Greetings, super friends! I've previously created characters based on my friends and our spouses, but this time I decided to try creating my own very basic scenario.
Full disclosure: This is a very dumbed-down version of Pred's "Walking Dead" scenario. I loved his concept, but in two playthroughs, the heroes crumbled before the game had started in earnest. So I tried to come up with a scenario that kept his concept while easing up just a little.
I don't have any fancy graphic programs, but if anyone wants to make this pretty, you have my full support!
SCENARIO: JUST LIKE THE MOVIES!
A lone survivor's quick-thinking helps him survive the outbreak that wiped out the rest of the town. Now they must find any other survivors while searching for a long-term survival strategy.
HEROES: Must keep initial survivor alive, find the long-term survival strategy, and get to the road out of town.
ZOMBIES: Prevent the heroes from winning, or kill the initial survivor (Killing four heroes does not count, just the initial survivor).
Setup: Pull the "road out of town" and three other random L-boards. Shuffle and randomly lay the boards out in the traditional manner. Pull a random hero. This is the star of the movie. They spawn in their normal starting position with their normal gear. Nothing extra. Zombies roll 1D6. Spawn this many zombies directly on the starting player. After this, zombies spawn according to traditional rules.
Roll random buildings for the six face-down number markers. Can not be the building the hero starts in. When any hero enters building, immediately reveal the number and roll a die. If you roll higher than the revealed number, you have found a new randomly-chosen hero. They start on the same space with any starting gear, plus a new hero card. They do not move until the next hero turn.
If you roll less than the revealed number, you have found a random zombie hero and must fight.
If you roll exactly the revealed number, you have found a long-term survival strategy (path to a safehouse, evacuation point, cure, whatever). The star must go to the road out of town. The other heroes can try to get there too, but only the star matters.
The only problem I see after a quick read is the possibility of the starring hero being, say, Kenny and him starting in a space with 6 zombies.
I gave it a quick try playing both the heroes and zombies. Pulled Jake as the star, starting in the gym. He was immediately attacked by three zombies, but despite being unarmed, he managed to escape (wounded). He ran through the gym into the highschool, where he found Father Joseph. The priest had a revolver but couldn't bring himself to use it. He gave it to Jake. Jake healed his wounds in the school while the priest headed to the plant to find more survivors.
Unfortunately, the priest found a zombified Billy (in addition to several other zombies.) Jake tried a rescue attempt, emptying the revolver's clip into Billy, but it wasn't enough (resilient, but it wounded Billy). The priest was killed. Jake then ran to the general store, where he found farmgirl Jenny...and convinced her it could be their Last Night On Earth.
Meanwhile, the hospital was taken over (where one of the number markers were) and a dozen zombies (including Billy) began to encircle the general store. Jake managed to maneuver threw them to the diner, where he found Sam had a bomb shelter outside of town, just in case. He now had a long-term plan for survival...but could he make it there?
Jake fended off three more attacks, while Jenny fought Zombie Billy outside the diner. At the last second, Jake shoved a zombie through a window, then escaped through the window to get to the road out of town...with Jenny right behind him.
Between the three heroes (including dead Father Joseph) they only had one weapon...a revolver that only had one bullet...and never killed a single zombie, but two still (barely) made it out alive!
(01-05-2012 12:01 AM)mqstout Wrote: [ -> ]The only problem I see after a quick read is the possibility of the starring hero being, say, Kenny and him starting in a space with 6 zombies.
Very true. In my play through, I went with three zombies (rather than rolling). Jake only has two health boxes, so he could have died at the start.
Maybe it should be two zombies, rather than a roll?
Another: No sub objective before hitting the road out of town? What if the star is Jake Cartwright, who starts there? Or possibly Father Joe, who could start quite nearby in the church on an adjacent space.
(01-05-2012 12:06 AM)mqstout Wrote: [ -> ]Another: No sub objective before hitting the road out of town? What if the star is Jake Cartwright, who starts there? Or possibly Father Joe, who could start quite nearby in the church on an adjacent space.
Well, they have to find the long-term survival strategy, which requires going to buildings with face-down number counters and trying to roll a matching number. If they fail, there's a 50% chance of spawning a zombie hero.
I forgot to mention, if they haven't found the strategy in the first five buildings, they automatically get it when they reach the sixth building (no roll required).
Tried another quick one-player playthrough. Billy was the star, starting in the highschool with two zombies. He was wounded but made his way to the gym where he immediately matched the number counter, discovering the long-term survival strategy. However, the zombies played three cards on their turn, blocking all gym exits and getting one zombie onto Billy's spot.
The zombie rolled two. Billy rolled TWO twos. Zombies win ties, Billy dies...before he even took his second turn.
On the one hand, that's one hero win, one zombie win, which makes me think it's rather balanced. On the other hand...the game was over in 1.5 turns. That's not good.
Any suggestions?
The star (and only the star) has to collect each of the X maguffins from the board, placed during setup. Not random. Must carouse the board.
