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Zombie-Games
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Entered on: August 20, 2009 9:23 AM by RobotSpider
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This is primarily for Jack, but I hoped the more clever among you (you know who you are) might have some valuable input.
Jack mentioned possibly wanting to do a zombie-themed party (maybe at Zillaween II?). So we go to thinking about how you could execute something like that without having your party divided into two groups. Once everyone is turned, that's it.
I had an idea, actually inspired by Left 4 Dead--Zombie Events. Everything is quiet, nothing around, then you get rushed by a horde (herd for you Walking Dead fans). Using Jack's last Halloween party as a reference, the party naturally splits into smaller groups, different rooms, inside/outside, etc. So at any time, the "referree" goes to a room (say, the garage for our example), and hands out two playing cards to each person (making them a zombie). You then wait for a victim to wander into your room or all zombies "attack" another room. The zombie picks a survivor, the survivor picks one of the zombie's cards. If the survivor draws the high card, the zombie is dead. If the survivor draws the low card, the survivor is "turned" and the zombie takes his card back, and can then try to turn another survivor, if any are left.
Once all survivors are 'turned' or all zombies are defeated, the event is over, and everyone reverts to survivor mode (basically anticipating the next event).
Question/Issues
You would need more than one referee, maybe a floating-ref, when the attack is over, the current ref quietly selects the next ref? Otherwise, any time the ref walks into or out-of the room, everyone will get nervous.
I have some more thoughts, but I'll have to finish at home since I should probably do some work. Just wanted to get everyone thinking about it. |
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NEWS 654 - 5 Comments
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My first thought is that it sounds like fun. My second thought is that it also sounds like you're inventing a new game, and like any new game, it should be tested beforehand because new games are never fun until the kinks and loopholes are all worked out. So who's going to do a pilot?
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I thought about it some... its a good idea, but I'd do something more than 'high card draw' for attacks. That would make the battles very quick and not so interesting. How about taking some ideas from D&D or Heroclixs? Give each person and zombies life points, and attack and defense modifiers. Have attack rounds where they do battle. Have it so multiple people can join the fight at once. You can't expect people or zombies to sit back and watch! Plus it allows the gang-up feature. Use dice and/ or cards. Have zombies get limbs hacked off which limits their attack damage. The more people zombies zombify, the stronger they become. Have damage carry over into the future rounds. The less limbs they have the less defense the zombies have.
Dice might be better all around. You could roll a certain number or above to attack. Have certain number ranges for types of attacks - head, body, limbs. Snake eyes could be instant zombie bite. Cards and dice together would make the game more interactive. Maybe have cards show the type of attack or type of damage.
Now that I think of it, doesn't Heroclixs have a zombie version? You could base a live version off of that... except I never seen the game... you better ask Jack on that possibility.
Just some ideas. If you make it into a commercial party game, I want 2%.
Hmmmm... this brings up some new ideas! How about 'Cat Fight! A party game were you fight it out with rolls of the dice. Each losing roll loses an item of clothing. The winner gets to bask in the splendor of the aftermath.
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I like the idea of different groups. The premise could be a 'zombie virus'. Some people are infected, but just don't know it yet. The zombie battles start within the groups, and once those rounds are over, the survivors wait to see who, or what, comes through the door for the next round. Will it be friend, or foe?
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The problem with anything more complex is that you'll end up explaining the rules during each 'engagement'. If you had a party where that's all you're doing for entertainment, that would be fine. But the idea here is that it's a sort of meta-game, happening in parrallel to whatever else is going on at the party. With Hero-Clix, etc., you have to play it several times, and usually fairly often, to really understand and remember the rules. The simplicity of the cards is what makes it approachable to the 'non-gamers' in the crowd. With more complex rules, you end up with people saying, "why did I lose? Oh, ok, whatever..." People tend to drop off quickly if they don't understand the rules.
I'll draw up an outline and submit for comments. Ross, you're right about pilot-testing this ahead of time. Probably (definitely) a good idea.
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I don't know how the formatting is going to look when I paste this, but hopefully you can read it. Questions/comments, please.
Control-Z Rules
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The Brains:
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Player(s) who
explain the rules and otherwise officiate the outbreaks. When in doubt, ask the Brains, not another
player! (see You sure you weren't bitten?,
below)
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The Players:
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Generally, all
participants.
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Outbreak:
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A single round of
play where the horde attacks survivors until:
1) All surivors
are turned, or
2) All zombies are
destroyed.
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The Horde:
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During an
outbreak, all attacking players (i.e. zombies) are part of the horde.
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The Survivors:
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During an
outbreak, all defending players.
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The Virus:
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Player who
determines when an outbreak occurs. Initially one of the brains. After the first outbreak, the next
referee will be chosen at random (see Carrier,
below).
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Requirements:
Playing Cards
(Roughly same number of cards as players, including 2 jokers)
Score Card
Outbreak
Phase:
At a time of their
own choosing, the Virus identifies himself to other players in the
room/group. All players in that
room/group are now part of the horde. Each zombie now gets two playing cards. Cards must not be the same value (e.g. both 9s, Jacks, etc.) with the
exception of the one player who becomes the Carrier,
who receives both jokers. The Horde then
seek out any survivor, and attempt to
infect them.
Attack!
When
a zombie finds a survivor, they present
the survivor with their cards (pick-a-card). The survivor selects a card and
compares it to the zombie's remaining card.
That was close!
If
the survivor selects the high card, the zombie has been killed. The survivor is then immediately vulnerable
to attack by any remaining zombies. In
other words, any survivor can be attacked by multiple zombies in a given
outbreak.
Infected!
If
the survivor selects the low card, they are dead. Dead players are considered dead for the
rest of the outbreak (cannot be attacked again), but they do not participate in
the attack (they are dead, not walking dead.)
You sure you weren't bitten?
If
the survivor selects a Joker, they become the Carrier.
The
good news: You survive that attack!
While you now carry the infection, you're still alive! That's something, right?
The
bad news: You can still be attacked (and
killed) by other zombies during the current outbreak. Treat the attack like a
normal survivor-wins scenario.
The
really bad news: So, you've been bitten. Keep it to yourself! If any survivor sees that you have the joker
card, they immediately 'kill' you, taking a point for themselves for 'saving
the group'.
Scoring:
Players' scores are
tracked for both Z-points and S-points.
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As a zombie, you earn a Z-point each time you:
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- Infect a survivor
- Pass the virus
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As a survivor, you earn a S-point each time you:
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- Kill a zombie
- Spot the carrier
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