Hey all

ive been working on some rules for a Halloween Zombie game (inspired by Resident Evil etc), and i think ive got enough done to share it with you.

the game centres around a lone heroine (referred to in the rules as the "Character") trying to escape from an underground facility before the automated self destruct is carried out. along the way she will pick up weapons, ammo and other items, and battle zombies to reach the exit.

i wont go too much into the background or setting - this thread is more about the game mechanics themselves. i would appreciate any help spotting and ironing out any problems in the rules, so that the game itself will run more smoothly on the night. the rules arent quite finished yet, but i have got the bulk of the core mechanics done.

first, some basics:
the game uses Space Hulk floor plans - the models (the Character and the Zombies) move on the squares ("sq"), with model facing being important. each model can perform a certain number of Actions per turn. almost all dice rolls are made using a D6. counters, cards and chits will be used for various things (groups of Zombies out of sight that are picked up with a scanner will be represented by a Blip, for example, and any items in a room that can be found will be represented by a facedown card until the room is Searched). the Zombie player (me) will act as the GM. there are no statlines - all rules are self contained. ammo use will be recorded, as will the damage taken by the Character.

Turn Sequence:
the game is divided into Game Turns, with each split into the Character's Turn and the Zombie Turn. the Character's turn always comes first.

Actions:
during her turn, the Character can perform 3 Actions, and any number of "Free" Actions:
- Actions: : Move (2 sq), Turn (180 deg), Aim, Shoot, Attack (Combat Blade), Open/Close Door, Set Overwatch, Start a Fire
- "Free" Actions: Reload, Change Weapons, Turn (90 deg), Search a Room
("Free" Actions are still considered Actions in all respects - its just they dont count against your limit of 3 per turn)
notes: you dont have to move your full allowance. Actions can be performed in any order. you cant make two free 90 deg turns in order to turn 180 deg without it counting as an Action!

during the Zombie turn, each Zombie can perform 2 Actions:
- Zombie Actions: Move (2 sq/1 sq if Wounded), Turn (90 deg), Stand Up
notes: the Zombie player can use his models in any order he chooses. Actions can be performed in any order, although Zombies that have been Knocked Down cannot perform any other Actions until they Stand Up. if possible, Zombies must always try to move so that they are "In Combat".

Arcs:
the 3 squares in front of the model are referred to as its Front Arc. the 3 squares behind the model are its Rear Arc. the squares either side of the model are reffered to as being to the Side.

notes: all 8 squares around a model are referred to as adjacent squares, regardless of their position

Movement:
the Character moves by stepping into any of the squares in her Front Arc:


however, she cannot move diagonally if her path is blocked. for example, in order to move into the green square, both grey squares must be empty (no walls, doors or Zombies):


Zombies can only move straight forward:


notes: no model can move into or through a square occupied by another model, a wall, or a door.

"In Combat"
if the Character is in a Zombie's Front Arc, and that Zombie is Standing Up, then both models are "In Combat".

Moving into combat:
- If the Character moves so that she is In Combat, she cannot Move any further that turn. Otherwise, any remaining Actions can be used as normal for the rest of that turn.

- If a Zombie moves so that it is In Combat, its turn ends immediately.

Starting your turn in combat:
- If the Character starts its turn In Combat, she must use her Actions to make Attacks (with her Combat Blade). The exception is that if there are no Zombies in her Front or Side arcs, she may use Actions to Turn in order to Attack.
Once she is no longer In Combat, any remaining Actions that turn can be used as normal.
notes: making Attacks is explained below

- If a Zombie starts its turn In Combat, it will Grapple instead of performing Actions.
notes: Grappling is explained below

Making Attacks:
The Character can only make Attacks (with the Combat Blade) against targets in her Front and Side arc. One Attack is made per Action – declare a target, roll 1D6 and apply the following Modifiers:
Modifiers: Attacking from the target's Rear arc +1, Target already Wounded +1
A score of 4+ is needed to hit. Attacks that miss have no effect.
if a hit is scored roll 1D6 and consult the Combat Blade Damage Table (below).

- Charging: If you move into a square adjacent to a Zombie and make any Attacks then you count as charging until the start of the next turn.

