Zombie Apocalypse Initial (incorrect) Premise (RPG)

[Max_Writer]

I've been wanting to run a BRP modern game that would, during the first game session, devolve into a zombie apocalypse. My problem is, I don't want it to start as a zombie apocalypse game. Rather, I want it to start as "x" game that turns into the former, hopefully shocking the players. However, I can't figure out what the initial premise would be for players to create normal, everyday investigators without giving the real premise of the game away. I've gotten a few ideas online (prison, school, college, supers, film crew, class reunion, Survivor or survival, The Sims) but that still doesn't give me my initial (false) premise, my "This is what the game is going to be about."

I feel like I'm explaining this badly. When you start almost any game, one of the questions is "What kind of game is it?" The answer is fantasy, horror, or the like. I need that initial fake premise that will get the players interested, get them to make normal people as their characters, and leave them completely blind-sided when zombies start showing up when they shouldn't even be in such a game. The premise should be 20th century <what>.

Here's a good example that worked in play. Year of the Phoenix started out with the characters part of a NASA anti-terrorist space force in 1999. Characters were part of the military but trained to pilot shuttles and deal with terrorism in space. However, during the initial scenario, when they take the shuttle Phoenix to the international space station, which has been taken by terrorists, the space station explodes as they close to dock. Everything goes black. They wake up on the shore and guess that they managed to get out of the shuttle. Turns out they are probably in the Soviet Union (which still existed in the game) and help some rebels fight against them. However, by the end of the mission, they find that they are actually in the 24th century and the Soviet Union now runs the world.

Any advice or ideas are welcome. Thanks.

[goodcop2000]

(04-07-2012 09:47 PM)Max_Writer Wrote:  I've been wanting to run a BRP modern game that would, during the first game session, devolve into a zombie apocalypse. My problem is, I don't want it to start as a zombie apocalypse game. Rather, I want it to start as "x" game that turns into the former, hopefully shocking the players. However, I can't figure out what the initial premise would be for players to create normal, everyday investigators without giving the real premise of the game away. I've gotten a few ideas online (prison, school, college, supers, film crew, class reunion, Survivor or survival, The Sims) but that still doesn't give me my initial (false) premise, my "This is what the game is going to be about."

I feel like I'm explaining this badly. When you start almost any game, one of the questions is "What kind of game is it?" The answer is fantasy, horror, or the like. I need that initial fake premise that will get the players interested, get them to make normal people as their characters, and leave them completely blind-sided when zombies start showing up when they shouldn't even be in such a game. The premise should be 20th century <what>.

Here's a good example that worked in play. Year of the Phoenix started out with the characters part of a NASA anti-terrorist space force in 1999. Characters were part of the military but trained to pilot shuttles and deal with terrorism in space. However, during the initial scenario, when they take the shuttle Phoenix to the international space station, which has been taken by terrorists, the space station explodes as they close to dock. Everything goes black. They wake up on the shore and guess that they managed to get out of the shuttle. Turns out they are probably in the Soviet Union (which still existed in the game) and help some rebels fight against them. However, by the end of the mission, they find that they are actually in the 24th century and the Soviet Union now runs the world.

Any advice or ideas are welcome. Thanks.

I don't have any suggestions for you yet but I really like your idea. The only thing I would worry about is that there are people who love zombie stuff and people who hate zombie stuff and if you market it to the "normal" crowd and then the game turns zombie apocalypse you may lose your audience.

Maybe you could have an option in the game menu that toggles zombie apocalypse into the scenario to please both types of consumers.

[Max_Writer]

Perhaps I wan't clear enough. I'm sorry.

This would be for a tabletop face-to-face role playing game using the Basic Roleplaying system.

[goodcop2000]

(04-08-2012 01:55 AM)Max_Writer Wrote:  Perhaps I wan't clear enough. I'm sorry.

This would be for a tabletop face-to-face role playing game using the Basic Roleplaying system.

Ha. My fault. I saw RPG in the title and thought video game. And I never heard of BRP before and kind of skipped right over that.

[Max_Writer]

No problem. I appreciate any feedback.

[mqstout]

Check out the intro/demokit for All Flesh Must Be Eaten. It's a great sample scenario. Every time I've run it, the players were shocked when it turned supernatural/zombie. They had enough fun in the pre-horror parts and thought I was just running a just-for-fun modern-anybody game.

http://www.edenstudios.net/images/afmbedemokit.pdf

[Old Dwarf]

Interesting stuff,I'm not into RP except from the stories created in Board Games like AToE,LNoE,AH...ect but if you have
a like minded group I could see it would be fun.

Oh MW welcome to TZG.

OD

[The Candyman]

Great idea! I love plots that begins like banal stories and end like something unexpected, like Predator or Lovecraft's stories.

What do you think about "Sine requie" it is (i'm saying this proudly XD We italians ver rarely do this kind of cool stuff) a tabletop rpg set in an alternative 1957, where, on the d-day, in 6 june 1944, the dead rose from their graves. On 1957 there is the IV reich in Germany, Vatican City rules again in Italy (and there is the return of inquistion) like in medieval times and Russia is ruled by ZAR, a cruel and emotionless AI.
I know it is a very strange and unusual background, but maybe it can help you
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sine_Requie

[Max_Writer]

Thanks for all the great feedback. Sine Requie sounds like a fantastic idea.

Per responses both here and on other threads across the vastness of the internet I'm leaning more, now, towards just starting out telling my players we're doing a BRP modern game and that the premise will become clear soon enough. Perhaps even telling them if they don't know the premise in advance, they will more likely have a more enjoyable time. I'm hoping that will be enough.

Comments?

I'm also tempted to use triffids instead of zombies ...

[Phantaskippy]

The times I've run campaigns like that what works best for me is just not having them at the start. Investigating a criminal element and finding their headquarters only to trigger a zombie apocalypse, or witness the start is fun to pull off.

You get deep inside, undercover or sneaking in and then the climax and the game switches into a fight for survival to get back out. Once out you can go anywhere with it, finding a cure, looking for loved ones, whatever.

I did this with a WW3 type game, we investigated a organized crime cell only to be there as they triggered a massive war. The premise was cheesy but the campaign was a blast.