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2011/09/06 14:19:50
Subject: The Endless Dead: An Attempt at a Zombie Game
For the past few weeks I've been writing up some rules for a homebrew Zombie Game - called "The Endless Dead". It's a skrimish game with some RPG elements, using an area between 3x3 - 4x4 with an Action Point (Action/Reaction) mechanic as its base. Inspiration comes from the usual places but I'm particularly using the Zombie Survival Guide for it's more 'realistic' approach. I want my Zombies numerous, dangerous, relentless and tough to kill. I'll also have rules for some unsavoury gang types - most likely taking inspiration from the models I'll get - probably form Wargames Foundry's Street Violence Range - http://wargamesfoundry.com/fantasy_ranges/single_packs/street_violence/
As for the background I'm working on bits and pieces - but as you'll be playing the role of either Survivors (be they 'good' or 'bad') or Zombies - why should you know too much? What little I have done can be found on the website (see sig). So far I've gone for a whole biblical 'Wrath of God' plague of undead angle...
I've nearly finished composing the Alpha ruleset and am tweaking it to make it look as reasonable as possible after discovering Microsoft Publisher on my laptap. It's difficult as I'm having to use royalty free images but I think I'm getting there. I decided to buy into it a little - figuring if my homebrew rules are complete I could always use one of the more established rulesets I've looked into. Here's the first batch of stuff that just arrived!
The game will contain a multitude of Zombie types (like in - Left 4 Dead) to freshen it up and to provide more modelling opportunities for me. For the most basic, and numerous, type ("Shamblers") I'll be using Wargames Factory's Zombie set - I'm pretty impressed with it and they're cheap - by the game's end I can see myself needing a lot more of these guys, as well as to convert some into "Crawlers" - if you 'kill' a Zombie without a Head Shot/Combat Shot (like a head shot but with a CCW) then they turn into Crawlers on a 2+ - meaning you have to kill them all over again. Here's what I'll use as a "Daddy" - really big Zombies with a voracious appetite - if they kill you, you won't turn into a Zombie because there'll be nothing left of you
Lastly I know scenery will be essential to any of the scenarios (for the game is looking to be scenario based) - so I've bought into some of Worldworksgame's PDF's and I'll be using them for all my scenery needs. I'm no paper-crafter, the last time I did stuff like that must have been nearly two decades ago, so it'll be fun for me to learn and lament in equal measure. For now I'm going really low budget and starting small. I figured if I can't make a Car, I won't be able to make an entire Shopping Mall! I've just ordered the cardstock and UHU gluepen and the other bits I need I already have - hopefully I'll be making some paper terrain over the weekend.
For the time being I'll be printing out enough of their Mayhem Streets set to build a 3x3 area (to begin with) - using Matt Lamination and then cutting them into the 6x6 tiles. They already come grided in 1x1 so that just makes the game far easier to play - no need to measure - just count the squares
I have until Friday before my first scheduled test games with my brother. I'll post the Alpha rules after we've played a few scenarios - as well as any painting/modelling I get done by then. I have numerous projects at the moment so I'll do a bit now and then.
I've started putting my toys together and am already thinking about painting
First off...Who's your Daddy? I really like this model from Reaper - I've added a pile of bodily organs from Army Painter's Body Parts bits - no doubt he's leaving the best bits to last. I decided I wanted him imposing so I put him on a 40mm base - which also gives him a wider area of attack. The fact he's so big has brought about a few new rules. Typically a Head Shot will kill a Zombie immediately - however Daddy's get a 4+ save to ignore the first head shot (then 5+ for the second etc) and they have the Controlling Influence (6) rule. Most Zombies don't get to React - however if any Zombies are within 6'' of a Daddy they may do so. Add to this his beefy close combat ability and the fact he eats entire humans (not a bone left) & he's an enemy to be feared - if not avoided at all costs...
Every Zombie game needs at least 1 Chainsaw and every Zombie game needs a nutter with a Cricket Bat - enter Hasslefree's 'Dynamic Ray' - he doesn't like Cricket, he love's it! SIX! They are followed by a comparison shot.
Finally the first 6 Zombies - I'll probably do a quick-fire review after I've put them all together. I'm waiting for their bases to arrive before I begin painting.
