TheGhostWriter wrote:I love the idea behind Dead Reign, but I wasn't very pleased with the results, so I'm just using the basic mechanics. I'll be developing my own storyline, and I will post more later. For now this is how I've started.
In my game, zombies are still humans. They just suffer from a disease, virus, contagion, whatever. They must eat and drink or they will die. They can be easily killed. They don't go dormant, and their bite (saliva) spreads the sickness.
Stage One
Individual has flu-like symptoms: body aches, fever, coughing, etc.
Stage Two
Individual is bedridden and in intense pain. In addittion to the aforementioned symptoms, the infected person also develops lesions and sweats profusely. Likewise, patients in stage two vomit and loose control of their bodily functions. Also, thick mucous drains from the eyes, mouth and nostrils. Stage two patients eventually fall into a comatose state.
Stage Three
Patients awaken from coma. They are aggressive. They suffer from deterioration of the frontal lobe. Their skin takes on a very sickly pallor: lesions, bruises, and vericose veins. They have limited speech and suffer from nerve damage, but retain muscle strength and mobility. These patients do not go out of their way to attack others. In fact, they would rather flee. Nevertheless, they will brutally attack anyone that blocks their flight.
State Four
Patient suffers from severe brain damage, muscle atrophy and limited mobility. Their flesh becomes necrotic. They are hostile, muderous and cannibalistic. They experience severe nerve damage and feel no pain. While their body no longer heals itself, their blood clots quickly. The only way to quickly stop this "monster" is by destroying it's brain or heart. Damaging other major organs will kill stage four patients but at a much slower rate.
_____
These are just my standard slouchers. I plan to work in aberrant zombie types later: thinkers, runners, brutes, lords and paragons. These will be zombies that have mutated or evolved past stage four.
Also, at some point I will be allowing minor psionics in my game.
How is your game different from the book?
TGW
From the looks of it you basically bought the book, read it, threw it aside and made your own zombie setting. How exactly do the zombies manage to reach sufficiently apocalyptic numbers to actually be a real problem in your setting?