Zombie Apocalypse - Rules Thread

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Zombie Apocalypse - Rules Thread

Post by Loredoctor »

Zombie Apocalypse
Rules 1.5

Contents
Characters
Game Turns
City Zones
Vehicles
Undead
Special Events
Clans
Victory

Characters
1. Selecting characters
Everyone must select a character class from the list. All character classes can only be played by a limited number of people. This will be a first come, first serve basis, so it best to select a class as soon as possible.

Obviously, not all classes are alike. Some have better attack ability (to strike undead or another character), defense (to avoid an attack), hit points (health), or Investigate (to find items or vehicles). Additionally, all classes have a special ability that defines them (for instance, police officers provide a defense bonus to the group they are with).

Character Classes
Athlete (1 left)
Business Person
Cop (1 left)
Clergyman
Criminal (1 left)
Doctor
Hobo (1 left)
Lawyer
Mechanic (1 left)
Occultist (1 left)
Politician1 (1 left)
Professor
Soldier (1 left)

Note: No more than two players can select the same career.

2. Class Abilities
HP (Hit Points): This indicates how healthy a character is. The lower the rating, the closer a person is to death. Once HPs reach zero the character dies and is out of the game. Every time a character is successfully attacked by the undead, he or she will lose an amount of hit points depending upon the number of undead in an area. If there are hardly any undead, then a character will lose 1 HP at the most. If there are many, the character could lose more than 1 HP.

Characters can heal HPs by being in the same area as a Doctor, by visiting the hospital area, or by using a medical kit. It is also possible to gain more HPs by achieving the next experience level (more on that later). No character can have more than 5 HPs.

Att (Attack):
This rating determines the success rate of an attack made by the character against undead or another character. The character must get a score higher than the rating in order to succeed. A successful roll means that the character inflicts damage to a target. The amount of damage inflicted is equal to the weapon the character is wielding (damage in how many undead are killed or HPs a character loses).

Like HPs, a character’s Attack ability can increase with experience, but it will never reach higher than Master rank. Increasing means 'Increasing chance to succeed." As the lower the rating the better the chance of success (to succeed, a roll higher or equal to the score), hence why increasing can sound confusing. i.e. Character A's Attack score is rated as Inexperienced and increases to Expert with the next level; A's attack rating will go from 5 to 4, meaning they now have a higher chance to succeed in an attack (4+ chance).

Def (Defense): This indicates how successful the character is able avoid an attack by undead or another character. If the character fails, he or she (or the group) will receive damage; success indicates that the character avoids harm. This is rolled automatically when a character is successfully attacked.

Like HPs, a character’s Defense ability can increase with experience, but it will never reach higher than Master rank.

Inv (Investigate): This relates to the character’s ability to find equipment or vehicles. A successful roll (a die roll equal to or higher than the rating) indicates that the character may find something in the location he or she is investigating. However, there is a chance that the character might not find anything, as a secondary roll is needed to determine what they might have found (for instance, a weapon or medical kit). Sometimes, despite finding a secret cache or cellar, the character discovers that there is nothing of value there. Thus, this ability is the only rating where a successful roll does not guarantee a positive outcome (unlike Attack or Defense).

Like HPs, a character’s Investigate ability can increase with experience, but it will never reach higher than Master rank.

For Attack, Defense and Investigate abilities, the ratings are:

Poor
Inexperienced
Competent
Expert
Master


XP Level (Experience Level):
There are five levels in Zombie Apocalypse. Starting at level one and finishing at level five. Each level gained reflects the character becoming more skilled and competent, and thus the character’s abilities increase (like HPs, Att & Def).

Every time a character reaches a new level, he or she earns 1 point to spend in HPs, Att, Def or Inv. However, the point can only be spent in one of these. For instance, if character A reaches XP Level 2, she can spend her point on increasing Att, but once this is spent she cannot increase another ability until she reaches the next level (in this case, three).

XP Levels increase with killing undead or finding rare items (one-off items like training manuals or artifacts).

Kills are accumulated per character, not per Clan or group. Further, character kills are not counted to the total.

