ZOMBIES: Zombies are slow (normal speed is a slow walk), imperceptive creatures which rely on the faint collective memories of the group for their initiative and intelligence. Individual zombies are very stupid. This means that smaller groups of zombies have less perception cunning and initiative than large packs of zombies. Each zombie must periodically eat fresh human flesh to retain its current state of intelligence and mobility. Without food it gradually becomes slower and less intelligent. With extra food it becomes faster, more intelligent and more aggressive. Each member of a zombie pack must feed on fresh human flesh at least once every 2 hours if it wishes to move at its normal rate. Beyond 2 hours without food, the zombie becomes more and more stupid and slow until it collapses and returns to permanent death at 6 hours without food. Of course, if the zombie was "revved-up" with extra food, it will take longer to die without food. One adult victim will feed 2 zombies. Extra food makes zombies faster, smarter and more aggressive, at a rate of 1 step of improvement per extra 2 "doses". Zombies are tough. They are immune to pain and most wounds which would seriously injure or kill a living person. The only attacks that kill zombies are decapitation, destruction of the limbs or body--so that it can't move--or depriving of food until they die. Most gunshot wounds or clubbing attacks don't phase them. Shotguns, melee weapons, intense flame and explosives work well and tricks which which trap or mislead them are better. The best way to fight a zombie is with your head. Zombies are tireless. They are able to eventually push or claw their way through almost any material short of concrete or heavy stone. Theoretically, zombies could "run" down any living creature, catching it when it finally dropped from fatigue, but in reality they would probably "die" from lack of food before they caught their victim. Zombies have only the dimmest perception of the world around them. They can see roughly what size things are and where they are and can detect gross motion. They can hear loud noises, but can't distinguish between them. They can't smell, taste or feel. They have a sense of where they are, and where it is in - relation to where they were, but they do no perceive details at all. Main street seems just like Elm street to a zombie... What zombies are really good at doing is detecting living human beings. This sense works best at night (1000 feet or through a wall up to 1 foot thick.) but still functions during the day, at a greatly reduced effectiveness (100 feet in the open). Once zombies "lock on" to a person they will pursue them, breaking down all barriers and/or gradually circling around the victim's place of concealment, searching for an entrance. Zombie packs have a sense of the places and things that they knew when they were alive and have an ability to reason, learn and remember far beyond the ability of any individual member of the pack. Players can trade or combine zombie groups. For extra role-playing thrills, players can moan authentically or take on personalities of dead townspeople. Individual zombies must have an intelligence of 4 before they will use melee weapons. They must have an intelligence of 6 before they will use ranged weapons. Victims of zombie attacks might return as a zombie about an hour after they were killed. Whether the victim rises or stays permanently dead is up to the zombies. A zombie that "dies" is permanently dead...until the sequels come out. GRADES OF ZOMBIE MODIFIER CLASS FEEDINGS SPEED INTELLIGENCE MELEE VALUE -3 Moribund -6 hours 1/2 0 1 -2 Sick -4 hours 1 1/4 2 -1 Weak -2 hours 2 1/2 3 0 Normal 0 hours 3 1 4 +1 Strong +2 4 2 5 +2 Enhanced +4 5 3 6 +3 Superior +6 6 4 7 +4 Super +8 7 5 8 1 = Bad, 5 = average human 10 = Exceptional Intelligence indicates the relative cunning and perception of the the environment by individual zombies. The main group always acts with the intelligence of the player running it. Subordinate groups act with the default intelligence. Melee value indicates a combination of aggressiveness, initiative, technique and strength in combat. Obviously, a pack of super zombies is a frightening thing. Each player starts with 100 zombies (or 50 zombies in large games) More Attack of the Flesh Eating Romero Zombies Human Players' Information Zombie Players' Information Referee's Information The Town Folk The Town Free Kreigspeils on a Personal Perspective Jumbo Maps: monstrously slow: 603K Back to Experimental Games Group # 12 Table of Contents Back to Experimental Games Group List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by Chris Engle This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com