So my group has decided that in the run-up to Halloween, I can run a survival horror game for them.

Then plan is for it to be a shorter term, limited game...we're not trying for anything ongoing...a couple of months worth of weekly sessions, tops.

So I'm stuck.

I'm torn between All Flesh Must Be Eaten and the Savage Worlds Savage Tale Zombie Run.

Savage Worlds

+ Familiarity for the whole group.  One of our players has only played Savage Worlds.
+ Characters tend to be tighter focused in creation
+ We can run big, sprawling combats easily.
+ Ready made, mini campaign waiting for me.  Just add my own flavor and go.
+ The scrounging rules are cool.

-  Little bit of Savage Worlds fatigue...all any of us have played for a year now is Savage Worlds, and our ongoing game is still Savage Worlds.
-  Not sure I'm completely sold on the scenario..especially some of the stand-off in the endgame.

All Flesh Must Be Eaten

+ Even more room to wiggle around for me
+ Plenty of All Flesh books to draw off of, including One Of The Living
+ Familiar enough to run, different enough to provide a break from the main game

-  Rustier with Unisystem tham I am Savage Worlds
-  One player would have to be taught it from the ground up, while the rest would require a refresher
-  More book keeping required for players and GM than Savage Worlds
-- Wonky skills like Beautician

Just some pros and cons of each off the top of my head.  Any thoughts?  Especially from people who have used Unisystem *and* Savage Worlds, especially if you've used them both for survival horror?

My experience with SW was entirely unpleasant.

Unisystem is consistent dice choices, d10 only...
very simple.
Eden studios has a lot of stuff on-sale for 50% off on DTRPG through next week... including BTVS, Army of Darkness, Terra Primate...  So if your players want it in PDF, it's a good time.

I don't prefer one of those over the other, but if your group is tired of a particular system, you should take the opportunity to do something different. They'll like that.

Zombies, man. They creep me out.

Quote from: Tommy Brownell;325387Savage Worlds

+ The scrounging rules are cool.

-  Little bit of Savage Worlds fatigue...all any of us have played for a year now is Savage Worlds, and our ongoing game is still Savage Worlds.

Now I've only played AFMBE and not SW so I can't say based solely off of system. But I will address these points.

If there's any way to port over the scrounging rules, either the whole thing or as an analog, then you can just do that.

If you're starting to feel the strain by playing solely SW, now might be a good time to take a break from it. Especially if this is going to be a mini campaign, then it's just a pause and not a total switch. System burn out does happen.

QuoteAll Flesh Must Be Eaten

-  Rustier with Unisystem tham I am Savage Worlds
-  One player would have to be taught it from the ground up, while the rest would require a refresher
-  More book keeping required for players and GM than Savage Worlds
-- Wonky skills like Beautician
?

Dealing with the first two points, you could run a 'pre game' scenario with the player that doesn't know the system and as many of the others that can show up that day. I'd suggest you run that one(or two) shot on an off day.

You could even do it with no zombies mentioned at all. If you just have two players, they could be cops, with the new player as the rookie and the other player as the 'senior' officer.

Throw in some mystery, a little gunplay(gang members, psycho serial killer, ect.) Then some office politics, bureaucracy, dealing with the press. Oh and even the Significant Other of one of the officers who in addition to calling them all the time, ends up in the middle of trouble...

Now for the added book keeping, I couldn't say from savage worlds, but I didn't think it was all that bad from the other games I've played (AD&D 1st/2nd, Vampire, 2300AD, various Palladium systems, ect) But that's between you and your group.

And lastly, wonky skills? Well, it's not like your players have to take them (no, they didn't make sense to me either) Just make sure you point out to your players what you consider a 'flavor' skill. (as in, "It's probably not going to become useful at any point, but you can take it to give your character 'depth')

Any way, regardless of wich system you decide to use, let us know and maybe we can help you plan all the face eating!

Quote from: aramis;325408My experience with SW was entirely unpleasant.

Unisystem is consistent dice choices, d10 only...
very simple.
Eden studios has a lot of stuff on-sale for 50% off on DTRPG through next week... including BTVS, Army of Darkness, Terra Primate...  So if your players want it in PDF, it's a good time.

We're all pretty on board with SW being an awesome system, in our estimation.  So that's not an issue, really.  We've been playing an ongoing, longterm Necessary Evil game for the better part of a year now.

Quote from: Nazgul;325416Now for the added book keeping, I couldn't say from savage worlds, but I didn't think it was all that bad from the other games I've played (AD&D 1st/2nd, Vampire, 2300AD, various Palladium systems, ect) But that's between you and your group.

And lastly, wonky skills? Well, it's not like your players have to take them (no, they didn't make sense to me either) Just make sure you point out to your players what you consider a 'flavor' skill. (as in, "It's probably not going to become useful at any point, but you can take it to give your character 'depth')

Any way, regardless of wich system you decide to use, let us know and maybe we can help you plan all the face eating!