Combat Blade Damage Table:
1-3 = Pushed Back
4 = Knocked Down
5 = Hacked Apart
6 = Decapitated
Modifiers: Charging +1
notes: Damage Results are explained later

Grappling:
For each Zombie in combat, roll 1D6 and apply the following Modifiers:
Modifiers: Attacking from the Charater's Rear arc +1, Zombie is Wounded -1, Multiple Zombies in Combat +1 per Zombie
Then roll 2D6 for the character and compare the scores:
- Character's score is 3 x the Zombie's score (or more): the Zombie is Knocked Down
- Character's score is at least 2 x the Zombie's score (or more): the Zombie is Pushed Back
- Character's score is at least equal to the Zombie's score (or more): no Damage is done to the Character
- Zombie's score beats character's score: does 1 Wound for each point of difference (Zombies on fire do an extra +1 Wound)
Repeat the whole process for every Zombie in combat (in the order chosen by the Zombie player).
notes: Damage Results and Character Wounds are explained later

LOS:
LOS is mainly used when Shooting, but can also be important when revealing Blips. the Character can see to her front and sides - this is her Fire Arc:


Walls, Doors and Zombies all block LOS. here are some examples to illustrate how this works:


the one exception is that you can always draw LOS to models in your Front and Side arc, regardless of anything that would normally cause an obstruction. for example:


Note: Zombies that are laying down do not block LOS.

Shooting:
A single ranged weapon held can be fired for each Shooting Action. The player nominates a target model within LOS, rolls 1D6 to hit and applies the following Modifiers:
Modifiers: shot was Aimed +1, shot fired at Point Blank range +1, Pistol fired on Full Auto -1, shot fired at Long Range -1
A score of 4+ is needed to hit.
If a hit is scored with a weapon, roll on the appropriate Damage Table, applying the listed Modifiers as required.
If a Frag Grenade misses, roll for Scatter. Otherwise, shots that miss have no effect.
notes: Scatter, and Damage Tables for ranged weapons are given later

- Aim: When you make an Aim Action, nominate your intended target. When Shooting at that target for the rest of that turn, you get a to hit roll bonus. If you fire a Pistol on Full Auto, or are hit by a Scattering Frag Blast, then you lose your Aim bonus. You also lose your bonus if you perform any action other than Shooting (including Free Actions).

- Point Blank: When you are in an adjacent square to your target you are firing at Point Blank range. You cannot fire a Frag Grenade or use a Pistol on Full Auto when shooting Point Blank.

- Full Auto: You can declare you are using this mode before rolling to hit with a Pistol.
After rolling to hit you can choose to fire another shot as part of the same action.
Once you have rolled to hit with this extra shot, you can choose to fire again.
Each time you fire, you can either target the same model you just shot at again, or another model that is adjacent to it.
You can fire as many extra shots on Full Auto as part of the same action as you like, but must stop when your Clip is empty.
Any penalties listed for firing on Full Auto apply to all the shots fired as part of the Action, and none of the shots can benefit from being Aimed. Once you have finished rolling to hit, roll Damage for each hit.

- Long Range: When there are 6 squares or more between you and your target, you are firing at Long Range.

Ranged Weapons:
As well as her Combat Blade, the Character starts with a Grenade Launcher (with a limited supply of Grenades), and can pick up more weapons and ammo as the game progresses.
notes: there is no limit to the amount of ammo, number of weapons, or other equipment that can be carried.

Pistol:
Each Clip holds 14 rounds (allowing 14 shots to be fired before you need to Reload). if you Reload before your current Clip is empty, make a note of the number of rounds left in this partial Clip. You can move rounds from one Clip to another for 1 Action.
Pistol Damage Table:
1-2: Stopped
3-4: Pushed Back
5: Knocked Down
6: BOOM! Headshot
Modifiers: Point Blank +1, Aimed +1, Fully Auto -1

Shotgun:
Each Clip holds 7 rounds (allowing 7 shots to be fired before you need to Reload).
Shotgun Damage Table:
1-2 = Pushed Back
3-4 = Knocked Down
5 = Blown Apart
6 = BOOM! Headshot
Modifiers: Point Blank +2, Long Range -1

Grenade Launcher:
When firing the Grenade Launcher, declare which type of Grenade you are using before rolling to hit.
If a Frag Grenade hits, the shot lands on the square occupied by the target model. if it misses, roll 1D8 and refer to the following diagram to work out the square adjacent to the target in which the shot lands:

If Scattering would cause the shot to land off the board, then roll again.
If Scattering would cause the shot to land on a square occupied by a Door (or a square behind a Door), it hits the Door. Roll to damage that door - unless the Door is destroyed, models behind it cannot be hit by this shot.

