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Post by Gigermann on Aug 5, 2013 10:40:26 GMT -6
I'll try to get this out today but it may take me a bit to figure out a plot. Zombies aren't my strong suit so I need to do some background research first. Apparently there's no rush—probably no game this week. You may not be an expert on zombies, but you are THE expert on ( a ) what you want/like, and ( b ) your character (and if you don't feel like that's true, you need to get there, or all this is academic)
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Post by Rigil Kent on Aug 5, 2013 10:59:29 GMT -6
So, I think this is kind of how I would do the next session:
Open in media res. It's oh-dark-thirty and everyone is asleep.
SUDDENLY, gunfire wakes everyone up. Mad scramble for weapons as the Jerks (led by Jack-El, Kal's asshole dick brother with no powers) decide to steal some vehicles and strand some people. Unfortunately for them, Sheriff Adams was halfway expecting something like this and had some guards placed. Firefight ensues, possibly (likely?) with PCs getting sucked in somehow (e.g., the fight trickles toward where the characters are and stray bullets start flying. And then, someone takes a deliberate shot at a random PC.) Would be a good idea to injure a friendly NPC - Rush, probably - due to stray rounds.
After, once the shooting has died down, the surviving Jerks have bugged out (with Jack-El naturally escaping so he can come back later) and left a couple of their number behind due to injuries. The Townies are now furious and blame the PCs, even if they lent a hand. The Tigh analogue (name escapes me; I know it was Saul, but not his revised last name) leads the people who want to string the characters up in revenge over their casualties (yup. He wants to airlock the potential cylons.) Should expect PCs to try and talk their way out of this though should be prepared for some violence.
And then, zombies attack. That bus full of sick people? Well, several of them died and stagger out of the vehicle to fall upon some totally unprepared Townies. And the gunfire? Well, it drew some other zombies ... maybe some of the Townies weren't quite able to put down dear old Grannie so they locked her in the shed and left her there, but she escaped. And this has happened numerous times, so there are a lot of zombies ... but how the hell did they all get free? At the same damned time? And look at that - stray rounds have damaged some of the vehicles...
Quandary for the PCs: Do they try and rescue some people or run like scared little bitches? Kill off some NPCs maybe? If the medic guy is taken out, that removes a very important part of the group's support structure.
Hint at the Broader Picture: A random PC sees some guy or girl striding through the pack of zombies without them noticing him or her. Said Stranger glances at the PC and pulls a Batman. In plain sight.
Other TBD...
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Post by thedefiantbudah on Aug 5, 2013 11:29:37 GMT -6
Ok...I like what rigil put and would like to second it... but I'm guessing thats not how this works, so I'll write something up after I get home
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Post by LabRat on Aug 5, 2013 14:16:09 GMT -6
Okay, so this is literally the process that I go through in writing my notes before I GM. And yes, I am legit about 'talking' to myself in my notes. Naturally I would go back a second or third time to answer the questions I put forth while doing this, but it should give you an idea. If I were GM-ing the next session, this is what I would do, and this is what I would want to see happen. If you have any questions, let me know. I put this as an attachment because it might get confusing as an actual post. Attachments:
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Post by Rigil Kent on Aug 5, 2013 16:18:56 GMT -6
Very well done. Thumbs up.
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 5, 2013 20:00:08 GMT -6
So, I think this is kind of how I would do the next session: Had I been in my right mind, that's probably not far from what I might have done Okay, so this is literally the process that I go through in writing my notes before I GM. So you ;D Entirely lacking in bullet-points, though—must have bullet-points In retrospect, having seen the responses so far: ( a ) I wonder if there would have been the shooting if I hadn't complained (happens every time—I hate complaining about something like that for that reason alone), and ( b ) I kinda regret that I didn't think of this in the first place—it tells me exactly what I need to know. I may keep it up. Although, down the road, I may not need it as much. I will say this about the characters: you guys came up with the concept, and the point levels, and the reality-show background. I presume that means you're playing the sort of characters you wanted to. I'm not going to mess with that. No need for any rewrites. I'm learning that the Twilight 2000 system isn't meant to generate content, so much as filler. I need to also bear in mind that when the population is -66%, the dead population is +66%. I really want you to have to get creative to get what/where you want, and I haven't yet identified how to motivate you to get there—the church was the closest; the radio station was the second. I suppose I can take away that the need to "rescue" was the motivating factor there—consider the lesson(s) learned.
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Post by LabRat on Aug 6, 2013 9:36:06 GMT -6
Entirely lacking in bullet-points, though—must have bullet-points Pfft, there isn't any time for bullet points during a stream of consciousness dump.
