Zombie Apocalypse- Intermission & Ideas for the future

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welsh

Junkmaster
Well.. Now that the the IC thread is locked and shut down till CHapter 2 starts, might as well continue some of the discussion on a new board.

As mentioned, we are thinking of moving the game to play@yog-sothoth.com. However before that we need to start planning some of how that game will work.

If you have ideas for pre-gens or even some ideas for stories that you'd like to see, post up here.

Handy already mentioned the high school and we've got some suggestions.

Other suggestions
- the all night convenience store
- camp site
- military operation
- escape from Cheyenne
- Omaha at the Crisis Response Center?
- A space station in high orbit?

ANd there are others.

I am also thinking that if we restart the T-Bone- some of the characters that featured in the current chapter, or were already killed, might reappear elsewhere as well as new characters.

For example- Jenny and Alex could easily have gone to the campsite, as might Samantha.

Alice could stop in to the convenience store

Escape from Cheyenne would involve Jim Kerr, Sean Blank, Dr. Haussman and Stephanie. It could involve Tisha and Willie as well.

I think Handy and I are both favorable to pre-gens rather than player generated characters- but that said, if we got a good player generated character we would probably be inclined to include him- with minor changes. SO if you want to come up characters- let's hear them.

Key here- to have fun. So what would you like to see in the future?
 
The space station is an interesting idea. It would have to be the ISS, since that's the only one in orbit. I'm not sure how we'd tie it into the other stories, and the astronauts would effectively be stranded there, since no shuttles would be able to launch and bring them back to earth. We could say there's one docked there at the time this starts, making it possible to evacuate the station at some point (possibly landing at Warren AFB) - though this should be difficult. There could be technical glitches with the shuttle that must be repaired first (possibly requiring a space walk), and the higher-ups will most likely order the astronauts to stay put. We'd also have to figure out what would motivate them to leave the relative safety of the space station before they have to - maybe the aliens will eventually attack it directly.

I'm leaning towards having the high school thread take place in Omaha for various reasons. If the survivors from there reach the Crisis Response Center, then it can become that thread and new characters can be added at that time. I've already got ideas for dozens of pre-gens for the school, though they can probably wait since this chapter won't start for a long time. The game time would be around 7:30 AM Central Time (6:30 AM Mountain Time, which is the time zone in which most of the rest of the stories take place). If the helicopter group ever makes it to Omaha, they would join this thread.

Yes, because we start the story earlier, some of the T-Bone characters could have started in one of these other stories and can reach the T-Bone later if they survive. New characters from these stories could also reach the T-Bone, which would change that significantly. Bob would also most likely be in Escape from Cheyenne, and we could have new characters as well (though they would have to get out of the city by other means than the helicopter).

I also prefer pre-gens, since it makes it easier for Keepers to add secrets, backstory, and interrelationships between the various characters, and to make them important parts of the plot.

I'm thinking of being Keeper for the escape from Cheyenne and high school/Crisis Response Center storylines, and possibly the T-Bone story as well (or at least jointly with Welsh).
 
I think that's fine, Handy. The high school we can place near Omaha. We could also put it fairly close to the T-Bone. Our two closest towns are Sidney and Kimball- have gotten little play so far.

Old characters introduced earlier would spread oru story out a bit better. If they survive to the T-Bone- all the better. If they don't? Well that's all part of the roleplay.

The Space Station story could be a big witness to the events that unfold below and could be attacked as well. Perhaps the Space Station holds the means to resolve the story- but there will be problems there. Not the least of them might include new types of alien creatures.

Actually we could put a space shuttle and a space station up at the same time, but working on different projects. Whether they can cooperate or not, might be interesting.

That said, I would rather discuss most of this with you either through pm or email as I don't want to give up too much story to potential players.

I do like the idea of the helicopter group moving between different stories and plot lines.

A couple things to consider-
(1) Motivations for the individual characters, and what is "success" for those characters.
(2) Overall success, and levels of success.

As for (2) I have never really considered the possibility that the zombies can be "defeated". The basic plot doesn't allow it as Robert and Beth are raising a baby in a zombie infested world. But that could change as well. My thoughts on that were that some of the "other forces at work" could be defeated or overcome- at least temporarily and that the world is being attacked in many ways- some more insidious than others.

In any regards, we do have a lot of work to do.

Stompie- thanks for the idea of the mining camp. I am thinking of ways to incorporate that into the story.

And thanks for any charactrer ideas you want to start come up with.
 
The convenience store might be suited for Sidney or Kimball.

Yes, the space shuttle could be in orbit and not docked with the space station, though capable of docking if its crew is convinced that it should. The crew of the space station would be a mix of nationalities. The two largest groups would be the Americans and the Russians, and there'd be a deep division between them at the start as each side suspects the other of being responsible for the crisis. Lots of paranoia and mistrust.

