…FROM THESE COLD DEAD HANDS…

A Deadworld of Urban Insurrection for the

All Flesh Must Be Eaten RPG

No copyright infringement is intended.

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

NOTE: This scenario is a work of fiction presented for the purpose of entertainment only. It should not be construed as either an endorsement or denigration of any system of beliefs or other socio-political ideology. Neither should it be construed as a guideline for behavior, attitudes, or other activities. If you can’t separate fiction and fantasy from reality, you really should get help. Quickly. Like, right now.

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PROLOGUE AND REQUIEM

Welcome to the new Dark Ages.

The Empire is falling and the King is dead.

No one is coming to save you.

The end is here.

It’s right outside your door, scratching and clawing relentlessly.

THE DEAD HAVE INHERITED THE EARTH!

________________________________________________________________

THE BEGINNING

The day the world ended began much like any other. A bright yellow sun shown down through blue skies. The grass grew and the birds sang and the animals went on with their lives.

The first news reports sounded like something out of a B-grade horror movie. The dead returning to life and attacking the living? No one believed it at first.

No one believed it until the dead began appearing in ever increasing numbers on the streets of America. Then you had to believe it. You had to believe what you saw on the news, what you read in the news papers and on the Internet, what you heard in the streets outside your house…what you saw at the window trying to get inside.

The government’s initial response was confused and largely ineffectual. The Terror Threat Level was increased. People on terrorist watch lists were arrested for interrogation. Patrols and activities by law enforcement personnel were increased and reinforced. The National Guard was put on alert for immediate deployment. The public was continually reassured that the crisis would quickly be brought under control.

And the bodies of the recently dead continued to rise and seek the flesh of the living.

Mobilization of the National Guard was impeded by partisan bickering in Congress. The President’s request to activate the Emergency War Powers Act was contested at every turn by skeptical politicians and judges.

And after nearly three weeks had passed, the government was forced to face the reality that ever larger parts of the country were falling into chaos. A desperate situation seemed to call for a desperate solution.

“…The Senate, today, overwhelmingly approved a series of actions to deal with the rapidly escalating…crisis. In accordance with proposed directives laid out by the President under the Emergency War Powers Act, people living in areas defined as ‘high risk’ will be relocated to safer areas where they will be protected by units of the National Guard until this…crisis…has abated…”

World News Network live broadcast

NOTE: This Deadworld is the sequel to “Night of the Dead”, also found on this website. Since they’re both free, you might as well download “Night of the Dead” too. Much of the information found there is needed to fully utilize this setting for the All Flesh Must Be Eaten RPG.

The keywords in “Night of the Dead” were Chaos, Confusion, and Misinformation.

The keywords for “…From These Cold Dead Hands…” are

Horror, Panic, Disbelief, Despair and Hopelessness

Enjoy! And don’t forget to turn off the lights when you shamble out of your grave and wander off in search of prey.

THE MATHEMATICS OF DEATH

Prior to the advent of the rise of the dead, in the United States about 7000 people died each day from various causes. This means that in a given 31-day month, about 220,000 deaths occurred (or, about 2.7 million deaths per year), including 2500 homicide deaths. Additional effects include, for example, approximately 20 injuries per actual death.

During the first week after the dead began to rise, the death toll remained relatively unchanged. The difference is that the deceased began to take a toll on the living. For each day, of the 7000 projected deaths, it was estimated that about half reanimated and were not destroyed (excluding the first partial day). Each reanimated corpse managed to infect at least two additional people, on average, each day thereafter.

Estimated rates of infection and reanimation coupled with mundane causes of death were rapidly prepared. The numbers were far from encouraging.

Time from initial report	Number of Reanimated Corpses (Estimated)
24 hours	9000
48 hours	14,000
72 hours	45,500
96 hours	139,000
120 hours	420,500
144 hours	1,265,000
168 hours	2,535,000

A hopeful trend appeared at the beginning of the second week. The population of reanimated corpses began to level off. In purely detached terms, government officials attributed this to “increasing public awareness of the threat”. In real-life terms, this meant that the living were getting harder to catch.

People had a chance to stop and breathe. To take stock of their situation.

Then the real problems started.

By the end of the first week, a lot of people were starting to get hungry. A lot of people were tired of waiting in the dark for someone to come and help. A lot of people decided to take advantage of the confusion and disorder. A lot of people decided to take matters into their own hands when they became convinced that there was no help coming.

By the middle of Week 2, rioting had spread throughout the United States as frantic people began trying to locate and obtain scarce supplies of food and medicines.

Once the looting began, there was no way to stop it – it was simply too widespread. There were too few police, too few Guardsmen, and too many normally law-abiding citizens were running rampant.

With this increase in hunger and violence the numbers of the undead began to increase again. This time the increase was directly attributable to deaths inflicted by the living. And as in the previous week, the new dead joined the ranks of the reanimated corpses, swelling their ranks.

“You are stronger than us…But soon, I think, they be stronger than you…The dead walk, señores…We must stop killing…or we loose the war…”

Dawn of the Dead, Romero and Sparrow, 1978, St. Martin’s Press

Time from initial report	Number of Reanimated Corpses (Estimated)
Week 2
Day 8	2,540,000
Day 9	2,550,000
Day 10	3,253,000
Day 11	4,900,500
Day 12	6,548,000
Day 13	7,120,800
Day 14	8,599,000
Week 3
Day 15	9,045,000
Day 16	11,251,500
Day 17	12,960,000
Day 18	14,666,000
Day 19	16,963,500
Day 20	19,457,000
Day 21	22,652,000

By the forth week (Day 22) after the dead began to rise, death tolls had soared to much higher levels. Injuries due to failed homicides rose to as high as three million per month in some areas. It was widely estimated that the death toll could easily exceed 25,000,000 per year, with potentially higher numbers of deaths as the number of reanimated corpses continued to rise.

No one factored in starvation at first, but by the end of the month it was an unavoidable factor in survival. Considering that people who died from any cause reanimated just as hungry as people who were killed by reanimated corpses, some estimates predicted that deaths could exceed 60,000,000 per year.

A lot of people figured out the rest without waiting for government announcements: If nothing changed, civilization could have as little as five years before there were so few people left alive that the human species could not sustain a viable breeding population.

Extinction.

Ugly word, that, especially when your children are watching the news with you, there’s no clean water, and not enough to eat. Really ugly.

By Week 4 it was estimated that there were around 20 million reanimated corpses in the United States. It would have been worse if people hadn’t cooperated as easily as they did with regard to proper “pre-burial treatment” of corpses during the first three weeks. It was also apparent that the number of the dead was increasing exponentially, not geometrically, since a single reanimated corpse could attack and infect multiple living victims in a single day.

The public demanded a solution. So a plan was developed and implemented.

“By command of the federal government, the president of the United States… citizens may no longer occupy private residences. No matter how safely protected or well stocked…Citizens will be moved into central areas of the city…” Dawn of the Dead, Romero and Sparrow, 1978, St. Martin’s Press

Seemed simple enough, but it did not have the desired effect.

EVACUATIONS

The process of assembling and moving large groups of people proved to be far more difficult than even the most pessimistic analysts projected. A bewildering and contradictory tangle of local and state ordinances conflicted with federal requirements. National Guardsmen and Military Reservists called into duty often found themselves in areas where large numbers of the walking dead wandered the streets unopposed. And not everyone wanted to be rescued. This problem was particularly pronounced in states with “Homestead” laws. In such areas, people could not be forced from homes they owned, but could be evicted from public housing and apartments. Allegations of racism and class discrimination led first to refusal to cooperate, then to violent resistance.

The State of Texas does not have a mandatory evacuation law regarding a citizen leaving property that they own. Many other states do. As such, a citizen cannot be forced to leave their home. This does not apply to commercial buildings like shopping areas and apartment buildings.

Emergency Management Information, Office of Emergency Management, Live Oak, Texas

Ultimately it came down to either leaving people behind to fend for themselves, or using force to move people to safer areas. Neither answer was acceptable. Inconsistencies were widespread. The effort was ultimately unsuccessful and cost the lives of tens of thousands of Guardsmen and Reservists.

“One man we interviewed, who declined to give his name, had this to say…

‘There is no way the government is moving me and my family to one of their refugee camps. If those jack booted thugs want to kick me out of my own house, it’ll be over my dead body’

“Other people with whom we spoke had the same thing to say, but were worried that they would be forced out of public housing by military force. They said they would stockpile food, weapons and ammunition and hold on to their homes as long as they were able.

“Strong words. Back to you, Bill.”

World News Network live broadcast

In the end, most people who could make it to relocation centers did so on their own, or they stayed put and tried to go it alone, or they died.

“Turn over your weapons and surrender…There are no charges against you or any of your people…”

Dawn of the Dead, Romero and Sparrow, 1978, St. Martin’s Press

RELOCATION CENTERS

Despite inflammatory rhetoric and political infighting, many people were desperate for protection, many sick and hungry. All they wanted was to be safe, and they cooperated fully with the government’s efforts to ameliorate the situation.

Relocation centers were hurriedly established across the country to house the increasingly large flow of refugees and to relocate people from areas that were in immanent danger of being overrun by the walking dead.

Based on plans developed during the Cold War, there were two basic types of center: tent cities established around small communities at highway junctions and large urban facilities appropriated to house large numbers of people. Specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEM) were dispatched to each center along with National Guard units prepared and equipped to defend the people housed there.

Then word began to spread about a detail that wasn’t considered at first.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (d), whoever knowingly possesses or causes to be present a firearm or other dangerous weapon in a Federal facility(other than a Federal court facility, or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.

US Code, Title 18, Chapter 44, Section 930

Allegations of a government conspiracy to disarm the population began to spread through a population already panicked and increasingly irrational and violent. Some states cooperated with the government’s plans. Others did not. A large segment of the population began first to question, then to actively resist relocation efforts.

After all, the living still outnumbered the dead by better than 10 to 1. As long as you stayed away from “high risk” areas, you really didn’t have to worry about the Dead. Right? Right???

The reality is that no one in the government ever planned to deprive anyone of any freedoms or civil rights. The problem began when government personnel at several relocation centers, acting under what they considered sound judgment, began applying the full range of federal law to all facilities administered by the federal government. This included the relocation centers.

The other reality was that people in the United States were starting to starve. The reductions in food production and disruptions to food delivery infrastructure were taking their toll. And, as has been demonstrated time and time again, hungry people are angry people.

The response was easily predicted. Within days, a seemingly endless array of grass roots militias and other paramilitary organizations began springing up across the United States. Unable to cope with the failure of Western logic to deal with the living dead, people turned on what they could deal with. Each other.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Constitution of the United States of America

MILITIAS, GANGS, INSURGENTS AND PRIVATE ARMIES

The bewildering assortment of armed and hostile bands ranged from traditional criminal gangs to racial separatists. In the middle were neighborhood and community self-defense forces; racial, ethnic and religious defense alliances; political idealists; true patriots; and opportunists.

Many of these groups believe they are acting in the best interests of their country. Others have no such delusions. In the end, there really wasn’t much difference. Some were more hostile than others. Some actively tried to help. Others actively tried to destroy. All were heavily armed.

In most cases, encounters with these groups can be defined in the following manner and with the following examples. Thirty or so are described below in broad terms. There are thousands more. Adjacent shaded groups are engaged in active war.

Name	Size	Motivation	Region	Total #
Los Bravos Tejanos	4D6	Liberty	Texas	Numerous
Jewish Defenders	2D6	Ethnic defense	Anywhere	Rare
White Brotherhood	4D6	Racial Holy War	Anywhere	Numerous
Panther Army	3D6	Ethnic defense	Northeast	Numerous
PETA	1D6	Ethical	Anywhere	Rare
PETZ*	1D6	Ethical	Anywhere	Rare
New Rangers	3D6	Political	Texas	Numerous
Lakota Sioux	2D6	Cultural	Dakotas	Rare
Scorpion Brigade	4D6	Political	Nomadic	Numerous
Bikers (various)	3D6	Anarchy	Nomadic	Numerous
Sons of Jesse James	2D6	Self defense	Missouri	Rare
Protestant sects	4D6	Religion	Anywhere	Numerous
Bronx SDF	4D6	Self defense	Big Apple	Rare
Church Militant	3D6	Holy War	Northeast	Numerous
Sword of God	4D6	Holy War	Northeast	Numerous
Shining Path	2D6	Political	Southwest	Rare
Illinois National Guard	4D6	Regional Defense	Illinois	Numerous
Big X Bosses	2D6	Criminal	Southwest	Rare
Holly’s Heroes	2D6	Liberty	Oregon	Rare
We The People	4D6	Liberty	Midwest	Numerous
Magnolia, Virginia	2D6	SURVIVE!!!	Virginia	Rare
Upton, Virginia	2D6	Self defense	Virginia	Rare
Vampyres	1D6	Anarchy	Nomadic	Rare
Killaz	2D6	Criminal	Los Angeles	Numerous
LAPD	2D6	Regional Defense	Los Angeles	Rare
9^th Street Punks	2D6	Anarchy	Anytown, USA	Rare
Drunken Frat Guys	2D6	Personal gain	Anywhere	Numerous
Nur Hachi Tong	2D6	Criminal	San Francisco	Rare
183^rd Infantry	4D6	Regional Defense	Arkansas	Numerous
Islamic Jihad	2D6	Smite Infidels!	Anywhere	Rare

*People for the Ethical Treatment of Zombies

Numerous – common in primary region, rare elsewhere. Total members may number in the thousands to tens of thousands.