3. Character Inventory: Every character can carry up to four items and have one weapon equipped. Some items are stackable – like medical kits – so that it is possible to carry more than one type of item in one ‘slot’. For instance, a character might be equipped with a chainsaw, and carry planks of wood, a torch, a grenade and three flares; the flares count as one item so that the inventory does not become filled too quickly. However, no more than four of the same item may be ‘stacked’ in the inventory (though, the character can specify to allocate another slot to the same items and stack more that way).

Note: Only one item can be used per turn, unless it's a medical pack.

Survivors/Followers
Every turn all characters have a chance (equal to their level) of recruiting survivors. The higher level you are, the better chance a survivor will join you. This makes sense: people look to the more accomplished. But you can only have two survivors/followers at the most.

For example. Character A is level 4 with 1 follower. Turn 10 she receives another follower (she has a 67% chance of earning another follower), which means that she cannot recruit more. Character B is level 2. He has a 33% chance of recruiting a survivor.

Recruitment is automatic, so characters do not have to spend an action looking for survivors. Characters can also recruit two survivors by spending the point you get when a character gains the next experience level. Instead of raising an ability, a player may now spend that on automatically getting two survivors. However, a character can not ever have more than two.

Having a survivor/follower grants you two benefits. First, they can improve an action by granting a higher chance of success. Second, they automatically defend you, so that they receive injuries from attacks against the character. Having two followers means that two injuries can be absorbed by the two characters. Once a survivor takes an injury he or she will die.

Survivors are so devoted they are willing to be pushed into the narrowest spaces in vehicles, so that they do not count for passenger limitations.

As for their names, I leave the players with creating the followers, and their history. So Johnny Bravo could have one that is a fan of the athlete.


Game Turns
There are a total of twenty turns in the game, and each turn a character may perform one of four actions. The character may Move between city zones, Attack, Defend or Investigate. Characters can Move and Investigate or Investigate and Move (or just Investigate or just Move). This does not apply to Attack or Defense. Each of these is described below.

Move: Every character class (with one exception) can move one zone per turn. Thus, if the character decides to move during a turn, all he or she will do is move from one zone to another. A character can only move between adjoining zones (that is, zones that share borders).

Some characters have the ability to move more than one zone a turn. The soldier class is one example. Possessing a vehicle, such as a car, bus or helicopter also allows the character to travel more than one zone per turn. In these circumstances, the character can only move between adjoining zones (those that share borders) (note: helicopters ignore this rule).

While moving across zones a character can be attacked (once; if traveling across more than one zone, undead will attack from the most populated area). If the character is on foot, there is a higher chance of being attacked (+1 to undead attack). If the character is traveling via a vehicle, the chance is lower (no modifier to undead attack) (note: helicopters protect characters from the undead).

Attack: When a character decides to attack, he or she must state whether they are attacking undead or another character. Regardless of the target type, a successful Att roll must be made in order to inflict damage or kills. The amount of damage or number of kills is determined by the weapon type. For instance, using a shotgun will kill greater numbers of undead than a pistol, and a sniper rifle will deal more damage to another character than a katana.

The only way to avoid damage (from another character) is to successfully defend (more on that below).

As every character makes their move simultaneously there is a complication if one character moves out of a zone when they are being attacked by another character. In this instance, the attacking character can only attack the other character if his or her zone shares borders with the zone the character is attacking in (i.e. Character A moves from the CBD to Bunker B using her car. Character B attacks character A in the CBD, but her attack fails as Bunker B does not share a border with the CBD zone).

Defend: In order to help protect other characters (in the same zone) from a successful attack from another character or from undead, a character must state he or she is defending during a turn. If the character passes the Def check then any attack against him will inflict no damage. A character can also defend characters ending their movement in the same zone.

A character must also declare that he or she is defending another character in the same zone. If the Def roll is successful, then the specified character will not take any damage from undead or another character. Finally, no more than two characters may defend the same character.

If the character is attacked by the undead, a successful Def roll will kill a maximum of one third of the normal amount (as defined by the weapon type).

Some zones grant a bonus to defense – such as bunkers, churches and the military base. However, there are no automatic successes on Def rolls, so there is a limit to the bonus.

