mmm, brains

So I'm in that mood where I don't feel like doing anything. I'm uninspired, bored, and lazy. There is only way out that I know of and have available to me. Forced creativity.

So here we go with a little adventure/campaign design. For the subject I've chosen a subject close to my heart: zombies. For our setting and system we will stick for the moment to vanilla World of Darkness (the new version for those who care). So we have modern day world, presumably with all sorts of creepy things lurking in the shadows. And zombies.

So first a little brain(ha ha)-storming of what options for zombies I have already spelled out for me. For sources of zombies we have Mages (nice little Death 3 spell), Prometheans (using a Zeta bestowment), Spirits (either animating a single corpse or a small army), and a Vampire bloodline. There is also the Bokor Legacy from Mage and "normal" voodoo traditions (possibly using the rules from Second Sight). The basic building blocks are outlined in Antagonists and covers the subject pretty well. Noncannon ideas include the idea of Wights, weak vampire-like creatures created from mortals slain by vampires (like in the anime Helsing). There a few other permutations but this enough for now.

With these possibilities in mind, I next consider the themes and events I would want in the game. First off I decide I do want this to be a multisession adventure perhaps a short (<10 class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">NPCs for extra paranoia).

But we need some motivation for the cover up and outbreaks. Where did they come from? Why did THEY make them? Well lets give this a little twist. What if the Men in Black (MIBs) are just covering things up but have no other connection to the zombies? Maybe they are Guardians of the Veil or Masquerade obsessed vampires (actually I like the latter idea). And perhaps the PCs are the source (or at least the connecting factor) for the zombies. Obviously the MIBs are going to be a tad upset with the PCs after a few incidents though likely not for the reasons they (the PCs) might think.

So the zombies are after them. Why? There is option of vengeance (by whatever made the zombies). Or perhaps the zombies are driving the PCs towards some goal (Awakening and/or insanity). That could work but I'm leaning toward a less rational reason. Perhaps one (or more) of the PCs was exposed to some occult corruption (a Paradox, an evil Spirit, or some dark rite gone wrong) that made them a carrier for a supernatural disease. The disease is purely supernatural, spread by touch but with no other traces. The exposed sicken and are transformed in the hungry dead. Ironically they are driven to destroy the carriers in preference to other targets, thus containing the infection to some extent.

So now we just need some adventure ideas. Obviously there will be the seas of undead (a la Night of Living Movie and its sequels). Probably a late adventure in the Chronicle. Early games will focus on minor outbreaks of zombies: a few dozen in the wilderness, several while on a cruise, and so on. Building toward the citywide outbreak and presumably a resolution to the problem (whatever that might be). For encounters, there are the classics: zombie dog, a zombie of a best friend, zombie kids, survivors surrounded by a swarm of zombies, a dying survivor, the MIB clean up crew, and so on.

So for fun I'll use the zombie rules from Antagonists to make our default zombie. I think about 15 points would work well. The PCs will be relatively weak being either Mortals or starting supernaturals. My zombies are diseased humans so they should be relatively dexterous though likely mentally addled.

Attributes: Power 3, Finesse 2, Resilience 2
Health: 7 Physical Integrity: 10
Initiative: 2 Speed: 5
Weakness: Residual Memories (reflecting the disease addled mind)
Aspects: Contagious (spread through blood or saliva, only carriers infect via touch), Quick Movement, Special Attack (Bite), Tough

This leaves 5 points to spend to give slightly variant zombies. Perhaps some are faster or stronger. Perhaps others are skilled at grabbing their meals or are smarter than normal.

So now for the first session. This would likely depend on my players, but I think I'd start off with a limited number of zombies in a small area. This first session would include the hint of the cause of the infection plus the first brief encounter with the MIBs. I'm thinking an infection on ocean liner. The session would start with the PCs going on a cruise. Early on the occult event would occur that starts the infection but subplots would be used to distract them until the first victims fell ill. After that the zombies and deaths ensue until the PCs escape the ship. After the fact the events are covered up. No one knows about the disaster, other survivors vanish or forget.

Well that's it for now.

Lost Idea, Found

OK, I remember it. The concept is simple. A cult of degenerates (think the Hills Have Eyes or the Children of the Corn) based somewhere in Midwest or perhaps the Southwest of the United States have begun to worship a being known as the Asphalt God. In World of Darkness terms, this would be a spirit of roads but in another setting/system it might be a minor god/demon or a figment of their feeble imaginations. In any case they treat the road as sacred attacking vehicles and people who they feel profane their dark deity.

Beyond simple numbers and aggressiveness, they might have some sort of minor blessing or curse from their "god." Perhaps they are tied to the stretch of road that is infused with their god (or perhaps the blood of a vain and vengeful ghost). They can't escape and neither can their victims. They drive down the road only to come back to the beginning. Meanwhile the cult patrols the corn fields that border the road. Perhaps the cult even consists of motorists and their descendants trapped here for decades. They could patrol the road on rusted Cadillacs and the like, fed by the oil their god provides. And maybe their god is growing...

"You don't own the road, you are only renting it."

Lost Idea

So I was inspired today to finally start recording my ideas on a blog or something. Hence this first post. Of course having waded through all the prep for this thing, I have since forgotten my original idea. That's too bad because it would have been a great adventure I'm sure. That's about all I remember about the idea was that it was an adventure concept.

I've often found its easier to come up new ideas than to remember old ones. Backtracking in mind never seems to turn up anything (unlike a desk or drawer of papers which can turn into a treasure trove of lost ideas). For new ideas I tend to do a random stream of consciousness thing, letting ideas lead me from one to another.

For example, right now I'm helping a friend with a game he's prepping for tonight (via IM). He's sending the PC on an errand for the character's mentor. Essentially drop off an item to another NPC (hereafter call the Eunuch). The Eunuch asks him to pick up some herbs at the apothecary in Chinatown.

Enter me. Well obviously we need the next destination. Well the apothecary should be dwelled on. Especially since its in Chinatown. It should be creepy (its a World of Darkness game). Maybe a few cow fetuses in jars. (At this point I'm distracted by a Firefly episode where a cow fetus is used as a "real" alien at a side show, I start imagining a Guardian Labyrinth based around alien abductions.) The next stop is the guy who needs the herbs. Mike (the ST) says maybe it is a solitary mage. OK, so lets say he is dying of cancer and is all alone. Thinking of my grandmother, I say let him be lonely and just want to chat for a long while. Another step done. Now we can complicate things with some stuff along the way to points A through D; traffic accidents or mysterious graffiti.

And so ideas and stories knit themselves together.