Rare – not commonly encountered; typically oriented around defined geographical areas, neighborhoods and small communities. Total members usually less than ten thousand.

MILITIA ORIENTATION

You name it, there’s a militia, gang, movement or organization to fight for or against it.

Pro-government
Anti-government
Right-wing
Left-wing
Anarchists
Militants
Racists
Pro-life
Anti-Undead
Commies

Think of it this way – as society slid further into chaos and people become more and more desperate, ideas that used to be repugnant or just unacceptable quickly become acceptable. Things that people would never have dreamt of doing last year they found themselves doing to their neighbors. Especially neighbors that were different in some way. It’s easier to blame the living than to blame the dead. The dead don’t care what you think. And you can’t make them change their minds or run away.

Faced with the threat of the walking dead, faced with something out of a nightmare, something that science and the national budget can’t fix, people broke as quickly as the technology did. Sociology has taken off in entirely new directions. Instead of being driven by things like mores, norms, shared beliefs and economics, it’s being driven now by new and novel concepts upon which to base a society. Mass hysteria. Failure of religion. Fear. Superstition. Anger. Rage. Hunger.

PIRATE RADIO AND OTHER SMOKE SIGNALS

“Okay, Brother and Sisters, you’d better listen close. If you got no fear of God you better get some, and quick.

“The government is hauling people away in cattle cars. They’re takin’ ‘em up north to some kind of tent city. I don’t know what it is, but I saw the barbed wire and trenches around it.

“All I know is that the whole place is surrounded by those…the…I mean…the dead. There were so many of them falling into the trenches that the rest were just walking across on top of them. And the shooting!

“I swear to God Almighty as my witness that they soldiers were busy shooting a lot of the people INSIDE the fence. They were shooting them in the head and loading them into trucks and driving them away. And them d-dead folks just kept a’coming. There weren’t no end to ‘em that I could see.

“I don’t know what’s going on out there, but I know I’ve gotta do something about it. All y’all that got a gun and a stout heart, meet me tonight at Harvey’s Propane in Chillicothe. We’ll go up there and see what we can do about it…”

Pirate Radio Broadcast, Week 3

“Don’t come near Wichita Falls. Everyone is dead as far as I can tell. I haven’t seen a living person in three days.

I’m not getting out of here alive. I know that now.

There are still helicopters. I hear them at night. It helps to listen to the helicopters. I don’t hear the dead people when I listen to the helicopters.

I just wish one of the helicopters would come down and take me out of here. I knocked a hole in the roof and hung up a sign that said “HELP! I’M ALIVE”. But they haven’t stopped to help me.

I don’t know what I’m going to do.

Somebody help me, please? Mommy and Daddy are trying to get through the back door and they’re smashing it up with my bicycle. I’m going to have to go hide in the attic. I won’t be able to talk to anyone then, so yell loud when you get here.”

JennyTheToadPrincess11

“

Internet Bulletin Board Post, Children’s Chat Room, Week 3

“POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

RISE UP AND CAST OFF THE CHAINS OF IMPERIALIST BORGEOIS OPPRESSION!

SLAVES AND SERVANTS UNITE!

WE MUST FIGHT AND WE MUST FIGHT NOW!

THE GOVERNMENT IS TAKING PEOPLE AWAY.

YOU COULD BE NEXT!

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING TONIGHT AT TONY’S PUB AT 1800 HOURS.”

Poster distributed in suburban Dearborn, Michigan, Week 3

“Do not approach our location. Repeat. Do not approach our location. This is an automated signal that we will begin if we are overrun. If you can hear this message, do not approach the Health Science Center or surrounding areas. If you can hear this message we have been overrun by infected individuals and will already be dead. You cannot help us, but you can help yourself by staying away.

Do not approach our location. Repeat. Do not approach our location…”

Unauthorized use of University Police radio frequency, University of Kentucky, Louisville, Week 3,

“Bill. Bill? I don’t know if you can hear me. The roar from the crowd is almost deafening. We’ve moved to the 15^th floor balcony above Platte Avenue. I don’t know if you can see the picture, but there are people packing the streets as far as we can see in either direction.

“Some of them are carrying banners. Some are carrying effigies and setting them on fire

“Yes, Bill. The crowd is burning effigy-

“Ohmygod. They’re burning bodies in the streets. At the corner of Platte and Anderson they’re throwing people into a pile and using gasoline to set them ablaze. Ohgod some of them are still moving, Bill.

“Bill? Did you get that? There’s a police helicopter over the crowd, an officer on a bullhorn ordering them to disperse. The crowd is moving. Wh-what? The crowd is shooting at the helicopter now. The helicopter is smoking. It’s smoking and it’s moving away. We can hear more gunfire. Yes, the gunfire is increasingly in intensity. I think it’s the Army. I think the Army is-“ *static*

***SIGNAL LOST***

World News Network live broadcast, Week 3

Kinda makes the good ol’ days of the early 21^st century look pretty good, eh?

CASUALTIES

Take terrified people, some of whom have been wounded, some of whom are already sick, and some of whom have already been bitten by the undead. Pack these people into small areas and you have the recipe for disaster.

Refugee camps were plagued by disease and sickness from the very beginning. Dysentery, cholera, and typhus became widespread for the first time in decades. People who are subjected to prolonged periods of stress (and being attacked by walking corpses was definitely high stress) suffered from a reduced immune response. Added to crowded living conditions, lack of adequate and nutritious food, and lack of basic hygiene and medical supplies, the result was a sudden and rapid rise in the undead population.

The worst part was that the new masses of reanimated corpses were centered in and around the relocation centers. Word was slow to spread. Many evacuees and convoys did not get the warnings in time. Hundreds of thousands of people were delivered into the midst of the growing army of reanimated corpses.

At the same time, relocation centers became loci for disease and other environmental contaminants. Everyone downstream and downwind was exposed to dangerous levels of bacteria in their drinking water and in the very air they breathed. More disease. More sickness. More deaths. More reanimated corpses.

Maybe if people had been left alone, things might not have gotten so far out of hand. They would have been largely unprotected by available military and police assets, but some disease would have been contained simply because sick groups would not have been able to spread disease to other groups. Could have. Would have. Should have. If only they had. Hindsight is a marvelous thing. It also served to magnify the enormity of the disaster.

RAMIFICATIONS

An increasingly violent spiral of anarchy and misunderstanding spread rapidly through the nation. By the time people began to realize a dreadful mistake had been made, there was nothing that could be done to correct the situation.

The nation, already under attack from within by the growing hordes of walking dead, found itself in a de facto state of civil war and general insurrection. Attempts at solution and reconciliation were first hampered, then blocked entirely, by both the living and the dead.

The difference, if it mattered, was that the dead didn’t seem to have a choice in what they did.

The living were preoccupied until it was too late.

“The leader of one of the neighborhood militia groups we were able to speak with had this to say…”

‘We are not giving up our guns. We’ve gotta be able to defend ourselves. If those jack booted thugs want my guns they’re gonna have to pry them outta my cold dead hands…’

“FEMA personnel told us earlier that this group was actively attacking convoys carrying food to the nearby Weatherford Heights Relocation Center. According to the FEMA spokesperson, they are loosing an average of 20% of all deliveries to the center. One can only imagine what this means to the people inside the camp.

“We also spoke to a Major John Marlow of the 29^th Mechanized Infantry who said that his men were often hesitant to fire on civilians, and that armed patrols through this area either met only sporadic and ineffective sniper fire, or were unable to locate any armed groups.

“We will continue to follow this increasingly tense situation. This is Brad Whitlock, World News Network.

“Back to you, Cathy.”

World News Network live broadcast

The militia movement gained momentum as civil authority continued to collapse. Faced with rising levels of crime and a skyrocketing death rate due, not to the dead but to the living, organized groups fared better than individual families.

“…for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive…It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom -- for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself…”

Poster found nailed to walls across rural Texas

From the Declaration of Arbroath, Scotland, 1320

The tragedy was that things had not yet become hopeless. The living still far outnumbered the walking dead, and had the advantage of effective weapons. The problem was that when the living began fighting the living, the ranks of the dead only increased in number. The result is a vicious cycle of death and undeath. If someone cannot bring order to the chaos, that extinction thing may well become reality.

“The bodies of the dead will be delivered over to specially equipped squads of the National Guard for organized disposal…”

“In cooperation with the mobile units of the O.E.P., the corpses of the recently dead should be delivered over to the authorities for collection in refrigerated vans…This collection could be…stored…rationed…for distribution among the infected society…”

Dawn of the Dead, Romero and Sparrow, 1978, St. Martin’s Press

THINGS FALL APART

From the beginning of the appearance of the walking dead, the infrastructure holding the United States together began to collapse. Workers stopped reporting to their jobs. Mail service became increasingly unreliable. Banks locked their doors to prevent a run on withdrawals. Food distribution began to break down when enough drivers could not be located and the military became overstretched.

By the end of the second week, electricity and water supplies began to falter. As the nation-wide electrical grid began collapsing, power to purify and pump water was increasingly unavailable. Each grid that crashed took down others as the remaining grids worked harder to take up the slack. It was just like a big game of dominos. Lights flickered and the flow of water dropped to a trickle.

Large areas of the United States reverted technologically to the Middle Ages. Cultural and social degeneration followed technological collapse.

A NATION OF THE DEAD

In this Deadworld, four major areas will be covered: Urban, Urban Highway, Rural, and the Open Road. There will always be some overlap, but by and large these descriptions hold through throughout the United States. As a rule, the more people have been in the area, the more zombies one can expect to find.

Random Encounters

Roll - Encounter

More extensive Random Encounter tables can be found elsewhere on this website (…afrandom.html). These tables are useful for the first few days to weeks of the zombie attack.

I. Basic Encounters: Roll 2d6. Subtract 2 if encounter is in rural area; add 2 if encounter is in urban area.

Roll - Encounter

0-3 Animals (Go to II)

4-6 People (Go to III)

7 Zombies (Go to IV)

8 None

9-10 Zombies (Go to IV)

11-13 People (Go to III)

14 Animals (Go to II)

II - Animals: Roll 2d6. Subtract 2 if encounter is in rural area; add 2 if encounter is in urban area.

0-7 Domestic (harmless) - example: sheep, cows, horses, chickens, tame pigs

8 Domestic (dangerous) - example: dogs, feral pigs

9-11 Feral (harmless) - example: deer, rabbits, quail, wild turkey, ducks

12 Feral (dangerous) - example: rattlesnakes, coyotes, bears, alligator, wild dogs

13 Exotic (harmless) - example: escaped zoo antelope, llamas, emus

14 Exotic (dangerous) - example: escaped zoo animals: lion pride, tiger, hyena mob, rhinoceros

III - People: Roll 2d6. Subtract 2 if encounter is in rural area; add 2 if encounter is in urban area. Go to Table V after determining type of encounter if a determination of motivation and aggressiveness/peacefulness is needed.

0-5 Civilians
Roll d6 - on a 1-4, the group is local; on a 5-6, the group is from somewhere else; Make a second 1D6 roll. On a roll of 5-6 the group is completely unaware of the zombie crisis; locals know more about the surrounding area, obviously, and may be a better source of information than out-of-towners.

6-7 Police
Roll d6 - on a 1-4, the unit is under command, also, a 1 indicates the unit is under direct military command as conscripts/draftees/levies; on a 5-6, the unit has deserted or is out of communication with higher command. Deserters are less likely to ask questions of heavily armed Cast Members openly displaying weapons. Police that are still on duty could try to press the Cast Members into service as conscripts. They are just as likely to instruct the Cast Members to move on to a “Safe” area. They will assist anyone under attack by zombies, criminals or dangerous animals. They will attempt to stop (using deadly force if necessary) anyone breaking curfew or otherwise engaging in criminal activity.

8-9 Civilian Militia
Roll d6 - on a 1-5, the militia consists of civilians with better arms and equipment who are acting in accordance with emergency instructions, usually conducting rescue missions to isolated homes or sweeping an area to destroy zombies; on a 6 the militia is a vigilante mob or extremist group who may not necessarily be interested in only shooting zombies and looters. Legitimate militia will respond to Cast Members and Extras as described above for Police.

10 Military
Roll d6 - on a 1-5, the unit is under command; on a 6, the unit has deserted. Deserting units may or may not be predatory. Units still under command may try to conscript the Cast Members, but are just as likely to ignore them or simply direct them to a “Safe” area and move on. As with Police (above) military units that have not deserted (and many that have) will render assistance to others as needed.

