This is the thread where we'll post anything that's completely Out Of Character, whether it's game-related questions that can be asked in public or simply out-of-game chatting. Anything that involves your characters' secrets or any information that you'd rather not share with everyone can be sent to me in a PM - or better still in a spoiler button with your character's name showing. You can also include OOC comments or questions in your In Character posts - just use the spoiler or spoiler-button tags. You'll see how to do it in the instructions in the Rules and Guidelines thread or when you see me use it in the IC threads. You would do this if you want to say or ask something about what's going on in that particular thread.
Remember that if you're playing in this game, you are only allowed to read the threads that have your characters in them, and only the portions of those threads posted while your characters are present. The title of each IC post will indicate which characters are involved, and the Current Location thread also has this information along with a thread history (complete with hyperlinks to the exact post where each character enters each thread), but you can ask here if you're uncertain which thread you're supposed to be in. When characters move between threads, I'll indicate which new threads they go to and post links in their old threads that you can follow.
There are several new pregenerated characters that I've added for Chapter 7. Each player may choose one of them (unless you already have four characters).
The IC threads will probably start appearing by next weekend, if not sooner. I'll start with Sword, then put up new threads for Gold, and finally get Omaha started. Once you see a thread with one of your characters in it, you can go ahead and read it, and then make a post when you're ready. Generally, you can only perform one major action between my major updates (participating in a combat round, moving from one location to an adjacent location, and so on). However, you are usually free to carry out conversations with each other's characters and with NPCs that span multiple posts if I haven't done a major update yet. I will sometimes do minor updates where I show the results of one or more characters' rolls or have an NPC respond or react to something your character says or does. Characters who haven't acted yet can still do so, but if you've already acted you should only do simple actions like speaking until a major update is posted. If you're in the middle of combat your characters won't have time to go on chatting all day, of course. I'll let you know if you're in a non-combat situation where you have little time to speak.
Please remember that you are required to post between major updates. If you do not post, I will not know that you do not intend to and will end up waiting, which will slow the game down for everyone. I will not wait forever, though. If you neglect to post, I will go ahead anyway and assume your character does nothing - which under the wrong circumstances can be lethal! If you don't want to do anything, you still need to make a post describing your inaction. This is usually not the wisest course of action. Time is a very limited and valuable resource, and you should take full advantage of it.
I'm still waiting for the following people to make skill XP checks for some of their characters: Ryansommer
Keith Deeds (9/15 HP, San 15, indefinitely insane):
Roll 2d3 for healing (4 or higher to heal 1 tonight)
Emily Montrose (12/12 HP, San 54):
Sanity +1d10
Listen (63)
First Aid (60)
Medicine (35)
Sally (6/11 HP, San 85, broken leg):
Roll 2d3 for healing (4 or higher to heal 1 tonight)
Sanity +1d10
Spot Hidden (40)
Handgun (52)
Listen (50)
Psychoanalysis (43)
First Aid (69)
Medicine (59)
Navigate (10)
Ron Moore (1/15 HP, San 39, missing leg):
Spot Hidden (25)
Listen (25)
Kabukiman
Jerry Law (15/15 HP, San 54):
Listen (32)
Track (60)
Spot Hidden (65)
Handgun (50)
Dodge (55)
Michiko Watanabe (10/10 HP, San 70):
Psychology (15)
Wryce
Airman Marcus Winters (8/8 HP, San 54):
Listen (52)
Spot Hidden (75)
Dr. Edward Singh (13/13 HP, San 75):
Listen (30)
SSior.27
Caitlin Bell (11/11 HP, San 38):
Sanity +1d10
Medicine (50)
Climb (40)
Navigate (10)
Spot Hidden (35)
Handgun (20)
Psychoanalysis (51)
Laraqua
Brian Stevenson (13?13 HP, San 37):
Mechanical Repair (60)
If you haven't rolled by next weekend, I'll roll for you.
Welcome back again, Laraqua! Please don't forget to start posting in The Ninth Planet. I've been running Colleen Rose as an NPC for now, but you can take over any time.
Invisible Castle is currently down. Until it comes back up, feel free to use any other dice roller or physical dice, or I can roll for you if you prefer.
I'm starting to put up the posts for Sword tonight, though I probably won't get all of the threads for that section started until tomorrow. I plan to have all threads going by the end of this coming weekend.
Thanks! I'm a bit further away from 13,000 posts than that. I still need another 35 or so at this point, and I won't get that today. Probably by the end of the weekend, though, once I get all of the new threads for Chapter 7 started.
I've been sick for over a week now, and while I haven't had to go to work for most of that time, it is slowing me down. All of the Sword threads are underway, as are some of the Gold threads. I'll start the rest of the Gold threads and the Omaha threads as I'm able.
Aw, that sucks man. Being sick that is... Drink eat and rest! I took a chance and watched a "new" sci-fi series when I was knocked out from a cold. Falling skies is a quite good Fallout-esque kind of series. Let´s see if it gets a second season or if they cancel it. Many series gets axed before they manage to get a serious number of followers.
That said, get well and have the best time possible.
Thanks! I've enjoyed Falling Skies too, and I'm hoping it gets renewed.
I'm starting to improve, though I still have symptoms. i'm hoping I'll be completely better later this week.
More IC threads should be popping up over the next few days, so keep an eye out for them. Also, those of you who haven't yet done so, please post your increase rolls in this thread. I'll wait to do it myself if you haven't until all the IC threads are up. I still need 1d10 for Sally's Navigate increase, and I haven't seen rolls from Kabukiman, Wryce, SSior.27, or Laraqua.
Sorry about the delay. As you saw, I made rolls for my characters but posted them to the wrong thread. I tried to copy and paste them here,but that thread is now locked.
Thanks for the rolls. You don't need to copy and paste the rolls from the other thread here; I've already processed them and updated your character sheets. It looks like Wryce may be gone for good, as he hasn't logged in since early August, so his characters are up for grabs now. I only need rolls for Kabukiman and SSior.27 now.
Laraqua wrote:I can't believe you've almost doubled my post count! I used to have more posts than you.
*feels ashamed*
ooh, increase rolls ...
