What is a stream of conscious thought on zombies in RPG one-shots.This is likely notes for me than thee, but you may also get something out of this.
Modern zombie stories are typically set in a “locked room”
environment. In Train to Busan, the train is a locked room. Dawn of
the Dead is in a mall. Zombie 2/Zombie Island is on an island. The Resident
Evil video game is set in Raccoon City.
Games can replicate that. The challenge is setting up the
locked room. If the game starts pre-rise of the zombies, the GM must develop a
way to get the characters into the locked room. The train was the combination
of only way out of town and going home at the end of the day. The Monroeville
mall was a convenient place to hide out. The protagonists went looking for someone
on the Caribbean Island.
In a roleplaying game, GMs and designers must make erect very visible signposts pointing to “the story moves this way” indicating the train, mall, or island. When done properly, the signpost indicates the opening sequence is over and now it’s time to move on into the story. The train leaves the station. The characters begin barricading the mall entrances. The sail boat arrives at the island. At the same time, players need to realize the signpost is there to move things along and is not an indication of being “railroaded.” (guilty as charged! ~D)
In designing a one shot, survival horror with zombies
adventure, the locked room is the easiest way to get the game running. In fact,
the GM can start the game with the door closing. Unless it is a “Surprise: zombies!”
style of game, everyone at the table knows zombies are out there. Begin with describing
the zombies descending upon the train platform as the door closes. Ask the players
what they are using to barricade the doors. Describe the character that meets
them at the pier when they step off the ship. (Bonus points if he’s short and
wearing a nice linen shirt!)
From the GM’s standpoint, once the characters are in the
locked room, the characters have three goals. The first is to follow the
storyline until the zombies show up. Second, survive the zombies. Third, find a
way out of the locked room. Whenever possible, give the players the opportunity
to mix any two or all three of those up. Run from the zombies into a new locked
room. Follow a clue into an area where zombies await their next meal. Follow a
clue into an area where zombies await their next meal and then run into a new
locked room.
Picture the setting as a locked room. Start with the small,
upper Midwest town of Beaver Falls. The characters are there for various
reasons. They might include:
·
In town for a wedding or school re-union
·
Live and work there
·
Visiting a sick relative
·
On vacation to visit the local parks and hiking trails
·
Participating in or attending a sports tournament
·
Just passing through on their way to someplace
bigger and better
·
On the run from someone
If that is too wide-open, put everyone in the same
situation. Saint Michael’s Mercy Hospital isn’t much to look at, but every night
doctors, nurses, administrators, managers, police, firemen, paramedics, security
guards, technicians, orderlies, a cleaning crew, patients, and visitors make
their way there. There was a bad accident on the highway. The police officer is
here to get patched up after pulling people from a burning vehicle. The
paramedic is here because they brought the police officer (or the people from
the burning vehicle) here. The security guard keeps an eye on the waiting room,
making sure no one gets out of hand. The technicians get pulled in different,
competing directions as different equipment breaks down and someone needs to
fix it. Orderlies are moving patients to their new rooms. The cleaning crew
moves silently throughout the hospital with their keys into every room. The administrators
and managers are trying to handle an influx of visitors and telephone calls
from concerned relatives related to the highway accident. Doctors and nurses
are with patients in the emergency room or ICU due to the crash on the highway.
Now, add zombies and create a locked room.
The rise starts in the emergency room. One of the people
brought in from an accident on the highway dies. As an orderly begins the
process of transferring the deceased to the basement morgue, the deceased comes
back a zombie and bites the orderly and anyone else they can get their teeth
on. Chaos erupts and no one understands what is going on.
“I thought you said the patient in room six was dead?”
“Hey, get off of me. What do you think you’re doing – “
“Security!”
“What’s with all the screaming? Are they okay back there?”
“SECURITY!”
Escaping from the chaos likely sends the player characters
into the core of the hospital from the emergency room. Not just the player
characters, but also the other NPCs trying to escape the situation. This also
means the zombies are coming this way, because they are following their food.
The main doors to the hospital are locked, because it’s after hours and
visitors are not supposed to be in the main reception area. The chair bounces
off the glass it is thrown against.
Cure more screaming.
The hospital is a locked room inside a locked room. The larger locked room is the small town. The zombies are out there feasting, leading to scenes like the ending of the first Resident Evil movie or the opening credits montage of Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead. There are many other locked rooms within the town, such as the mayor’s office and police station. The local community college campus has several buildings of interest. The truly desperate might seek refuge in a one-room church. Let’s hope there’s a secret entrance behind the pulpit to a basement escape route!
The different locked rooms can zoom in and out. Some of the locked rooms are single buildings, others are a single level of a building, and others are entire towns.