11-13 Looters
Roll d6 - on a 1, the encounter is with "professionals" such as an outlaw gang or prison escapees; on a 2-6, the looters are just frightened civilians looking for desperately needed supplies. The former encounter is at least as dangerous as zombies. The latter may or may not be dangerous as dictated by circumstance. Well equipped but careless Cast Members may become a target by the former.

14 Hidden enclave
Roll d6 - on a 1-3, the enclave is civilian; on a 4-5 the enclave is civilian government; on a 6 the enclave is military; if the enclave is military or government, roll d6 again - on a 5-6, there are zombies present for some sort of nefarious research. This encounter may become an entire scenario if fully developed by the Zombie Master.

Table IV Zombies: Roll 2d6. Subtract 2 if encounter is in rural area; add 2 if encounter is in urban area.

0-2 1d6 zombies

3-5 1d6 X1d6 zombies

6-9 1d6 X 10 zombies

10-11 1d100 zombies

12-13 1d100 X 10 zombies

14 Zombie Army (1000+)

Table V. Attitude: Roll 2d6. Subtract 2 from rolls made in “good” situations (such as dealing with nonviolent people). Add 2 in “desperate” situations (such as dealing with violent people).

Roll Attitude.

0-3 Helpful (will assist to one degree or another, even if it's simply by not attacking)

4-7 Neutral (probably won't help, but not likely to attack, would like to ignore Cast Members)

8-11 Hostile (might attack if situation is favorable, if opportunity presents itself, or if tensions rise)

12-14 Violent (will attack)

Alternative Version, or “Hey! Where’d All Those Zombies Come From?”

In high-population urban areas, for every fifteen minutes the characters are exposed and moving openly or engaged in noisy physical activity (boarding up windows, for example), there is an 80% chance that 1d6X10 zombies will be attracted to the movement and sounds. Once zombies are attracted, every fifteen minutes another 1d6X10 zombies will arrive on the scene.

In suburban and highway areas, for every fifteen minutes the characters are exposed and moving openly, there is a 70% chance that 1d3X5 zombies will be attracted to the movement and sounds. Once zombies are attracted, every fifteen minutes another 2d6 zombies will be attracted.

In populated rural areas and the open road, for every hour the characters are exposed and moving openly, there is a 10% chance of attracting 1d6 zombies. After the first zombies are attracted, there is a 10% chance every fifteen minutes of attracting 1d3 more zombies.

In unpopulated rural areas, there is a base 1% chance per day of attracting one or more zombies. In a national park, it is more possible there could be dead folks about that out in the desert fifty miles from the nearest road and sixty miles from the nearest town.

Obviously, it pays to be quiet and stay out of sight as much as possible. If the characters are taking efforts to move silently, under available cover, use padded hammers, operating at night, etc. the chances above are cut by ¼ to ½.

In any event, there's also the possibility of human predators lurking behind the zombies waiting to move in to loot the area and take out any survivors, dead or otherwise. Predatory and scavenging animals could also be a factor. I like the idea of swarms of wild dogs and coyotes picking away at a zombie mob that has congregated outside a farm house full of tasty survivors.

Other Factors

Near major highways and urban areas, civilians and military encounters could be with groups ranging in number from dozens to thousands, though the group may not be traveling coherently and may instead be strung along for quite a distance.

In smaller towns and rural areas, encounters will typically be smaller in number for humans but greater in number for animals. For example, packs of coyotes and wild dogs can number from dozens to a hundred or so animals. Fortunately, coyotes are VERY unlikely to be a threat to a healthy and uninjured human. This author has routinely confronted groups of dozens of coyotes during his career as a wildlife biologist and has never once seen the pack demonstrate aggressive behavior no matter how large it is. Wild domestic dogs, on the other hand, are much more dangerous as they have been bred to not fear humans.

Encounters with human refugees will peak within one to two months of the time the Rise becomes accepted to the population as fact. Afterwards, refugee populations will begin to drop steadily due to famine, thirst, and disease. This decline will be accompanied by a corresponding rise in the zombie population. Refugee camps and squatter villages will become death traps in relatively short order. In small towns and rural areas, encounters will typically be smaller in number for humans but greater in number for animals.

At the same time, encounters with surviving humans are likely to become more and more dangerous as time goes on due to the decreasing amounts of food, ammunition, medicine and other supplies along with increasing pressure from the growing zombie population. People who are hungry and frightened revert to a tribal mentality, and are much more likely to demonstrate hostility to other "tribes" as modern evidence shows in areas of the world that have experienced breakdowns in government and infrastructure.

Human encounters in uninhabited rural areas, especially in resource-poor environments (i.e. pine forests, tundra, desert) are most likely to be with very small groups. This is because larger groups will rapidly strip their territory of available resources (i.e. food, animal and plant) in relatively short order and either disperse into smaller groups or starve. Encounters with zombies in these areas are likewise going to be with smaller numbers. Larger numbers of zombies will gradually disperse, and local terrain and wildlife will begin to reduce the numbers further. One can imagine vultures, dogs, and coyotes taking a heavy toll on slow, uncoordinated corpses that are becoming mired in bogs, trapped in brush thickets, or crippled by falling into ravines.

Zombies may have a hard time sneaking up on survivors in rural areas during daylight hours. If the zombies are decomposing to some degree with associated odors, vultures will be attracted to them. The vultures will most likely circle overhead and wait for the zombie to die. The zombie is already dead, but the vultures won't know that. It is possible that a zombie with significant mobility problems may attract an attack. Vultures will kill wounded prey if given the opportunity, as will scavenging eagles and hawks. Basically, anything that is willing to eat carrion will see zombies as a food source in pretty short order. Even ground squirrels and wild pigs like Roadkill Surprise.

DEAD IN THE CITY: THE URBAN BATTLEFIELD

Sections of the local power grid started to fail within a few days. Some were repaired, primarily lines leading to critical structures even though the cost in lives was high. Other areas are spotty. Some areas are blacked out by plant or line failures, others by blown pole fuses, still more by blown fuse box fuses. Some areas may eventually see repair crews, but most will not.

Imagine looking down at a large urban/suburban area at night. Some areas are blacked out. Some are brightly lit by electrical lights. Others are lit by small fires. In the distance huge fires rage because there's no power to pump water anymore, no water available to pump, and no one to pump it. The night resounds with the crackle of gunfire, the rumble of distant explosions, the screams of victims, and the moans of the undead.

Some of the fires started from reasons as simple as someone not turning off their stove before fleeing. Others fires began when someone deliberately set them. The same pattern applies to lighted areas: Some just haven't failed yet, and others are lit because there is someone trying to keep them going.

Looking for areas with power or lack thereof is no guarantee of the presence or absence of either zombies or living humans. Some fires are deliberate while others are accidental. Associating small fires, or buildings with electricity, with living people can result in a nasty surprise when the next small fire turns out to be a burning zombie corpse with three hundred mobile zombies lurking in the darkness around it. Generators may still be lighting up the mall or SuperShop, but it could be full of zombies, looters, or just terrified and paranoid survivors.

Imagine too that as infrastructure fails, things that use electricity to keep bad things from happening will fail too. This includes critical parts of security features at prisons and jails, and containment systems at zoos and research centers. Many buildings that relied on electric locks will end up with a lot of unlocked doors when the power fails. Things and people can get out.

Survivors can move from island of light to island of light among small communities of survivors. They run the risk, however, of being surprised by a horde of cannibalistic corpses in a well lit gated community. And while retreating, could be attacked by a pack of laboratory baboons who escaped during the power failures and who have acquired an intense hatred of all humans as a result of their treatment.

A survivor could be sneaking around in the dark to ambush someone or something else, only to be illuminated in living color out in the open when someone else miles away replaces a fuse at the top of a telephone pole.

Other survivors who have struggled to keep an area powered could find themselves in the dark with zombies coming over the walls when a power plant three hundred miles away goes offline and takes their local grid down with it.

Many survivors may try to use portable gasoline powered generators. The untrained and inexperienced can easily burn or electrocute themselves or damage their carefully salvaged machinery. One of the biggest dangers is using too much generator. Once the system is activated it can short out electrical appliances which can result in a house fires. With no running water and hordes of undead outside, the consequences could easily be disastrous.

Urban survivors tend to travel in small groups, avoiding high concentrations of the undead whenever possible. Their shelters are heavily fortified with improvised barriers and defensive weaponry.

Militias, insurgents, revolutionaries, and gangs are the power players. These groups are not only heavily armed, but are also motivated and share common bonds of loyalty. To the average survivor there isn’t much difference between any of these groups. All of them would just as soon shoot a stranger as ask directions. Occasionally, however, these groups fall prey to mixed bands of survivors who are seeking revenge or items necessary for survival.

Looting is a growth industry. Food stores are becoming rapidly depleted as law enforcement desert, are killed, or join the ranks of the looters. The rise of the dead didn’t change many things about people. Looters tend to focus on several broad categories, in descending order of importance:

1. Alcohol, tobacco, firearms

2. Food, water, clothing, batteries

3. Luxury items

4. Everything else

LOOTING

“…Don’t have much to go on don’t want your opinion

Don’t have much to gain and I ain’t got much to loose

But some got it all and I’d really like to get some

You got something I could use…”

“Perfect People”, Pennywise

If the cast members decide to get involved in looting a supply depot or an unguarded store, the following table should be consulted.

Roll once for each category. If the cast member has an applicable skill (such as Survival: Urban, Streetwise) then the skill level can be added to the roll. For each additional person engaged per organized group, add +1 to the roll. This represents being able to fan out and cover larger areas and to cover each other while looking for hidden stockpiles and caches. Alternately, use the Scrounging rules at the end of this Deadworld.

The number of looting attempts that can be made per day is up to the ZM. The author recommends 1D6 per day until Week Six. Thereafter, 1D4 per day until Week Twelve. After that, who knows?

Outcome	Success	Item Found	Amount	Complications	Attacks
9-10	Adequate	Useless items	Very little	Too Hot!	Battle
11-12	Decent	Useful item	Some	Hot LZ	Sniper
13-14	Good	1D3 Useful items	Some	Major	Mob
15-16	Very Good	1D6 Useful items	Enough	Minor	Melee
17-20	Excellent	Great stuff!	More than enough	Minor	Non-lethal
21-23	Extraordinary	Stockpile	Big Score!	None	Potential
24+	Mind-boggling	Trove	WE GOT IT ALL!!!	None	None

Description of Results:

Item Found

Useless Items – the looter(s) find items that might have been valuable before the Rise but are not currently valuable. Examples include furniture, 50 gallon fish tanks, a truck full of candle holders, ornamental faux-wood edging, etc.

Useful Item – imminently useful item, such as a weapon, armor, survival equipment or spare parts

Great stuff! – working vehicles, firearm(s) with ammunition, preserved food, etc.

Trove – more items than the cast members can carry. Chances are it won’t be here when they come back – if the cast members have found it, someone else will too.

Amount

Very little – much less than the cast member was looking for. Examples include not enough ammo for a full magazine, half a gallon of gas, or an 8 oz. can of water.

Some – less than the cast member was looking for. Examples as above.

Enough – a full load of ammo, several gallons of fuel or water, a few meals, etc.

More than enough – Reloads for firearms, spare fuel, etc.

Big Score! – A veritable stockpile of useful items covering more than one area of necessity.

WE GOT IT ALL!!! – an un-looted mall, hardware store, corner grocery, gun shop, etc.

Complications

Too Hot! – There are too many factors to allow the cast members any chance of success…for the moment. For example, an intact store surrounded by hordes of undead or occupied by violent defenders.

Hot LZ – The cast member(s) will have to work for their goal. This could mean running a gauntlet of undead, making it safely through a fire, or avoiding a military patrol.

Major – A few undead, fewer living opponents, a locked door, etc.

Minor – A couple of undead, unarmed opponents, plywood, etc.

None – No impediments worth noting. Unarmed opponents that flee, a pack of dogs that aren’t ready to fight, etc.

Attacks

Battle – a full-scale conflict is underway in the immediate area, probably involving the same target that the cast members are after. There could be any number of “sides”, none of which include the cast members. Gangs vs. militia vs. National Guard, with Zombies, is a good combination. 70% of coming under fire. 30% to be hit per round. Better wait until things cool off.

Sniper – someone else wants the loot. Shooter has a rifle (ZM’s choice) and an applicable Gun skill of 1D3 + 2.

Mob – There are a large number of opponents ready to challenge the cast members for their loot or among whom the cast members can be swept up. Good if there are zombies about. Bad if a military patrol happens by.

Melee – At least one Extra attacks a cast member with a melee weapon (ZM’s choice). Applicable Hand Weapon skill of 1D3 + 2.

Non-lethal – cops firing rubber bullets, kids throwing rocks, pack of toy poodles, angry hamsters, etc.