The only reason you didn't keep up with my post count was because you were gone for so long. You may even be able to catch up with me eventually if you stick with it and get your own games going again.
You might also want to start posting for Colleen Rose in The Ninth Planet. She's got a lot of incoming communications that she needs to handle. You can find her in the Mission Control thread (I posted a link in the OOC thread).
I should be able to get the rest of the Gold threads (only two left) and the Omaha threads going by the end of the weekend, as I'm starting to feel better. I also have a four day weekend coming up the following week, which means more time for me to keep things moving.
Nicely done! Everything looks good, though the 4 point Sanity increase only gets you to 42. It's too bad you didn't get the Handgun increase, but the ones you did get were very nice, especially Psychoanalysis. Now you can better help others when they go crazy. You just have to keep from going crazy yourself.
Welcome back! See the first post in this thread. It lists the XP rolls you need to make for Jerry and Michiko (whose threads should be up at some point on Friday). Melinda did not have any increases. Please make the rolls for your characters and post them in this thread when you get a chance.
I'll roll the increases for Wryce's characters when I have the time.
I haven't had time to update in the last couple of days, but I intend to do so Wednesday night. If you haven't posted yet for one or more of your characters, please do so. Some of you have been posting for some of your characters but not others. Please remember that you need to post for all of the characters you play.
We should also have at least one new player joining us soon. A few players had left after Chapter 6, reducing our total to six, but hopefully that will now start to increase. None of the new characters I created for Chapter 7 have been claimed yet, but maybe now some of them will get players.
And her I am! And, maybe partly because of my noobishness, and partly because it seems simpler, after taking a look and the premade chars, I think I will opt for them as opposed to making my own. At your service, gentlemen
yes, I do in fact have one question. where do I post for Staff Sergeant Larry Dauterive, I cant seem to find where he should be....should I just make something up?
Our Keeper is setting up the various threads for every location in the game. So far he has finished some parts and have some left to set up.
Some of the characters have threads assigned to them. They are determined by Location and name.
But as I said, don´t post anything until you are approved to play that character. Mr.Handy is usually available at least some time at any day. At least most days...
Welcome again, He-who-is-Expendable, and thanks again, Dave!
Choosing pregenerated characters is a good thing, and I'm glad the new characters I've added are getting some play. The Locations and Weapons thread has a list of which thread each character is in currently, as well as hyperlinks to those threads. As the chapter progresses, I'll maintain a history of the threads through which each surviving character passes. That thread also lists each character's in-game location (unless it's concealed for some reason), as well as a list of all characters' weapons, ammo, and armor.
All of the threads have actually already been set up. I posted the last one on September 30. I won't have time to update tonight either, and I haven't slept much in the last four days, but I will try my best to do so tomorrow night.
During the week, I'm unable to get online and post except for a few hours at night. I have no time in the morning before I leave for work, and I'm not allowed to do it while I'm at work. I usually am here once each day, even so. On weekends I'm on much more often, and I have more time to post then too. This coming weekend is a three day weekend for me, as I'm off Monday. The first and third weekends in November, however, I'll be away at conventions. On the other hand, the second and fourth weekends will be extended, so I'll have more time then.
I understand in character crap aside, playing RPG's is bad if it makes you negelct real life responsibilities, no game is worth that, COC or otherwise. as someone who, despite himself, gave no time to any hobby of any kind during most of the summer because of an unexpectedly grueling job and school schedule, I understand.
And that's five nights in a row without much sleep. Stupid fire alarm going off at 1:40 AM. At least I have a three day weekend coming up. I'll get things moving as soon as I can.
Remember that you get the increase if you roll higher than your skill. Jerry gets increases in Listen, Track, and Handgun. Michiko does get an increase in Psychology. Please roll 1d10 for each of these four increases.
Thanks! I've processed your increases and added them to your character sheets. By the way, Jerry is not in the thread Dawn, though Michiko is. Jerry is in Guard Duty, so you should post for him there. He's currently watching Kyle Rogers.
I've added three "new" playable characters to the Gold section. All of them are Military Police that will soon get a new thread along with a newly created PC, probably tomorrow night. They actually appeared as NPCs late in Chapter 6 along with Staff Sergeant Larry Dauterive, so they will require a little catching up, but not much.
Thanks for letting me know. I didn't have much time during the week, and I didn't have much sleep the night before last, but I knew that I could wait on the new thread. I plan to get that started tonight so that it's waiting for you to get back on Monday, and I also intend to do a mass update of all of the threads tonight.
I ran out of time in the middle of the update. I've updated all of Sword and some of Gold. I hope to be able to finish updating Gold and Omaha, as well as to start the new Gold thread, on Monday night.
I'm sorry, but I had to stay late at work on Wednesday, and other things took up a lot of my time after I got home, so I was unable to update again. I will do so as soon as I get the chance, hopefully Thursday night.
Thanks. I've started updating again tonight, and I hope to get the rest of it done during the day on Saturday, after I finally get some sleep. I hope to be able to keep things moving at a regular pace, though there will be a couple of weekends in November when I'll be away and probably unable to post. However, after each of those weekends I'll have a long weekend with more time to update.
I wasn't able to update on Friday night or Saturday, as I was too wiped out from lack of sleep. I had hoped to update tonight, but the fire alarm went off in my building again and I had too many things to do that ended up taking far too long. I will try my best to update on Monday night, as I certainly won't have time on Tuesday. In the meantime, if you haven't posted for one or more of your characters yet, please do so.
I'm going away to a convention this weekend, so I probably won't be able to post before Sunday night, possibly not until Monday night. The following weekend is a three-day weekend, so I'll have more time then. The weekend after that, I have another convention. The following week is Thanksgiving, and I'll only work the first half of that week. After that I should have plenty more time.
I'm sorry I haven't been able to update Zombie Apocalypse before I go. I haven't had much sleep the last couple of weeks. I won't be able to update immediately after I get back. I'll try to do it during the week, but it may have to wait until next Friday.
I'm sorry for the delay, but I'm still catching up on everything I missed during last weekend and I had little time during the week. I'm finishing up, and now I have a three-day weekend. I plan to update all of the threads with active PCs at some point over the next few days.