Unisystem is a bit better on the book keeping than some of the other games...with Savage Worlds vs Unisystem, though, there's no tracking of hit points, essence points, etc...

The reason I mention skills is that in my previous experiences running Classic Unisystem games, all the extra skills tend to lead the players into making some weird choices that have neither a real in-game purpose, nor even a good flavor function.  I'm asking for character concepts well in advance so I can help them nail down mechanics of that concept.

We're leaning towards All Flesh right now...I presently have my rulebook, One of the Living and the Screen by my computer for concept work, which is keeping me from working on my Freshman Comp paper, but that's neither here nor there...=)

I love me some Savage Worlds, but you always need a break from everything.  Since you already have an ongoing game in SavW, I would go with All Flesh just for the change.  But you're gonna have to run Zombie Run eventually...

Yeah, go for All Flesh for the change. Maybe implement the Cinematic Unisystem simplifications for NPCs to get back some of that quick easy feel? (Cinematic Unisystem is one of the ten systems I'd bring to a desert island, FWIW -- I think the mechanics hit a real sweet spot.)

I'd go with AFMBE.

Both are great, but it sounds like your group needs a change of pace and that is the only reason I'd pick one over the other.

So, any ideas for a campaign? You gonna start slow, with the first session or two dealing with 'real world' problems, only to spring the undead hordes upon them while they're in the middle of things?

Or are you going to dump them in the middle of the madness right from the start?

Survivors and Imbued, or make them work for it with normals?

I'm curious as to what you are planing, so tell me!

I'd also be happy to help with the set up (as I'm sure most others would as well).

Be nice to actualy see some constructive work on therpgsite. Lets help people build better campaigns!

I'd go with AFMBE. It sounds like your players are more interested in the game concept than the specific system, it's a really nicely-done game which can support pretty much any take on the zombie myth that you care to run with, and if you're only running it for a one-shot or a brief campaign I'm not convinced very much book-keeping would be required.

Though I speak as someone who doesn't care for Savage Worlds.

Quote from: Nazgul;325694So, any ideas for a campaign? You gonna start slow, with the first session or two dealing with 'real world' problems, only to spring the undead hordes upon them while they're in the middle of things?

Or are you going to dump them in the middle of the madness right from the start?

Survivors and Imbued, or make them work for it with normals?

I'm curious as to what you are planing, so tell me!

I'd also be happy to help with the set up (as I'm sure most others would as well).

Be nice to actualy see some constructive work on therpgsite. Lets help people build better campaigns!

Real world build up will be light...I'm only planning on 6-8 weeks here, don't want to waste too much time on the "not fighting for our lives".

No Imbued.  Not wanting to mess with metaphysics at all, here.

I am KINDA thinking of sticking them in a confined situation with a single zombie (something scarier than just a standard Romero type), before hitting them with a full outbreak at the end of the session.  We'll likely talk characters this weekend after (or before) playing Necessary Evil, which will give me a better direction for the type of campaign.

Also, I want to build to Something.  Not sure what, yet, but I want a bigger goal than "Shit, let's stay holed up in this house!", etc.

Few ideas for you. Mix the zombie types up, weaker types and stronger ones.

The 'why' (or what looks like the why) A new cancer 'cure'. At first, heralded as a miracle. But it took a long time to work and could cause some to slip into comas.

Then came the derivative cancer 'vaccine'. Quickly pushed through testing by insurance companys  looking to get rid of one the largest long term drains on their revenue. (New laws made it much harder for insurance companys to deny coverage. Hey, if we can have zombies, we can have competent politicians.)

Weaker (yet still dangerous) one from the vaccine. More dangerous are the ones the ones who revived the cure and the most dangerous ones are those who went into the coma.

Throw in a few red herrings (meteor shower, police busting 'occult' groups, ect) Should keep them guessing for a little while.

I've ran a lot of AFMBE and play SW and like it.

I would say it depends on exactly what you're going for.  AFMBE is better I think as straight up horror, and can get really gritty if you use a lot of the optional rules.  If you do the zombies Cinematic style its even faster.

Savage Worlds is more pulpy IMO.

If I were doing a zombie game I'd be tempted to run a scenario something like REC... a larger group (PCs and NPCs) trapped in a confined space (apartment house) with a loose zombie and very few weapons. Maybe have rats as a vector too...
A slow buildup that allows for some connection to the NPCs before they start getting eaten/turned. Zombie kids... zombie grandma... zombie poodle?

PCs try to find a way out as the zombie infection grows... with the dilemma that getting out might also release the infection. With or without the added element of the source (super zombie?) of the plague being in the rooftop apartment which is also a way out.

If they do get out and the infection spreads then they are partly responsible and might feel guilt and a responsibility to help stop it... rather than just running away.
Running away might again not be all that easy because the quarantine has widened to several blocks of the city... or maybe the whole town ala Resident Evil and The Crazies.
Then it's a race against time to solve it or get out before the nuclear bomb comes.

I really like the idea of building up the tension in a secluded location, and getting free makes it go very, very bad.  Kinda hoping to aim for something like that for the first session.