Potential – confrontation that might result in combat, but which might also result in gaining a useful friend, ally or contact. Inclination of the Extra(s) is towards negativity.

None – Nothing noteworthy. Everyone else is off looting the Food King.

If the cast members move around much, it is also inevitable that they will run across a riot, possibly being swept up into the violence.

RIOTS

Riots can be described using the following table. One roll can be made for the entire riot, or one roll per column. The author recommends one roll for size, weapons, accidental and deliberate attack, and one roll for intensity – not all large riots are dangerous, and not all small riots are safe.

Die Roll	Size of riot	Intensity	Weapons	Accidental Attack?	Deliberate Attack?
1	Neighbors	Low	Fists	5%	90%
2	Neighbors	Low	Melee	10%	80%
3	District	Med.	Firearms	15%	50%
4	District	Med.	Firearms	15%	40%
5	Multiple	High	Firearms2	20%	20%
6	Citywide	X-treme	Firearms2	30%	10%

Notes:

Size of Riot

Neighbors – the riot is localized, encompassing at most a few neighborhoods.

District – the riot is spread throughout large areas, for example, the warehouse district where rumor says the National Guard is hording food.

Multiple – Multiple districts involved, affecting 10-50% of the city.

Citywide – Everybody wants something. Affects 51-100% of the city. Can also indicate a period of general insurrection or urban combat.

Intensity

Low – no undue anger. Might be considered a protest if it weren’t for the zombie attacks on the fringes of the crowd…

Medium – a lot of anger and frustration. Could easily escalate into full-blown massacre.

High – Fighting breaks out almost immediately, then escalates as more and more living and dead are drawn to the noise and looting.

X-treme – Everyone has brought a weapon and intends to use it. The streets shall flow with the blood of the infidels!

Weapons

Fists – other weapons may be present but no one is inclined to use them unless absolutely necessary.

Melee – other weapons may be present but no one is inclined to shoot anyone else unless absolutely necessary.

Firearms – weapons up to and including firearms are present. There is a good chance someone will be shot. A lot of someones in fact.

Firearms2 – as above, but the riot is a full-scale shoot out whether or not anyone knows how they are shooting at or why they are shooting at them.

Accidental Attack?

This is the chance that any given cast member will be targeted for an attack of the applicable type entirely due to bad luck. The target got out of the way or the gunner wasn’t very good. Either way the cast member may be shot by accident. Shooter will not be identifiable in the crowd. Skill level is 1D4-1 (yes, it is possible the shooter is untrained). Add another -3 due to jostling of the crowd, the fact that the shooter isn’t aiming at the cast member, is distracted, etc. Even if the bullet misses (which is very likely), it will strike someone or something nearby the cast member, close enough to knock off their hat or let them see the sparks of the ricochet.

Deliberate Attack?

This is the chance that any given cast member will be deliberately targeted for attack. This chance should be inversely proportional to the size, intensity and weapons of the riot. It’s easy to shoot someone by mistake, but if someone hits the cast member with a shovel they should be certain that the attack was deliberate. Weaponry varies widely and wildly (the author recommends reviewing “Zombie Smackdown” by Eden Studios, 2004, for ideas on just how many mundane items can be used to bash someone). The attacker’s skill level in the appropriate attack type (Brawling or Hand Weapon) will be 1D6 -1 (yes, the attacker can be untrained). The fight should carry on to its logical conclusion depending on the whim of the ZM. The attacker could be alone (BORING!) or could have a LOT of friends with them (FUN!). Both this and the Accidental Attack could result in an entire scenario as events spiral further and further out of control.

Modifications to Combat

Remember that urban combat has to include such fun and entertaining situations as firing in enclosed areas, very limited fields of fire, etc. The urban landscape offers plenty of opportunities for finding cover resulting in increased armor or barrier factors. All this can result in more penalties to attackers’ rolls

A simple way to reflect this is to mandate a permanent -2 to all ranged combat rolls to represent the above and other factors.

Additional Note:

Riots are a good way for unscrupulous cast members to get their grubby little mitts on body armor, shields, gas masks, helmets, etc. All they’d have to do then is get away without the other riot police noticing them looting a fellow officer…

Additional Additional Note:

An intensity 6 riot could be deemed by the ZM to be localized in scale and/or scope. At this point it could represent a large-scale battle between two or more opposing forces.

P.S. ZM’s, remember!!! – DON’T FORGET TO HAVE CASUALITIES RISE UP AND ATTACK THE LIVING!!!

TRAFFIC PROBLEMS: HIGHWAYS

One of the greatest impediments to controlling the situation was the collapse of infrastructure, primarily the highway system. As people attempted to evacuate cities for the presumed safety of the countryside, highways became parking lots of abandoned and disabled vehicles. No roads were passable near major cities by Week 3.

The gradual collapse of the power grid only made things worse. There was no way to pump fuel, and no way to distribute fuel to replace depleted stocks. Tow trucks, police and emergency service vehicles either could not travel the clogged roads or could not obtain sufficient gasoline to maintain more than the most basic operations.

Most refugees did not have a full tank of gas when they fled, and most vehicles were not in top condition. The thousands of fender-benders, flat tires, empty gas tanks, broken hoses and belts, and other mishaps that occurred every day when the world wasn’t ending were magnified many times over. People began to flee on foot or by unconventional travel. Civilians fleeing in opposing lanes designated for emergency use only managed to hopelessly snarl the roadways. Vehicles attempting to flee along highway shoulders, medians, and even train tracks resulted in more blockages.

Urban Highways are clogged with abandoned and damaged vehicles. These areas are best described as fields of cars. Trash, bones, and scattered luggage litter the areas, a horrible multicolored carpet bearing testament to massive loss of life. There may be an occasional survivor living in a vehicle, but with large groups of undead roaming the area, such individuals would not last long.

Looting is possible – there could be literally anything to be found per quarter mile or less of roadway. Use the table in the previous section as a guide, or check out the scavenging rules at the end of this document (Appendix 1).

LIFE IN THE COUNTRY: RURAL NIGHTMARE

In many parts of rural America, life goes on as it has in the past. For the most part, there aren’t a lot of highly visible changes. At least, not when you’re driving past.

Entire towns and villages are ringed by improvised walls, moats, and free-fire zones. Fortifications that began as anything that could be put between the living and the dead are gradually being improved into battlements and palisades. The same is true of many rural homes and farms, the inhabitants of which have managed to survive.

Defenses are typically based on a barrier. This barrier could be anything from a moat to a chain-link fence, a wooden or stone wall, or simple rammed earth ramparts that have been bulldozed into place. Many will have lookout towers and firing positions for defenders. At this point, most will be in various stages of completion, with very few being fully protective. There simply hasn’t been enough time. Yet.

Food is more abundant in the countryside, but many people are beginning to see the first stages of famine. Most groups of survivors have no idea how they will survive the coming winter and spring before the new crops are ready for harvest. Typical crops will be low maintenance, such as tomatoes, potatoes, squash, peas, and melons. In areas of low rainfall or little surface water, water-intensive crops will not be grown (so cast members should trade for tomatoes when they can get them). Animal resources will be chickens (most of which will be laying hens, the excess males going to the pot or traded for other goods), maybe a cow or goat or two (again, with females for milk and breeding, excess males for slaughter or trade). Pigs will become popular as they can take care of themselves fairly well and will eat almost anything. In other areas, dogs, rats and pigeons may be the livestock of choice.

As fuel becomes more and more scarce, there will be an increase in reliance on horses and bicycles for transportation. At this point, most horses are not “gun broken”, meaning that they will panic if exposed to nearby gunfire. Very few if any will have been trained for use in mounted combat. Most are just riding horses that have been pressed into service.

Dogs are common. Dogs are everywhere. They bark at strangers, kill foxes that are after the chickens, can take down the living and dead alike, and can serve as a food source in a pinch. Most homes will have at least one dog, and everyone will want more. Dog breeding will become a highly prized skill, as will dog training. At this point, most dogs will be poorly trained, will still be pups, or will be few in number in any given dwelling.

Machinery found in rural areas is beginning to tend towards non-electrical power. Blacksmithing is in. So are stills for water and alcohol. Antique household appliances are now worth more than a human life because the right kind of antiques do not require electricity. Reloading ammunition is a cottage industry, as is improvising munitions and modifying vehicles with armor to protect against both the living and the dead.

The real killer in the countryside is paranoia and desperation. As the banking system began to collapse, people began to rely on barter. The problem was that a lot of people didn’t have anything worth bartering. Chickens, after all, produce food. Home theater systems produce nothing.

Theft and murder are becoming more and more common. Bands of heavily armed survivors routinely raid nearby homes and towns, and prey on other lone survivors as well. Some of these groups may well be members of, or be allied to, a militia or political movement, but the primary motive is simple. Acquire food. Find usable items. Find a way to keep your family alive a few more weeks.

Rural survivors don’t trust anyone except family and a few close friends. Most people have already had too many bad experiences with panicked suburbanites and marauding militias. Strangers are dealt with either from a distance or from a position of strength if not both. Everyone assumes everyone else intends the worst, and very few are thinking far enough ahead to realize that there is more to be gained by cooperating than by competing. Remember, when you’re the outsider, members of the opposing group are more important to each other than you are to them. Basic human nature.

Even if not part of, or allied with, a militia, survivors will be wary of groups composed entirely of men and especially of men dressed in a similar fashion. This smacks of uniforms, and the general feeling is that people in uniforms always know what’s best for everyone else whether they actually do or not. Such groups are likely to receive a “Please go away” message in the form of a .30-06 round or two.

As time passes, survivors will get more savvy regarding storing, stocking and caching supplies. Survivors will be prepared to vacate when possible and head for pre-prepared secondary positions. Supplies will be dispersed for pickup later. Failing that, a brave last stand, even if ultimately futile, is pretty much standard. Nobody says they have to make it easy on the opposition if there is no hope of surviving intact...

NOMADS: THE OPEN ROAD

“…On the roads it was a white-line nightmare. Only those mobile enough to scavenge, brutal enough to pillage, could survive…”

Mad Max II/The Road Warrior, Kennedy and Miller, Warner Bros., 1982

Away from the cities on the open road, a nomadic lifestyle is common. These nomads are as likely to be interested in trade as they are in war. Most still utilize motor vehicles, but fuel is becoming a problem. In time so will spare parts and maintenance supplies.

Mobile can be better than static as long as the food and fuel supplies hold out. The motorcycle gangs victimizing survivors this year may be riding horses next year.

Nomadic groups survive by a combination of stealth when possible and firepower when stealth doesn’t work. Since many of these groups began as military units evacuating civilians, firepower isn’t too much of a problem for the time being. They avoid large urban areas with concentrations of undead and focus scavenging activities in suburbs and rural areas. The lifestyle is precarious, but with the current state of social and cultural flux, being on the road and able to move out in a hurry is safer than boarding up the windows and trying to outwait a crowd of zombies.

Many vehicles have been modified to include improvised armor and weapons. Military vehicles are highly prized, as are much more fuel-efficient motorcycles. Airborne nomads are very rare, as finding a safe place to land is becoming increasingly problematic due to the looting of aircraft fuel and parts by other survivors.

A variant of the road gang are small fleets of fishing boats moving along waterways and the coast. They typically stay close to land and avoid military naval vessels and Coast Guard patrols as much as possible.

Surviving on the open road may be safer in some ways than putting down roots, but can be more dangerous in other ways. A few examples are provided below.

· High speed tire blowouts can be lethal if the driver looses control of the car. Remember the rules for vehicle collisions…

· Spare parts may be hard to come by.

· Bald tires make for bad driving. Increase difficulty of all rolls. Same for snow, ice, rain, mud.

· When scavenging fuel from old vehicles, remember to filter it, or carry a LOT of extra fuel filters, if you can find them.

· Radiator damage and loss of coolant kill engines.

· Worn radiator hoses blow under pressure, which is a nasty surprise if the cast members are trying to outrun somebody.

· A cast member can't see through the oil spraying the windshield if their ride throws a rod.

· Drive shafts can and do break under repeated high speed stress on bad roads. Car usually flips and rolls unless the shaft breaks at the rear axel, which usually kills the transmission.

· If the linkage between the fuel injector and the accelerator pedal breaks, uncontrolled acceleration and a red-lined engine results. Then the torque converted sheers in half and grinds the transmission into scraps.

· Engine fires fill the cab with smoke and toxic fumes almost immediately.

· Electrical shorts in stereo wiring can ignite floor board carpeting.

· It's impossible to drive a stand shift vehicle at high speeds if one arm has been incapacitated from a wound.

· Power steering fluid seals burst under pressure. Sudden loss of power steering increases the difficulty of maneuvering rolls by at least a couple of levels.

· Hitting a cow at high speed is like running into a wall, except the cow usually ends up in the front seat, crushing everyone there. Survivability is minimal.