Okay, we're up and running again! All threads with active PCs have been updated. I'm going away to another convention next weekend and I'll try to update again before I go, but I can't guarantee it. However, the following week I'll have a four and a half day weekend, which will give me plenty of time to keep the game moving.
I'm sorry for the delay in getting things moving again. I didn't have as much free time as I thought I would this past weekend. I'll try to update during the week, though I'll have very limited time.
I don't have any more conventions for nearly three months, so once I get the game rolling I hope to keep it going at a decent pace.
I've updated Sword, so please start posting there. Some of you with characters in Sword haven't posted there even in the last two weeks when I haven't had time to update. Gold will be next, and then Omaha, as I have time.
We also have a new player, Laine, who will be joining us.
I'm sorry, but I ran out of time in the middle of updating, and my computer started acting funny. Sword is done, but Gold and Omaha will need to wait until Monday night.
I'm really sorry that I've gone so long without updating, but I will make it my highest priority to get it done as early as possible this weekend. I'll make sure I do it first this time rather than do other things in the belief that I'll have enough time left later. If I run out of time, it'll be other things that don't get done instead of this.
I've finally updated all of the sections of Zombie Apocalypse. Laine, I see you've already found your new thread and posted in it. Have fun! I'll probably send you your secrets in a PM tomorrow, as it's getting late. I'll try to update at least once per week from here on out.
I updated Donald's thread last on December 10, and you haven't posted since then. Normally I don't update threads if there are no active players posting in them, unless something in another thread affects it (or it affects another thread). It's been a couple of weeks since I last updated Omaha anyway, as I've gotten bogged down, but I intend to update Omaha tonight. If you post in your thread tonight, I'll update that one too.
I've updated one of the Sword threads (the one where some of the players have posted), and over the next couple of days I plan to update the other Sword thread (even if nobody posts) as well as the active threads in Gold and Omaha.
Yes, take care, Dave! It's been great playing with you these last few years, and you're an excellent roleplayer. You did an awesome job as Kathryn McCoy! She's a great survivor, and her adventures are just beginning. I'm sorry to see you go, and you're welcome to join back in if you're ever able to return.
Yup, sure! I´ll just have to take care of a few things. Besides prepping a game to launch upon my return. I´ll be at the creative writing section as always, and on yog-sothoth for sure.
@pickman37: Good luck at the shoot out. I´ll lurk and see how you fare. It´s as you say almost as playing for real. Nice meeting you.
@Mr.H : It´s been fun playing on these boards. You´re a dedicated keeper, for sure. Keep up the good work. I´ll stay reachable and will be able to do moderator tasks. Just dropping the player/keeper stuff.
Hi! I have been awfully busy lately, but I think I can return now.
In what thread should I post to Jerry and Michiko, since they are suposed to go to the bus?
Welcome back! Jerry is in Guard Duty, and Michiko is in Dawn. You can find everyone's threads in the Locations and Weapons thread. Nobody has posted there for a while, but I can move things along quickly if you post that they're heading to the bus. I'll probably rearrange the threads this weekend when I have a chance to update.
I've been sick with a cold since Monday night, but I do intend to update at some point over the next few days if I'm able. At least I'll be home instead of at work and thus will have a chance to post during the day.
I hope you´re feeling better, H. Being away for a few weeks myself. Bought a new sofa - murderously cosy. Starting to get on top of things at work. Rearranged some accounts to fix monetary issues. Laying down the groundwork for my comeback. The lost games I´ve run here could have been restarted but I rather reboot with something new. A fresh start. The date is undecided.
Looking forward to lurk as The Morning After continues.
Thanks! I'm still sick, but I think I'm starting to get a little better today. Hopefully I'll be able to update all of the active IC threads this weekend.
I'm looking forward to your new game when you return, whatever it may be.
I'm still sick, but now I'm mostly better. If I'm not able to go into work on Wednesday, I hope to be able to update all of the active threads. Otherwise, it may have to wait until the weekend.
I'll be away at a convention between Thursday afternoon and Sunday night, so there probably won't be any posts from me during that time. I won't have time to update Sunday night either, so it will need to wait until at least next Monday night. I have taken the entire week off from work, however, so I will be able to post during the day until then. I plan to update all of the active threads on Tuesday, and I may be able to make some updates again on Wednesday and early on Thursday if people post by then.
Donald is currently snoozing on the bus... so hopefully nothing happens and this will be a moot point. I'm going on vacation from March 24th through March 31st. If something does happen which jars Donald Woodridge awake, please feel free to NPC him to keep the story going. Thanks!
I probably won't have time tonight to finish the updates. Sword is done, and I'll try to do Gold next, but I won't be able to do Omaha too. I'll try to finish on Monday night.
Welcome back, Laraqua! Please don't forgot to post in Deadly Mission for Katarina as well. We have a new player, Quinch, who has taken over Staff Sergeant Larry Dauterive, so the two of you can interact.
Quinch, I'll try to get you your character secrets this weekend.
I won't have time to update tonight, but I'll try to at least get started on Thursday night and plan to update all active threads by this weekend.
I dreamt that Mr. Handy was running one of those Call of Cthulhu LARPs but then I saw one of the ghoul-like creatures, slammed the grille in place pretty quick (yep, he'd modded his large home to have a steel gate thingy) and slashed at its arms with what turned out to be a real knife and went, holy crap, what are we meant to do? Then a friend of mine asked if she could get her colour pencil case from a truck cab that connected with that room (don't ask) that we didn't know was clear or not and someone else is like "I wouldn't do that if I were you, you'll be deaded." But she insisted as she's not a player, just someone who was hanging around, so I ask Mr. Handy if he can turn them off (guess I thought they were robots) and he just gave me blank looks. Then I'm like, "You can turn them off, can't you?" And he's like: "I wanted you guys to invent a way to do that." And I'm like "You idiot! We're just people, not engineers, no way we could invent anything." And he's like, "Well, they still bleed if you cut them." And I'm like: "They've got thick, rubbery skin, knives don't do much." And then he's a furry cat I'm cradling who keeps just looking up at me and in a moment of horror I asked: "They're sterile, right? I mean, they can't breed...."