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Post by LabRat on Aug 8, 2013 10:16:16 GMT -6
The thought occurred to me the other day. I want to be on the lookout for somewhere that sells leather goods. I figured that the bite/swipe attack from these zeds wouldn't be greater than the boundaries that human teeth and nails would be. As far as I know they don't actually have fangs or claws. So even if we find some leather clothing, jacket, gloves, whatever, it could function as a light armor.
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 8, 2013 10:57:21 GMT -6
The thought occurred to me the other day. I want to be on the lookout for somewhere that sells leather goods. I figured that the bite/swipe attack from these zeds wouldn't be greater than the boundaries that human teeth and nails would be. As far as I know they don't actually have fangs or claws. So even if we find some leather clothing, jacket, gloves, whatever, it could function as a light armor. Biker gear would be ideal
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Post by LabRat on Aug 8, 2013 18:09:01 GMT -6
Exactly! Minus that weird camel toe inspired crotch....what IS going on there?!?!
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Post by thedefiantbudah on Aug 8, 2013 19:20:44 GMT -6
What day is it? Lmao
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Post by thedefiantbudah on Aug 10, 2013 15:08:37 GMT -6
The UFC was quite interesting (and I'm pretty sure we doomed the group by providing Giger with the knowledge of what it will take for a TPK lol) although the main difference I can think of between UFC and regular game play is that with the UFC fun, there's not as much logical thinking as opposed to just survival at any costs...with normal game play there will be a lot less shooting, I would think, since we wouldn't want to attract as many zeds and keep the odds in our favor...thoughts?
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 10, 2013 18:02:21 GMT -6
The UFC was quite interesting (and I'm pretty sure we doomed the group by providing Giger with the knowledge of what it will take for a TPK lol) although the main difference I can think of between UFC and regular game play is that with the UFC fun, there's not as much logical thinking as opposed to just survival at any costs...with normal game play there will be a lot less shooting, I would think, since we wouldn't want to attract as many zeds and keep the odds in our favor...thoughts? - I don't know what it takes yet, just that it's more than 2:1
- There's also the issue of limited ammunition—SQ used half his cylinder in that one
- Some bad rolls on the zeds' part makes the sample less empirical
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Post by WxMAN on Aug 14, 2013 7:50:18 GMT -6
So in order to be more 'actiony' the ammunition would probably need to be a bit more plentiful than normal (as well as guns that could use that ammo)
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 14, 2013 8:20:49 GMT -6
So in order to be more 'actiony' the ammunition would probably need to be a bit more plentiful than normal (as well as guns that could use that ammo) The "action content" has nothing to do with how you're playing the character, but the situations you've been presented with. If I threw a pack of hungry hell-hounds at you, there would undoubtedly be running, shooting, etc. Actually, just saying that, it's a pretty good justification for faster zombies—not that I'm changing it.
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Post by WxMAN on Aug 14, 2013 8:29:55 GMT -6
I just think that in order to justify being more actiony the requirement of survival needs to be relaxed a bit where it is not as high of a priority as it is currently
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 14, 2013 8:34:48 GMT -6
I just think that in order to justify being more actiony the requirement of survival needs to be relaxed a bit where it is not as high of a priority as it is currently I gave you way too much stuff already, or so I thought. And actually, it's kinda the opposite: if you don't need anything, you won't be trying to get into a zombie-infested hospital—you really need desperation for that. But again: being actiony isn't your responsibility. The reality of the situation is that we (weighted toward the "me") need to communicate better. Speaking of which, @n8, you haven't weighed in on the question of what you would do as GM.
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Post by thedefiantbudah on Aug 14, 2013 8:47:56 GMT -6
I agree, we have plenty of "stuff", just not the desperation required to use it...every encounter has been one that can either be avoided or thwarted...I think if the situations were more grim it would cause a change in the party (maybe not all at once, but it would start the process) I know that personally, I've held back some when it comes to encounters mainly because of the battle of the Reluctant Killer vs. Zombie Bloodlust keeps me indecisive at times
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 14, 2013 8:53:51 GMT -6
I may just drop the Reluctant Killer vs zombies thing—realistically, you'd need some kind of assurance that there isn't anyone in there anymore. OTOH, I was thinking about just setting some sort of benchmark—like 5 zombie kills=no more penalty for zombies (actually, I suppose the same might apply to non-zombies); I'm just not sure what that number should be. Could also be a Will check to "get over it" that gets easier the more you kill.
Hmm…maybe Perception?