I've toyed with the idea of some kind of zombie game because I love zombies so much, just not in the 40k setting.
But I always think that for it to be a two player game it would be boring to be zombies.... they are technically mindless and their behavior is pretty much predictable. I am a snob about not much else but I am about zombies, and no, they shouldn't be making tactical decisions!
but zombie survivors fight against each other all the time, I mean there are all kinds of varieties or 'teams', you have your good guys who usually have some kids or women they are protecting, your apocalyptic rapists/cannibals, your inner city gangmembers, neo-primitives, survivalists, evil rednecks, former military, zombie Nazis, or in a 'world war Z' type scenario where civ hasn't completely collapsed you have your zombie killer military. So these small teams could war with each other with zombies as part of the 'background' and being, or even as a team against a horde of zombies and the one who kills the most zombies wins? I don't know.
2011/09/06 22:11:05
Subject: The Endless Dead: An Attempt at a Zombie Game
This is looking awesome, I have been doing similar game myself using teams of 5 hasslefree models.
I made my zombies out of workshop plastics, but didnt like them too much, (looked too fantasy). Thanks for the link to studio miniatures, they look perfect.
I used the Lotr system originally, just to get a game in, but will eagerly await your alpha rules (website looks awesome by the way).
Keep up the good work.
Oh and a tip for the World Works, I made my malifaux board using their pdf's, instead of printing onto cardstock, I used A4 printer labels, worked a treat for sticking onto foam board and the like.
Nice work matey , sounds interesting , like your idea of action and reaction action points , reminds me of advanced space crusade. ( an old fave ) Website is very professional too.
The minis are looking great and after looking at your gallery , think they will only get better with paint .
I worked on a few zombie related games in my time too, the zombie survival guide angle should make it more interesting , maybe you could do the zombie hunting scenarios Always fancied trying out a fast action packed mini game though , will keep an eye out for its progression
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2011/09/07 14:18:04
2011/09/07 07:49:37
Subject: Re:The Endless Dead: An Attempt at a Zombie Game
Meade wrote:
But I always think that for it to be a two player game it would be boring to be zombies.... they are technically mindless and their behavior is pretty much predictable. I am a snob about not much else but I am about zombies, and no, they shouldn't be making tactical decisions!
but zombie survivors fight against each other all the time...
...and they will in this! That's when I can see it getting interesting - maybe a little too chaotic with the action/reaction system? - when you've got two or more teams fighting for an objective, as well as against hordes of Zombies! As for Zombies making tactical decisions, I understand your point - but that to me is the epitome of terror. Typically in games people aren't afraid if their models die or are unafraid to engage certain enemies - that's what I want to try & change. Zombies are lethal and tough to kill - so you can't just walk up to a group of 5 of them and expect to come out alive, unless you're Chuck Norris. I'll see how it plays out but I am going for more of an esoteric approach & different Zombie types will produce different challenges as well as freshen the game up for players. I have no doubt I will write some Zombie Hunting scenarios - but for now it's getting the rules in shape enough to progress the idea further - eventually players may choose to play as a team of policemen or military kill teams - able to take on a lot more Zombies, but for now it's just the basic survivors - the ''you and me's'' of the world - who'd most likely be pretty in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse
I used A4 printer labels, worked a treat for sticking onto foam board and the like.
Thanks for the tip - I'll give it a try but my cardstock has literally just arrived. Studio's Zombies are damn impressive - full of character but for my purposes a bit expensive at the moment (I'm gonna need lots of Zombies) - I'll get the Tikes and maybe the Santa - Zombie Santa is just too cool to pass up
@neil101 - Nice work I tried making a Zombie FPS using FPS creator but it turned into a right mess I like the sketches though, escpecially the Bane-esqe dude
Well it's the start of a new day, I have some errands to run and my cardstock and laminate paper has arrived - so I'll crack on with that and hopefully get some painting done! Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated. I'll post some fluff I've written later on, maybe with a quick rules teaser...I just hope my bases arrive before friday
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/09/07 07:50:08
Well I've spent most of the day printing instead of painting - it's turned into quite a chore as I have to individually feed each and every sheet of paper/cardstock into the printer
I have, however printed off plenty of terrain, included a building, cars, barricades etc - so when my glue arrives I can crack on with that and make enough pieces to fit the small 2x2 area I've printed, laminated and cut into shape. I figured I'd start small as the first few games will mainly be about the base mechanics - the action/reaction system and how combat works/doesn't work.
