30 DAYS LATER

A Mini-Deadworld for the All Flesh Must Be Eaten RPG Based on the Movies “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later”

By Mr & Mrs TexasZombie

No copyright infringement is intended to anyone who made these movies – think of this as free advertising for your fine products.

Original (non-Eden, non-anyone else’s) concepts © 2007, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

WARNING:  Some language and ideas herein may be offensive.  Exercise personal responsibility and read at your own risk.

 

BACKGROUND

England has fallen to a terrible and virulent plague called Rage.  30 days after the realization that the plague was sweeping the country, most surviving citizens have been relocated to refuge centers in Europe, Canada and the United States.  The English government-in-exile is operating from Royal Navy Ships and the British Embassy in Paris, France. 

On the island, the very few uninfected survivors are fighting a desperate struggle for survival.  Some groups may be huge, such as an enclave of people who were not picked up but who managed to isolate themselves perhaps in a castle.  Most groups will consist, however, of 1D6 or maybe 2D6 individuals.

 

THE HOOK

When everyone left England, they left pretty much everything else behind.  There is a limitless variety of valuable things currently unguarded.  While plans are already being drawn up for the reoccupation of Britain and the repatriation of her citizens, the island kingdom is currently blockaded to prevent the spread of Rage.  Looting isn’t anything anyone’s had time to worry about.

 

THE DANGERS OF SMOKING

Cigarette Boats (also known as Go-Fast Boats) are designed to run blockades.  They can get in fast and get out faster. 

A typical Cigarette Boat can make over 60 knots (a knot is about 1.2 mph or 2kph).  They are usually around 40 or 50 feet long and are designed for less than a dozen passengers.

 

ANTI-HEROES

Stout-hearted heroes, mercenaries, thieves, and various rabble are assembling on the coast of France.  Some are British.  Many are not.  All of them have one thing in mind:  Get the Good Stuff!

Marlborough Men (or Women) - (yes, I know that’s not the name of the cigarette, but you get my point I hope) - are the passengers.  These are rough and desperate characters who are willing to take insane risks in order to Win the Prize (whatever it happens to be).

 

THE ADVENTURE

You are a Marlborough Man (or Woman) on route to Jolly Old England, crouched with your weapons and equipment in a Cigarette Boat crossing the English Channel at high speed.  You’re pretty sure you’ve been spotted, but the Royal Navy and NATO ships are more concerned about keeping people in than keeping people out.  Guess you should have thought of that before you left the Normandy peninsula, huh?

You’re going to put ashore near the mouth of the Thames River.  After that you have a week to collect whatever you came for and get back to meet the pickup boat. 

 

GOALS

The goal of a Marlborough Man (or Woman) can vary.  Some suggested ones are:

  1. LOOT!!!  Take what you can get and hope you have a profit after you pay off the boat’s owner for getting you in or out.  And whatever you do, don’t sleep on the boat.  The crew may well take your stuff and chuck you overboard whether you’ve paid them or not.
  2. Requisition and Inventory!!!  Someone wants you to get something for them.  It could be computer code, or the Crown Jewels, or a bottle of Gob Stopper Rum bottled in 1287 AD.  Get it and bring it back and you’ll have a handsome reward.  You hope.
  3. Undercover Journalist!!!  You’re certain the media isn’t telling the whole truth, so you’re hoping to uncover said truth, bring back video/photo evidence, and get your award, promotion, and corner office.  Unless you’re shot by firing squad for violating the blockade.
  4. Ex-Patriot!!!  You left behind friends, family or both.  You couldn’t help it.  You were caught up in the exodus and never saw them again.  Maybe you’ve received a cell phone call or an email.  Maybe you’re insane.  Maybe you’re just an eternal optimist.  You hope against hope to find them and either protect them in England or (gulp!) bring them back!  Better find a way to hide them from the pickup boat crew who fear the Infected as much as they fear not getting paid for transporting people hiding in the cargo.

Remember:  The one that dies with the most toys wins!

 

ARCHETYPES

Any Archetypes are suitable for this scenario.  Survivor Archetypes with a lot of combat skills are highly recommended. 

EQUIPMENT

Weapons.  Lots of weapons.  And ammo.  You can dig for details but most NATO weapons are going to perform a lot like an M-16 even if they don’t look like one.  Cigarette Boat crews aren’t inclined to smile on explosives on board, so if you bring them, make sure you hide them. 

For example, the L85 is the British equivalent of the M-16, but it has a “bullpup” layout, which makes it very handy for use at close quarters without sacrificing accuracy or velocity.

But, come on.  Let your players run whatever kind of character they want, and have whatever equipment they want.  I mean, it’s not like a bunch of guys with machine guns won’t start shooting the place to heck and back at first opportunity.  That’ll attract folks infected with Rage.  Lots of them…

 

COMPLICATIONS AND SITUATIONS

Some recommended plot elements and twists:

  1. Renegade military units might not smile on looters.  Or they might.  Guess it depends on the psychos you run across.
  2. Loyal military units definitely won’t like you being there.  If you’re lucky you’ll be apprehended and quarantined until people come back to England to put you in prison for the rest of your life if they don’t hang you first.
  3. Rage Carriers might not have funny colored eyes.  Since a lot of the people playing this scenario will have seen the “28” movies, it is recommended that you modify the conditions of the disease carriers in order to keep things interesting.  Instead of Heterochromia (having two different colored eyes), so identifying traits could be (and it’s always too late once you know, but at least you know):
    1. Albinos
    2. Red Haired folks
    3. Manic-Depressive Psychotics
    4. One particular race of people
    5. Tuberculosis sufferers
    6. Green Eyed folks
    7. A genetic trait without a visible manifestation, meaning anyone without “Rage” could be a potential carrier
  4. Escaped zoo animals. Lions and tigers and bears and elephants, oh my!  And wild dogs.  And hungry livestock – they won’t eat you, but may begin following uninfected humans hoping for food.  They will also make a lot of noise and will eventually attract the Infected.
  5. Survivors who might or might not be out of their minds with fear.
  6. Survivors who are meaner than everyone else and who will really want you to give them your ammo and weapons.
  7. Hordes of folks infected with “Rage” who want to infect you.

