28 Weeks Later, RAGE! Options

[Stormdrake]

Am playing with the idea of introducing a variant of V.I.T.A.S. that mimics the effects of RAGE from the movie 28 days or weeks later into my game. I like the idea of a virus that spreads so rapidly turning every day house wives or wage slaves into slobbering monsters. I think I would tune down the probability of infection some to allow for moral torture. "Do we kill any one exposed or wait to see if they turn?" Was also playing with the idea of making those infected with the vampire virus or its variants immune to the infection. Could make for some interesting world development as corporations and goverments try and contain the outbreaks while runners are hired to run blockades and enter quarantined areas. Any thoughts?

[Mercer]

I've thought about something similar using HMHVV variants that have a much more dramatic effect on the infected; something like super-ghouls and super-vamps. (For the latter, I was thinking of something along the lines of Blade2.) I've also always liked apocolyptic/total breakdown of society style games. On a small scale, it might be something like Bug City. On a large scale, something like Land of the Dead.

[Stormdrake]

Had similier thoughts about ghouls but was thinking along the lines of "Reavers" from the Serenity movie or Firefly tv series. Able to work togather but completely rabid towards all other metahumans. Was thinking of something along the lines of Resident Evil (1) then Bug City then Land of the Dead depending on the teams success or lack there of. Vamperism might be a better fit though as I could see a corporation messing around with it to acquire the protracted life and other bennies.

[Synner667]

Have a read of 'World War Z' or 'I Am Legend' or read about the Necrotic Plague from one of the GURPS supplements for interesting ways for this to be done.

[Simon May]

World War Z is fantastic. By far the best zombie book ever written. I'm hoping the movie is as good as the book was.

[elemental_sin]

Holy sh!t (!!!) They are making it into a movie?!?! :love: I can't tell if I want to hug someone or shoot the producer, I guess it depends on how well it is pulled off...

[Simon May]

At least get the audio book. People like Henry Rollins do some of the voice work and each interviewee is different. Plus all the voice actors are actually from the regions their characters are from.

[Stahlseele]

i'd refrain from making super ghouls . . or from making it highly contagious . . read marvel zombies and you will see where that leads . . earth has been raided and left void of flesh like a bone thrown to some hungry dogs . . and in the end all the ghouls either eat themselves(not probably somehow . . they never do without any good reason . .) or they just die from loss of a food source . . kinda like the dinosaurs died out . . first the plant eaters because there were no plants left for them to eat due to some global catastrophe . . and then the meat eaters, because the plant eaters are dead . .

[Ophis]

[Stormdrake]

Have read both "I am Legend" and Marvel Zombies. Loved both of them but view them as a possible end if the team fails to contain the threat rather than an envirement for them to run in. After all if my players or I wanted to play in a post apocalyptic world we would be playing something else. Its the threat of such a world occurring that they and I find so appealing.

[MaxHunter]

you guys just gave me some fantastic ideas.

Cheers!

Max

[HappyDaze]

[Stahlseele]

aah . . nanites . . is there anything they can't do? . . grey goo all the way ^^

[Serial_Peacemake...]

Isn't this what Shedim are for? I mean why tinker around with something else when you can simply have a master Shedim doing an invasion?

[Sir_Psycho]

Really, if you want to have a zombie style game, Shedim are very flexible when it comes to style of play. You can have a whole township taken over by force 1/2 Shedim and if you like, you can have them run and slobber and "RAWR BRAAINNNS" just like in 28 Days later. Or you can have them be more traditional Romero Shamblor Zomblors. Or go absolutely nuts (with higher force Shedim) using scary powers and maybe even mutating (Eg. Resident Evil 4)

And for inspiration, and sheer hilarity, i'd suggest the infallible zombie reference resource www.zombiedefense.org. :grinbig:

[Buster]

For SR style magic zombies, you've got to read the Monster Island books. They're free on the internet, so you can read them at work.

[Stormdrake]

All good ideas. However one of the reasons I was thinking virus was to play up the corporation angle. Pick your favorite whipping corporation and have them be developing it as a weapon or medical research that goes horribly wrong. This then gives you not only the infected to throw at your players but corporate forces who are either trying to cover it up and/or retrieve the research. Although you could do it with the afore mentioned Shedim who have taken over a small arcology and then you could have the same kinda fun we all had with the Seattle arcology that was taken over by the AI.

[Blade]

[Roadspike]

[Mercer]

Actually, between Shedim and Rage Zombies (Rageombies?), why not use both? If a whole city is going asswild with a rage virus, there's going to be a lot of corpses around for shedim to hijack. Now you got two different types of zombies running around. It also makes for a good red herring. If the first zombies they run across are shedim, they'll think they have it figured out and then that will really freak them out when non-shedim zombies start running around.

[Serial_Peacemake...]

Well you could just have a normal lethal disease leaving corpses around that Shedim to occupy. Also remember Shedim can get mask self to make things less obvious. Also I generally find that if played right peoples response to Shedim isn't "Oh its a Shedim, no reason to fear." its "Oh ***** its Shedim."

[Stormdrake]

For the end of the first "chapter" am looking at the team having to insert into a corporate facility that has lost control. To do it on a grand scale I was thinking of doing it in an Arcology. Are there any exsisting floor plans for such a place?

[Mercer]

Shedim are scary, but they're known scary. Unknown is a whole 'nother type of scary. PC's go from being scared of shedim to being scared of something that's not a shedim, that could be anything. Head fakes, bait-and-switches, red herrings, the cat jumping out of the trash can, these are all horror staples. Its about managing and subverting expectations.

[Roadspike]

[Synner667]