- Blast: Frag Grenades use a 3 sq x 3 sq Blast (centred on the square in which the shot lands).
All models within this area are hit and take Damage. If the Character catches herself in the Blast, she takes D6 wounds.

Frag Grenade Damage Table:
1-4 = Knocked Down
5-6 = Blown Apart
Modifiers: Point of Impact +1
- Point of Impact: a model at the centre of the Frag Blast.

Krak Grenade Damage Table:
1 = Blown Apart
2-6 = BOOM! Headshot

Overwatch:
Overwatch (if no targets in LOS, and not In Combat, can use last action to Set Overwatch with Pistol or Shotgun. Must shoot first Zombie that comes into view that turn, interrupting target's action if necessary. Cannot be Aimed. If a Zombie moves so that you are In Combat before you get to shoot, then Overwatch is lost.

Starting Fires:
If the Character has picked up a Fuel Can, she can pour out the contents and light it to start a Fire, all for 1 Action. Once this has been done, the empy can is discarded.

When Starting a Fire, nominate a single square within your Front or Side arc. This square automatically catches fire - represent this by putting a Flame Token on the square.

At the end of every Character turn (including the turn in which the Fire was started), roll 1D6 for each square on Fire: on a 6, the Fire spreads by 1 square in every direction - put down extra Flame Tokens as required. Once a square is on Fire, it can only have 1 Flame Token on it.
notes: this means that you only need to roll for squares at the edge of a fire.

If a Zombie starts its turn in a square that is on Fire, it takes an automatic hit from the flames. Also, for each square on Fire that a Zombie tries to move into/through, it takes an automatic hit. Roll on the following Damage Table for each hit as it occurs:
Fire Damage Table:
1: No Effect
2-5: Stopped
6: Set Alight
notes: see Damage rules later for the effects of the results

- The Character & Fire:
If the Character starts her turn in a square that is on Fire, then she will take 1 Wound from the flames unless she leaves the square for her first Action.
The Character can move through squares that are on fire without taking Wounds (it is assumed she jumps through the flames). However, for every Action she completes in a square that is on Fire, she takes 1 Wound.
notes: this means you can move into and out of a single burning square without risk, but crossing bigger fires is more dangerous.

Damage Results:
When you roll on a Damage Table, look up the result and apply the relevant effects:

- Stopped: If during the Zombie Turn, affected model cannot move any further this turn. Otherwise, No Effect.
- Pushed Back: Zombie is moved backwards 1 square. also Stopped.
- Knocked Down: Zombie is laid down. also Pushed Back.
- Blown Apart/Hacked Apart: roll 1D6: 1-3 = destroyed, 4-6 = wounded. also Knocked Down.
- BOOM! Headshot/Decapitated: destroyed.
- Set Alight: Zombie is Stopped. Also, roll 1D6 at the start of each turn: 1-3 = fire goes out, 4-6 = continues to burn and takes a further hit. If Set Alight again, is Wounded.

notes:
Wounded Zombies Move slower and are weaker Grappling & easier to hit when Attacked. If wounded a second time, they are destroyed.
Destroyed Zombies are immediately removed from play.

Usually, when you have to move a Zombie backwards, it is clear where it will end up (when firing left/right/straight ahead/diagonally, for example). Sometimes it is less obvious, so here are some examples:

If the blue square is empty, move the Zombie into it. If not, check if either (or both, where applicable) of the pink squares are empty. If you can move the Zombie into a pink square, then do so - if there is a choice between pink squares then randomly determine which one the Zombie is moved into.