I did manage to get a little painting done on the first survivor. Her torso is finished - it's just the jeans, leather and weapons left...
Here's a sneak peak of some rules:
PROJECTILE WEAPONS Unsurprisingly Projectile weapons remain the best (or rather safest) way to kill Zombies. Most modern day firearms are easy to maintain and use, however when dealing with tides of the living dead it is ammunition conservation that runs foremost in any survivor’s mind.
In The Endless Dead Projectile weapons are the name given to any piece of ranged weaponry, from guns to grenades to crossbows or throwing knives. Each Projectile weapon has a profile:
CLASS - RANGE - RATE OF FIRE - DAMAGE - NOISE - SPECIAL
CLASS: The weapon’s type. There are several main weapon types, as follows: Pistol, Shotgun, Rifle, Assault Rifle, Bow, Thrown, Explosive, Flame. These weapon classes then have sub categories as follows: Light or Heavy. Automatic weapons do not gain a specific distinction as they are represented through a weapon’s Rate of Fire (see below).
RATE OF FIRE: The amount of firepower a weapon can unleash. This is represented by a number, or series of numbers that equate to the amount of D6 rolled per point in Projectile a model has. These numbers represent differing firing modes. Where Rate of Fire is not given, or marked with AGIL, this means they either have a special rule or else use the user’s Agility value to determine the Rate of Fire.
DAMAGE: The amount of Damage the weapon causes each time it hits. Each point of Damage equates to a single point of Body for wounding purposes. Weapons firing more than once may hit the same, or different, target multiple times – causing the given Damage each time they strike.
NOISE: How loud the weapon is. Noise is used to determine The Rule of Attraction (see below).
SPECIAL: Notes any special rules or attributes a weapon may have. There is a generic list of Special abilities given at the end of the Weapon’s section (see below).
Weapons & Ammo: Weapons may also have additional abilities or Ammo types. These are not noted along with the weapons but are given separate notation below. Ammunition and its conservation depend upon the scenario or type of game being played. A table is provided for every weapon type.
A NOTE ON RANGE: Range works in The Endless Dead differently to most other wargames as it uses an Effective Range system. Range not only depends on the type of weapon used, but also the skill or training of the one firing it. A trained shooter can increase their maximum range by quite a considerable amount. Other factors may interfere with range (such as weather).
Example Weapons:
LIGHT PISTOLS (Colt.45, 9mm Beretta etc)
CLASS
PISTOL (L)
RANGE 14(36)
RoF 1-2
DAM 2
NOI 3
SPEC. n/a
SCATTER SHOT: The shot disperses out, hitting nearby models but reduces damage as it does so. At up to Point Blank range the shot hits a single target for maximum damage. From Point Blank up to half range the shot hits up to 4 models within a 5(2) radius of the target causing *3 Damage. At half range and beyond, up to maximum range, the shot hits up to 8 models within a 8(3) radius causing *2 Damage.
The average Human has a BODY value of 3 - so they could survive a shot with a light pistol, but a second would cause them to roll on the Injury Table. To help put it into perspective a Shambler has a BODY value of 6 - so even a direct hit with a pump-action shotgun won't put them out of action entirely - unless you blow their head off of course
I enjoyed painting her - made a lot of change to my usual GW quota - I even had to break out a really fine brush. I'm not so happy with the base material I used but other than that I think she turned out well - I tried to make the jeans look kind of faded and I didn't want to over-gore her so kept the blood splatters to a minimal level.
The bases arrived so I can put the rest of the Zombies together and I've got paper barricades to make up, then I just have to polish the rules off for the Alpha test tomorrow.
Seen this concept a bunch of times before, even talked about doing one myself, but most just fizzle out.
You've made a great start and I think you've picked some class minis to use. Liking the rules ideas so far. I really do hope you can keep this going and make a decent zombie game. I for one would play it!
Keep it coming!
Subbed!