The zombies and assorted aliens would never be permanently defeated. As I've mentioned, that would require humanity to not only repulse the current attack and rebuild civilization, but to travel to the aliens' own turf and defeat them on their homeworld(s) - if they even come from this plane of existence. To do this humans would need seriously advanced technology and powerful allies (and what if said allies turned on us?). In the end, it may come down to a war of extermination - genocide. Is humanity technically capable of wiping out the aliens down to their last - whatever it is they are? If we did it, would we lose our very humanity in the process?

In any event, such a war would take an extremely long time to play out, longer than the characters' lifespans for certain. In the meantime, there would likely always be a presence of zombies and aliens on Earth even if humans did eventually gain the upper hand (which must take well over a year, since zombies still dominate the world at that point in the story). And even if humanity wins, it would never be over. There would always be some new alien threat out there, lurking in the darkness of space, waiting for its chance to strike...
 
Mr Handy,
I rolled my stuff for the character but I feel I got some bad rolls. For instance Alice used her rifle alot in the last chapter and got some very good shots yet her skill did not go up. Can I roll again and see what occurs?
 
I know how you feel, but sometimes that's how the dice land. Stephanie had some amazing critical hits with her pistol and used Persuade successfully a few times, and Bo had some incredible impales with his shotgun, but both had nothing to show for it. There may be more skill increases after each chapter. It wouldn't be fair to allow rerolls for one player and not for the others.

I did notice when looking up Jim Kerr's rolls on Invisible Castle that his first roll for Fast Talk was a 78, which beats his score of 44. Whenever there are multiple rolls for the same thing I'd count the first, so he does get a 1d10 increase in Fast Talk. You can go ahead and roll that and edit the result into the post where you listed your other rolls.

EDIT: Also, don't forget Alice's ability to learn. Once she gets somewhere safer and finds a trainer and some time, she can really boost her weapon skills.
 
Indeed, its sometimes unkind how the dice rolls. Sorry Jim, but if she survives the next chapter she gets to improve her skills again.

Chances are we will not be doing another sanity bounce after this one for quite awhile. Enjoy the brief success with some added sanity!

Because after this- it's a long haul till salvation.
 
You could consiter a mall, or a superstore (Super-Walmart! Now with Zombies! Gnawing back prices! (and flesh) )

I need to fix my rolls, but- I'm lame. I will pracrostanate, and do so tomarrow.
 
New character idea, for the Highschool;

"Jerry Law; Campus Security"

This 46 yearold truancy officer is no pushover. He served a 5 year stint as an american marine, and 12 additional years as a U.S. Martial. He had a few run-ins, most of his operations taking place on indian reservation, (other than out of state; actually). His work; serving warrants. He's taken people down for reasons varying from pot-busts, to traffic violations. He can smell misdeeds from a mile away; though his knack for police work had been curtailed, when serving a warrant for a string of traffic violations. The perp opened up on law's entry team with a highpowered rifle. Law survived, but two other officer's didn't. Jerry Law soon gave up police work. Spending two years finding himself, he finally was able to cope with the loss.

Since then, he's worked as a highschool campus security guard. The best damn highschool securityguard Nebraska has ever seen. Jerry law had confiscated nearly 250 lbs of illegal substances in a single year period.

"One advantage to innercity schools... There's always somethin' to do, and always another little piece of shit- dirtwad selling pills out of his locker. Does it make a difference? I would like to think so; but It sure as hell feels good when the sonuvabitch feels like resisting; and I get to exact some discipline on his punk-ass."

Jerry law is the real deal. The law tends to look the other way though, his actions usually morally justified. (and make their jobs slightly easier.)
 
Another good one, Stompie! I was planning on a security guard, but hadn't fleshed him out yet. Jerry Law fits him perfectly. The mall/superstore idea is a good one too. Though zombies in malls have been done to (un)death in movies and other media, the superstore is a novel idea.
 
Thanks, Mr. Handy.

I have various other ideas. How many npc's are you going to use? do you have a number in mind?
 
You're welcome. I was planning on fifty or so for the start, with more introduced as the story goes on. I've got ideas for dozens of them already. It'll be quite a while before the high school story would begin, so there's plenty of time for me to develop them more fully.
 
James Nathaniel - On Campus Police Officer

A sargent in the (Omaha?) police department, Sgt. James nathaniel is an older man, serving 20(+) years in the (omaha?) Police department. Strapped with his side-arm (Glock 23) and Police baton (P.R-24), Pepper Spray, Cuffs, and Radio; He spends 4 of 5 days out of a working week on tha campus of a highschool. Its a pretty cush job, with ole' Jerry Law on duty. James Nathanial's main duty is to recite law, and drive any of the "Punk Bastards" as jerry calls them, to the (Omaha?) Police Department for booking. James is a pretty easy going guy, though when he's pissed; bad things happen. He can usually be found in the school's administration building, or idoly chit-chatting with ole' Lou Moore; about how the legal world was, long ago. His wife, Marlena is urging ole James to retire, and move.

"Back to the retirement issue? You know I love my job. Danger? nahh - my job isn't dangerous! Utah? Why the hell would you wanna go to Utah? Nothing but Mormons, and Dirt. - Sweety, I'm not saying anything about mormons, its just that I don't really care for Utah. I'm not too old for police work! Sweety, I've gotta go. Business "
 
How many NPCs-

Lots.