If none of the squares are empty (blue or pink) then the Zombie is Knocked Down in its square instead. if the blue square behind it was occupied by another Zombie, then in addition, that Zombie is Stopped.

Doors:
Throughout the facility there are a number of doors, some of which start the game closed while others will be open.

You can Open a closed door whilst in any square adjacent to it, as long as it is in your Front or Side arc, for 1 Action. Similarly, you can Close an open door whilst adjacent to the square in which it would be placed when closed, as long as it would be in your Front or Side arc, for 1 Action.
notes: you cannot close a door while the square it would occuopy already has a model in it. Zombies cannot Open or Close Doors.

Doors can be targetted like a model, but only with Frag or Krak Grenades.
When shooting at a Door, you hit on a 4+ like normal, but without using any Modifiers. however, if you Aim and shoot a Door, you hit it automatically.
Frag Grenades can also hit Doors due to Scatter, and/or catch them in a Blast.
whenever a door is hit, roll on the appropriate Damage Table:

Frag Grenade Door Damage Table:
1-2: Jammed
3-4: No Effect
5: Weakened
6: Destroyed
Modifiers: Aimed +1 at the Door, Point of Impact +1


Krak Grenade Door Damage Table:
1: Jammed
2: Weakened
3-6: Destroyed
Modifiers: Aimed +1

Door Damage:
Jammed: The Door is buckled and becomes jammed. From then on, it takes a whole turn to open the Door, and which point it is removed from the board.
Weakened: This has no immediate effect, but if it is Weakened again, it is Destroyed.
Destroyed: the door is removed from the board.

Searching Rooms:
When in a Room (as opposed to a corridor/junction), then as long as she isnt In Combat, the Character can spend 1 Action to Search for items that can be picked up. Each room will have an Item card placed face down next to it - when you Search the Room you get to turn the card over and pick up the listed item.
Items include: Ammo, Weapons, Medi-packs, a Scanner, Fuel Cans.
Once you pick up an Item, you can use it straight away.
notes: there is no limit to the amount of ammo, number of weapons, or other equipment that can be carried.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

so there you have it - thats all ive written so far.

i still have to decide how many Rounds per Clip (etc) each weapon will have, and the total number of Wounds the Character can take before they die (im thinking that she can take 50 total, with reduced abilities once she is down to 20, and Infection when down to the last 10). i also need to decide how long it would take for the Character to turn into a Zombie after being infected (i.e. how long she has to find an antedote before the game is lost) and how long it will take before the Self Destruct is enacted (i.e. how long she has to reach the Exit before the game is lost).

other than that, i think the rules are finished (i still have to design the layout of the facility and work out where i want to put the items and the Zombies of course).

any questions?

feedback will be greatly appreciated (especially if you can spot something that the rules fail to cover so i can fix it before the game).

cheers

~ Tim
p.s. just wanted to add a big "Thank You!" to Ruffian for letting me bounce ideas off him via PM before i had enough to post.
CHANGELOG:
added clip rules for shotgun & pistol
added rules for opening a jammed door, clarified Aim bonus for Frag vs doors
added rule saying zombies laying down dont block LOS

Looks good so far Tim! Are we allowed to print out the post and play the game as well!

One idea, instead of putting an item card next to each room, why not just have an item deck off to the side. Each time the character enters a room, she can decide to spend an action point to search the room for an item. The just take the top card off the deck. You could then include a few "Nothing found" or "Zombie arrives" cards to make it interesting. Just a thought.

You put a lot of time and effort into this, as I said it looks real good. Kind of an update to spacehulk but with your favorite zombie theme! I like it!

Cheers! TW

LordMalekTheRedKnight wrote:p.s. just wanted to add a big "Thank You!" to Ruffian for letting me bounce ideas off him via PM before i had enough to post.

No probs mate!

It looks solid to me (after a misunderstanding of what "in combat" meant).

For guns, the resi evil playstation game had the following...

"Generic" 9mm automatic pistol, = 14 round magazine.
"Generic" shotgun = 7 rounds.
The drum fed grenade launcher had an unlimited capacity that may/may not be appropriate here.