Automatically Appended Next Post: P.s painting great too! The bases may be a bit bumpy/sandy for tarmac streets. Have you seen that sandy paste stuff? Can't remember who makes it but its basically fine gritty paste. I used some on infinity stuff and it looks quite tarmacy, specially if you paint road markings on!
Automatically Appended Next Post: P.p.s "daddy" sounds a tad soft for that guy! Maybe something like "badass mother fu". . . Or maybe not! But I do think he needs a scarier name!
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2011/09/08 15:38:50
Need more 's in my life!
2011/09/08 17:36:34
Subject: The Endless Dead: An Attempt at a Zombie Game
I'll be playing this for the first time tommorow! Can't wait...
It's looking good bruvver, the mini's are ace and I hope the rules do them justice
On another (more personal) note, please avoid Zombie Chickens!! You know why..... Hope to help you get past the niggles and to move it onto the next phase.
Gimme some sugar baby!
2011/09/08 20:30:40
Subject: Re:The Endless Dead: An Attempt at a Zombie Game
I’ve been polishing up a few rules after a little solo dummy-run. It’s brutal, which is what I want, and it’s a different way of playing – where model interaction and evasion are looking key – I think at least 4 Survivors are looking essential at this point (for variety and odds of survival) but we'll see. Even now I know there will be so many things which will come up and I’d like to include rules for fighting in buildings, barricading etc…not to mention all the weapon types and survivor skills/traits to spice things up…
For now I thought I’d take time to explain how movement works. At this stage I’ve accounted for multiple ways to move within the Alpha (Inches, Centimetres and Squares/Hexes), however I’m leaning more towards making it a Skirmish Boardgame – in part because of the ease of use, as well as the ease of producing tiles in more or less any configuration – to represent alley’s, building interiors etc…
I’ve gone for a ‘true’ scale range system, using the height of 25-28mm to represent 5-8 feet. Here’s how I did the equation, which I’ve applied to projectile weapons but I am re-considering movement values now too. I’ve initially gone for the average 6’’ value for humans walking at a relatively quick pace (people don't meander through a Zombie Apocalypse, do they?), whilst Shamblers are a mere 2’’. I don’t know if that’s quite right. Anyway…
25mm-28mm = 5-8 feet (I’ve used 6ft as being average).
1ft = 0.3 Metres (6ft = 1.8 metres)
26.5mm = 1inch (1 inch equals 1.8 metres)
1.8 x 6 (the 6’’ of a standard board section) = 10.8 metres.
So 6’’ equates to about 11 metres, giving a Handgun in civilian hands an effective range of 12’’ or 20-25 metres (assuming they’ve had some practice as a Zombie Apocalypse would make it more or less mandatory). Do you think 6’’ movement is about right with running being up to 12’’? I think it is and it means a survivor can move across a single board section in one Move action. There’s scope to change it but it seems pretty fundamental to get balanced…any thoughts before I try it out?
P.p.s "daddy" sounds a tad soft for that guy! Maybe something like "badass mother fu". . . Or maybe not! But I do think he needs a scarier name!
Ah-you see the Zombie type names are the most common 'slang' names given by Survivors and Zombie Hunter's alike, so I thought ''Daddy'' was a rather apt and familiar name - as he is the ''Daddy'' of Zombies I didn't want to get too cheesy and go for names like ''Goliath''...however I might as well reveal the names of the other types I've written rules for. Let's see is anyone can guess what 'kind' of Zombie they are - hopefully it should be relatively easy...
Spoiler:
Shambler = Basic, common shuffling, Zombie.
Crawler = Half-Zombie, badly damaged or missing legs so as to reduce movement capacity.
Daddy = Big bad-ass Zombie
Cujo = ?
Tike = ?
Duke = ?
Rabid = ?
Mother = ?
Whoever gets them all about right get's a cookie
Finally here's the fluff description of a Shambler:
Spoiler:
“SHAMBLER”
The majority of Zombies are known as ''Shamblers''. They group en-masse and have a ruthless predatory instinct. Many a human has fallen victim to thinking that these Zombies are stupid. Although they may do ‘stupid’ things, they are relentless in their pursuit of human flesh. The only saving grace that Survivors can take comfort in is their lack of speed. Shamblers can be easily out-maneuvered, even a good walking speed is enough to escape them, but they are so relentless and numerous that simply walking through them probably isn’t the best idea.
