The Walking Dead Game Variant: Rough Draft

[korora1289]

Hello fellow zombie lovers. I just discovered this site, and have become a fan of LNOE in recent months. I also have a crazy love for the Walking Dead, both comics and television series, and so I have been thinking of ideas for characters and scenarios, as well as rules. This may be a long post, and all feedback is welcome, especially constructive criticism and new ideas. I don’t have it all figured out yet, but this is where we are so far. I don’t have all the characters yet, just ones I felt inspired to do.

First off, I don’t have the template for creating characters myself, and I don’t know how to get it, but here are some of the characters and rules I thought of:

Rick Grimes – 3 Wounds. Rules: [b] Man of Action –[/b] Rick must always take the first Hero turn, but he may add +1 to his movement roll. Protector – Every hero in the same space as Rick may roll 1 extra fight die. Active Duty – Rick starts the game with a Revolver and Ammo.

Lori Grimes – 3 Wounds. Rules : Pregnant - Lori must always subtract 1 from her movement roll. Nurturer – All characters may roll 1 extra fight die as long as Lori is alive. A Mothers Love – Lori may take 1 wound to cancel any Remains in Play Zombie Card.

Shane Walsh – 3 Wounds. Rules : Protector – Every hero in the same space as Shane may roll 1 extra fight die. Combat-Proficiency – Shane gets 1 extra Fight Die. Prepared – Shane starts with 1 random melee weapon.

Andrea – 3 Wounds. Rules: Trained – Andrea adds +1 to her roll when firing a Ranged Weapon. Sniper – Andrea adds +1 to her range for any Ranged Weapon. Swift – Andrea adds +1 to her Movement Die

Daryl Dixon – 3 Wounds. Rules: Resourceful – When drawing a Hero card, may take two cards and choose which one to keep. Combat-Proficiency – Daryl gets 1 extra Fight Die. Expert Tracker - Daryl gets +1 to his roll when firing a ranged weapon and zombies are not drawn to him when he fires.

Dayle – 3 Wounds. Rules: Selfless– May take a wound to cancel any Zombie Card played with a 3+. Prepared – Begins the game with Hunting Rifle and Ammo. Mentor – At the start of the game select another Hero. That hero permanently rolls one extra Fight Die.

Glenn – 3 Wounds. Rules: Resourceful – When drawing a Hero card, may take two cards and choose which one to keep. Lock Pick - May ignore any locked door effects. Quick-Thinking – Once per turn, may discard 1 Hero card to roll for an additional movement.

Hershel – 3 Wounds. Rules: Medic – Hershel begins the game with a First Aid Kit and Recovery card. Knowledgeable – At the start of the game select another Hero. That Hero permanently gains the ability “Once per turn, this Hero may heal 1 wound off of another character in the same space at the end of their move.”

In order to balance the game and make it as realistic as possible, I came up with a few ideas behind core rules and mechanics.

Rule 1: Zombies may NOT move through walls. I understand that this was a core mechanic behind balancing the original game. However, in the Walking Dead, it cannot be the same. I have a few ideas in mind to still help balance the game.

Rule 2: When firing a Ranged Weapon, every zombie IN PLAY and OUTDOORS moves 1 space closer to that character. This is the price the Hero’s must pay when choosing to fire off their weapons. The noise the guns make attract the attention of every zombie on the game board so long as they are outside.

Rule 3: Every time a Hero attempts to enter a building, they must first roll the die. On a roll of 1 or 2, the door is locked, and that characters movement phase ends. I wanted to include this rule to help balance the game more in terms of the zombies. In the hustle and bustle of frantically running around trying to survive, it would be too convienent for Hero’s to magically always find an open door waiting for them. This ups the level of suspense so that during a tense escape moment, a Hero can be thwarted by the chance of running into a closed door, thus having wasted their movement phase and being trapped outdoors with a potential horde.

Rule 4: When entering a building, the Hero must roll the die. On a roll of 1 or 2, a zombie spawns at a random space in that building. On a roll of 3, two zombies spawn. This was added to increase the thrill and suspense of the game. A hero may find that a particular building is clear and ripe for looting, while they may also find themselves in the middle of a recent zombie family feud, and may be trapped all around.

Rule 5: When a Hero is killed, every surviving Hero must roll the die. On a roll or 1, 2, or 3, that Hero loses their next move action. I wanted to include this to spice up the dramatic value of having a valued team member perish. Just as in the series every death has devastating effects on morale, I wanted to do the same within this game variant. This adds the period of mourning over the loss of a friend.

I am currently working on more character Ideas and a particular scenario to include. This is just the rough idea of what I have in mind. I’d appreciate any and all feedback ,and I will post new ideas as soon as I figure them out. For those of you who are fans of the tv series, I am working on a scenario titled “The Siege of Woodbury.” Just need to work out some rules and create characters outlines for the people of Woodbury. 

[samuraitrev]

+1 rep for all the time and effort you've put into this.

You may be interested to know someone's done the Walking Dead character cards in our download section. You can also buy not-Walking Dead miniatures from http://www.studiominiatures.co.uk

[korora1289]

That is Awesome!! Except, I cannot find anything in the download section. Anyway, I will post my ideas for The Siege of Woodbury by tomorrow

[scarydk]

(11-27-2012 11:28 PM)samuraitrev Wrote:  You may be interested to know someone's done the Walking Dead character cards in our download section. You can also buy not-Walking Dead miniatures from http://www.studiominiatures.co.uk

Alas, the .co.uk domain must have fallen victim to the dead. www.studiominiatures.com/ should satisfy your every needs for miniature Walking Deads (and lovely dead SS soldiers from the 3rd Reich while you're having fun at creating some custom stuff).

[friskers96]

Something I have been kicking around that might fit perfectly with the walking dead theme would be a survivor vs survivor vs zombie scenario. You could have Rick and the gang vs. the governor and his crew with some zombies in the mix. Throw in some herd rules for the zombies and make a capture the flag type scenario or last survivor standing. use two center boards for the in between distance or use them as the manor and what ever building comes with GH to make up Woodbury and the prison, you know what I'm getting at. Or go completely custom and create the two places and use the L's and squares to make a big board.. You make it for a grip of people or for just three players...

[alderdust]

It would be interested to see the zombies play on there own as AI and turn it just into hero vs hero....with the danger or zombie popping up

[korora1289]

I appreciate all of the ideas. I know I have been absent for a few months, for various reasons, but I will return shortly with the completed version of this, with almost all of Walking Dead characters, new rules, and scenarios. Thank you!

[rmschneider104]

Love this! I, too, am a big TWD fan and love to see connections between LNOE and TWD.

[ch82]

I don't think this is balanced. Some abilities seem overpowered and too many extra fight dice bonuses to stack upon each other.