· Physics dictate that a cast member can't throw something like a grappling hook from his/her car to one in front unless the cast member can throw the hook at several hundred miles per hour. Fortunately, several 12-gauge shotguns have modifications for just this sort of thing. The surest bet is to drive alongside and try to make the driver run off the road by shooting at him/her.

· Zombies stand around a lot, and make for interesting dodge rolls for drivers.

· Lack of oil changes kills engines.

When determining the number and composition of a nomadic group of survivors, consult the following table. Roll once for each category or use one die roll and read across the column.

Die Roll	# Survivors	# Vehicles*	Equipment	Armament
1	1D6	1D3	Poor	Melee only+
2	2D6	1D4	Poor	Civilian
3	3D6	1D4	Adequate	Civilian
4	4D6	1D6	Adequate	Civilian
5	4D6	1D6	Adequate	Civilian, Military
6	4D6	2D6	Good	Civilian, Military
7	5D6	3D6	Good	Civilian, Military
8	6D6	3D6	Excellent	Military
9	6D10	4D6**	Military	Military
10	1D100	6D6***	Military, Heavy	Military, Heavy

+Firearms may or may not be present. This could simply indicate that the group is out of bullets.

*Can be horses, oxen, camels, etc. with or without wagons at ZM's discretion.

**Can include armored fighting vehicles, infantry carriers, tracked vehicles, etc.

***Can include armored vehicles such as tanks and self-propelled artillery

Notes:

Vehicles

If desired the ZM can roll 1D6 to determine the relative state of the vehicles, with 1 = barely running and 6 = fully functioning and fully loaded.

Equipment

Poor – Very little equipment, ammunition, food, water, etc.

Adequate – Basic survival gear like sleeping bags, canned goods and bottled water.

Good – Mixture of civilian and military surplus equipment. Water-proofing, basic water purification, preserved food, etc.

Excellent – State of the art outdoor survival gear, preserved food, water purifiers, etc. Self-contained and self-sufficient. Probably includes military equipment.

Military – Full fighting loads, Geiger counters, chemical sniffers, gas masks, armor, etc.

Military, Heavy – As above, but also includes

Armament

Civilian – Weapons are civilian models with occasional military-style semi-automatic rifles.

Military – Weapons are military firearms.

Military, Heavy – Weapons are military firearms, including rockets, mortars, grenades, and/or artillery.

Improvised Armored Vehicles/Improvised Assault Vehicles (IAVs)

If the ZM deems it appropriate, a given group could contain vehicles that have been modified to include increased protection and mounted weapons.

Adding metal and ballistic sheeting can enhance protection for the occupants and contents of the vehicle. A vehicle’s basic AV can be increased by 100% (i.e. 2 to 4, 3 to 6, 5 to 10) at a cost of ½ cargo capacity loss and a ¼ decrease in fuel efficiency while increasing weight by ¼ total vehicle weight, rounded up. Speed is also reduced by ¼.

Weapon mounts can be range from a machinegun spot-welded to the roof to a fully rotating turret. Turrets can have permanent weapon mounts that support large machineguns, or can be “cover” turrets providing a space for a shooter to rest his or her own weapon (usually a rifle or Squad Assault Weapon) and fire from relative protection. In terms of loss of cargo capacity, a turret counts as 2 point of armor increase.

So, for example, armoring a 1ton cargo pickup truck and mounting a “cover” turret above the passenger seat yields the following statistics:

Armored 1-ton capacity pickup truck with improvised “cover” turret
Weight: 4400 lbs	DC: 51
Speed: 82/37	AV: 6 (would have been 8 without turret)
Acceleration: 15 (reflects extra weight)	Accuracy: N/A
Range: 340	Cost: N/A
Toughness: 3	Availability: U
Handling: 2 (reflects extra weight)
Notes: Turret above passenger seat. Weaponry is .30-06 bolt action rifle with adjustable 3-9X daylight scope. A spotlight is mounted to the top of the turret and can be rotated from inside. A simple hatch is welded to the top of the turret and locked from the inside with a bolt-latch.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE INDIFFERENT

Surprisingly, not all areas of the world were hit as hard as the Western hemisphere. This was attributed by the United Nations to the large numbers of weapons available in the United States, Mexico, Central, and South America and to the temperament of the populations of these nations.

Some nations who were better able to cope with the threat offered assistance to their beleaguered ally. The motives of other nations were more pragmatic. After all, America’s nuclear stockpile remained intact, and a wounded animal is the most dangerous kind. And a few saw their assistance as an opportunity to obtain technology or other resources. For the most part, the move was well intentioned.

It really didn’t matter. By the time the UN Peacekeeping forces began to take up positions around the country, hundreds of independent groups were shooting at them as they attempted to assist Americans who were willing to accept any help offered regardless of its source. The Peacekeepers, in accordance with UN directives, used force when necessary. The end result was a spiral of escalating violence that cut off the UN forces from any chance of relocation or evacuation.

The following nations contributed troops to the failed UN relief effort in the United States during Week 2 and Week 3. By Week 4 they have all suffered at least 10% losses to the living dead, incidental attacks, and deliberate attacks.

Nation	Number of Troops	Location
United Kingdom	4000	New England
Japan	2000	Southern California
Canada	6000	Upper Midwest
Sweden	2000	New England
Russian Federation	8000	Southwest
Peoples’ Republic of China	15,000	Northern California
France	4000	Virginia
Kuwait	500	Texas
Bahrain	800	Florida
South Africa	1000	Lower Midwest

Unless evacuated by the US military or their homelands, few of the Peacekeepers will remain alive by Week 8.

Typical equipment of the UN Peacekeeping forces are similar to US Military urban and security units.

· Armored Personnel Carriers – Commando V-350 (see core rulebook, p. 141)

· 5.56N and/or 7.62N assault rifles and squad support machineguns

· Class IV body armor and Class III helmet

· Integrated communications equipment (i.e. helmet-mounted radios)

· Non-lethal munitions (see below)

Non-lethal Munitions

CS Gas, Tear Gas and Pepper Spray

Various incapacitating gases, differing primarily in the method of delivery and range of effect.

Treat these as area-effect Strength 5 toxins (see page 107 of core rulebook). If the cast member or extra fails their Contest against the toxin, they are affected in the following manner:

· Damage is non-lethal, inflicting D8 (4) points of “temporary” damage per round of exposure. After leaving the area of effect the victim will continue to be affected by non-“damage” effected for 1D6X10 minutes.

· Effects are blindness and disorientation (treat at Total Darkness, p. 102 of core rulebook). Additionally the victim will be wracked by nausea and dizziness for the duration of effect.

· Damage is recovered at a rate of 1 Life Point per Constitution level per 10 minutes of rest.

· Area of effect can be personal (i.e. pepper spray or mace) or hundreds of yards downwind from a 60’/20m radius (gas grenades). Cast members and extras trapped inside a large gas cloud may not be able to find their way out and continue to be exposed until they reach 0 Life Points and either fall unconscious or are rendered incapable of physical activity.

· Dispersal of gas is dependent on wind, weather and terrain. Clouds will linger for up to a couple of hours on still days in areas surrounded by tall buildings. In open fields on windy days the gas may not persist for more than half an hour.

· Gas attacks are most often delivered by 40mm grenade launchers and thrown grenades.

· Gas masks render the wearer immune to the effects of these gases unless the mask uses the wrong filter. For untrained users, there is a flat 50% chance that a given gas mask has the wrong filter (for example, biological filters or nerve gas filters instead of CS gas filters). Of course, the cast member won’t know this until they are hit by a gas attack.

Rubber Bullets

· Treat as normal bullets except that ¾ of damage is non-lethal and only ¼ is lethal. The lethal damage is not doubled as the bullet doesn’t typically penetrate the body. The non-lethal damage is doubled to represent the pain and injury caused by the high-speed projectile.

Illegal Weapons

Mustard Gas

Mustard gas is easily manufactured. Treat as tear gas except the damage is lethal. Also as with tear gas, the wrong filters on a gas mask will render it useless.

Improvised Explosives

Most often utilized by violent militia movements, these are homemade bombs that mimic the effects of conventional explosives. They may not, however, resemble conventional explosives. For example, what appears to be a can of soup could be a hand grenade, and that suitcase on the shoulder of the highway could explode with the force of a mortar shell. Most are simply hidden to prevent discovery before the weapon is detonated.

New Skill

Craft - Improvised Explosives – The cast member is skilled in the preparation of explosives from unconventional sources. The improvised explosives have the properties of the explosives described in the core rulebook as determined by the cast member attempting manufacture.

PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO: ADVENTURE SEEDS

Round ‘Em Up!

Just getting around can be a real hassle even if you aren’t attacked by zombies. The cast members can easily become caught up in riots and looting sprees, and just as easily be “acquired” in a police round-up of suspected insurgents, terrorists, and more mundane criminals. A potential complication may be that the only good place to hide is in an area with a high number of zombies.

Traffic Nightmare

Traffic nightmares make for a horrendous start to any AFMBE game: cast members commuting home from work, stuck in traffic, thinking it's just a wreck. People start running past them heading back the ~other~ way on foot. Ooops! Zombies are moving toward the cast members spreading outward from the scene of the wreck. Lucky cast members would have tools (i.e. heavy metal objects/clubs). Office workers have brief cases and the occasional tire iron. Maybe a few commuters have guns. So the cast members end up on foot, miles from home, caught between being crushed by panicking commuters and eaten by cannibalistic corpses.

Put in Time-Out

Cast members could run across "Collection Areas". These are, basically, concentration camps set up by the government to hold "exposed" individuals. So, it's not just dodging the zombies, it's also staying away from an overzealous government that thinks living people from infested areas are in some way dangerous. A potential complication may be that the only good place to hide is in an area with a high number of zombies.

The truly evil version of this situation is to have the Collection Area operated by non-government forces. In this case there is no legal recourse and any rights or protections afforded to the cast members are solely at the discretion of whoever has captured them.

General Problems and Hazards

· Hiding out and not getting found by either the living or the dead while the cast members heal up, repair equipment, reload ammunition, or just try to get some rest.

· Locating friendly or allied groups among the various violent factions that are busy burning the country to the ground.

· Attempting to locate food, water, and other necessities.

· Protecting what the cast members already have.

· Food shortages.

· Slave labor used by some unscrupulous militias. The cast members could either be the victims of this situation, or try to stop it. This could be very problematic if the slavery is going on in a surviving Relocation Center.

· Uniting various groups who have been separated by race, class, or some other factor by their captors or leaders, each group of which alone cannot hope to improve their situation.

· Rogue Military and Police units.

· Disarmed and helpless Refugees. These are people that simply will not survive for many more days unless someone helps them. They have nothing. They have nothing to loose. They could be highly motivated if the cast members deal with them properly.

· Caught up in full-scale war between various factions. These are typically three- or more sided fights between government forces, one or more anti-government forces, and zombies attracted to all the bright flashes and loud noises.

· Dodging looters, bandits, and other marauders. These may be either nomadic or local. Alternately the cast members could be looking for their opponents for revenge, to recover kidnapped/conscripted allies, or to recover supplies and equipment.

· Cast members run afoul of an illegal civilian Rescue Center that is hidden from both soldiers and zombies. Maybe they simply don’t want the cast members telling anyone else that they exist.

· Rescuing people who may not want to be rescued for some reason.

Rescue Center Scenarios

· Cast members start out in a Rescue Center and must rebel against guards and either take over the Rescue Center or flee. This could be because the Rescue Center is being run by abusive personnel or because Something Bad is happening in the Rescue Center (human-zombie medical experiments, for example).

· The cast members must free people from a Rescue Center. Their goal may be to break out fellow gang or militia members, or to remove friends and/or relatives to a safer location.

· The cast members are government troops who must attempt round up civilians and bring them from a zombie-infested area to a functional Rescue Center. This could get really interesting if the civilians are resisting and the primary Relocation Center turns out to have been overrun since the cast members left. They could end up with a large group of refugees to protect while searching for a functional Rescue Center to take in their charges.

Other Adventure Seeds

· The cast members are convicts who are promised amnesty for testing experimental weapons on zombies in infested areas.

· Cast members participate in heavily armed and well-equipped expeditions into highly infested areas to recover "important" items or to secure an important area.

· Cast members come into conflict with other survivors over transportation, weapons, etc. while the dead close in on them.

That’s Just Wrong…

· A crazed hermit out in the woods or ruins carries a small television everywhere with him or her. The hermit even talks to it while waiting daily for broadcasts. Unfortunately there is either no signal or no power to the television. This person will go absolutely ape$hit if something happens to the lil' device. The hermit may seize on the idea that the cast members can either repair his television or perhaps are the reason it has gone quiet.

· A group of insane neo-cargo cultists nightly gather around a long-dead television and wait for the broadcasts to resume. This situation could be helpful to the cast members, as the group may assist them if it means acquiring a functional television and/or power source. Conversely, the situation could be harmful as the group might try to kill the cast members because they either won't hand over a generator or portable television, or just because they're buga$$ crazy and think the cast members are the cause of their misery).

