Quote from: BedrockBrendan;530264Did you like Dead Aive? That is gory and funny.

Of course! Although I had to google, as in Poland the alternative title was translated (Braindead). Evil Dead is a must as well, all parts.

From the "So Bad It's Almost Good" - Redneck Zombies & Black Sheep.

Quote from: Rincewind1;530265Of course! Although I had to google, as in Poland the alternative title was translated (Braindead). Evil Dead is a must as well, all parts.

Evil Dead is golden.

QuoteFrom the "So Bad It's Almost Good" - Redneck Zombies & Black Sheep.

Red Neck zombies was a popular bad horror movie in my gaming group back in the day.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;530267Evil Dead is golden.



Red Neck zombies was a popular bad horror movie in my gaming group back in the day.

Nice. Re - Animators? I admit I watched only the 2nd one, not the first one or 3rd one.

Quote from: Rincewind1;530269Nice. Re - Animators? I admit I watched only the 2nd one, not the first one or 3rd one.

I saw the first re-animator.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;530277I saw the first re-animator.

And how did you like it?

Btw Daddy - you are going to run more of a horror campaign, or more of an action campaign?

I don't like to tut my own horn too much, but I do creepy/horror quite well. And I have a certain zombiesque scenario for CoC that I ran a few times, and drawn certain conclusions from it, if you'd want a bit of exchange of ideas.

Quote from: Rincewind1;530283Btw Daddy - you are going to run more of a horror campaign, or more of an action campaign?

The first answer that sprang to mind was: "Mad Max with Zombies..."

Now, I've never formulated Dead Man's Land that way, but it kind of fits. Post-apocalyptic, survivalist cinematic zombie horror.

Of course, it kind of misses the point as well.

It's not a "die at the drop of a hat" game (as Destiny isn't that), and there will be horror/creepy elements. But primarily it's an action game, with horror elements.

I like high-action games. I like "action movie" games. All such games need moments of investigation, character interaction, down time, investigation, tracking, whatever.

But combat? Combat is "Die Hard". Or "The Rock". Or "The Expendables". Or whatever action movie you've seen recently. But horror is present as well.

The creeping dehumanization and physical transformation plays into body horror, the terraforming of Earth (and Earth lifeforms) plays into alien invasion horror, the fact that you're coming under the rule of nanites in your brain (even if you think it's demonic/spirit possession) plays into Exorcist style horror.

(Those herds of smart zombies? Get too close, and they can try and assert control over your mind. Yeesh!)

Give me a sec to think about it, and I'll probably come up with a better answer.

Quote from: Rincewind1;530283And how did you like it?

 .

 I was ten or eleven when I saw it so it made quite an impression (but it has been some time since I have seen it). I remember oiking it very much and the two scenes that really stand out in my memory are the intestine shot and the severed head getting it on.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;530291I was ten or eleven when I saw it so it made quite an impression (but it has been some time since I have seen it). I remember oiking it very much and the two scenes that really stand out in my memory are the intestine shot and the severed head getting it on.

All three Re-Animator movies are hilarious, if you're in the right mood.

Two films I enjoyed for their original take on the zombie theme were Fido and Zombie Honeymoon.

Hm, maybe we should take this to a separate zombie cinema thread...

Bloody Skies

The zombie apocalypse began with the Pulse and the Comet. The Pulse was a bright flash of light, high in the atmosphere, due north. It lit up the sky like a second sun.

In its wake, all electronic and electrical equipment failed. And, though people have had success in rewiring some electrical equipment, electronic devices have proven unsalvageable.

The comet appeared shortly after, in the skies above Canada. It was after the comet's flight that the first bloody skies appeared and after that, the first zombies.

Red Winds. Red Rains. Red Sand.

These are the bloody skies: clouds of dust blowing across the land, turning the moon and sky red. Rainfall, as red as blood but cold as steel. And drifts of red sand, accumulating around buildings, trees, and hills.

As the bloody skies opened and red rain fell, rivers, lakes, and streams became choked with the poisonous substance, the running waters turning red. Soon it was discovered: the red sand will infect you.