Investigate: Instead of killing undead, or moving about the city, a character may investigate a zone they are in to find weapons, equipment (like medical kits or body armour), vehicles, training manuals (which allow characters to advance to the next experience level), and unique items. Once a character passes his or her Inv check, a second roll is made a table to determine what they find.

Stealth: Characters can also opt to take a stealth action when they move, attack or investigate. There is no roll for stealth, hence it is not technically an action the character undertakes (hence, it is not one of the four actions that can be selected each turn). Instead, it effects an action. For example, a character may decide to move into the CBD normally, or move into the CBD stealthily. The difference between the two is that the stealth action lessens the likelihood of being injured from undead or another character. This is the same for making a stealth attack or investigation (there is no stealth defense). Thus, all stealth actions do is increase a character’s defense.

The downside to taking stealth actions is that whatever action the character takes is hindered by the fact that the character is being more cautious. So if a character stealthily attacks, he or she is less likely to be successful, but more likely not to be injured. The same occurs with investigation. Movement, however, is different; a character can only move one zone while making a stealth move. This applies even if the character is moving and investigating in the same turn.

Note: A character cannot make a stealth move if her or she in a vehicle.


Every zone has a unique table as the types and frequency of items vary depending upon the type of area (for instance, there is a higher chance to find weapons in a military base as opposed to the central business district). In addition, some areas have a higher chance of nothing being found.

As unique items are discovered, they are removed from the list – they can’t be discovered again. If the number associated with the unique item is rolled again then the character will find nothing. Unique items are marked by the symbol *. Note that no character may start with a unique item.

City Zones

The city is divided up into fourteen zones. A character may move into or through any of these, attack or defend in them, or investigate. The zones are divided into two types: open (like parkland or the docks) or building (like the CBD or the university). This distinction is made purely for defense and attack purposes (see character special abilities). The regions are listed below.

Image

Open zones
The Bay
Central Park
The Docks
The Highway
The Stadium
Downtown

Building zones
Bunkers (Note: Bunkers are immune to some random events - beneficial and harmful)
The Central Business District
Catholic Church
The Hospital
Industrial Region
The Island
The Military Base
The Police District
The Prison
The Shopping Mall
The University
Uptown


Note: There are two zones that are impassable (and unnamed) - the north zone which is to the left of the docks and the western zone which is above Uptown and to the left of Bunker C.


Vehicles

Vehicles:
All vehicles move at least one zone per turn and are subject to the rule of attack from undead during transit. A character can only own one vehicle (a clan cannot own more than two), but vehicles do not take up inventory space (obviously).

The Undead
All undead in the game are the same (other than those that arrive with special events). The damage they inflict and removing them from an area is completely dependent upon the number of undead in each zone. The more undead in a zone, the more damage they can inflict and the harder it is to clear an area.

Alert levels
Minor (Around 10 Undead)
Worrying (20)
Dangerous (50)
Severe (100)
Catastrophic (200+)

The Alert level refers to the classification for each zone at the start of every turn depending upon the number of undead in that area. This informs players of the level of danger their characters may face when they enter the zone of interest.

Each turn, the number of undead in a zone is likely to increase.

Special Events
At the start of every turn, there is a special event. Events have the chance to affect the entire city and characters, or just one or two zones. Some events affect the amount of undead in zones or may destroy some zones. They are either beneficial for characters or harmful.

Clans
Players can have their characters form clans or gangs of up to four members. Once a clan is created, characters are able to win the game as a clan rather than as a single surviving character. However, characters cannot attack other clan members unless a majority vote within the clan kicks a character out or a character voluntarily leaves. The ex-clan member can then be attacked. For a clan to exist it must have at least three members.

Characters do not have to move with other clan members, and can form temporary groups with non-clan characters (for the purposes of cooperative play or vehicle transport).

A clan must have a base of operations, which allows characters to store items and weapons in it (up to four). If there are no clan characters in the base, another character (non-clan) can steal one random item.