· A survivor maintains the corpses of their deceased family members and friends in the insane hope that they'll resurrect as good as new despite the bullet wounds in their foreheads. Worse still, a survivor may be hiding zombified family members and friends in the basement or in the trailer of their semi truck.

· A preacher keeps his entire zombified congregation locked in the church now that the graves have given up their dead. Maybe the cast members see someone lurking around a building and burst open the doors and, upon entering, find themselves in a zombie flood rushing out at them. This could get even worse if the preacher tries to protect his flock by shooting at the cast members in the middle of the zombie battle.

Or still worse, perhaps the minister actively seeks to add to his congregation of the "blessed risen" by bringing living folks literally into the fold, perhaps by drugging food and water supplies, then dumping the unconscious victims-er-converts into the basement with the zombies.

Variations on this Theme

· Teacher and "students". This educator is continuing to try to do their job despite the fact that their students are dead and trying to eat them.

· Motivational speaker and horde of unmotivated zombies. Complication could be that maybe she's managed to motivate the zombies enough to be stronger, smarter and/or faster…

· Military commander with undead unit chained to their positions and who might or might not still remember how to use some of their weapons.

· Little League Baseball Coach still trying to take care of his team, even though they're already zombified and locked in a cattle trailer.

· Crazed driver still shuttling "survivors" (who are actually zombies) between rescue stations.

The idea here is that isolation might drive someone to try and interact with zombies as if they were still alive.

Other Disturbed and Highly Unusual Alternative Lifestyles

· Combined pack of feral kids and feral dogs.

· Human using zombies as weapons against other humans (maybe drive up to a survivor enclave and unleash a horde from a transport vehicle). Works best if the person actually thinks they're doing the right thing by trying to feed their horde. In the living person's eyes, the zombies aren't weapons (though the cast members won't necessarily know that), rather the cast members and others are necessary for the zombies' needs.

· A human that acts as bait, leading other living people to a hidden horde of zombies that for some reason won't attack their "bait". The opposition wants to draw the zombies away from something or someplace valuable and are willing to use others as proxies if possible.

· Zombies and alligators - the zombies kill the living and the alligators try to scarf up the pre-treated food before it reanimates and wanders away.

THE UNDEAD

Zombie Classes and Cinematic Suspense

The default zombies of this Deadworld are described in Part 1 of this series, “Night of the Dead”.

And to make things more interesting, a new zombie is presented here, and should be considered much more dangerous than the previously described three types.

New Zombie Type: Morpher

The Morpher is unknown to most survivors as it is typically misidentified as one of the other three types of zombies. The Morpher, however, combines the characteristics of the three other types, and adds new abilities, in the following manner. And once encountered, the Morpher is not easily forgotten. Any zombie encountered has a 5% chance of being a Morpher unless the ZM is feeling truly evil…

A Morpher when first encountered, all things being equal, functions as a Biter as described in “Night of the Dead”. Slow, stumbling, stupid, all that sort of thing. The problem comes when the Morpher is exposed to living prey.

In 1D6 turns the Morpher’s endocrine system will begin functioning. The Morpher begins to move quickly and is capable of higher brain functions and increased motor skills (if not good sense as described below).

If the Morpher is unable to catch its prey, after 1D6X10 turns the Morpher’s neocortex fires up and it reacquires near-living intelligence and problem solving capabilities. At the same time the Morpher may retain speed and agility (50/50 chance).

The end result is a zombie that appears to be slow, but can outrun most living humans in less than a minute and can eventually remember how to use weapons, vehicles and other complicated devices albeit with no real skill or control. A Morpher can start a car and crash it through a wall or window, but cannot drive more than a few hundred yards without crashing. They can fire rifles, but with no skill level.

Once the Morpher has successfully fed, previously activated bodily functions begin to close down. In 1D6 turns the Morpher is, once more, a Biter for all intents and purposes.

MORPHER (full activation)

Power	Description
Weight	Life-like (0)
Weak Spot	Brain, Fire (5)
Getting Around	The Quick Dead, Leaping, The Lunge, Climbing (18)
Strength	Strong Like Bull, Iron Grip (6)
Senses	Like the Living (1)
Sustenance	Who Needs Food?, All Flesh Must Be Eaten (8)
Intelligence	Tool Use – level 2, Animal Cunning – level 2, Teamwork, Long-term Memory, Problem Solving (34)
Spreading the Love	Only the Dead; One Bite and You're Hooked (0)
Special Powers	Dr. Doolittle (5) No Pain (1) Rage (-2) Restricted Activity - reactivation time (-4) Stealthy (2)
Power	74 (when fully activated)
Attributes Dead Points 15 Str 4/10 Int 1 Dex 3 Per 2 Con 2 Wil 2 Spd 18 Essence 15 Skills: Brawling 2, Swimming 2, Climbing 2, others as applicable Attack: Bite Damage D4X2 (4)

The speed, Rage, and single-mindedness of the Morpher results in a dangerous ability: collision damage. Refer to the core rulebook, pp. 116-117.

A Morpher running at full speed can inflict D10(5) X 2 points of damage by crashing into a victim or a barricade. Unfortunately for the Morpher, this results in corresponding damage to its own body. Colliding with a cement wall, for example, results in the Morpher taking D10 (5) X 2 damage as well. If the damage is taken to the head, the Morpher can easily destroy itself while trying to batter down a barricade to reach tasty living victims sheltering behind it.

Given enough time and Morphers, they can destroy a 1” wooden wall in a matter of seconds. By rolling maximum damage the Morpher can run straight through a sheetrock wall. It may not survive, but it may well leave an opening for other undead following behind it.

Revised and Expanded Firearms Chart

This may be entirely too much detail for most gamers, but is intended to show the variety of calibers of firearms available in the Western hemisphere. This list is not exhaustive, as there are many variants of most centerfire rifle cartridges. When dealing with civilian firearms, any of the below are possible. Your mileage may vary.

This system should not be confused with real-life, although I’ve tried to make as accurate a comparison as possible. The biggest possibilities are for scratch-built weapons later in the Rise, for example, single-shot break-action.38 Special rifle with a 16” barrel or custom double-barrel .30-06 rifle.

And for evil ZM’s, it can be fun to stick a cast member with something off the wall like a Winchester .405 Lott lever-action rifle. Yes, it is a very punishing firearm. The ammunition, however, is nearly impossible to find even in well-stocked gun shops. In many cases the firearms are more common than the ammunition, especially in the opposing cases of older calibers and popular current calibers. Availability ratings, therefore, are a combination of the availability of the weapon and its ammunition. Either might be fairly common but getting them together could be the difficult part. Another example would be a Krieghoff double-barreled .308 Winchester. Common ammunition. Hand-made rifles (VERY rare).

Expanded Damage Ratings for Firearms in the UNISYSTEM Gaming System

RIFLES AND PISTOLS

Caliber

Notes

Damage

.22 Short

R, SS, BA, SA, PA, SR (C)

D4X2 (4)

.22 LR

R, SS, BA, SA, PA, SR (C)

D4X4 (8)

.25 Automatic

SA (C)

.32 S&W

R (U)

.22 Magnum

R, PR, SA (C)

D6X2 (6)

.32 Automatic

SA (C)

.380 Automatic

SA (C)

.32-30

R, LA (R)

.32 Magnum

R, LA (R)

D6X3 (9)

9mm Makarov

.38 Colt

R, LA (C)

.30 Carbine

R, SR (U)

D6X4 (12)

9mm

SA, R, SS, AR (C)

.38 Special

R, LA

.38-40

10mm

SA (U)

D6X5 (15)

.40 S&W

SA, SR (C)

.38 Special +P

9mm +P

SA (U)

.22-250

BA, SS (C)

D8X4 (16)

.221

BA, SS (U)

.222

BA, SS (U)

.218 Bee

BA (R)

.22 Hornet

BA (R)

.17 Magnum Rimfire

R, SS, BA, SA, PA, SR (C)

.44-40

R, LA (R)

.41

R (U)

.44 Special

R (C)

.45 Long Colt

R, LA (R)

.357 SIG

SA (U)

.45 GAP

SA (U)

.45ACP

SA, SR, AR (C)

.357 Magnum

SA, R, LA (C)

.223/5.56N

BA, SR, SS, AR (C)

5.45 BLOC

SR, AR (R)

.38 Super

SA (R)

.220 Swift

BA (R)

D6X6 (18)

5.7mm

BA (R)

6mm

BA (R)

6.5mm

BA (R)

.357 Maximum

R (R)

7.62 X39 BLOC

SA, AR (U)

.44 Magnum

SA, R, LA (C)

.225

BA (R)

D8X5 (20)

.224 Magnum

BA (R)

.240 Magnum

BA (R)

.243

BA (C)

.25-06

BA, SS (R)

.257 Magnum

BA (R)

.264 Magnum

BA (R)

.270

BA (C)

.280

BA (R)

.284

BA (C)

.30-30

LA (C)

.35

LA (R)

.308/7.62N

BA, SR, SS, AR (C)

.405

LA (R)

D8X6 (24)

.444

LA (U)

.450

SS (R)

.454 Casull

R, SS (R)

.458

R, BA, SS (R)

.475

R, BA, SS (R)

.480 Ruger

R, SS (R)

.50AE

R (R)

.500 Magnum

R (R)

.50 Desert Eagle

SA (R)

.375 Magnum

BA, SS (R)

.338

BA, SS (U)

.45-70

SS, LA (R)

.45-120

SS (R)

7mm Magnum

BA (U)

.300 Magnum

BA (U)

.50 Beowulf

SA (R)

.502

SA, AR (R)

.499

SA, AR (R)

.457 Magnum

LA (R)

.30-40 Krag

BA (R)

.30-06

BA, SR, SS

.30 Browning

BA, SR, AR

.308/7.62N ^

BA, SR, SS, AR (C)

.30-378

BA (R)

.303 British

BA (R)

.577 Tyrannosaur

SS (R)

D10X6 (30)

.470 Nitro Express

SS (R)

.500 Express

SS (R)

.600 Nitro Express

DB (R)

.700 Nitro Express

DB (R)

SHOTGUNS

12-gauge birdshot*

SS, LA, SA, DB (C)

D6X5 (15)

12-gauge buckshot*t

SS, LA, SA, DB (C)

D8X6 (24)

12-gauge slug*

SS, LA, SA, DB (C)

D8X5 (20)

20-gauge birdshot**

SS, LA, SA, DB (C)

D6X4 (12)

20-gauge buckshot**

SS, LA, SA, DB (C)

D8X5 (20)

20-gauge slug**

SS, LA, SA, DB (C)

D8X4 (16)

.410 birdshot

SS, LA, SA, DB (R)

D6X3 (9)

.410 slug

SS, LA, SA, DB (R)

D6X4 (12)

*Also 10-gauge

**Also 16-gauge and 28-gauge

Notes:

SA = Semi-Automatic Handgun

R = Revolver (if you’re worried about single-action vs., double-action, do your homework)

SS = Single-Shot Rifle

PR = Pump Action Rifle

LA = Lever Action Rifle

BA = Bolt Action Rifle

SR = Semi-Automatic Rifle

AR = Automatic Rifle/Assault Rifle (if you’re worried about SMG vs. AR, do your homework)

DB = Double-barrel

(?) = indicates how common the caliber is likely to be on average; see the AFMBE core rulebook, page 126.

^ = increasing damage of .308/7.62 NATO is more realistic

+P= Overpressure shells/hot loads

N = NATO

BLOC = Russian/Eastern European origin

Cells shaded like this indicate weapon covered in core AFMBE rulebook. No copyright infringement intended – this is a useful tool for comparison and for expanding descriptions of types of firearms

This table does not list all possible calibers that can be found in Single Shot rifles. At one time or another, single-shot rifles have been manufactured for almost all non-metric calibers.

Damage for weapons was determined based on the smallest and largest calibers listed in the AFMBE core rulebook, ranked by a number determined from muzzle velocity, muzzle energy, and average bullet mass.

Manufacturer designations (S&W, Tyrannosaur, etc.) are used without permission.

EPILOGUE

By the end of Year 2, it was over.

There weren’t enough of the living left to stem the onslaught of the dead.

The few who survived hid themselves on islands, in isolated mountain valleys, and in caverns beneath the earth.

And they waited. And waited. And one by one the tiny groups of survivors died out.

And the Earth remained silent as it continued on its course around a bright sun, spinning beneath bright blue skies. Skies no different than on the day the Dead began to rise up against the Living.

But the grass still grew and birds still sang and the animals continued on with their lives.

Theirs was a quiet Earth.

Acta est fabula. Somnus ad aeternum.

Requiescant in pace.

Appendix 1 – Scrounging

YOU FOUND A WHAT???!!!