Drink the waters, breath the dust, stay out in the rains, and you will become a zombie. Fast, if you die, or slow from a creeping sickness clogging your veins.

During the first few weeks following the Pulse and the Comet, these red winds were rare. As time went on, they became more and more common. The further south you go, the lower the altitude, the more prevalent the red dust.

(Though in all cases, these are rare events. Most of the time the nanites are invisible to the naked eye, and hence more insidious and dangerous.)

Many groups took this to be the end of the world. Christian groups misquoted scripture to portray this as the Biblical apocalypse. Hard-core environmentalists declared this was Mother Earth's vengeance against humans. Many thought this was a biological or chemical weapon, unleashed against the arrogant imperialist Americans (or the West in general). Some claimed it was a corporate or military experiment, gone bad.

It didn't matter. Within days or weeks, the zombies were everywhere. Politics no longer mattered. The government collapsed. Everywhere, mankind was in retreat.

The only safe places, the only Sanctuaries, were cities and settlements above the alpine tree line. Far north, and high in the mountains, it is too cold for trees to survive. For whatever reason, zombies cannot cross that line without decaying or dying and those who die there, even if infected, do not rise as zombies. Zombies taken there rot and die very quickly.

Thus, the areas polluted by the red dust are called Dead Man's Land, the domain of the infection and the zombies it causes. Only Carriers venture there, and the tales they bring back to the Sanctuaries are horrific.

The Truth

In normal circumstances, nanomachines are too small to register visually. In large concentrations, they appear as a red dust. The bloody skies of the post-apocalypse all arise from great concentrations of the nanophage.

Nanites seek to reproduce themselves, hence the growing prevalence of the red dust. However, they are designed to operate in a far warmer, wetter, and higher gravity environment than available on Earth. In areas of very cold temperatures or low pressure, they can fail and become inert. A lot of the red winds, and dust accumulations, are in fact completely harmless, inert nanites.

(That is, they do not create zombies. Breathing in the dust is still hazardous, like smoking or asbestos.)

The gathering clouds of active nanites, though not as immediate a threat as the zombies, is the true long-term threat to life on Earth. As more and more active nanites accumulate in areas, a functioning computer network is being restored. If, and when, they can make contact with the buried spacecraft and the central computer banks, a command and control network will be established and the disorganized and spastic efforts to exoform Earth will be replaced by an organized, deliberate project to transform Earth into an alien planet.

The bloody skies are ominous, and brought about the zombie plague. But they are nothing compared to the implacable machine intelligence waiting to be discovered somewhere in the Mexican jungle.

Quote from: HombreLoboDomesticado;530425Hm, maybe we should take this to a separate zombie cinema thread...

If you chose to do so, that would be okay. I like discussing the movies, but a more focused thread might help me garner more feedback.

Quote from: Daddy Warpig;530454The gathering clouds of active nanites, though not as immediate a threat as the zombies, is the true long-term threat to life on Earth. As more and more active nanites accumulate in areas, a functioning computer network is being restored. If, and when, they can make contact with the buried spacecraft and the central computer banks, a command and control network will be established and the disorganized and spastic efforts to exoform Earth will be replaced by an organized, deliberate project to transform Earth into an alien planet.
 
The bloody skies are ominous, and brought about the zombie plague. But they are nothing compared to the implacable machine intelligence waiting to be discovered somewhere in the Mexican jungle.

That bit was particularly chilling. Good stuff.
 
Some interesting ideas here - particularly the nanites. In actual play, that the PCs are carriers slowly becoming zombies themselves is different.

Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;530754That bit was particularly chilling. Good stuff.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;530754Some interesting ideas here - particularly the nanites. In actual play, that the PCs are carriers slowly becoming zombies themselves is different.

That's what I'm going for: "distinctive" rather than "wholly unique." Your reaction is exactly what I'm shooting for. "Different enough to be interesting."

I admit it, I like the idea of playing slow-turning zombies, people who know they're doomed, but have to live a life until then. I'm trying to represent this mechanically.

Mechanics of Playing a Carrier

For Destiny, my own little RPG, I'm using a limited version of FATE Aspects. These character Traits help define the personality of the characters.