Once a victim is close enough Shamblers become quicker, their attacks can easily scratch and drag down anyone who is ill-prepared to fight back. Once you are surrounded by Shamblers, it’s often too late. Use caution and avoid if able.
I'll report back on how the test games go tomorrow - that's if we're not too distracted by the simultaneous releases of Resistance 3 and Dead Island
I think the Tikes, which I'm guessing are lovely zombie kids, should be dotted throughout larger mobs of Shamblers, and could have a sort of leadership modifier, to resemble the fact that seeing a dead child is distressing.
What I'm really really liking about this Blog is the consummate professionalism you're showing. I've seen a couple of zombie blogs before, and they've never had the same rate of output, nor the same quality that you've got going. It's really quite awesome to see. Definitely subscribed
As for any ghoul zombie types, look at hasslefree, if you haven't seen already? they have some of the best ghoul miniatures on the line, that actually look incredible.
I'd say Cujo is a dog zombie type, after Cujo the dog in the horror film, Cujo.
Tike is a kid.
Duke - I don't have a clue, maybe an elite zombie?
Rabid - I'm guessing a runner? Something fast at least.
Mother - A big ol' bloated thing that spawns either zombies, or parasites.
You’re pretty much spot on – right enough to get a cookie
@Emperors_Champion – I feel I must also give you a cookie for the effort. In fact cookie’s all around! (except Sarpedon – he’s fat enough already ). ''Duke's'' are going to be Zombies with some residual memory, so they'll be able to use weapons (albiet badly) and Mother's are like the major Controlling Influence - although I like the idea of a big bloated thing that spawns zombies. We'll see, there's plenty of time/room for change...
The first Alpha test proved to be interesting. I enjoyed the conversations my brother and I had over the many issues that cropped up (either things I hadn’t accounted for or changes to things which didn’t feel right) and I think we learned quite a bit about the game at this ‘germination’ stage. I’ve included a detailed report of the games we played for those interested at the bottom of this post. However, in short:
It wasn’t a total disaster; there were key issues which we feel we improved on, although these may change yet still the more we play. We found a lot of ideas came to us as we were playing/discussing. I’ll be changing the rules to accommodate these ideas (I may also post a link to the raw original rules as well – it might be cool to see exactly how the game develops from ideas in my mind, to actual ‘rules on the ground’ as well as to give any playtesters a similar experience to what my brother and I are going through).
Before Alpha testing begins ‘proper’ I’ve a few more things to do. I’d like to write at least 2-3 scenarios up, as well as design some character sheets (complete with resident evil style inventory systems) and a few other bits and pieces. The focus for the Alpha test will be to get the ground rules, the main ingredients if you like, ‘right’ before the development of more scenarios and extra rules within the Beta. Ideally I want the rules to be simple, with character cards/perhaps zombie cards as play aids, yet easily expandable to create a richer, deeper, more flavourful experience. I like the fact it’s turning into a survival-horror, skirmish, boardgame, something I hadn’t anticipated when starting out (well the boardgame bit anyway).
I’ve got some other projects to get on with, but I can see this commanding a lot of my time. I’ll update as I carry on (all my stuff has arrived to begin paper-crafting in earnest so I’m sure an abstract building will appear soon) and I’d like to get the Alpha up at some point next week.
In the mean time here’s the cover of the Alpha Rules…
Spoiler:
Well we managed to test the game 3 times and it got better each time – which is what we want. After going through the basic rules we started to play – at this stage I didn’t know if we even had the ‘right’ amount of Zombies – but it looked okay at about the 20-24 mark. Here’s a quick-fire breakdown of the games and how they went. We played it out on the 2x2 area (eventually I want the scope to be increased to accommodate 3x3-4x4-basically like an easy, medium and difficult setting, or based upon the amount of time players would like to play).
The Scenario: At this stage the game will be Scenario based (although I want to leave enough scope to do a more classic skirmish-campaign rule set later on). The Scenario we tried was simple – the Survivors had to make it from the Subway to the opposite corner (to ‘safety’). I decided to have a couple of Zombies milling about the entrance and placed the rest in groups (of at least 4 Zombies) in areas around the board, no more than 1 group per section and they all had to be put at least 1 section away, with no more than 2 groups adjacent to one another.