URBAN SCROUINGING AND SEARCHING
FOR THE ALL FLESH MUST BE EATEN RPG

At some point in most AFMBE scenarios, players will find their characters getting low on ammo, fuel, food and water, or all that and more. Sure, the characters can search, but what exactly do they find? Obviously, the entirety of human manufacturing endeavors is free for the picking if you can get past the gangs, zombies, and other survivors. In lieu of winging it, the following guidelines are suggested.

In searching urban areas or other areas of human habitation, the following factors come into play:

Type of Scrounging:

1. Look for specific item(s): Targeted Search

2. Look for any useful item: General Search

Search Method

1. Look in buildings – very difficult, but better chance of finding usable items

2. Look in habitations – difficult, wider range of items, but condition highly variable

3. Look for zombies carrying the desired item(s) – normal, but requires combat, and condition of item(s) highly variable, usually in need of repair

· New Skill: Zombie Baiting: One of more characters distract the zombie(s) while their buddy tries to snatch the desired item.

Using skill Survival (Urban):

1. Skill level + Intelligence: knowing where to look

2. Skill level + Perception: noticing useful items

3. Skill level + Strength: breaking into search areas by brute force

4. Skill level + Dexterity: squeezing through small openings into search area

5. Modifying Quality: Situational Awareness: Targeted Search

6. Modifying Quality: Luck: General Search

Alternatively, use your local equivalent of Survival (Urban). Scrounging, Looting, and Pilfering are good skill substitutes. Or just use Notice or Streetwise.

Outcome of Search (Combined Table)

Modifier	Difficulties	Result #	Targeted Search	General Search
No roll	Routine	N/A	Roll on Random Item chart, below.	Junk/raw materials
+5 or more	Easy	9-10	Adequate: Find item or similar item. Item needs minor repairs.*	Roll 1D10 + 7 on Random Item chart, below.
+3 to +4	Moderate	11-12	Decent: Find item sought. Item needs minor repairs.*	Comfort items (entertainment, personal grooming)
+1 to +2	Average	13-14	Good: Find item sought. Item is serviceable.	Long Term Survival (camping/survival gear)
No modifier	Challenging	15-16	Very Good: Find item sought. Item is in excellent condition.	Long Term Survival (preserved food, clean water)
-1 to –2	Difficult	17-20	Excellent: Find item sought. Item is in mint condition.	Immediate Survival (hand weapon or missile weapon)
-3 to –5	Very Difficult	21-23	Extraordinary: As above, but with extras (ex. ammo, spare parts, etc.)	Immediate Survival (firearm, ammunition)
-6 to –9	Heroic	24+	Mind-boggling: As above, with more extras (ex. cache of items or item and related items)	Perishable items (fresh gourmet food, complex pharmaceuticals, working high maintenance machinery, such as jet aircraft)
-10 or more	Near Impossible	30+	Supply Dump	Everything and more

*Minor repairs – item malfunctions on roll of 1 on 1D10 until repaired.

ALTERNATELY: For each level of success, allow a roll on the Random Item chart below. Roll 4D6 for each find in a General Search or 1D6 in the specified category for each find in a Targeted Search.

Random Item(s): Roll 4D6 to determine category of find. If more detail or an extra random element is desired, roll an additional 1D6 to narrow the find.

Roll	Item(s) found
4	Ammunition (arrows/bolts, bullets, shells). Roll 1D6
	1: arrows or crossbow bolts
	2: small caliber pistol
	3: large caliber pistol
	4: small caliber rifle
	5: large caliber rifle
	6. shotgun shells (1 = 410 gauge, 2-3 = 20 gauge, 4-6 = 12 gauge); other gauges possible: 16 gauge, 28 gauge, 10 gauge, 8 gauge, flechette rounds, non-lethal shells (rubber, wooden dowels, etc.), etc.
5	Alcohol, tobacco, narcotics
	1-2: alcohol
	3: smokeless tobacco
	4: cigarettes/cigars
	5: “mild drugs” – marijuana, prescription drugs
	6: “heavy drugs” – heroin, PCP, cocaine
6	Food/water (clean water, preserved food)
	1-2: potable water (jugs, cans, bottles, etc.)
	3-4: “survival” food (dehydrated – just add potable water!)
	5-6: MREs
7	Tools (mechanical, electrical, wood, manual labor, specialty)
	1: mechanical – automobile or other machinery
	2: power tools – torches, arc welders, saws, drills, etc.
	3: woodworking – chisels, squares, knives, etc.
	4: manual labor – shovels, axes, post-hole diggers, etc.
	5: electronics – computers, radios, etc.
	6: specialty – military, gunsmithing, blacksmithing, etc.
8-9	Parts (spares, repair items, etc.)
	1-3: common item (tires, Fix-a-Flat, JB Weld, caulking, paint, etc.)
	4-5: less common items (machined parts, springs, sprockets, etc.)
	6: rare items (laboratory equipment probes, empty IV bags, etc.)
10-11	Transportation (bicycle, car, truck, etc.)
	1: muscle-powered (skateboard, bicycle, scooter, pogo stick)
	2: spare tires, car batteries, etc.
	3-4: civilian vehicle (car, pickup truck, motorcycle)*
	5: utility vehicle (bulldozer, cherry-picker, cable TV van)*
	6: other (military, custom, specialized)*
	*Vehicle may contain other items at the ZM’s discretion.

12-14	Comfort/Vanity items (furniture, perfume, personal grooming items, lamps, paintings, etc.)
	1-3: furniture
	4-5: other household items (curtains, lamps, blankets, computers, etc.)
	6: non-medical grooming items, household cleaners, etc.
15-16	Entertainment (books/magazines, games, electronic games, radio, etc.)
	1: written material
	2: recorded material (audio CDs or cassette tapes)
	3: radio (1-4 = AM/FM, 5 = CB radio, 6 = short wave)
	4: electronic media (television, computer, etc.)
	5: portable electronic game
	6: other (pornography, home stereo system, DJ turntables, musical instruments, CD players, tape recorders, non-portable game systems, etc.)
17-18	Clothing (street clothes, sneakers, light boots, caps, light jackets, etc.)
	1: footwear*
	2-3: clothing (street casual, grunge, formal, etc.)*
	4: light jacket*
	5: hat(s), cap(s)*
	6: costume(s)*
	*Roll yet another 1D6 – if the roll is greater than the character’s Strength, the clothing fits, albeit baggy if the roll is much higher
19-20	Shelter (building supplies, secure area)
	1-2: wood: plywood, lumber, etc.
	3: sheet metal, cement, high-density polyethylene sheets, etc.
	4: nails, screws, etc.
	5: intact secured building or room
	6: securable attic or crawlspace
21	Survival (packs, flashlights, matches, knives, tents, BDUs, LBE, cold weather clothes, batteries, etc.)
	1: pack, rucksack, LBE, BDU, etc.
	2: matches, lighters, flint/steel strikers, etc.
	3: tools (hatchets, folding shovels, gun cleaning kit, knife sharpener, etc.)
	4: cold weather survival gear or other abnormal environment (i.e. wet suit)
	5: batteries (disposable or rechargeable)
	6: medical supplies (1-2 = medicine, 3-6 = first aid)

22	Hand weapons, missile weapons (bow, crossbow, slingshot, etc.)
	1: edged, small (knife)
	2: edged, large (machete)
	3: blunt, small (sap, blackjack, etc.)
	4: blunt, large (baseball bat, pipe, etc.)
	5: exotic (sword, flail, mace, halberd, etc.)
	6: missile weapon (bow, crossbow, slingshot, etc.)*
	*may have ammo at ZM’s discretion
23	Fuel (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, alcohol, etc.)
	1: grain alcohol (useable in vehicles with carburetors)*
	2-3: unleaded gasoline*
	4: diesel*
	5: kerosene*
	6: leaded gasoline*
	*Roll 1D6 – on a 1, the fuel is contaminated and needs to be filtered
24	Firearms
	1: handgun (revolver). Roll 1D6. The higher the roll, the higher the caliber.*
	2: handgun (semiauto.) Roll 1D6. The higher the roll, the higher the caliber.*
	3: shotgun (pump, semiautomatic, single shot, double barrel, etc.)*
	4: sporting rifle. Roll 1D6. The higher the roll, the higher the caliber.*
	5: non-sporting rifle (semiautomatic carbine, sawed-off shotgun, etc.)*
	6: assault rifle (M-16, M247 SAW, M-14, etc.)*
	*May have ammo and/or accessories at ZM’s discretion.

Optional Tables:

What is the condition of the find?

Roll 1D10	Condition of item(s)
1-2	Perfect/mint/still in box (can be used immediately)
3-6	Used but serviceable (can be used immediately, may malfunction – on a roll of 1 on 1D10 each time used until cleaned/repaired/etc.)
7-8	Used but needs minor repairs (can be used immediately, but will malfunction)
9	Used but needs major repairs (cannot be used immediately)
10	Unusable (scrap it unless you can rebuild it)

Modifiers to condition of the find

+1	Per two months after the collapse of civilization
+1 to +2	Minor exposure to the elements (inside, but roof leaks)
+3 to +5	Major exposure to the elements (laying in open field)
-2	Warehouse
-1	Private home

How much is found?

Roll 1D6	Result
1	Not enough for one
2	Enough for one
3	Enough for 1D3 + 1
4	Enough for 1D6
5	Enough for 1D6 X 1D6
6	Enough for you and all your friends and your friends’ friends.

This last table is deliberately vague, obviously.

Appendix 2

ARCHETYPES

AFMBE Archetype

Militia, Civilian
Norm

Attributes
Str: 2
Dex: 2
Con: 3
Int: 2
Per: 2
Wil: 3

Life Points:
Endurance Points:
Speed:
Essence:

Qualities:
Contacts (Militia) 4
Hard to Kill 3

Drawbacks:
Adversary (Government) 2
Secret (Militia Member) 2

Skills:
Drive (Car) 2
Militia Doctrine/Ideology 2
Craft/Fine Art/Other (job skill) 3
Craft (Improvised Explosives) 2
Survival (Pick type) 2
Computer 2
Swimming 2
Notice 2
Trivia (Pick type) 3
Acting 2
Brawling 3
Dodge2
Gun (Assault Rifle) 2

Gun (Pistol) 2

Hand Weapon (Knife) 1

Gear:
M16A1rifle, 6 30-round clips of ammunition, .38 Special revolver , 28 rounds of ammunition, bayonet, canteen, map, secret orders, 2 days rations, combat boots, sturdy clothing

Personality:
"Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. You don’t have to like it. You just do it.

“What we’re doing is right. We’re defending ourselves. Those dead…things…are bad enough. Why can’t the government fight them instead of trying to round everyone up and put them in camps?

“So, we fight. We don’t like it, but we have to do it. I’m just hoping my family is safe and we can have a normal life again someday.”

Quote:
"You’ll never take me alive, pig!!!"

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFMBE Archetype

Field Agent, FEMA, OEP, or HHS*
Norm

Attributes
Str: 2
Dex: 2
Con: 2
Int: 3
Per: 2
Wil: 3

Life Points:
Endurance Points:
Speed:
Essence:

Qualities:
Contacts (Government) 3
Resources 2 (US Issue!)

Drawbacks:
Honorable 1
Humorless 1

Skills:
Drive (Car) 2
Bureaucracy 3
Humanities, Law 2
Civil Engineering 2
Computer 2
Swimming 2
Notice 2
Research/Investigation 3
Science (Pick type) 2
Questioning 2
Instruction 2
First Aid 2

Gun (Pistol) 2

Writing (Technical) 2

Gear:
Laptop computer, government procedural manuals, Code of Federal Regulations on CD, 9mm Pistol, 2 clips of ammunition, gas mask, cell phone

Personality:
"No sir. No sir. That’s correct sir. But. But. SIR! Listen to me!

“There IS NOT MORE FOOD! We cannot take anyone else in at this location. Half the people here have dysentery and the other half are ready to kill each other for a package of crackers. There is NO WAY we can keep operati-

“Yes sir. I understand, sir. Thank you, sir.”

Quote:
"Okay! People! People! Form a single line to the left and be prepared to show your identification to the officer to receive your rations!”

*Federal Emergency Management Agency

*Office of Emergency Preparedness

*Department of Health and Human Services

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFMBE Archetype

Field Medic
Norm

Attributes
Str: 2
Dex: 2
Con: 2
Int: 3
Per: 2
Wil: 3

Life Points:
Endurance Points:
Speed:
Essence:

Qualities:
Contacts (Government) 3
Resources 2 (US Issue!)

Drawbacks:
Honorable 1
Fear of Attachment1

Skills:
Drive (Truck) 2
Medicine 3
Biology 4
Computer 2
Swimming 1
Notice 2
Research/Investigation 3
Running (Marathon) 2
Questioning 2
First Aid 4

Gun (Pistol) 2

Gear:
Laptop computer, government procedural manuals, surgical mask, basic medical instruments, dwindling supply of medicine, 9mm Pistol, 2 clips of ammunition (1 empty)

Personality:
"Oh god, not another one. Okay. Put him over here. Good. How long ago was he bitten? Oh.