The first is their Template (in the Torg/Shatterzone sense). "Rogue Cop", "Obsessed Survivalist", whatever. The character's core concept.

The second is Drive: "what is it that drives you to wander Dead Man's Land, when you could be living in a walled city?"

This could be "find my wife and kids", a dark secret they're running from, "to gain fame and fortune", "to die in a good cause." It can be anything, and knowing what the character's Drive is, helps me build modules where they have opportunities to pursue their Drive.

Bam! Instant buy-in. Players can invest in the setting and their characters.

That's the core concept of the game: You're dying of the zombie plague. What do you do?

People have varying reactions, from religious and ideological fanaticism or hysteria, to brutal self-interest, to fatalistic risk-taking, to truly generous self-sacrifice.

But the PC's are heroes (as Destiny assumes) and their motivations drive their actions. And when their own personal quests cross the goals of the machines, that's when things really start happening.

One of the drawbacks of typical zombie media is that there is are a dearth of opponents. Endlessly fighting the same enemies can get tedious.

With the background I've chosen, I can build any number of possible opponents. Here are a few.

The Origin of Nano-Species

Zombies are caused by attempts to xenoform Earth organisms. Following their programming, the nanites try and rewire physiology and DNA according to their alien templates. This causes irreparable harm to the host organism, eventually leading to death.

Part of the original nanite programming involved the creation of drones, organisms under control of the nanites. When attempts to xenoform a creature fail, the nanites fall back on creating drones. With drones, the nanites can keep the corpse mobile and functional, but higher brain functions cease to work. Basic zombies are nanite drones.

Note: Any complex, large organism can be zombified or xenoformed. There can be zombie dogs, zombie wolves, zombie bears, whatever. So far, only Chordata have been infected (mammals, birds, fish). Other forms of life seem to be immune.

Types of Opponents

Carriers: Infected humans who have not yet become full zombies. All PC's are Carriers.

Zombie: Dead or dying people, reanimated (or kept alive) with the nanophage. Have poor motor skills, no memories, cannot engage in social interaction. Get smarter in groups, as the processing power of local nanites increases. Run on basic instincts and drives. Somewhat clumsy, slower than an average human. Deadly in a crowd.

Rotters: Zombies that crossed the Dead Line (the demarcation between those places free of zombies, and Dead Man's Land). The nanites begin to fail, and the body begins rotting. Become slower and stupider, until they eventually die.

Xenoformed Zombie: Zombies with alien organs, caused by nanites who were somewhat successful. Sport alien organs that are almost always half-formed or malformed, and thus nonfunctional. The organs vary, but common ones are nictating membranes and gills (the original alien species is “amphibian”, dwelling both in water and on land).

Coordinator: One of the subsidiary shipboard AI’s. Each additional nanite in a single host provides addition computational power (forming a computing cluster). With enough nanites, an organism can support the presence of a Coordinator. If such a zombie gets within range of the downed ship’s transmitter, a Coordinator AI will be uploaded to the host's cluster.

Coordinators are “smart” zombies: still rotting, but capable of operating at a much higher level, equivalent to human intelligence. Coordinators, when they appear, will be capable of taking control and directing zombies within their communications range.

By its nature, any Coordinators who appear will be a Carrier who has finally turned (as they have many more nanites than other zombies). The primary mission of Coordinators will be to build transmitters, widening the area they can affect.

Coordinators can attempt to take control of Carriers (infected, but not yet zombified humans) as well as zombies. This leads to a struggle of wills, which the Carrier can win. Such events will give rise to stories of "demonic possession" and the like, including nightmarish visions of alien vistas (the home world of the xenos).

Stage-2 Zombies: Fast zombies. These will appear when nanites have adapted to human physiology enough to take over the body, while leaving it intact.

Stage-3 Zombies: Fast, smart zombies. May be independent or under the control of a Coordinator. These are capable of repairing the downed ship, and bringing the ship's Core back online. Very deadly enemies.

