The ONLY thing I can't seem to explain thematically...

[scarydk]

(07-06-2012 07:12 PM)StayPuft Wrote:  And, yes, it is definitely just all in good fun. To me, figuring out ways to explain things thematically is part of the fun. :-)

I agree. Finding meaning in this post-apocalyptic world is fun, and it got me thinking about my thematic interpretation...

When using an ability like Strength of spirit or exerting oneself with barricade building, the wounds sustained, I'd agree should more be seen as fatigue points spent. However when it comes to wounds resulting from fights (or other types of attacks) my thematic interpretation of such wounds is pretty straight forward like the genre itself: it's all about blood and gore. As most wounds in our games result from fierce fighting we have blood spurting everywhere just like in the movie Braindead.

But if all wounds are caused by a zombie aggressor then why doesn't every attack result in the Hero being turned into a Zombie Hero?

Since each Hero can only sustain a few wounds before experiencing sudden death, a single wound seems to represent a major trauma:
A serious and life-threatening physical injury, with the potential for secondary complications such as shock, respiratory failure and death.

Although LNoE does not define a distinctive mechanism of transmission of the zombie-ish condition, it obviously requires the infliction of one or more wounds on the victim. Even if the condition is caused by a virus (taking Rabies as an example) it's worth noting that the spread doesn't necessitate a bite nor does a bite from an infected individual neccesarily result in transmission. However it would require the virus to gain entry and as it happens, bites do have a tendency to cause deep injuries and since normal human saliva contains as many as 100 million organisms per milliliter, you probably start feeling kinda strange once bitten - but it need not always be the case. Transmission may as well occur when infectious material is present on say a Grave Weapon...

So for me wounds represent wounds - serious wounds - that sometimes depending on the circumstances cause spread.

[victor.w]

It would be interesting to roll a d6 when a Hero takes a wound to see which part of their body has been wounded, and different wounds having different penalties.

I've always seen the Wound as something more along the lines of a close call, a film-worthy escape, and according to the rules of the movie each character only gets so many epic movie moments.

I should also explain that the whole game is a movie in my head, and that the Heros just don't know it.

[EvilNed]

Things get even more convoluted when you take the original modern zombie films into consideration.

Remember Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead? In those films, the original zombie films, you did not need to get bit to turn into a zombie. Anyone who died turned into a zombie. But a zombie bite was lethal. Thus, a zombie bite would kill you. But not turn you into a zombie, really. It's just that anyone who died, period, would become a walking dead. Wether it be from a gunshot, knife wound or old age... Nobody was safe from turning!

[Achtung Panzer]

I've never really got the 'Eat Brains' thing for Zombies. I like the simple idea of Zombies needing flesh for food - you often see a feeding frenzy when they tear the body apart.

Obviously the theme is that human blood is infected when it comes into contact with Zombie blood, through a bite, open wound or body orifice. One of the scenes that make the Walking Dead TV series 'realistic' is when the characters wear clothing for protection from splattered blood when cutting up a dead body for parts for camouflage against zombies.

[victor.w]

The "Braiiins" thing comes from a series of films called "Zombie".

[EvilNed]

Actually, it's from a film called "Return of the Living Dead" and it's sequels.

The "Zombie" film series features no brainmunching zombies.

The Return of the Living Dead zombies also talk and run. The most memorable zombie is of course Tarman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql4Ooz95ulU

[victor.w]

(07-08-2012 09:56 AM)EvilNed Wrote:  Actually, it's from a film called "Return of the Living Dead" and it's sequels.

The "Zombie" film series features no brainmunching zombies.

The Return of the Living Dead zombies also talk and run. The most memorable zombie is of course Tarman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql4Ooz95ulU

I stand corrected. Is "Return of the Living Dead" the one that George Romero's production partner made?

[Achtung Panzer]

(07-08-2012 09:56 AM)EvilNed Wrote:  Actually, it's from a film called "Return of the Living Dead" and it's sequels.

The "Zombie" film series features no brainmunching zombies.

The Return of the Living Dead zombies also talk and run. The most memorable zombie is of course Tarman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql4Ooz95ulU

So what happens next? Especially to the lass who loses her knickers??

[StayPuft]

I love that we can all discuss this back and forth and come up with our own thematic explanations for it! It is really cool to hear what others come up with for their own ideas.

I think what I would personally go with in my own mind is:

- Non-zombie related "wounds" (like when using Father Joseph's special ability) are fatigue, or other things like that.

- Non-lethal wounds (as in not the last wound) suffered during a zombie fight are actual wounds, but were merely torn flesh, a bad beating, or something along those lines. No bite, so no transmission of the virsus, and no transformation. I personally always liked the idea that it is transmitted through a bite or otherwise their blood.

- The final wound (resulting in death) was a bite if they become a zombie hero, but may or may not have been a bite if they do not. If they do not, it could be that the final wound was not a bite either, or they were bitten, then the zombie horde tore them apart so much there was nothing left to turn into a zombie.

I love what we all came up with throughout this thread! This mish mash of what we came up with goes best with my personal preferences. ;-)

[EvilNed]

(07-08-2012 01:40 PM)victor.w Wrote:  I stand corrected. Is "Return of the Living Dead" the one that George Romero's production partner made?

Yes and No. John A. Russo, who co-wrote Night of the Living Dead with George A. Romero, wrote the original story for Return of the Living Dead, essentially following up on the events of Night of the Living Dead.

The script was handed to Dan O'Bannon (who had never worked with Romero before) and he was asked to direct. He read the script and didn't like it much, so he essentially rewrote everything. As the zombie genre had by then been established as the genre it is today, he instead made a film which turned most of the things that had been established about zombies on it's head. For instance, they run, talk and eat brains rather than lumber, moan and eat just about anything.