And he just gives me that look like "Oh crap, didn't think of that" in his big, fluffy, dark-haired feline way.
It made about as much sense as the Dog Endings in Silent Hill.
It seems that my secret has come out. Yes, I am, in fact, a cat. I make all of my posts, as all cats do, by walking back and forth across the keyboard. I had thought I had purr-fect anonymity, as on the Internet nobody knows you're a cat. However, I could not resist wandering into other peoples' dreams, and so I gave myself away. Yes, we can do that. Why do you think we sleep 17 hours a day? Don't worry, though, that dream won't come true. I'm going to write down "make ghouls sterile" on a note to myself. Then I'll write IMPORTANT in red pen with an arrow pointing at it. And I'll circle it. I just have to remember to do that until I can figure out how to hold a pen between my cute, fluffy paws.
I'm afraid I didn't have as much time this weekend as I had hoped, and the updates are taking longer than expected. It will probably not be until next weekend when I can finally update Gold, and I also need to wait to update Deadly Mission in Sword (where Laraqua hasn't posted for Katarina in a while anyway). I also have a bunch of secrets that I haven't yet sent out, but those will have to wait too.
Of course I watch and love it. It reminds me so much of Zombie Apocalypse. It's funny, but back in 2008 Welsh and I were talking about making Zombie Apocalypse into a TV series.
I watch it on occasion, but not religiously. Just too much drama going on for my appreciation. And not the cool kind of "Oh my god... are we gonna live through this?" drama... the "I can't believe you're my wive's baby-daddy" drama. It's like a zombie flick created for the entertainment of women.
I imagine if a Zombie Apocalypse actually did happen, it'd be a lot like Walking Dead... I just don't like so much drama in my movies. I tend to immerse myself in what I watch. So if it's a real shocker, I'm on the edge of my seat - jumping at every scare practically, wincing at the gory parts. My adrenalin gets worked up and I dig it. If it's a sob story, I start feeling terrible about it, my eyes mist up, I almost feel guilty that there's nothing I can do to help. I don't need that shit. Got enough guilt trip in my life without getting it from the boob tube.
lol, it's odd that you say it's for the entertainment of women because, while I agree on one hand, the women are generally a bit useless on that movie and are expected to wash socks with only one woman doing an Annie Oakley and breaking that mould. I'm surprised No-Guns-Shirley would be a mould. I tell you, I'd be out practising how to shoot and taking turns with guard duty. Sure, folk need to get their food cooked, but it ain't clever to overly rely on anyone there as their injuries are going to eventually pile up on them and everyone needs a chore-filled holiday compared to scraping by life by the skin of your teeth. But hey, I can imagine a lot of women would prefer to be like that rather than risk their lives but I still think they'd be happy to have a gun in their hands.
I guess part of the trick is that zombies, in and of themselves, aren't considered to be that scary. It's the people you gotta fight and face that causes a lot of the problems, but I wouldn't mind if they were a bit less dickish and a bit more focus. I've always been interested in the survival aspects of zombies. Like, getting food and medicine (there is some of that) and putting up security and then the security being overwhelmed and having to react to that. Of course, I was a huge fan of it up until the last couple episodes where I started finding them all a bit unlikeable due to the drama - except for Darryl who's sheer survivability just makes him strangely attractive (that guy is cleverer than he looks) and Glenn (who only gets trouble when going into town when he brings folk with him).
But yeah, I'm still enjoying it but am hoping they tone down the drama a bit before they do a True Blood and make everyone so irritating and broken that I start hoping they'll die....
Tell you what though, the way they ended last season was pretty awesome... and that shadowy figure dragging two zombies on chains behind her is one bad-ass girl if they stay true to the novel.
Ummmm yeah, I could barely get through the first season of the walking dead. Just couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried. Still, I might go back and read the TPB of the comic eventually.
I hope the third season has more of the first half of Season 1 and the early parts of Season 2. It's more about survival, and getting supplies, and avoiding zombies. That way they don't have to make the characters all be dicks to each other anymore, because I find that hard to watch, and in the end it just leaves a show full of dicks. I mean, most of the real bullies are gone, so hopefully the group can play nice and focus on getting rid of the enemy. And I'd like to see Carol go all Andrea and arm up. And more Daryl (but not in drama way).
Yeah, the first episodes were the best. The second half of Season 1 fell off from that, but Season 2 was better than those. The badass lady who showed up in the finale is giong to be awesome, I'm sure.
The part of The Walking Dead that reminds me the most of Zombie Apocalypse is that it's the living who are the real threat, as the players have learned (many the hard way). The zombies are more of an environmental hazard and the catalyst for the collapse of civilization. But there are all sorts of things that could cause that collapse, and the struggle for survival would unfold similarly regardless of the cause.
Welsh and I both like women who kick butt, and we've had our share in this game. Stephanie Bridges, who normally wouldn't be involved in combat, got to be a hero in Chapter 1 with a few well-timed impales from her pistol. Rachel Cohen hasn't fired a single shot so far, but she's probably the most badass character. She's a master of martial arts, and she used them to good effect late in Chapter 4 to prevent a shootout and bloodbath. And of course helpless-seeming Katarina took out a big bad guy with a grenade towards the end of Chapter 5. Sometimes characters can really surprise you with what they can do (with a little help from the dice).
I'm sorry I haven't been able to update for a while, but I've had a little more sleep lately (still not enough, though) and I have a 3-day weekend coming up. I'll make it a priority to finally update Gold, which has been stalled for weeks, as well as all the other active threads. I'll try to get some threads started tonight, but I probably won't get much done until tomorrow night.
I just read the comic and stopped after reading the part of the governor who was truly demented. It's a very good story but also depressing, each volume was like a punch in stomach.
I'm sorry for the lengthy delay, but I was finally able to update Gold and get some new threads started there. I hope to be able to keep all active threads moving at a decent pace.
What I love about this game is how it plays with the main zombie trope which is how the methods that have worked for us as a species before work against us now.
