Mosquitoes

[Smlawrence8]

Ok so Malaria and other diseases can be transferred through the nasty bugs can zombie-ism?

[Smlawrence8]

Officially? I don't know.

The way I intended it, no.

Good I got bit by a mosquito last night and kinda had a little freak out thinking I might turn into a zombie...

[Nightbreed]

Very doubtful since the Z-Virus appears to be more supernatural than anything else. Plus, if you're running in Kevin's version of things there is no virus that turns you into a zombie, you have to be killed by a zombie to become one. That being said, if you want mosquitoes to carry the Z-Virus in your campaign, go for it. Just be prepared for the consequences.

If someone runs it like that, there is no way that i can see the human race survive. Very Evil indeed!

[sHaka]

Nope.

Assuming we are talking Dead Reign, there is no "Z-Virus".

[Steeler49er]

"sHaka's" DEAD rigth... There Is no virus in this very interseting take on the Zombie Mythos.
As to Z-Virus games, it Really does depends on the RPG/Movie/Comic/Novel in question.
If you allow for such a thing, and the change is quick (heck, even if it's slow) your looking at the total annihilation of All life on Earth in just a few weeks (given that in such a case, All animals AND DRINKING WATER would be contaminated!).
Example, even IF animals couldn't go Zombie, it's Really likely that Live stock <AKA FOOD> would be infected!!!

If your looking fer an RPG example, Over at/on the N-prime Aberrant Trinity Play by post Boards, some of the Players are running a Zombie Aberrant game, and Even with Novas running around, the human race is verging on 3K humans left after 6 months!!!

See Aberrant: Dead Rising

In the on line Graphic World of "Last Blood", most all life is gone after just 3months!

[Nightbreed]

Nope.

Assuming we are talking Dead Reign, there is no "Z-Virus".

Which version?

I could have sworn that there was a mention of the Z-Virus in either the Rifter #40 or #45......

[Nightbreed]

Nope.

Assuming we are talking Dead Reign, there is no "Z-Virus".

Which version?

I could have sworn that there was a mention of the Z-Virus in either the Rifter #40 or #45......

yep, not that it matters now but we were treating it with the same rule of a viral contagion.

Of course it matters! Not everyone is running it according to the "official" version. (Mine is based from yours or as close to it as i can of course. )

[gaaahhhh]

Ok so Malaria and other diseases can be transferred through the nasty bugs can zombie-ism?

Since the Z-virus would kill a mosquito fairly quickly, I doubt it would have time to infect anyone.

[Colt47]

A virus is only adapted to attach itself to the docking proteins of a specific type of creature. Mammals are all very similar so the virus COULD mutate and infect them. However, the chances of the Z-Virus actually killing a mosquito right away wouldn't be very likely as the docking proteins wouldn't match. Actually, I'm surprised it hasn't been spread by bugs and vermin yet as is. All it would take is a single mosquito to get some lunch from a freshly made zombie and then bite a living person. The way the game works though, that person would still have to die somehow to become a zombie.

I don't have the dead reign books. Need to ask around at college.

[Steeler49er]

??? Well, you'd need "Rifter Dead Reign", as the Actual book does Not have a Virus of any kind other than the Wave, and since that may not have been Viral either it's a moot point<as has been said now 80+times>.

Only the Rifter version (drastically differant from The Book) uses the Virus, so That is where you need to look.

So Citizen Lazlo is who we need to ask.
►Hey Citizen Lazlo, how fast was the contagion spead?
►What were the Vectors?
►IF a Mosquitoe Does bite a sick pesron, Does it metabolize the Blood/virus, or is it a carrier?
►How long after death till you turn?
►Are certain animals effected?
►Does the Virus Mutate?
►How does it keep the flesh alive & subsiquently animate it?
►Does such animation of said flesh have a Super Natural aspect to it, and if so how much?
►If not, than do the Zombies bodies create waste, and thusly do they Need to consume flesh to live, if they do.... Etc.

Those are the questions you need to ask him personally, untill you get the book.

[Oberoth]

??? Well, you'd need "Rifter Dead Reign", as the Actual book does Not have a Virus of any kind other than the Wave, and since that may not have been Viral either it's a moot point<as has been said now 80+times>.

Only the Rifter version (drastically differant from The Book) uses the Virus, so That is where you need to look.