“Oh.

“Um…Alright. Please wait outside. Someone will be available to speak with you shortly.”

Quote:
"I hate this part the worst. Are you finished, padre? Okay. Thank you.”

CLICK CLICK BOOM!

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFMBE Archetype

Crisis Relocation Specialist
Norm

Attributes
Str: 1
Dex: 2
Con: 2
Int: 3
Per: 3
Wil: 3

Life Points:
Endurance Points:
Speed:
Essence:

Qualities:
Contacts (Government) 3
Resources 2 (US Issue!)
Charisma 2

Drawbacks:
Honorable 1
Recurring Nightmares 1
Impaired Senses (Vision) 2

Skills:
Drive (Car) 2
Trauma Counseling 3
Streetwise 3
Psychology 4
Computer 2
Swimming 1
Notice 2
Research/Investigation 3
Smooth Talking 2
Questioning 2
First Aid 2

Haggling 2

Gun (Pistol) 2

Gear:
Laptop computer, government procedural manuals, surgical mask, 9mm Pistol, 2 clips of ammunition

Personality:
"Here’s a blanket for your baby, ma’am. Awwww. Your daughter is sooo cute.

“When can you go home? Well, not until our soldiers have cleaned out your neighborhood of the, ah, infected.

“Yes. Of course. Of course you can leave then.

“Now try and get some rest. I’ll check the roster again and see if you son and husband have checked in.”

Quote:
"Trust me! Everything is going to be okay!”

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFMBE Archetype

Government Conscript/Militia
Norm

Attributes
Str: 3
Dex: 2
Con: 3
Int: 2
Per: 3
Wil: 2

Life Points:
Endurance Points:
Speed:
Essence:

Qualities:
Contacts (Government) 3
Hard to Kill 4

Drawbacks:
Honorable 1
Recurring Nightmares 1

Skills:
Drive (Car) 2
Drive (Truck) 3
Streetwise 3
Mechanic 3
Computer 2
Swimming 2
Notice 2
Gun (Rifle) 3
Smooth Talking 2
Pop Culture Trivia 2
First Aid 2

Haggling 2

Gun (Pistol) 2

Gear:
Old and ill-fitting uniform, vintage Load Bearing Equipment (LBE), Winchester .30-06 bolt-action rifle, 55 rounds of ammunition, canteen, hatchet, work boots, 1 day of rations, flashlight, ripped backpack

Personality:
"Momma, momma, can’t you see?

“What the Army’s done for me?

“Used to drive a Chevrolet!

“Now I’m marching everyday!

“Yeah, marching alright. Marching straight to hell and back everyday. Doesn’t matter how slick those Anti-Reanie boys say they are. Some of those dead things always slip through the cracks. Damned things are harder to kill than cockroaches.”

Quote:
"I hate this job.”

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFMBE Archetype
Anti-Reanimate Specialist
Survivor

Attributes
Str 5
Dex 4
Con 4
Int 2
Per 3
Wil 3

Life Points
Endurance Points
Speed
Essence

Qualities
Fast Reaction Time 2
Situational Awareness 2
Hard to Kill 4
Nerves of Steel 3
Acute Sense (Hearing) 2
Resistance (Fatigue) 2

Drawbacks
Reckless 2
Cruel 1
Showoff 2

Skills
Drive (Car) 3
Running (Marathon) 2
Streetwise 2
Surveillance 2
Hand Weapon (Axe) 4
Survival (Pick type) 2
Dodge 2
Notice 3
Mechanic 2
Gun (Assault Rifle) 4
Brawling 4
Stealth 3
Gun (Shotgun) 2

Gear
M14 rifle, 6 30-round magazines, 12-gauge pump shotgun with pistol grip, 23 shotgun shells (buckshot), blood-stained uniform, field pack, canteen, 2 days rations, BIG axe, whetstone

Personality
”Man oh man. I love it when you get that perfect swing in and…SWOOSH! Head flies right off. I mean right the @!@#!@ off like a Frisbee!

“Dumb dead f**kers. No way we’re not gonna get through this mess. No way.

“Right guys? Right?

“Hey! Where’d you go, Burt?”

Quote “No, you got the last one! This one’s mine!”

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFMBE Archetype
Vulture Squad Member
Survivor

Attributes
Str 4
Dex 4
Con 4
Int 2
Per 3
Wil 3

Life Points
Endurance Points
Speed
Essence

Qualities
Fast Reaction Time 2
Situational Awareness 2
Hard to Kill 4
Nerves of Steel 3
Acute Sense (Vision) 2
Resistance (Heat) 4

Drawbacks
Reckless

Skills
Drive (Fire Truck) 3
Running (Marathon) 2
Streetwise 2
First Aid 2
Hand Weapon (Machete) 4
Survival (Pick type) 2
Dodge 2
Notice 3
Gun (Shotgun) 3
Brawling 4
Stealth 3
Gun (Flame Thrower) 5

Gear
Semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun, 53 rounds of buckshot, Flame Thrower with 12 rounds of fuel left, machete, whetstone, Fire fighter suit, oxygen tank, gas mask, scorched baseball cap, sack full of body bags, first aid kit, fire extinguisher

Personality
”Hey? You smell something burning?

“Sorry. I love that joke. Yes, of course it’s a joke. What? It’s a joke because they burn up, y’know? Oh, forget it.

“How’re my gauges looking? Good? Good. Okay, boys. Let’s light ‘em up!

“Thank you, sir! No problems. Burned out a nest of ‘em this morning. You guys just keep on keepin’ those Commie-Anarchist-Nazi-hillbillies off our backs and we’ll get this joint sanitized before dinner.

“Say, that reminds me. You smell something burning?”

Quote “Bring out your dead!”

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFMBE Archetype
Vigilante
Survivor
Attributes
Str 4
Dex 4
Con 4
Int 2
Per 3
Wil 3
Life Points
Endurance Points
Speed
Essence

Qualities
Fast Reaction Time 2
Situational Awareness 2
Hard to Kill 4
Nerves of Steel 3
Acute Sense (Vision) 2
Resistance (Sleep) 3
Resistance (Pain) 3

Drawbacks
Adversary (Government) 2
Adversary (Criminals) 2
Cruel (level 2) 3

Skills
Drive (Truck) 3
Running (Marathon) 2
Streetwise 2
Surveillance 2
Questioning 3
Hand Weapon (Club) 4
Survival (Pick type) 2
Dodge 2
Notice 3
Gun (Rifle) 4
Brawling 4
Stealth 3
Lock Pick (Mechanical) 2
Craft (Improvised Explosives) 2

Gear
Marlin .30-30 level action with stock sawed off into pistol grip, 24 rounds of ammunition, big black hat, trench coat, 3’ piece of ½” diameter pipe/club, manacles, pliers, hammer, nails, rope with noose, 4 improvised HE grenades, 5 improvised smoke grenades, gas mask, steel-toed boots

Personality
”You got shot, huh? Too bad, a$$hole. That’s just gotta suck. First you get shot. Then you get hung.

“Guess you should’ve thought about that before you torched that house last week. Wasn’t you, eh? That’s not what I hear.

“You better cowboy up, son. And stop cryin’. Bad enough you’re gonna mess your drawers when you drop.

“Yeah, boohoohoo. Chicken$hit punk. Let’s do it.”

Quote
”Vengeance IS mine.”

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFMBE Archetype

Smuggler
Norm

Attributes
Str: 2
Dex: 2
Con: 3
Int: 2
Per: 4
Wil: 2

Life Points:
Endurance Points:
Speed:
Essence:

Qualities:
Contacts (Militias) 2
Charisma 3
Resources 1 (Stockpile/cache)

Drawbacks:
Adversary 2 (Government)
Addiction 2 (Tobacco)

Skills:
Pilot (Small Aircraft) 4
Streetwise 4
Electronic Surveillance 3
Computer 2
Swimming 1
Notice 3
Smooth Talking 4
Cheating 4

Haggling 5

Gun (Pistol) 2

Gear:
Twin-engine aircraft (flat black), IR goggles, Night vision goggles, .45 ACP, 3 clips of ammo, nondescript clothing, load of illegal and restricted goods, hidden airstrip with IR landing lights

Personality:
"On time and on target. No questions. No hassles. That’s how I like to do business.

“Lot of money to be made these days. Well, lot of valuable stuff to be had, anyway.

“You want it, I can get it. What’re ya willin’ to pay?”

Quote:
"Sure. I can get those for ya. Whadda ya got in trade?”

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFMBE Archetype

UN Peacekeeper
Norm

Attributes
Str: 3
Dex: 2
Con: 3
Int: 2
Per: 3
Wil: 2

Life Points:
Endurance Points:
Speed:
Essence:

Qualities:
Hard to Kill 5

Drawbacks:
Minority 1
Recurring Nightmares 1
Adversary 3 (Militia)

Skills:
Drive (Car) 2
Drive (Truck) 3
English Language 3
Mechanic 3
Survival (Pick type) 4
Stealth 2
Gun (Assault Rifle) 3
Notice 3
Brawling 2
First Aid 2

Haggling 2

Gun (Pistol) 2

Gear:
FN-FAL 7.62NATO battle rifle, 4 30-round clips (2 empty), ragged uniform, blue Kevlar helmet, backpack, canteen, 1 day rations, English dictionary in native language

Personality:
Seems like he would be a nice person in better days. Very shaken. Approaching paranoia after fighting a running gun battle with White Supremacists for the last three days.

Barely speaks English. Very hungry. Exhausted. Just wants to go home.

Wherever that is.

Quote:
"Ajuda! No shoot!”

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFMBE Archetype

Field Agent, Department of Homeland Defense
Norm

Attributes
Str: 2
Dex: 2
Con: 2
Int: 3
Per: 2
Wil: 3

Life Points:
Endurance Points:
Speed:
Essence:

Qualities:
Contacts (Government) 3
Resources 2 (US Issue!)

Drawbacks:
Honorable 1
Humorless 1

Skills:
Drive (Car) 2
Bureaucracy 3
Humanities, Law 2
Humanities, International Law 2
Computer 2
Electronic Surveillance 2
Notice 3
Research/Investigation 2
Surveillance 2
Questioning 2
Instruction 2
Streetwise 2

Gun (Pistol) 2

Second Language (Pick one) 2

Gear:
Laptop computer, government procedural manuals, Code of Federal Regulations on CD, 9mm Pistol, 2 clips of ammunition, gas mask, cell phone

Personality:
"Excuse me. Please step over here. Stop. Now lay your bag on the table and take three steps back.

“Officer? Please proceed.

“Of course you can ask. You ARE an American, aren’t you? We are conducting random searches of all relocated persons- Yes. You are a relocated person. I’m sorry. You say you were taken from your home at gunpoint. Why did you resist? Why did you refuse to cooperate with your government?

“Officers? Please detain this… relocated person. I think he’d like to tell us about resisting the Federal government.”

Quote:
"Doing right has no end. Ours is the eternal struggle for vigilance in the face of enemies both foreign and domestic…blah blah blah…”

WDR, 2004, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

AFTERWORD

“…From These Cold Dead Hands…” is a sequel to “Night of the Dead”. It’s also about mindlessness. The mindless hunger of the living dead. And it’s about mindless obedience to questionable government. The mindless refusal to co-exist with others.

Let’s not be zombies, folks. Listen. Ask. Question. Challenge. There’s a lot more dangerous things out there than zombies in the world. Life’s a much more dangerous place these days. Don’t settle for mindlessness. Cattle are mindless, and no one wants to be treated like cattle, do they?

Sincerely,

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

eMail comments to: eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

All Flesh Must Be Eaten, icons, personalities, and images are copyright 2000 Eden Studios. All Flesh Must Be Eaten is a trademark of Eden Studios. Use of the All Flesh Must Be Eaten trademark on this site has been expressly granted by Eden Studios, but Eden exercises no editorial review or responsibility for the content of this site. Requests for such permission should be directed to Eden Studios. None of my work is their fault. They’re nice folks.

And don’t miss these groovy inspirational movies and books:

· Dawn of the Dead

· I Am Legend

· Book of the Dead and Book of the Dead 2: Still Dead

· Max Mad

· Assault on Precinct 13

· Fort Apache, the Bronx

· Escape from New York

· Red Dawn

Alternative Version, or “Hey! Where’d All Those Zombies Come From?”

YOU FOUND A WHAT???!!!

URBAN SCROUINGING AND SEARCHING FOR THE ALL FLESH MUST BE EATEN RPG

Search Method

Outcome of Search (Combined Table)

Result #

No roll

Routine

Roll on Random Item chart, below.

Junk/raw materials

+5 or more

+3 to +4

+1 to +2

No modifier

-1 to –2

-3 to –5

-6 to –9

-10 or more

Roll

Modifiers to condition of the find

How much is found?

Roll 1D6

URBAN SCROUINGING AND SEARCHING
FOR THE ALL FLESH MUST BE EATEN RPG