The ideal situation other than everyone getting along is everyone getting along with the nasties. Rescue missions end with near total party kills and a general erosion of the human population. You're better off hunkering down and ignoring other people, or accepting what they sling at you, because revenge and attempts to protect others or save others' lives lead to clashes with other people and zombies and gunshots and further deaths. It adds a certain nihilism to the horror that's pretty cool.
Thanks! I love how that works out in this game too. Even when characters don't die, they are often horribly wounded and maimed, leaving them zombie bait and slowing down the group. Several characters have either lost or broken a leg, which often proves fatal in the end. Sally was the key exception, as she managed to survive and accomplish a great deal in spite of her broken leg. So far Ron Moore has (barely) survived the loss of his leg, but it remains to be seen how long he lasts. Only one character, Dr. Brigetta Hausmann, broke an arm back in Chapter 1, but that's not as much of an obstacle and she has managed to survive until now.
There have been a number of occasions already where rescue missions or attempts at personal revenge have ended in disaster. Even the rescue of Kathryn in Chapter 3, where the only character death was her kidnapper Gardner, resulted in Gardner first blowing off one character's leg with a well-placed critical hit that miraculously didn't quite kill him. This situation later helped set up the clusterbleep at the Perkins farm up the road, where one zombie quickly became three zombies, which spelled the end for a number of characters and could have killed everyone there. I'm eager to see how the planned rescue mission in Sword plays out.
Certainly people would usually be better off setting aside their differences and working together, or even sometimes having one side surrender to the other in a conflict. One player astutely remarked in a PM that the PCs in one situation would have a better chance at survival joining forces with the bad guys, though that player's character could never do it. Similar situations to the conflicts in the game can often arise in the real world, even without zombies. War is extremely destructive and consumes many resources that might be put to better use, and even the winning side can be said to lose too. Sometimes only the people who loan money to and sell arms to the warring powers truly win. In a zombie apocalypse, where there are so few humans and most resources cannot be replenished once exhausted due to the loss of the infrastructure that civilization or what passes for it once provided, the negative effects of conflict are even more pronounced. On the other hand, if you do team up with the nasties and survive to eventually rebuild civilization, will it be one worth preserving any more?
This is one of the themes I've (not completely consciously) been exploring with this game. How far will people go to survive? Will practicality trump idealism? Will freedom be sacrificed for the sake of survival? If they could, would they even make a deal with the entities that caused the zombie apocalypse and shattered the world, or would they sooner fight to the bitter end?
I imagine, sadly enough, that there'll be more people willing to make deals with the aliens who caused this than their friend's rapist or that group who kidnapped. Samuel got ravaged, as did his friend, in a rescue operation where the survivors got whittled down through various attempts to escape and to take the lives of their captors. Brian had the right idea, but of course the tripline of 'he's raping her right now' made him make a desperate bid to escape that ended up rather timely. Of course, it wouldn't have gotten to that point without an escalation of both sides. Not to say that the players running those characters made bad decisions, they might well be the right ones, but the consequences are trouble all over. I do think that's one of the main themes of zombie stuff in general. Not all of them are about that, but oftentimes (28 Days Later) it boils down to that though in movies at least the good guys might get away because there's fewer of them to start off with and therefore killing them all off isn't an option.
Brian has made some good moves. Of course, running away and abandoning others can cause Sanity loss - sometimes you can't win no matter what. Brian (and Heather) didn't lose any because the rescuers happened to come, but the cavalry isn't always coming.
The Jamaicans' actions also had consequences that ultimately led to their deaths. The "smart" thing to do would have been to kill their prisoners when they got "uppity," but Lisa talked them out of it. Still, Lisa has proven that she can kill when pushed too hard. She does have some of her father in her, even though she tries to do the right thing. The poor kid is pretty messed up, though she has at least survived so far. The Marley posse also had the means to flee the area, but they believed that their location was still unknown and were reluctant to give up their base of operations and their supplies (they would not have been able to bring everything with, not even close). They had no way of knowing that the cops already knew about the warehouse or that they were still functional enough to do something about them.
The strategic choice of whether to defend a fixed location and fortify it or to stay on the move is related to that decision, and it's another thing that characters need to decide about in order to survive against the zombies - and the other humans. The Rough Riders in Chapter 3 believed in mobility as the best defense, and while most of them were killed, it was while they were helping to secure a strongpoint. Those that survived did so because they ran like hell. There have been a bunch of situations in this game where people have tried to defend fortified positions, and it usually ends in them dying or fleeing eventually. Even in Omaha in Chapter 4, where the survivors held out against the zombie siege and were victorious, they still decided in the end to evacuate for health concerns. Thousands of dead bodies lying around all over the place simply aren't sanitary.
Unfortunately, I did not get to update the game this weekend. I'll try to do it during the week if it's at all possible. There's a chance I can do it on Tuesday, but I'm not certain.
Part of that's my fault, as I haven't been able to update lately. It's been two weeks since the last time, and even then I missed a couple of threads. I'll get done what I can tonight, and if I miss anything I'll try to finish up during the week.
After this week, updates should be more frequent through July 4, as I'll be off from work. However, I'll be away at a convention from July 4-8, so I won't be able to post during that time.
There's a cool-looking zombie game on Kickstarter I'm backing called Dead State that should be very interesting. It's about much more than killing zombies, it's really about the humans. You have to lead a group of people and guide them so that the whole group survives, building up your shelter, scavenging for supplies, and coming into conflict with other survivors. In many ways it looks inspired by the original Fallout. If you want to get in on it, there's only three days left.
Welcome to Garrett, who will be playing Ryuu Kin in the Omaha section! Garrett, your thread (Rising Sun) is now up and I've sent you your secrets in a PM. Once you've read them, you may start posting any time you're ready.
We seem to have lost Quinch and Misfit, who haven't posted for their characters or even signed on to the board in weeks.
Unfortunately, I did not get to update this weekend. I was sick a couple of days ago, and I ran out of time due to having to eliminate a flood of spammers and the ridiculous lag that's slowing everything down tonight. I won't have time tomorrow either, but I'll try to update as soon as I can.
I'm sorry, but I ran out of time again. I'll try to update during the week if possible. Next weekend is a three-day weekend for me, so I should be able to get things moving again by then at the very latest.
