Ok, at the moment, my project is a 12 page Cold Hard Truth Supplement that details:
- The 8 types of reanimates (Description & Stats)
- The Eekaidie Power Armor
- Science behind the reanimates
- Some of the rules corrections noted so far
With any luck it should be posted in the next 24-48 hours. However, this is raising some questions I haven't particularly though through, and I want to see what others think.
First of all, the way the plague spreads hasn't been established. We do know its linked to the symbiosis of a biological weapon and nanotechnology. The Nano only functions for 14-18 months, though it is not eliminated from the body for 5-10 years. (Its designed that way - if it was less benign, the immune system would react, and it would cause organ rejection symptoms.) So does this mean that all people who die become reanimates, just those infected in a certain time frame, those bitten, etc. I was kind of thinking that the reanimates would slowly disappear as unlike most zombies, their numbers aren't being replenished quickly - and leave some hope of rebuilding. Or would the more bleak outlook of standard zombie fare be better?
Secondly, two different systems are present for combat initiative. The actual combat rules dictate that it is speed (Animus) + a roll, where as the combat example is a roll of quick added to the attribute. I'm not entirely sure of which one to use. The former reflects injury better, the later seems a little quicker, and probably gives a bit of an edge to the living.
I've also been doing a little more thinking about the rest of the world. Europe is less stable city states and more nomadic wandering - a sort of continent wide A-zone, though there is some central government tyring to assist. Much of Eastern Europe and Russia is rule by the strong or modern day mongol hordes. However, large segments of the army, and the North Fleet (including a number of SSNBMs) seem to be under a central authority (Director Greegon) from the Kola peninsula.
The middle east and north Africa are havens for the Planetary Citizens - those areas are rather like their home planet.
My next project is probably going to be an expose on the Citizens themselves, and possibly some more info of NB. However, I have an ominous feeling that in looking at such specifics as alien cars, I'm overlooking something with farther reaching consequences. Any ideas?
My vote
I vote they not die out and that initiative is affected by injury.
I'm just a big fan of stable settings.
The only way I would change my vote is if you did a series of adventures that detailed the creation, decine and end of the zombie plague, kind of like 8th Tribe or Orpheus, or I think Engel is going this way too, but I haven't been keeping up.
You could set this series of adventures in Las Vegas. The series starts with the invasion. Set the goals of the players. In this story arc the players must... Maybe you only need to develop two adventures, one dark and gritty, War of the Worlds, one silly and funny, Mars Attacks.
Then Zombies. In this story arc the players must... How does Las Vegas become a sovreign state of its own? What was the process? How can players get involved?
Then Zombies decline. In this story arc the players must... How does the world change as humans have to fear less and less from zombies? Presumably, some of the reanimates can think to a degree. How do they react to their own eventual extinction? Do they recognize their flaws, or do they try plans to recruit new members? 5 to 10 years isn't a long time to live. Do they seek to lengthen their lives? Are there new communities of humans or Planetary Citizens that have grown in the wilderness that is progressively less infested with zombies? Are they friendly communities or militant and agressive?
Finally all or most of the zombies are gone. In this story arc the players must... How has the world changed by going through the zombie ordeal? Do the humans try to go back to the way they lived before? Do they resume their war with the shrimps? Has power shifted? Has anyone learned any important lessons? "Our reliance on nanotech opened the door for this mess. We need to work on (fill in blank) instead." (AI, eugenic gene-gineering, Asimov Foundation style societal control, magnetogravitic spacetime manipulation, etc.) Do the players have to deal with killer robots, or a fascist state that actually is a genetically superior race of beings? "Cloned, mindless, soldier drones?! I never thought I would miss the reanimates." Do they have to do something to create a better society? Do they have to stop a group of scientists from opening a wormhole to another dimension that might let in real demons and zombies?
That way you have a metplot that has a beginning, middle and end. You don't have to detail everywhere. You can leave it up to the individual players and GMs to figure out how NEST, or Ireland, or Australia got through these events, but at least tell us how one area went through all these stages.
That's the only way I would vote for dying out zombies.