(01-04-2012 11:52 PM)Actinguy1 Wrote: [ -> ]Setup: Pull the "road out of town" and three other random L-boards. Shuffle and randomly lay the boards out in the traditional manner. Pull a random hero. This is the star of the movie. They spawn in their normal starting position with their normal gear. Nothing extra. Zombies roll 1D6. Spawn this many zombies directly on the starting player. After this, zombies spawn according to traditional rules.
This part really seems
ridiculously advantageous for the Zombie players. Even Amanda, Sally, or Sam could
easily die and lose the scenario before the Heroes ever get a single turn. Maybe do starting Zombies as normal except that you must place
exactly one Zombie directly in the star character's space?
(01-05-2012 01:07 AM)mqstout Wrote: [ -> ]The star (and only the star) has to collect each of the X maguffins from the board, placed during setup. Not random. Must carouse the board.
Good idea, except that eliminates the "found a new hero" concept. My goal is to have it kind of play out like the typical zombie movie. One hero realizes the zombie apocalypse has happened. Dramatic opening as he narrowly escapes, then he kind of wanders for a bit before finding more heroes who can fill him in. Ultimately, they come up with a goal beyond "don't get bitten right this second." Sometimes they succeed, sometimes not.
(01-05-2012 01:20 AM)Twilight_Sonata Wrote: [ -> ] (01-04-2012 11:52 PM)Actinguy1 Wrote: [ -> ]Setup: Pull the "road out of town" and three other random L-boards. Shuffle and randomly lay the boards out in the traditional manner. Pull a random hero. This is the star of the movie. They spawn in their normal starting position with their normal gear. Nothing extra. Zombies roll 1D6. Spawn this many zombies directly on the starting player. After this, zombies spawn according to traditional rules.
This part really seems ridiculously advantageous for the Zombie players. Even Amanda, Sally, or Sam could easily die and lose the scenario before the Heroes ever get a single turn. Maybe do starting Zombies as normal except that you must place exactly one Zombie directly in the star character's space?
Very possible. I originally tried three zombies spawning on the hero, and on my second playthrough I did two zombies. Both times were with a character who only had two wound spaces, and both times they escaped with one wound, which is kind of what I was going for. But six zombies would be impossible. You're right, maybe starting with one zombie is the way to go?
Is there any particular reason that the zombies are starting in the same space as the hero? That seems pretty harsh, especially when they do not start the game with any bonus Hero cards. Perhaps spawn using normal rules, but one of the zombies must spawn in the same space as the starting Hero? That preserves the idea of spawning in the same place as the Hero with out the risk of the game being over before the Hero gets a turn.
Also, since the starting Hero is guaranteed to have to Fight before they get a turn, without any effort by the zombie player, they should start the game with a bonus Hero card or two. The ZP doesn't have to move the zombie or use any cards, they can just start the game swinging on the most attainable win condition (btw, is there a turn limit in this scenario??). The Star Hero has little choice but to run on the first turn, so they don't have the opportunity to search. And if they make it to a building that has a marker, they have just as a good a chance of helping their cause as hindering. Maybe drop the clause that the new found Heroes can't take action until next round? If a Zombie Hero is found, it is not the Zombie Players turn, so they don't miss a turn with it, why should the Heroes have the same disadvantage?
I dunno, all in all, it is an interesting idea, but seems like it is unbalanced in favor of the zombies. Then again, I am primarily a Hero player, so I may be viewing this thru tinted glasses....
Edit:
Bah..... sucks to be a slow typer...
(01-05-2012 01:21 AM)Actinguy1 Wrote: [ -> ] (01-05-2012 01:07 AM)mqstout Wrote: [ -> ]The star (and only the star) has to collect each of the X maguffins from the board, placed during setup. Not random. Must carouse the board.
Good idea, except that eliminates the "found a new hero" concept. My goal is to have it kind of play out like the typical zombie movie. One hero realizes the zombie apocalypse has happened. Dramatic opening as he narrowly escapes, then he kind of wanders for a bit before finding more heroes who can fill him in. Ultimately, they come up with a goal beyond "don't get bitten right this second." Sometimes they succeed, sometimes not.
(01-05-2012 01:20 AM)Twilight_Sonata Wrote: [ -> ] (01-04-2012 11:52 PM)Actinguy1 Wrote: [ -> ]Setup: Pull the "road out of town" and three other random L-boards. Shuffle and randomly lay the boards out in the traditional manner. Pull a random hero. This is the star of the movie. They spawn in their normal starting position with their normal gear. Nothing extra. Zombies roll 1D6. Spawn this many zombies directly on the starting player. After this, zombies spawn according to traditional rules.
This part really seems ridiculously advantageous for the Zombie players. Even Amanda, Sally, or Sam could easily die and lose the scenario before the Heroes ever get a single turn. Maybe do starting Zombies as normal except that you must place exactly one Zombie directly in the star character's space?
Very possible. I originally tried three zombies spawning on the hero, and on my second playthrough I did two zombies. Both times were with a character who only had two wound spaces, and both times they escaped with one wound, which is kind of what I was going for. But six zombies would be impossible. You're right, maybe starting with one zombie is the way to go?
Hmm...what if the number counters are still placed randomly, but the numbers indicate the ORDER you have to travel? Like if 1 is on the hospital, you have to go there first...then the same rolling system applies (new zombie hero or hero, etc)