Lots and lots.

That said, I think some of our T-Bone people may show up elsewhere first.
 
That figure of 50 or so was just for the high school storyline. We'll need a similar number for each, I'd think (there were about 50 starting characters for the T-Bone). More characters can be added in throughout each storyline. Characters that might not fit with the high school story could still fit into the others.

I only plan to have a small number of cops involved in the high school storyline at the start, and I'm not sure if I can fit James Nathaniel in, though he's another good concept. I do plan to add some police characters to that storyline later on, though, so he could show up then.

Since we'd be starting earlier in the timeline, a bunch of the T-Bone characters would be starting elsewhere and could arrive at the T-Bone later if they survive. The helicopter group (Dr. Hausmann, Stephanie, Sean, Jim, and Bob) would start in Cheyenne. Welsh already mentioned that some of the others could start there and at other locations. Baldwin and David could have started elsewhere as well, and could drive their trucks towards the T-Bone. Wallace's tanker was broken down at the start of the T-Bone story, but it's possible he started in another location and his truck breaks down when he stops at the T-Bone in the morning. Joe Barring could begin in Sidney, if we have a story that takes place there. Some of the T-Bone staff could commute from the nearby towns (Potter, Dix, Brownson, Kimball, or Sidney). Some of the newly introduced characters from Warren AFB could be part of the missile base storyline.
 
I don't know the full list off the top of my head and don't have them written down, but they were detailed in the story. Keep in mind that Wallace and Duke know none of this. Only Mr. Foo, Stephanie, Ellen, Jenny, Azadeh, and a few of the new characters from Warren AFB have this knowledge. Mrs. Foo and Michael know about the earlier nukes, but they left the motel before the later ones went off.

Most of the nukes were detonated in cities. The first ones went off in China, North Korea, and South Korea. Other known locations of nuclear detonations include India and Pakistan (which may have hit military targets as well), Iran, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Russia, and five U.S. bases in Europe (starting with one in Italy). Mr. Foo and Stephanie speculated on the reasons why these nukes went off during Chapter 1. There will be some discussion of these events early on in Chapter 2.
 
Do Zombies like radiation?

Actually we had a bit of this discussion I think after the group received reports from Diego Garcia.

It is, in fact, unclear why the nuclear weapons have gone off. In the case of the US bases the detonations may have taken place to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into "hostile" hands. In other cases where cities were destroyed, the effort might have been used as a form of crowd control- an opportunity to destory concentrations of zombie infection.

Whether it has worked or not is another story.

I think the last report from Diego Garcia suggested that the bombings really don't work. Yes you can essentially vaporize a large number of zombies in the immediate fireball, and you can destroy many zombies in the blast itself. But in the end you also create zombies by killing lots of humans- who become zombies. Add fallout effects, infrastructure damage, etc.

And can zombies be irradiated? Well zombies can withstand a lot of damage that humans can't. Could zombies become radioactive much like the "glowing ones"? Why not?

The Fuel Air Bomb episode over Brownson suggests the problem- you can destroy a lot of zombies in a blast, and you can do a lot of damage to zombies who are not destroyed- but zombies can take a lot of damage and still be dangerous.

As for plotting and structure-

One thing we've done is kept the story as kind of a multi-ring circus with many things happening at the same time that are somewhat connected but generally distracting to our players-

For instance in the story we've had- we've got the people in the comm room trying to contact Warren and prevent nuclear war. We've got the events happening in the T-Bone itself, and then there is the problem of the helicopter.

Ideally we should maintain that kind of structure for each of our chapters.

For the space story I am thinking three sections-

US Space Shuttle crew is sent to repair the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope (or similar space telescope). Reasons unknown.

International Space Station is conducting experiments and studying recent solar flares and unusual storms on Earth when it discovers some rather unusual "stuff" in space.

Chinese space team lands on the Moon making the Chinese the second group to successfully get on the Moon. Why are the Chinese there? Only one person knows.

I like the idea of this story but it will require a lot of work, I think and a lot of info that I really don't know. Who does the ISS stay in touch with on Earth? A set of relay stations? What would a Chinese lunar module look like?

These stories would begin before the meteorites begin to land.

As for beginning the other stories-

The campsite story- would probably begin before the meteorites fall.

Convenience store- probably short before the meteorites or when the meteorites begin to fall.

Cheyenne story would start when the meteorites would fall.

The high school would start after the meteorites fell as would the T-Bone story.

As for number of characters- Yes we would need a lot but I am not sure if 50 per chapter is right. To be honest I think the T-Bone was overloaded with characters that had no players and this slowed down game play- or made it more complicated than it had to be.

So yes, we'd change our T-Bone staff. I don't know if we need three bosses at the T-Bone- we could probably lose Earl and keep Hammond and Rita. We could move Earl somewhere else- perhaps to the convenience store or working at the campsite- or maybe he's the guy who deals drugs to the kids at the high school.

Lots of stuff to consider.
 
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