You could imagine a cadian style version, or a modern "blooper" type thing, even a leg mortar.

But, I'm not sure it would matter, as reloading is a free action anyway.
Do you think it should take an action? Some of the most tense moments in the game happen when you fire your last shot in the clip, surrounded by things going "uuurrrrrgh!"

One thing that may be should be taken into account is the (unlikely) possibility of a jammed door stopping all progress.
Maybe a sledgehammer to be found, for door (or zombie) removal???
Slow, but assured (as the clock is ticking)?

I know you don't want to go into background here, but a "tech level" would be handy to know.
1920's, modern day near future 40k?
Especially when working out just what a krak grenade is and what's a scanner???

Looking forward to hearing how it goes!!!

timewizard wrote:Looks good so far Tim!

cheers mate

not bad for a few days work, IMO.

timewizard wrote:Are we allowed to print out the post and play the game as well!

by all means! of course, i cant garauntee how well it works until ive tried it myself, but i would appreciate any playtest feedback.

if our game goes well at home im going to take it to club as well.

timewizard wrote:One idea, instead of putting an item card next to each room, why not just have an item deck off to the side. Each time the character enters a room, she can decide to spend an action point to search the room for an item. The just take the top card off the deck.

i wanted to tailor the items found to their position within the facility (so they will be scripted, in a sense), so a deck wouldnt work.
for example, if you find the antedote straight away, you wouldnt ever worry about becoming infected, and if you found the scanner too late the map wouldnt make sense. the plan is to start off revealing the map 1 floorplan at a time (no Blips etc or anything, just open a door and see what is there, with Zombies being a suprise ). then the Character finds a Scanner, and goes up in the lift. the lift then brings them out on the next floor, which will already be laid out in a different room of the house, with Blips picked up by the Scanner (the number of Zombies per room will also be scripted).

timewizard wrote:You could then include a few "Nothing found" or "Zombie arrives" cards to make it interesting. Just a thought.

well not every room will have anything on its Item card, and some Blips will be 0's. (i will know which ones, but Kate wont )

timewizard wrote:You put a lot of time and effort into this, as I said it looks real good. Kind of an update to spacehulk but with your favorite zombie theme! I like it!

thanks mate. i spent a couple of days coming up with ideas in my head, then another couple typing up my notes and chatting w/Ruffian. i then spent a whole day making the diagrams and posting this thread (finishing off bits as i go along). its going to take another day to finalise the remaining details and find all the floorplans and models, and then another day to lay it all out ready for the game.

i think it will be worth it though - we are both really excited about trying it out.

cheers!

ruffian4 wrote:It looks solid to me (after a misunderstanding of what "in combat" meant).

cheers (and that was my fault - my notes were scattered all over the place ).

ruffian4 wrote:For guns, the resi evil playstation game had the following...

"Generic" 9mm automatic pistol, = 14 round magazine.
"Generic" shotgun = 7 rounds.
The drum fed grenade launcher had an unlimited capacity that may/may not be appropriate here.

thought so - thats what i will go with.

ruffian4 wrote:You could imagine a cadian style version, or a modern "blooper" type thing, even a leg mortar.

this is the model we are using.

ruffian4 wrote:But, I'm not sure it would matter, as reloading is a free action anyway.
Do you think it should take an action?

it only really matters for the Pistol, as it puts a limitation on firing Full Auto.
other than that, its more for book-keeping purposes.

with only 3 Actions a turn, i was quite lenient with what counted as a "Free" Action. also, i wanted the Character to be really bad@$$ - slamming a fresh clip in without pause should be quite easy for her.
(besides, in Res Evil on the Playstation, didnt the game pause while you went into the inventory screen to reload? )

ruffian4 wrote:One thing that may be should be taken into account is the (unlikely) possibility of a jammed door stopping all progress.
Maybe a sledgehammer to be found, for door (or zombie) removal???
Slow, but assured (as the clock is ticking)?

hmm good point, i hadnt thought of that.