 

THE INFECTED

Victims of Rage are called “The Infected”.  Infected is a template based on a Norm archetype.  Modifications are: 

  • Intelligence is replaced by the Zombie power “Animal Cunning” at level 1
  • All Qualities are dropped and replaced by Fast Reflexes and Nerves of Steel
  • All Drawbacks are dropped. 
  • All Skills are lost and replaced with the following:
    • Brawling 2
    • Dodge 2
    • Running (Sprint) 2
  • “Hero” Infected, based on a Survivor Archetype will have higher attributes and possible additional Qualities such as Hard to Kill

Infected Norm

Attributes

Str: 2

Dex: 2

Con: 3

Int: 0 (see below)

Per: 3

Wil: 2

Life Points:  calculated per Norm

Endurance Points:  calculated per Norm

Speed:  calculated per Norm

Essence:  N/A (base 14 points)

Qualities (reflecting the mindless rage of the Infected)

Fast Reaction Time

Nerves of Steel

Drawbacks

None

Skills

Brawling: 2

Dodge 2

Running (Dash) 2

Zombie Powers

Getting Around:  The Lunge (3)

Sustenance:  Daily; All Food Must Be Eaten* (0)

Intelligence:  Animal Cunning Level 1 (2)

Spreading the Love:  We Love Everyone** (10)

            Power:  ~32

Gear: incidental ragged clothing

Personality:  None

Quote: None

*All Food Must Be Eaten – Victims of the Rage virus will eat anything remotely organic.  This won’t keep them from being poisoned by eating rotten food, but will keep a lot of them going for a while.

**Any contact with bodily fluids spreads the infection.

 

NEW RULES

Infection

Anyone who comes into contact with any bodily fluids of an infected person becomes infected with the Rage virus unless they have some sort of genetic immunity (>0.01% of the population).  In game terms, incubation is 1D6 seconds, and the effect is immediate.  There is no Resistance roll.  After 1D6 seconds a person infected with Rage gets the Infected template and goes nuts on anyone around them who is not infected.

 

There are three main ways to be exposed to the Rage virus:

  1. Contact with blood or saliva, usually through being bitten, but also via vomit or splattered blood.  The chance of being splattered with blood or other bodily fluid depends on the amount of damage caused and the distance from the Infected.  For simplicity, assume that 1 point of damage = 1% chance of splatter (so 20 points of damage = 20% of splatter), minus 10% per yard away from the Infected.  So if Marlborough Melvin shoots an Infected for 40 points of damage from a distance of 3 yards, there is a 10% chance that he could be hit with splattered blood (40 – 30 = 10).  The same shot from 30 yards would have no chance of splatter (40 – 300 = >0%). 
  2. Touching a Carrier.  Sweat, tears, saliva, and other secretions spread the disease through any break in the skin.  Kissing and licking sweat will lead to certain infection.
  3. Accidental Infection.  A wild dog is eating the body of a recently dead Infected.  Marlborough Melvin later tries to feed the dog and it licks him, transmitting the Rage virus from its own saliva to a cut on Joe’s hand.

For a longer game, you might want to consider cutting down the chance of Infection to ½ or ¼ of the above.  You might want to give characters splattered with blood a bonus to escape infection for the Qualities Luck, Fast Reflexes, or Hard to Kill.  A Dodge roll might lower the chance at the ZM’s discretion as well.  Or just wing it and use Infection when cinematically appropriate to the scene.

 

IN FAIR ENGLAND, WHERE WE LAY OUR SCENE…

There are a lot of good map sites on the internet.  Finding maps of cities, towns and villages is pretty easy.  It is suggested, though your mileage may vary, that you initially keep the action in small area, perhaps a quaint and lovely tourist village on the coast.

 

PEOPLE TO MEET

A vague sort of wandering encounter system, should you choose to use one, could be:

Roll 1D6 between scenes:

1 – 3 = nothing (lucky you)

4 – 5 = survivor or harmless encounter

6 = hazard (roll another 1D6 and consult the following table):

Roll 1D6 for Hazard

1 – 2 = the Infected (usually 1D6, with another 1D6 per ten minutes thereafter arriving on the scene of the encounter)

3 = Infected Horde (usually 1D100 or more, with another 2D10 per ten minutes thereafter arriving on the scene of the encounter)

4 = Marauders = could be renegade military, civilian bandits, or another group of Marlborough Men (or Women)

5 = Escaped zoo carnivore (could be anything from a polar bear to a pride of lions)

6 = Pack of wild dogs (usually 2D6 in number, but could be up to 1D100 if you’re feeling mean)

 

WDR, 2007, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

Sincerely,

TexasZombie, a.k.a. Evil Overlord 668, the Neighbor of the Beast

eMail comments to: eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

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And don’t miss these groovy inspirational movies:

28 Days Later, 2002, 20th Century Fox.

28 Weeks Later, 2007, 20th Century Fox.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2000, Universal Studios.

Kelly’s Heroes, 2000, Warner Home Video (1970 theatrical release).