I apologize again for the lengthy delay, but I've just updated all of the threads with active players and gotten the game moving. I should be able to keep it going at a decent pace over the next several weeks.
I took away his skill in martial arts and kick to bring handgun to 50, persuade to 61, and katana to 75. On that note I was wondering, if I keep my katana in the sheath to protect the blade I still use the same skill right? Also katana weapon skill starts at 10% right?
The base skill in Katana is 15%, and you still use the same skill even if you keep it in a sheath. I'll allow you to adjust your skill points at this time, but the numbers for the adjustments don't quite add up. You get 74 points back from Martial Arts and 50 from Kick for a total of 124. You spent 15 to increase Handgun from 35 to 50, 46 to increase Persuade from 15 to 61, and 60 to increase Katana from 15 to 75 for a total of 121. That leaves you 3 more points to redistribute.
No problem. If it's sheathed, I'll say it does the same damage as a large club (1d8+db). It also does not impale while in the sheath. When unsheathed, the katana does 1d10+1+db damage and can impale.
Impales are good, and are synonymous with piercing. When you impale, your damage rolls are doubled, so instead of 1d10+1+1d4, you would do 2d10+2+2d4 damage. The only problem is that your weapon gets stuck in the target, and it will take at least one more round (and a successful skill roll with the weapon) to pull it out.
No, you can keep reusing it. It's only in danger of breaking on a critical failure, and even then it won't always happen.
I've always thought katanas were much better made than that, anyway. In World War Two, Japanese officers carried and used them. It wasn't uncommon for them to behead multiple people in succession (often these were civilians being murdered rather than enemy troops in actual combat, where katanas were used but multiple decapitations would be rare).
EDIT: The other way your katana can break is if you keep using it to parry successfully.
I'm pretty sure Japanese officers used cavalry sabers for executions, Katanas have very thin metal that wouldn't cut bone very well. Katanas are designed to get between ribs and get someones internal organs. But your call, and I'm sure as hell not complaining about being able to use it without fear of breaking.
Garrett wrote:I'm pretty sure Japanese officers used cavalry sabers for executions, Katanas have very thin metal that wouldn't cut bone very well. Katanas are designed to get between ribs and get someones internal organs. But your call, and I'm sure as hell not complaining about being able to use it without fear of breaking.
If memory serves, which I admit it might not, the full-sized katana was used for slicing along the length of the blade as opposed to stabbing (such as with a rapier). This is shown with the curve of the blade and how it's hung on the hip, in a manner which allows the user to draw the weapon and slice outward with one fluid motion. The companion weapon, the shoto, was more suitable for stabbing due to its shorter blade.
However, what I do know for certain is a katana was more than capable of cutting through living bone. How they were forged made them excel at it. Light weight, sharp as a devil, and deadly. Perhaps not so much now with imitations and props.
Yeah I know a katana could cut through bone, what I'm saying is that because they're made of such thin metal the blade would probably break if you did it more then a few times.
It's quite capable of breaking even another sword without being damaged (save the possible nick). The way it's forged makes it stronger than most other blades of that era. Don't count it out just yet
Yes, katanas are made of tempered steel. Impurities are filtered out, and the metal is folded over itself hundreds of times. It's a long, painstaking process. I've heard that when swordsmiths are done forging a katana, they hold it with the blade upwards and drop a silk handkerchief onto it, letting the blade cut it in half. If the edges of the halves are at all frayed, they scrap the katana and start again. Imitation katanas may be more lax, but Ryuu has the real deal. Katanas are used more frequently for slashing attacks, but it is possible to thrust with one by gripping the hilt with both hands and lunging forward.
You still have to fear the katana breaking, just not as much. It can break on a bad enough critical failure, or if you use it to parry and it takes too much damage. Katanas are tough, but they're not unbreakable. Decapitating zombies (or live humans for that matter) will not damage the blade, however.
You don't get Sanity rewards anywhere near right away. Those rewards come at the end of a chapter, and chapters tend to last about a year on average. This one's more than a year old, but it's been moving more slowly and will most likely last into next year. Even then, I usually only give out Sanity rewards when you reach a "safe" haven, and it's typically 1d10, which includes the Sanity reward for killing or otherwise defeating zombies (by evading them to reach said "safe" haven). If you defeat something worse than zombies, I might increase that.
I don't know Ryuu has a pretty good head on his shoulders, I shelled out for 16 power.
By the way were talking the Cheyenne in Wyoming right? If so Ryuu might have to get off at the next stop, I think we're driving in the opposite direction of Chicago. From Nebraska he's only got a five day walk, from Cheyenne its almost a month. Assuming I have both those destinations right I'm probably getting off as soon as I see a car I can take.
By the way I'm sorry to ask so many questions but my rule book got stolen a couple weeks ago. I just read over how combat with zombies works, can I aim for the head with a melee weapon if I sneak up on the target? Also how much damage do I have to roll to kill a zombie after successfully hitting the head, your rules said ten but I assumed that was for blunt objects and such? Last question, how fast do zombies, slow and fast move. A person can move their DEX in feet every round right?
I've been sick the last couple of days, so I haven't been able to update yet. I'm hoping I'll be able to before too long.
It was a good question about Sanity gain, and I had asked Welsh about it six years ago. This was what he had suggested that I do. Feel free to ask any questions you like. I'm sorry your rulebook was stolen, and I hope you can get it back or get a replacement.
Yes, Cheyenne is in Wyoming, and you're heading west. Of course, you may wish to continue traveling with the bus. After all, they have an EMP device and are heading for somewhere (relatively) safe. Chicago might also be very dangerous, and there may not be anyone left alive there.
You can aim for a zombie's head with a melee weapon whether or not you sneak up on it. It's a -5 penalty. It takes 10 damage to the head to kill a zombie, no matter what weapon you're using (as long as it inflicts physical damage; a garotte would do no good, as zombies don't need to breathe). You can move your DEX in feet each round, but that's a house rule, I think. I don't recall seeing it in the rulebook (which has all humans moving 8 undefined "units"). The zombies in this game are not the same as the zombies in the rulebook. Slow zombies tend to move only 7 or 8 feet per round, but they are tireless and relentless. People have to stop sometime, but zombies don't. Ryuu hasn't seen a fast zombie yet, so he doesn't know this, but they move 20 feet per round.