The Core: The primary AI, onboard the alien ship. (Also, the supercomputer that houses it.) Can reprogram nanites and activate the nano-assemblers (pouring out nanites by the millions.) Activation of the Core is the beginning of the end for humanity.

Xenos: Fully xenoformed humans. If such a being comes within range of the main ship, or a transmitter, an alien personality matrix will download. They will become fully alien, and the war will begin in earnest.

Xenologicals: Any other alien species recreated by the nanites. The ship's databanks has personality matrices and DNA templates for the entire alien ecosystem. Can be plant-life, predators, pets, herd animals, or anything else.

On Nano-Clusters

Each nanite has a tiny processor, with limited ability to perform calculations. But they are designed to operate in parallel, forming a computing cluster, so the more nanites there are, the more powerful the cluster becomes. The primary limit on nanite effectiveness is the number of processors in a cluster. (Though, since the range of nanite transmitters is very short, multiple hosts aren't as effective as a high concentration of nanites in a single host.)

Nanites can’t effectively replicate in hosts. Attempts to do so cause damage—as they scavenge tissue and organs—without meaningfully increasing the number of nanites. Therefore, the nanites have to depend on multiple hosts or finding a concentration of “free” nanites (the bloody skies) to boost their numbers.

Outside living organisms, nanites can reproduce more effectively by repurposing local resources. This is still a slow process, and the nanites are more vulnerable to electricity, pressure variances, and other factors that render them inert. Even so, the number of nanites (in hosts, or "free") is growing, though very slowly.

One of a drone's chief directives is to locate and consume "free" nanites. Zombies follow the bloody skies weather, and drink the red waters of infected lakes and streams. This increases the concentration of nanites in the host body.

Taken together, these phenomenon give rise the the several types of zombies that have appeared, and a few that will, but have not yet appeared. (As described above.)

Infection is all in the eyes. In large concentrations, the nanites appear red, and it takes a large concentration of nanites for their programming to activate.

In the first few hours, the eyes go bloodshot and the iris begins to turn red. You can tell at a glance who is newly infected.

As the disease progresses, the iris turns wholly red, and the sclera (the "white" of the eye) becomes more and more bloodshot. At the apex, just before full zombification, the eye is a blood red orb, with the black circle of the cornea in the center.

Such individuals could, at any moment, go feral, become violent, and begin to spread the disease. In the more forgiving settlements, they may be evicted, cast out into Dead Man's Land. The more pragmatic jurisdictions preemptively execute those on the verge of turning.

Red eyes mark the nanophage in full bloom. All zombies, be they human, animal, bird, or fish, have eyes gone red. It is the sign to shoot to kill, and only the foolish or suicidal ignore it.

Black Rocks and the Red Sun

The nano-apocalypse began with the Pulse, an EMP that exploded over the North Pole and destroyed electronics all over the Northern Hemisphere. The Pulse burned almost as bright as the sun, and for three days it turned darkness to day. The nightmares started on the third day.

The dreams were all the same, and millions of people shared them: A red sun, and a parched landscape through which oleaginous black waters running in rivulets along the ground. The black waters fall from the sky and at night choking mists cover the land.

And more: Black, thorny plants that bleed when cut, and a thick, almost flesh-like skin. Ugly, six-limbed beasts with short snouts, long irregular teeth and heavy hides fighting each other, the victor consuming the defeated. Squat, six-limbed humanoids with red skin, fighting the beasts and each other with spears and whips.

Then the dreamer, in the bleak landscape, chained to a piece of black rock along with numerous others. His family. His friends. His neighbors. They drag the rock along the ground on rollers, then up a ramp, all the while the six-limbed humanoids whip them to work faster. They are building thick walls and low buildings from the black stones. A city of obsidian rock painstakingly built by slave labor, black under red skies.

Those who first started seeing the nightmare turned into zombies soon thereafter. To this day, these nightmares (or ones much like them) plague Carriers, especially those on the verge of turning.

These visions, along with the three days of sun and the bloody rains, were taken for signs of the apocalypse. That so many reported being possessed, and that the dead stood up and began to attack the living, seemed absolute proof: hell was unleashed, people were seeing visions of it, and the devil walked the Earth.