Game 1: 2 Zombies were placed by the entrance, apart from one another. This was by far the worst game – the survivors failed to make it beyond 1’’ of the subway entrance after some really poor dice rolls and after the Zombies wounded them. Basically the Zombies were too hard and the survivors really unlucky – not so much fun…a lot of discussion ensued before we tried again…
Game 2: I had some major concerns about the Action Point system I’d written and this game proved it. It was too easy for the survivors to pull away from the zombies – I mean really easy. However some positive things did occur. Melee was smoother, with Ray (the Estate Agent – that’s what he looks like) battering a Zombie aside and moving as far as he could. Brooke chose to calmly step out of the subway, walk to within two inches of the other Zombie and let rip with her shotgun – she hit (again it was a little too hard to begin with) and pushed it back, but didn’t kill it. This wasn’t the brightest idea she had, for it alerted every Zombie on the board that their next meal was around somewhere. The Zombies lurched towards their position in unison and I rolled to see is any more would be turning up – they didn’t. The rest of the game was spent with a lot of running and shooting, with a lot more discussion, ending with both Survivor’s surviving a little too easily…
Game 3: The best by far. We decided that Shamblers should be treated as groups and learned that there must be some compromise between the ‘realism’ I wanted (with weapon ranges etc) to the abstract nature of the game – so long as it seemed to improve the gaming experience. My brother learned it was best to let Ray either batter Zombies aside (rather than thinking he was Chuck Norris) or take them out at point blank with his pistol if he got caught in combat, whilst letting Brooke provide covering fire with her Shotgun – which stuns a group of Zombies for a turn. This time Zombies did turn up and Ray wet himself as he saw no less than 6 Shamblers, 5 Crawlers and a Daddy enter the area – he started running as fast as he could for the exit, evading all the Zombies (by luck more than judgement) and ever increasing the distance between himself and Brooke.
Brooke managed to catch up a little as the Daddy started exerting his influence on a nearby group of Shamblers, who my brother suggested should be ‘quickened’ by his insane bloodlust – I called him evil and agreed. The Shamblers moved 3’’ and the Daddy 5’’ – a mere 4’’ from Ray, who could reach the exit but leave Brooke behind to fend for herself – which is exactly what he did!
With Zombies all around and a Daddy to contend with Brooke ran through a small group and past the Daddy, with the end in reach. Sadly, she couldn’t run fast enough, the Daddy engaged her...
...but missed as Brooke instinctively dodged the blow, whilst starting her chainsaw and swinging back at the Daddy, missing wildly in panic – if she connected she might have felled the beast – sadly it wasn’t to be and the last thing she saw was her own body collapse to the floor as the Daddy ripped her head clean off her body…
...if only Ray had stayed behind he might have distracted the beast long enough for them both to escape, or perhaps get a very lucky headshot? We’ll never know, but we’re sure Ray will end up within a Zombie belly very soon if there’s any justice in the world…
The final game was the most cinematic by far and brought up the ‘Zed’ zone (see what I did there?) – where moving into adjacent squares to Zombies risk a chance of getting caught (pretty obvious when you think about it, yet I hadn’t accounted for it), as well as the Daddy’s new rule of increasing the Shamblers move by 1’’ (if within a certain distance) as well as the possible ‘Zombie Shield’ rule – where the Daddy can pick up a nearby Shambler and use it as an undead human shield, before tossing it away in contempt!
Well, I have to say that the three games we played just got better and better as we tweeked the rules to better suit the game that was being played out. I really enjoyed it. It felt tense and genuinly scary at times, and with the idea being just to survive, I felt like I wouldnt make it at all!
Yeeeeah, I really had to adjust my tabletop war game mind set for this bad boy...As alluded to above, the idea is to survive and not just to kill everything in the general area and this takes some real getting used to. Also you really have to work together at all times, by splitting up you risk certain death. As happened in game 3, I sent Ray a happily legging it along the edge of the board, safe in the knowledge that he would get there in one piece. And nearly forgot about poor Brooke, who had done all the work up to that point! (Stupid Stupid Stupid )
Looking forward to next weeks playtest, where vehicles may well come into play, as well as some more exotic weapons and zombie types.