Ryuu is aware that he would be much safer staying with this group but his dads the head of a Yakuza organization and lives in a mansion that's practically a fortress, so there's a pretty good chance his family is still alive. Ryuu hasn't even considered they might already be dead, in his mind his family(by which I mean they entire Yakuza) is pretty much invincible. But any car the EMP passes would be fried beyond repair right? If so Ryuu might as well got off now and start walking.
Wait, infection through the water just meant that once you died you would turn, it doesn't immediately turn you does it? If so how are any of us alive?
Wait, infection through the water just meant that once you died you would turn, it doesn't immediately turn you does it? If so how are any of us alive?
I'm in the hurricane's path too, so I might also lose power. I'm mostly recovered now, and I plan to start updating this tonight.
Not every car is fried by the EMP, but almost all of them are. Only cars from prior to 1982 or so (when all cars started using electronic ignitions) will still function after the EMP hits them - as long as they have fuel and there's nothing else wrong with them.
Stephanie and Dr. Hausmann discussed the vector earlier, before Ryuu came on the scene.
Even if there's anyone left alive in Chicago to find, you'd still have to get there safely alone, which isn't easy. The EMP device in the bus is the reason there are no zombies in your path, and the bus is also armored and capable of moving quickly in case of other threats.
Ryuu might want to talk things over further in character with the others on the bus to get some information and advice.
I'm not familiar with cars, how hard would it be to find one made before that year?
Again Ryuu is completely aware getting home would be hard, and while in denial, deep down he knows how grim what he finds might be; but he's still going to do it. If as the GM your going to say he's out of the roleplay if he tries that I understand and I'll modify his character a bit.
It would be very hard, but not impossible. Most cars don't last much more than 10 years, let alone 30. Ryuu wouldn't know about cars either, but others on the bus might.
You're free to go where you like and do what you want (or at least try). Zombie Apocalypse is a sandbox, albeit a sandbox filled with zombies and other dangers. The other characters will try to dissuade Ryuu, but he's free to ignore them and head off on his own. Just keep in mind that it's a long, arduous journey, you'll be alone, you may not make it, and you may not like what you find if you manage to get there.
Again, I'm completely aware he might not make it, and that his family might all be dead. Out of character I'm aware that they probably are all dead.
Also would it make me a game killing dick if did try to hijack the bus? That option is sounding more and more tempting.
That wouldn't kill the game, but it would probably result in Ryuu's death along with whoever he kills before he goes down. There are dozens of people on the bus (many of them heavily armed), remember, and only one of you.
Ryuu's a criminal but he's not a sociopath, if he stole the bus at all he would wait until they made it to safety. Ryuu's a pretty useful guy though, his current thinking is getting the military base to give him a vehicle somehow. Even with a vehicle though it's a twenty five hour drive from cheyenne to chicago.
That's a possibility. The military is unlikely to give you one of their own vehicles or make it easy to steal one, but you might be able to acquire the bus at that point.
I should have described the bus passengers better and given you a better idea of how many there are. Ryuu can't see everyone's weapons, but he can tell that Becky (the driver) has a shotgun. Pistols might not be easily seen, but a Spot Hidden roll would probably reveal who's carrying. The Locations and Weapons thread has a list of everyone who's currently aboard the bus (except Samir Hossein, who's an NPC) and the weapons with which they're armed. Counting Ryuu, there are 34 people on board. Donald is also carrying a shotgun. Principal Larry Adler has a baseball bat. Tariq has an AK-47 and a Grease gun. Jerry Law (whom you haven't met) has a bow and arrows, a chainsaw, and a saber. Ryuu can't be sure whether or not people have handguns, smaller submachine guns, knives, or other concealable weapons, but it's a good bet that at least some of the others do.
Older vehicles that wouldn't be effected by the EMP - if they had a chance to drive at all - would have antique plates which would make them very easy to spot. Just saying.
And I know your character doesn't know this, but you might have overheard some discussion about how they had to do a lot of work to get this bus running, and it has broken down on them once already on their trip. So taking the bus may be an option, but it is definitely with added risks.
Australia doesn't salt their roads during winter, do they? That really tears up a vehicle over time. There may be rust buckets that still operate, but they are very rare. It'd be easier to find one that's restored as an antique than to find a rust bucket that works without a lot of TLC - just my humble opinion... mind you.
I will be away and unable to post on November 2-4 and November 9-18, but I should be able to post more in between my trips and after I return. I will try very hard to update Gold and Omaha before I leave.
I'm sorry I did not get to update. I was delirious from lack of sleep yesterday and sick earlier today. I'm posting on my phone at the airport and will be gone for ten days, but I'll try to update soon after I return. If you haven't posted for one or more of your characters, please do so by then.
Salting roads? I'm guessing that's due to ice and snow? No, we don't get much of that around these parts. There's a fair few 1970s and early 1980s cars still cruising around and that's not even talking about the large number of vintage car folk we have who patch them back together. Having said that, they're not exactly common (more common in country areas - perhaps due to distance from the sea?) and it would take you awhile to find one presuming you reached a town of at least 4 - 5000 people. You could find it ... just take you a couple days.
Really wouldn't suggest trying that in a play-by-post that tries to do simultaneous time. You think that a car ride is going to take a long time? Imagine a search for a single type of car! More of a better tabletop option.
Yeah, I don't know much about Australia, but what I've seen on TV, the terrain for the most part seems to resemble a lot of our south-western states ... and I knew they don't get snow except in higher elevations. So I assumed ya'll don't salt your roads. No need.
But you're right about salt-water. That can do a number on cars over time too in areas by the coast. The difference is, salted roads eat the car from bottom up, salt-water tends to eat the car from top down.
Well if the guy takes the bus, he'd better take a mechanic with him, that's all I got to say about it.
It's taken me a while to catch up after returning. I've updated Sword, but I don't yet have time to update Gold and Omaha. I'll try to get that done during the week.
Laraqua, it's been a long time since you've posted for Katarina in Sword.