Victory
At the end of twenty turns, the last surviving character or clan wins the game. If there is a tie, the character with the highest experience level or clan with the highest average experience level wins.
Last edited by Loredoctor on Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:50 am, edited 29 times in total.
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Post by Loredoctor »

Character selections - careers and names - must be in by Friday, the 5th of January 12am GMT. The first turn submissions should be in, I hope, on the monday 12am GMT.
Last edited by Loredoctor on Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by I'm Murrin »

Can items be exchanged between characters?
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Post by Loredoctor »

Thanks for reminding me. Yes, absolutely.
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Post by Mistress Cathy »

Dibs on being a :biggrin: cop.

Name: Captain Jove Jones
Career: LAPD 15 years - SWAT team captain.
Education: UCLA - dual degree in Criminal Justice/Physical Education.
Awards: California Public Safety Medal of Valor recipient, Police Meritorious Service Award, Liberty Award, Life Saving Medal.
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Post by Mistress Cathy »

BTW, Loremaster - January 9th is a Tuesday. Do you mean that we have to have our characters by Friday, January 5th?
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Post by Warmark »

Can i be the Athlete?

Johnny Bravo!
Star QuarterBack for The Watch City Univercity Hawks!
Last edited by Warmark on Thu Jan 04, 2007 8:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
But if you're all about the destination, then take a fucking flight.
We're going nowhere slowly, but we're seeing all the sights.
And we're definitely going to hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell.


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Post by Mistress Cathy »

Also, is there going to be a map of each zone and the whole city?
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Post by stonemaybe »

Inv (Investigate): This relates to the character’s ability to find equipment or vehicles. A successful roll (a die roll equal to or higher than the rating) indicates that the character may find something in the location he or she is investigating.
I don't get this - if your Investigate rating increases, does this not make it HARDER to find something - ie less chance of rolling equal to or higher than rating?
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Post by Loredoctor »

Stonemaybe wrote:
Inv (Investigate): This relates to the character’s ability to find equipment or vehicles. A successful roll (a die roll equal to or higher than the rating) indicates that the character may find something in the location he or she is investigating.
I don't get this - if your Investigate rating increases, does this not make it HARDER to find something - ie less chance of rolling equal to or higher than rating?
I didnt want to have the dice mechanics up, but I'll have to explain this. A successful roll is equal to or higher than the rating. So if an ability is rated as Poor (6) that means a roll of a 6 on a six-sided die results in a success. An ability rating of Master (2) means a two or more on a die.
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Post by balon! »

Name:(alias) Jack Frost, (birth) Jacob Anderson
Career: Hobo
Education: Three years Watch University
Major: Engineering

Jack Frost was born Jacob Anderson, enrolled in the presitgious Watch university for three years hoping to become a civil engineer. While surfing around on his favorite message board his computer screen flickered. Up popped a government archive which included a lengthy article on unknow assailants believed to be dead, but walking. Jacob soon dropped out to investigate this matter and, three years later, is living on the streets telling anyone who will listen that the Gov't is out to get them and that the dead don't always stay that way...


Is there a name for our lovley infested city?
Last edited by balon! on Sun Jan 07, 2007 3:07 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Loredoctor »

Balon wrote: Is there a name for our lovley infested city?
Watch City.
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Post by sgt.null »

dibs on Sgt. Null, 6 years on the force.
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Post by Loredoctor »

Okay, all characters have been approved so far. The police class is no longer available.
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Post by balon! »

So it mentions special abilities for careers. Are these going to be given individually? Or an as of yet unpublished rules set that will be put out soon?
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Post by Loredoctor »

Balon wrote:So it mentions special abilities for careers. Are these going to be given individually? Or an as of yet unpublished rules set that will be put out soon?
Like Xar's Pantheon game, I'm going to have a game thread for in-game discussion etc. That will list the characters with their stats, special abilities and equipment/weapons.
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Post by balon! »

Coollio!

Man, I can't wait! :biggrin:
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Post by Loredoctor »

I've slightly altered the rules for attacking and defending, as there are some complications with moves (since all actions occur simultaneously - i.e. character A and character B actions happen at the same time).
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Post by I'm Murrin »

What's the difference between a priest and clergyman?

I think I'm going to be Cpt. Miles, Soldier.
Doesn't give away much about himself, hence the lack of details (yeah, yeah. I'm lazy).
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Post by Mistress Cathy »

WooHoo, SgtNull! Buddy - you and I on the force. Yeah, baby.
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