OK, what if i add the ability to Attack a Door (using the Combat Blade to prise it open), just as a last resort? this could either Weaken the door, or maybe just Un-Jam it? (maybe i could just say "A Jammed Door costs an extra Action to Open"?)

ordinarly you would just walk up to a Door and Open it anyway, so it would only get Jammed in the first place if you werent careful enough with your Frag rounds, or you deliberately tried to take it out from a distance (in which case you take the risk).

ruffian4 wrote:I know you don't want to go into background here, but a "tech level" would be handy to know.
1920's, modern day near future 40k?
Especially when working out just what a krak grenade is and what's a scanner???

its ambiguous, remember?

as to Frag & Krak, i just used terms that Kate and I (as 40K players) would be familiar with. they could just as well have been called "generic anti-personal fragmentation grenade" and "generic anti-armour grenade".

the Scanner could be a motion detector, some kind of Radar, or a 40K auspex. in game terms, it allows you to see the layout of the facility and work out roughly where the enemy is.

ruffian4 wrote:Looking forward to hearing how it goes!!!

cheers!

~ Tim

Were you going to use tiles from spacehulk? If you don't have them or want the larger size tiles, I have some links to a few sites where you can download some graphics.

timewizard wrote:Were you going to use tiles from spacehulk? If you don't have them or want the larger size tiles, I have some links to a few sites where you can download some graphics.

cheers mate, but its OK - i have 2 sets of (2nd ed) Spacehulk floor tiles.
(ive got various downloads too, but i havent needed them yet)

thanks anyway!

~ Tim
p.s. any thoughts on un-jamming doors? (see my reply to Ruffian above)

LordMalekTheRedKnight wrote:p.s. any thoughts on un-jamming doors? (see my reply to Ruffian above)

Yes, I was looking at that. I think you have the answer in your rules already.
The rules say a jammed door is buckled and cannot be opened. They don't say that the door can't be destroyed.
So if a door gets jammed, it can only be "opened" by being destroyed. Once destroyed you obviously can't shut it to keep out the nasty zombies, they will have free access to your "six".
To be destroyed, it has to be hit by a grenade. Any further 'jammed' results are ignored, the door has to be weakened twice or destroyed outright to be removed.
No grenades? You'll have to go and find some to remove the door in question.
Keeps you from having to add another weapon (sledgehammer) or trying to knife open a buckled door.

What do you think?

timewizard wrote:Yes, I was looking at that. I think you have the answer in your rules already.
The rules say a jammed door is buckled and cannot be opened. They don't say that the door can't be destroyed.

but they can only be destroyed by Grenades (of either type), and those are of finite amount.

if your last Frag scatters and buckles the last door out of the complex (and you already ran out of Krak), then thats it - game over.

timewizard wrote:No grenades? You'll have to go and find some to remove the door in question.

there could still conceivably be a situation where you have used them all. Opening it for 2 Actions would serve as a good last resort though, right? (maybe even make it a whole turn?)

cheers

~ Tim

Then I would make the process of opening a jammed door take an entire turn.
Tactically you would have to make sure you have cleared all potential threats, and fluffwise, you would have to dedicate all your energies towards getting the jammed door open.
Also, I would make it that once a jammed door has been opened, it is removed from play to reflect the fact that it can't be closed again (it is too damaged to function normally).

How's that sound?

TW

timewizard wrote:How's that sound?

sounds good to me - im putting it in my OP.

cheers!

~ Tim

timewizard wrote:Keeps you from having to add another weapon (sledgehammer) or trying to knife open a buckled door.

Heresy...more weapons!
Does anyone remember that oldold peter jackson film where the hero went through an entire room of zombies...with a lawnmower???

ruffian4 wrote: the hero went through an entire room of zombies...with a lawnmower???

please tell me you have a youtube link for that!

~ Tim

I think the film was called braindead!

Btw, SOI pm sent...

LordMalekTheRedKnight wrote:

ruffian4 wrote: the hero went through an entire room of zombies...with a lawnmower???

please tell me you have a youtube link for that!

~ Tim

Found this from an xbox game!

EDIT: Ahhh! A little more googling and here it is!
Enjoy Tim!

TW

Ha ha haaaa!

The film is braindead, there is a "lawnmower scene" but I'm not signed in yet, so it is probably the one, but not sure.