Zombie apocalypse shadowrun., How to? Options

[Sir_Psycho]

I've been considering applying shadowrun rules and setting to a zombie apocalypse style game. Personally, I would use a break-out of self-replicating advanced nanites, Gemini in particular to create overwhelming rage. Also, the nanites would act as RFID's for the others, so that they wouldn't attack each other. Throw in some high pain tolerance and some other qualities and you've got zombies. I've had plenty of other ideas, but I might pop those in once the thread is up and running.

So my question is, how would you run a zombie apocalypse survival horror game? What would be your reasoning behind the proliferation of zombie hordes? What house-rules would you have to implement? Ever done it?

[Ancient History]

Shedim. Shedim are always fun.

[Fuchs]

Ghouls. Up the infection rate, drop the intelligence, and you've got your zombies.

[HappyDaze]

I like the nano-based techno-zombies idea better for SR than the traditional ones. Especially if a necro/technomancer learns to command these 'undead' beasties.

[Lionhearted]

I like the nano-based techno-zombies idea better for SR than the traditional ones. Especially if a necro/technomancer learns to command these 'undead' beasties.

Or maybe he released them in the first place, for some obscure reason.. who knows what a deranged mind thinks of, not only do you get the worlds first "toxic" technomancer, but you also might imagine what happens or have happened if the pure proccessor power of the hivemind overwhelmed the poor sod, releasing an uncontrolled spread, with only a small colony left in our toxic friends care.. the question is, would he strife to control them all (que pokémon theme) or become a missunderstood protagonist searching to undone the evil he let loose.. oh the possibilities (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Edit: before someone else says it "We are borgs! resistance is futile, prepare to be assimilated. Your abilities will be added to our own as a part of the collective. Resistance is futile!"

[Stahlseele]

"We Are The Web, Resistance is Volt divided by Ampere!"
Zombies are Real even today . .
usually found in Windows Based Networks.

[The ubbergeek]

An idea entertained by my; could a biotech genius/corp (with magic help) could have tempered with the krieger Strain virus or another strain?

Like super ghouls, brainless and more corpses-like, and a more infectious virus?

[Wounded Ronin]

House Of The Dead 2, people. That's the way to do SR with zombies.

I feel like to do true zombie survival stuff you would probably need an enhanced hit location system since zombies are all about headshots and crippling dismemberment.

[Stahlseele]

An idea entertained by my; could a biotech genius/corp (with magic help) could have tempered with the krieger Strain virus or another strain?

Like super ghouls, brainless and more corpses-like, and a more infectious virus?

read the SR-Novel with something like Terminus in the title.
more or less exactly what you described, but with vampires

[Heath Robinson]

My suggestion: Experimental combat infusion mutates into a transmissable form and gets transmitted into a populated area. For when you want to play with 28 days later "zombies".

[Mithral MAge]

I am doing "Resident Evil" as the basis for the first few runs of my current game. I basically modified the ghoul to fit my interpretation of the RE zombies. Plus they are viral based, not spirit based. So not living in any way in terms of having a soul or spirit. Granted, the virus is living, but virus' do not have soul or spirit. At least not in my opinion. So non living with regards to mana spells.

[HappyDaze]

Plus they are viral based, not spirit based.

Hopefully that's some kind of Awakened virus or at least a genetic infusion gone awry - real science doesn't quite cut it in SR where you do have the needed angles to make weird shit happen.

[Mithral MAge]

Hopefully that's some kind of Awakened virus or at least a genetic infusion gone awry - real science doesn't quite cut it in SR where you do have the needed angles to make weird shit happen.

The movie series seems to be based on pure science, even going so far in the last movie to introduce Psionics/Mind Powers. Plus just because magic has returned to the world of SR doesn't mean pure science can't do some incredibly scary things. I think even the world of SR would be complex enough to have such dichotomies. Even more so then our mundane real world, since magic is so crazy.

So in a world like SR I think "anything is possible" has more meaning then any other reality.

[Cadmus]

Got it, buy stock in caned food, shotguns, and mages who use fire based spells and spirits hehee

[psychophipps]

I you want really nasty, you could always steal from the Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F Hamilton (I only steal from the very best, you see). Have some occult-loving nutter open himself for possession by a nasty spirit of some sort that in turn maintains a gate back to bowels of whatever nasty metaplane you want to have them come from. Then have the newly possessed driven almost insane by the pathetic keening of their kin so they run around and torture people until they also open themselves up for possession to make the pain stop. Give them a magic rating equal to their Will, give them a "screw electronics in the ass with natural EMP" power that is always on, the ability to regenerate, and the ability to toss stun and lethal lightning bolts around as a natural power with minimal drain.

Man, that would be a rockin' game if run correctly...

[Stahlseele]

nah, it'd be:"you're all dead, instantly, every time" kind of game

[Lionhearted]

How the hell are you supposed to beat those guys? Schampoo? (worked in evolution .. although the most blatantly obvious product placements in a movie ever!)

[psychophipps]

How the hell are you supposed to beat those guys? Schampoo? (worked in evolution .. although the most blatantly obvious product placements in a movie ever!)

"Explosives and magic" immediately comes to mind... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

It would obviously be a small-scale bit and the PCs would be more along the lines of tracking and taking the leadership down rather than brawling with the grunts.

And I did say, "If it was run right"...

[Mithral MAge]

nah, it'd be:"you're all dead, instantly, every time" kind of game

Not necessarily. A starting group of SRers would end up dead quick, but one thats been around for a while? With body armor giving rating 6 resistance to electricity and shielding on their electrical systems? Doable.

[psychophipps]

Not necessarily. A starting group of SRers would end up dead quick, but one thats been around for a while? With body armor giving rating 6 resistance to electricity and shielding on their electrical systems? Doable.

And add that you could disperse simple electronic interference detection equipment for identification of the baddies and it's not so rough.

[Synner667]

You could have nanite activated zombies [a la TORG Tharkold]
You could have viral contamination [a la Resident Evil, World War Z, and others]
You could have hive mind infection [a la TORG]
You could have the necro-virus from GURPS Technomancer [I think it is]

Or better yet, a mix of all of them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[sunnyside]

SR has done HMVV outbreaks, Bug City, and drones for zombie survival stuff.


If you want to go with actual undead you could have a horror slip through that starts cranking out the cadavermen.

[Jaid]

SR has done HMVV outbreaks, Bug City, and drones for zombie survival stuff.


If you want to go with actual undead you could have a horror slip through that starts cranking out the cadavermen.

so far as i can tell from the fluff, cadavermen are pretty much spirit-animated corpses.

[the_real_elwood]

Depending on the kind of zombies you want, I don't know if there's appropriate rules for them. If you want mindless undead hordes for your players to blast their way through, you might want to use something similar to ghouls, but under-power them a bit. As is, the standard ghouls are probably a bit higher power than the standard shambling zombie. And if you want a standard zombie game, you've got to decide what weakness you want (like a headshot takes them down or something).

[sunnyside]

so far as i can tell from the fluff, cadavermen are pretty much spirit-animated corpses.

They're probably something like that. I forget the SR rules for those off the top of my head. But Cadavermen are pretty stardard gruntish zombies (who move at a regular pace though, so careful there) some editions also give them a fairly unique "go crazy if they get hurt" ability.

Personally I don't have a problem with runners being up against slightly tougher zombies though. In fact I think things like Renraku shutdown and bug city worked to give them harder opponents. The reason being that runners could carve through so so many regular zombies. It'd be brutal on the tabletop.