So Citizen Lazlo is who we need to ask.
►Hey Citizen Lazlo, how fast was the contagion spead?
►What were the Vectors?
►IF a Mosquitoe Does bite a sick pesron, Does it metabolize the Blood/virus, or is it a carrier?
►How long after death till you turn?
►Are certain animals effected?
►Does the Virus Mutate?
►How does it keep the flesh alive & subsiquently animate it?
►Does such animation of said flesh have a Super Natural aspect to it, and if so how much?
►If not, than do the Zombies bodies create waste, and thusly do they Need to consume flesh to live, if they do.... Etc.

Those are the questions you need to ask him personally, untill you get the book.

I'm not an expert on this but from what I read in Rifter#40 the Wave was caused by magic. So therefore the zombie-ism is magic/supernatural. Although it is transmitted in a similar way as a virus, it really is not a virus. This was also designed to affect humans and only humans. Is this correct CL?

[Misfit KotLD]

Gmapprentice, I see nothing there that says it must be how you read it. Are you confusing DR zombies with Palladium's spell zombies?

[azazel1024]

If a Z-virus paterned itself on a real virus it would probably not be transmittable by mosquitos. Most viruses are not generally mosquito transmittable. Malaria is a parasite, as is Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness, Tetse Fly). Of course Dengue and Yellow fevers are readily mosquito born.

My take would be that a Z-virus would not be mosquito transmitable. I'd pattern it more like rabbies (which, is not parasitically transmittable). Especially on the part that even an infected bite is not a guarantee of transmision, but it is highly likely.

I just got DR and still finishing reading through the sourcebook for it (finished the main book last night), so I've yet to run a game or anything, just the thoughts I've been having. That said I'd pattern my games much closer to the book in that Zombieism is passed more supernaturally with a person needing to be killed by a zombie to cause the person to rise.
-Matt

[Xar]

Since the Z-virus would kill a mosquito fairly quickly, I doubt it would have time to infect anyone.

Zombie mosquitos?

[azazel1024]

I just don't see zombie insects. If this thing is supposed to be fairly 'realistic' and non-paranormal in origin that it wouldn't cause every species to become a zombie. Look at real world viruses. Most will infect and cause symptoms/harm in only a small portion of species. Foot and Mouth disease only effects ungulates. HIV only effects humans and primates, Ebola only seems to effect humans and primates, the flu also generally only targets a group as well (IE normal flu only effects humans and primates, bird flu only normally effects birds, etc). Of course sometimes a virus mutates and will go from effecting one population to effecting another, but in generally once it mutates the new mutation generally doesn't effect the old population or is diminished in its capacity to effect the old population (sometimes it is just as effective).

To the best of my knowledge there are no viruses that will effect humans and insects or even anything beyond a virus effecting anything outside of a Class (IE effecting Mammals, effecting amphibians, etc).

So at most I see a Z-virus effecting just humans and maybe a small handful of species outside of us, such as primates.

For the mosquito bit or even casual contact with a zombie; even with something like HIV there is a certain minimum viral load required to infect a person. Below a certain amount and the immune system will destroy it before it has any chance to actually cause an infection. I'd think to a large degree the same thing would happen with a Z-virus. Even if the Z-virus is hijacking the immune system I'd think there would need to be some sort of minimum viral load. Below a certain amount and the rest of the immune system is either going to attack and destroy the virus before it can really begin replicating and taking things over. So something like zombie spit or even zombie brains can sprayed over an open wound (at least a small one) isn't likely to cause the person to be infected and turn in to a zombie. Now something like a bite that can cause zombie saliva and effulant to penetrate deeply in to the flesh is much more likely to cause a person to become infected. Same with a large wound caused by tearing, etc.

Of course I still simply follow the dead reign rules. Only people killed by a zombie turn.
-Matt

[Xar]

I should have put an emoticon on my last post. I was joking.

[Smlawrence8]

I

So at most I see a Z-virus effecting just humans and maybe a small handful of species outside of us, such as primates.

-Matt

Holy crap


Mock spider monkey zombie.........eee eee eee(monkey sounds incase you were wondering) eee eee eeaaatttt urrrr brains......

[gaaahhhh]

Since the Z-virus would kill a mosquito fairly quickly, I doubt it would have time to infect anyone.

Zombie mosquitos?

They don't fly very well.

[azazel1024]

actually azazel cats and dogs have contacted HIV and AIDS. so i dont see why it would be impossible. not likely, but not impossible.

I don't know of a case of a Canine immunodeficiency virus. Cats certainly have FIV which is very similar to HIV, but neither is transmitable across species (FIV cannot infect humans and HIV cannot infect cats).
-Matt