I've finally gotten all of the threads updated, and I'll try to keep the game moving now. I know things tend to slow down in December, but I should have enough time to post now as long as the players do. I might only be able to update each thread once a week for the next few weeks, but I should have more time in late December and January.
Say, your G+ signature info link is a broken link. Just thought I'd let you know. I just recently hopped over from Facebook to G+ full time (my new years resolution was to turn my back on FB). If you're there, feel free to add me as a friend. (Thomas Dawe).
I'll be leaving for a convention on Thursday afternoon and won't be back until Sunday night, though I might not be able to catch up and post until the following night. I should be able to update the active threads before I leave, probably on Wednesday if not tonight.
I'm having some issues with the invisiblecastle dice roller site. Keeps telling me 503 service unavailable. Is there another site like that one we use? What do we do about dice rolling if it's down?
With Invisible Castle down, you may use any other online dice roller, including Dark and Moody, or you may roll real dice and post the results in a spoiler button.
Going on a sailboat for the Memorial Day Weekend starting right after work tomorrow for the next few days. Please feel free to NPC my character as needed.
I'll be away on vacation through the 29th, and again from the afternoon of July 3rd through the 7th, so I probably won't be able to post during those times.
I'm sorry I wasn't able to update over the last few days, but catching up on things took me longer than I had expected. I'm leaving again in less than an hour, so I won't be able to update until next week.
The trip was safe, but not completely zombie-less - I picked up All Things Zombie in the Dealer's Room, but I haven't had time to play it or any of the other board games I've gotten recently. I still haven't had time to update this game either. I'll try to do it during the week, but it may have to wait until next weekend.
Welcome back! I'll try to get Kathryn McCoy's thread moving again, but it may take me a while.
Throughout the entire month of August, none of the players posted, but now we've had a few return and the game is on once more. ImpInTraining is back, playing Donald Woodridge in one of the Omaha threads. Laraqua has returned as well, and she has posted for Cynthia Louise in Gold and Katarina Iliescu in Sword. She also plays Brian Stevenson and Officer Samuel Kensington in Omaha (with Jimmy), though she hasn't posted for them yet. I've been waiting for her to make Sanity rolls for them, but I'll probably roll for them tonight to get things moving. Kahukiman has popped onto the board from time to time, but I don't think he's posted in this game since July. Priest, who plays Officer Jerome Hooper (also with Jimmy), is around as well, but he hasn't posted lately either. I'll probably have Jerome do the sensible thing and run like hell. Mr. Zombie Killer returned too, but he hasn't started posting yet. Garrett plays Ryuu Kin, but he completed Chapter 7 some time ago and hasn't picked up any other characters. When Chapter 8 begins, I'll be able to get him going again too.
Welcome back! Melinda has been asked to sit in on the interrogation, and her people skills may be helpful there. Michiko is on the school bus, and she is free to roll Navigate as well to try to find Cabela's. The base skill is 10%. You can also take Jerry Law back if you like, as the player who had taken him over has long since abandoned him. He can try a Navigate roll as well. It's too bad Melinda isn't with them. She used to work at Cabela's and knows exactly where it is.
I'll be away at conventions October 31-November 3 and November 8-10, so I probably won't be able to post then. I'm not sure if I'll even be able to post between them, as I work during the week and will have little time to catch up, though I am off November 11.
Al-right! How many are we? I just recently returned. I've seen little movement in any of the threads. But some at least. The story is awesome and really should have some more participants.
Kabs and Laraqua I know are here on and off. Who else?
Am I free to advertise on tv.com in the Walking Dead community?
Thank you, and it would be good to get more players. Feel free to advertise! The Walking Dead is a lot like how I envisioned Zombie Apocalypse would play out as a TV show way back in 2008, right down to the group with the scientist on a dangerous journey to try to put an end to the zombie outbreak, and this game would probably be right up their alley.
ImpInTraining hasn't been on this board in well over a month, and Laraqua only posts infrequently. I can't remember the last time she posted in this game. Right now I think it's just the two of you.
It's coming up on its seventh birthday in June. That's older than any game on here still running except for Beyond the Mountains of Madness, though that has had a lengthy hiatus. Zombie Apocalypse has come close to stalling out a few times, but like any good zombie, it refuses to die.
Got my laptop back from service today! Been off for a while. Quit a course, thus freeing up some gaming time. Will post during the weekend.
Cheers guys!
Actually, I miscounted. The game will be eight years old in June.
Welcome to MC Lovecraft, who will be playing William Christian Nadelmann! The new IC thread, Survival, is now ready. You may post whenever you are ready. Have fun!
Or you can just post here with your questions, and I'll be glad to fill you in.
Welcome back, Dave, and welcome to any new players who join us!
As I said in the absence thread, I'll be leaving for a convention on the afternoon of July 2 and returning the night of July 6. While I have a laptop and should have Internet access, I doubt I'll have time to post, much less keep up with reading. I may not have time to catch up when I return on the night of the 6th, so I might not be able to post again until the night of the 7th.
No, we're waiting for me. I haven't had time during the week to update, and this weekend my neck was somehow injured even though I wasn't doing anything. I can only move it within a narrow range without it causing pain, which makes it almost impossible to sleep, though it's not as bad now as it was earlier. I won't be able to update tonight, but I'll try to do so tomorrow. It's quite possible I won't be able to go to work tomorrow, in which case I should have the time.
You haven't missed anything. None of the players have posted since you left, and even if they had, nobody else currently has a characer in any of your threads. That may change soon if another player returns too.
I don't have time to update this game tonight, and I'll be away at a convention until Sunday and might not be able to post then. This will give Katarina some time to roll Spot Hidden, and I can roll for her if she hasn't done so by the time I can post again.
Hi Mr Handy, about abandoning you on the road like this, sorry man. I just couldn't manage posting regularly any more.
Let's see who survives the apocalypse...
You're welcome. It was great having you as a player, and I'm sorry to see you go. If you ever have time to return, there will always be a place for you here.
I have no idea what that means in this context.
At least I have a three day weekend coming up. I'll get things moving as soon as I can.
Signing off from my current gaming endeavors. Good luck to all survivalists!
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