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Post by thedefiantbudah on Aug 14, 2013 9:21:23 GMT -6
I like the idea of the bus full of sick people "turning" and then attacking the group, and that being either the beginning of the turning point, or the turning point when the party realizes these aren't actual people anymore and there is no "coming back" from this
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Post by WxMAN on Aug 14, 2013 10:48:04 GMT -6
And actually, it's kinda the opposite: if you don't need anything, you won't be trying to get into a zombie-infested hospital—you really need desperation for that. Let me clarify... We just need to make sure there are lots of guns and bullets... realistically, you'd need some kind of assurance that there isn't anyone in there anymore. I am / have been trying to "study" the zombies.... so if you want an easy hook for that - there you go Speaking of which, @n8, you haven't weighed in on the question of what you would do as GM. Alright, I didn't know if that was still on the table after... things... and stuff... happened
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 14, 2013 11:11:28 GMT -6
I am / have been trying to "study" the zombies.... so if you want an easy hook for that - there you go I've been taking that into account, but I'm wondering at what point that connection might be made? Other than a full laboratory study? Alright, I didn't know if that was still on the table after... things... and stuff... happened That was after the stuff, but before the things. Maybe you just want to echo something already said—not my preference, but still legitimate.
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Post by WxMAN on Aug 15, 2013 12:16:46 GMT -6
Well since everyone else took the easy way out and created zombies out of the sickies ;-) I will try and do something different.
I would instead echo what happened on BSG - Baltar begins making a power move and convinces people that Roslin doesn't know where this supposed safe haven is and staying where they are is much better than continuing to waste resources while they blindly flail about...
A mini war breaks out and some are killed. ~Half of the populace leaves, the other half stay. Roslin/Adama sees our returning the jackasses as a bad sign and refuse to let us join. Baltar's group is willing to let us join them but are 'ambushed' by zombies that night (the sounds of gun fire and noise drew them in)
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 19, 2013 8:41:38 GMT -6
We should actually play this week I think what's going on is a recursive loop of waiting for the other guy to "be ready"; everyone is ready, but nobody looks ready. Then we all start yapping, and I'm not a big enough dick to tell you to STFU. I propose we do something different this week: don't wait for anyone to be ready. STFU. Don't start playing Minecraft/Kerbal or starting an in-depth discussion about whatever-book-you're-reading. Look ready. If you have to, just stare at the GM and say "Can we start now?" every five minutes until it happens (the suggestion of which I will undoubtedly regret). Even if everyone isn't here yet.
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 19, 2013 12:10:35 GMT -6
Knowing how we keep having issues relating to the written word, I should add to the above that the intended tone here is a "help me to help you" tone, not a "you suck; get your act together" tone.
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Post by WxMAN on Aug 19, 2013 13:08:12 GMT -6
Read and understood.
Can we start now?
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 19, 2013 14:26:46 GMT -6
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Post by WxMAN on Aug 20, 2013 8:04:26 GMT -6
while(!not_running){ System.out.say("CAN WE START NOW!"); wait 300; }
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Post by Rigil Kent on Aug 25, 2013 20:29:07 GMT -6
So ... "write next week" ... hmm ... Just some stream of consciousness stuff here... PCs are on the road (as we left off last week) ... they're on 31, right? See smoke clouds on the horizon and, as they draw closer, they discover several burned out husks of cars, but no zombies. Closer examination reveals a blood trail leading off of the road in That direction. Decision point: - Investigate? Encounter a family holed up in a well-stocked, well-defended home. They were militia types and had a plan for the impending apocalypse. They're also not very friendly. This could lead to a firefight or just a tense "get the frak off my lawn" type of scenario. Who was the bleeder? One of the family ... who, based on the amount of blood PCs have seen, isn't long for this world.
- Don't investigate? Move on down the road.
Further down the road, PCs encounter a couple of dead cars that might be salvageable. Move on to the next "town" (Eskridge?) which has many shamblers. Throw in some horror moments here: - Zombie behind the wheel of a car but is forever trapped because it doesn't have the faculties to undo the seatbelt.
- Mommy zombie was out for a stroll with her kid who was secured via one of those kid leashes. Now, she just drags and drags and drags ... and it is horrible to behold.
- Discover a lot of suicides as well - people who, when surrounded by zombies, ate a bullet instead of letting themselves turn.
- All of the gasoline prices have been changed to 6.66 ... because humanity can sometimes be not very creative.
SUDDENLY, gunfire! Bullets ping off the concrete. Looks like some local townies who have either gone mad with isolation, were nuts already, or are hiding some dark, sinister truth. PCs can - Shoot their way out of this - there aren't that many of these guys and they're aren't fantastic shots anyway.
- Talk their way out of it
- Just drive/run away
In any event, PCs should depart the town, mostly empty-handed (so as to emphasize how dire the situation is) and, as they pass that well-stocked, well-defended house, they find it has been burned to the ground....
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Post by Gigermann on Aug 26, 2013 8:58:18 GMT -6
Because I know it probably slipped everyone's mind, here's what " Kesler" said in that dream:
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