setting.

EDIT: Did a little googling. Here is a basic overview of the rule system on the creators own website.

[Bearpunch]

All Flesh, all the way man.

Before I bought the only rulebook neccesary, I only Gmed D&D, and I found that All Flesh is a simple, light (but not too light) RPG focusing on characters and situations more ona D20 roll every two seconds. On top of zombies, All Flesh is highly flexible, allowing you to make soldiers, musketeers, mutants, and essentially anything that can be done with modern or pre-modern players and enemies, all in one simple core rulebook.

Also, if you really need to expand, there are a plethora of supplemental books on the cheap.
One of the Living, though I haven't bought it yet, is great for longer running campaigns involving what happens after humanity gets its feet back. Sounds right up your alley

The best part is, on Amazon, All Flesh core and the One of the Living Supplement is like 35 bucks.

[SowZ]

All Flesh, all the way man.

Before I bought the only rulebook neccesary, I only Gmed D&D, and I found that All Flesh is a simple, light (but not too light) RPG focusing on characters and situations more ona D20 roll every two seconds. On top of zombies, All Flesh is highly flexible, allowing you to make soldiers, musketeers, mutants, and essentially anything that can be done with modern or pre-modern players and enemies, all in one simple core rulebook.

Also, if you really need to expand, there are a plethora of supplemental books on the cheap.
One of the Living, though I haven't bought it yet, is great for longer running campaigns involving what happens after humanity gets its feet back. Sounds right up your alley

The best part is, on Amazon, All Flesh core and the One of the Living Supplement is like 35 bucks.

Just checked Amazon and you can get the core book for under 20 by itself, though an unopened copy from the early print of the revised edition can apparently sell for over a hundred!

[Bearpunch]

I bought my revised copy for 30 bucks at my local game shop, so maybe Amazon isnt always the answer :P

[SowZ]

I bought my revised copy for 30 bucks at my local game shop, so maybe Amazon isnt always the answer :P

It was also the hardcover I saw, though. Must be considered a collectors item.

[Bearpunch]

Or maybe some people are just money hungry jerks. :D

[Apocolithp]

I look into All Flesh Must Be Eaten and it is perfect, thanks for all the help Playground! Hopefully i can get the book and run a game next week, my group is all pumped needless to say we are all avid zombie fans and this is right up our alley, Thanks!

[Bearpunch]

A week should be good to learn the system, theres only a few things to it. Its how it is used that makes it the best zombie system around.

[Apocolithp]

A week should be good to learn the system, theres only a few things to it. Its how it is used that makes it the best zombie system around.

How so? got any tips?

[Bearpunch]

Its a really simple system and an easy read, just make sure to do these three things:


1. Getting little post-its to mark different parts you flip through frequently- the index isnt very helpful, if there is one...
2. READ EVERYTHING- outside of the final chapter where it just displays different campaign arcs (though it is a great chapter) everything is necessary in playing a campaign. Though you may not use a humvee, its nice to know at least a bit on the rules for them.
3. Dont be afraid to alter or ignore rules- even the book suggests this sometimes. You find a rule that doesnt apply, dont use it (Like my teenage party encountered the Wealth quality, but it didnt apply to us so we ignored it)

[Conners]

Thanks for the tips, Bearpunch. I've made a checking interest thread for a game of the system (to try it out), and was going through the rulebook too fast.