Automatically Appended Next Post: @Warspawned, I think I deserve a Cookie now. Dont you?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/09/10 15:10:16
2011/09/13 08:26:54
Subject: Re:The Endless Dead: An Attempt at a Zombie Game
I've started expanding my paper terrain, with some vehicles and other bits - I actually find it quite relaxing, throw a film or some sport on in the background and you're ready to go The detail isn't so bad, considering I'm using an old inkjet and printing at 'normal' quality. I'd imagine it would look much better with a Laser printer and put together by someone with more experience:
I also started on the character sheets and play aids yesterday. For an Alpha Test I don't think they are too bad - I'm thinking of magnetizing them when the Beta comes around as I can imagine the inventory system to be a pain otherwise - this way wounds will be easier to keep track of - although the Matt Laminate I'm using is wipe clean:
The Underside:
I liberated the textures from Deviant Art - I shall probably make an account later and ask permission from the many talented, beautiful people before using their art in a more 'commercial' way - but for now it's just a test run and I'm pretty happy with the results. Hopefully I can get some more art to add to the game to boot
During this process I came up with Character 'Traits' - either skills or personality types that will add some variety. They aren't all going to be good either - Ray is pretty much useless I'm thinking that for each scenario the Survivor player will pick a random team of survivors, and random weapons as well (maybe) . As for the Scenarios the 3 Alpha testing ones will be:
1 - Break Out: Essentially the first test my bro and I started out on. You have two survivors who have to make it from Point A, to Point B - played on a 2x2 area. This is to test the ratio of survivor to Zombie, the basic movement, action/reaction mechanics, as well as the basics of combat and the Noise/Rule of Attraction mechanic.
2 - Hospital Run: One of your group is wounded badly (not by a Zombie attack) and you've not the provisions to treat him/her. You need to get to the Hospital and hope there's something left in order to treat him/her before they succomb to their wounds. This will be to test Assisted Actions, how buildings work, interior combat, as well as how larger groups of Survivors work - played on a 3x3 area.
3 - Assault on Precinct 31: You're hold up in a Police Station when all hell breaks loose. A large gang of Vagabonds/Criminals/generally unpleasant people has locked onto your location - you don't know what they want, but it might have something to do with the prisoner in the cells below. You'd throw him out, but the trouble is he claims to know a way out of the City (evading the quarantine net) and can lead you to a secret supply dump - if you trust him enough (and he's telling the truth) this could be your ticket out of here. The only other trouble is the keys to the cell are nowhere to be found, they might be on one of the corpses outside. Can you get the keys and survive the assault long enough in order to escape This will test out cover and human vs human combat - played on a 3x3 or 4x4 area.
I've got to work on them a bit more but that's the general premise/testing focus for each one. I'm considering putting the scenarios onto a 'card' format as well as within the Rules - or even making a seperate Scenario book. I'll crack on with adding more characters and I'm still re-writing the rules - hopefully it won't be too long before everything is rough & ready for the Alpha test.
Well, those scenarios sound good bro, as long as we can can skip straight to scenario two all should be peachy!
Although the one I'm looking forward to the most has to be 'Assault On Precint 31', yeah I see what you did there! All I ask of you is the option for smoke grenades, and some cookies..... But really dude, as I sit here at work looking at Dakka instead of doin my job, I just want to get stuck into this more and more. It should be good fun, plenty of tea will be drunk and smokes smoked (by me) as we try to make things run a little smoother....
The character sheets an the general design are looking sweet, though I would prefer the wipe clean method (ooo errr!) rather than the magnetised stylee. That's purely aesthetic I'll admit....But I'm generally excited about this, and I hope some of you other Dakkites are willing to try it out, I'm sure if you PM Warspawned he will let you know where to find the basics!
2011/09/13 16:28:38
Subject: Re:The Endless Dead: An Attempt at a Zombie Game
This is awesome! I love Zombie/Survivalist stuff! How hard is it going to be to find assault rifles and such? And are you going to have different ammo? (you may have mentioned it) Like for shot guns, bird shot may not do much to zombies, but buck shot and slugs sure will! And for assault rifles, they have "fragmentary" rounds that would put a hurt on them as well. Ooooo! So many possibilities! Can't wait to hear how additional testing comes out!
RSJake wrote:This is awesome! I love Zombie/Survivalist stuff! How hard is it going to be to find assault rifles and such? And are you going to have different ammo? (you may have mentioned it) Like for shot guns, bird shot may not do much to zombies, but buck shot and slugs sure will! And for assault rifles, they have "fragmentary" rounds that would put a hurt on them as well. Ooooo! So many possibilities! Can't wait to hear how additional testing comes out!
Thanks I agree there are a lot of possibilities for the game. I don't know quite yet know how weapons will be allocated (either by scenario or randomly) but I'll work on the Alpha weapons sheet. As it stands Shotguns with buck or 'scatter shot' will stop a group of Zombies within a certain distance of one another (as well as cause some minor damage) and solid shots will probably do enough damage to kill most things, as well as have a greater range. Ammo will be a huge factor so I'm going to add 'average' ammo capacity to the guns - you could go as deep so as to profile each and everytype type/sub-type of firearm - with relative range values etc - but that's strolling deep into RPG territory.
I know buildings will have a dice roll to find certain items, or players can loot corpses for weapons & ammo etc. For now only the basics are being sorted - I know if I can make enough terrain this will add another dimension to the game/zombie numbers etc. All the different ammo types will probably come in the 'Campaign' book I'm thinking about - which will provide character creation, more scenarios - perhaps new settings etc - so it'll turn it into a skirmish/boardgame/RPG - but that's a LONG way off yet I'd like to do a scenario with full on military dudes, with big weapons (grenade launchers etc) and incendiary rounds etc as they try and 'contain' an outbreak, but again, that's a little while away yet...
On an unrelated note, after some digging around, I've found my 'Duke' miniatures
Lovely work so far.. I read your gaming test runs and thought that it sounded like a fun fast paced game , with a healthy dose of unpredictability thrown in for good measure . Also like that you are keeping the game open for interpretation on how to play it , i personally think a few scenarios would be best , like resident evil outbreak.
2011/09/14 16:36:32
Subject: Re:The Endless Dead: An Attempt at a Zombie Game
I've done several pages of the Quick-Start Alpha rules I'll be posting up ASAP, taking the time to make them a bit more presentable, and I've been gathering images galore for the Inventory - they'll come in cm 'squares' with different items taking up different space - a typical inventory icon will look like (only a lot smaller)...
...I'd like to change the background but have no photoshop/gimp skills at all so for now I won't bother (although I could always learn later).
I've also undercoated all the Zombies & Body part icons, ordered the above Zombies with guns (as well as a couple more survivor models) and have nearly finished the Daddy - sadly the weather's turned meaning the varnish will have to wait before I can apply the final touches to the gore at his feet:
I'll also be ordering some foamboard to mount any building's I make on - as this seems pretty essential. In the mean time I've got some fiddly vehicles to make
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2011/09/14 16:40:01
I'm really enjoying watching this project develope - I have both Z books and have watched waaaaay too many zombie films on top of that!
Myself and a buddy have actually been working on a dual zombie log too! If you want zombies for cheap you could try the Mantic zombie regiment (tho they DO look fantasy so you may wish to avoid that).
Well done on all your efforts so far anyway - I'll be watching with interest. I may even be tempted to try out some of those rules myself as we're still debating what system to use.
If you want zombies for cheap you could try the Mantic zombie regiment (tho they DO look fantasy so you may wish to avoid that)
Yeah I did think about it but they were too Fantasy looking - although a Fantasy version isn't out of the question in the future.
Just a quick update:
The Daddy is complete!
And I got a surprise when the Duke's arrived this morning
I'm trying to finish re-writing the rules by the end of the day, with an eye of writing the first 3 scenarios over the weekend - after playtesting them a little. I'll include all the counters/play aids with the Alpha document as well as an Appendix of all the models I'm using/companies that produce them.
I could always use one of the more established rulesets I've looked into. Here's the first batch of stuff that just arrived!
's in my life! 
I didn't want to get too cheesy and go for names like ''Goliath''...however I might as well reveal the names of the other types I've written rules for. Let's see is anyone can guess what 'kind' of Zombie they are - hopefully it should be relatively easy...
My IG blog: 
