Just a little apocalypse

A Zombie Role-playing game

Sarah Scoggins 5/2/2013

A Zombie apocalypse one- shot RPG in which the player uses generators to develop a rich scenario and characters.

Table of Contents
Introduction----------------2 Scenario Generator----------8 o History-------------------9 o Lets Build a Scenario---30 Character Generator--------42 Archetypes-----------------43 Lets Build a Character----51 Playing the Game--------58 Appendix---------------61

Introduction
So, you want to play a game?
Just A little apocalypse, or Jaa for short, is a roleplaying game in which the players and the game master develop a rich scenarios and diverse characters. The Zombie mythos is a vast culture that has changed over time. The Zombie thrives on fear and mans most basic fear is: death and what happens after it. Death is the great equalizer and, try as hard as one might- eventually- death catches everyone. The one thing that is

certain in life is , slowly but surely, everyone dies. The zombie contradicts the notion of death, by changing natural order: What happen is death was no longer the end but the beginning?

Over the last century, Zombies have been a major fixture in the horror genre as both a feared and hated thing. dead return from the grave to torment the living. These creatures of doom are not demons from hell but our friends and family; and no matter how close they were to the living, they seek to devour the living, sharing their curse. In the 1960s, the zombie emerged into pop culture. The living dead were everywhere. During this time of chaos, zombies became the harbinger of the fear igniting the human imagination. In the 60s the world seemed it could end at The

any minute. The 60s held the conflict of Vietnam which divided the nation. Martin Luther King led the civil rights movement bringing an end to segregation. Americans watched

as the days of rage race riots tore apart New York and Pennsylvania. Luthers death along with JFKs assignation shook the nation showing that even the good guys are not safe from deaths claws. This was reiterated with Robert

Kennedys death. The world has gone mad and there is no way to escape the horror. With the instability of the world due to terrorist attacks, finance, and energy, the zombie rises from the grave to prey on the rampart fear. They stand out from all other foes because they are an absolute worst case scenario for the

human race.

No matter what happens, as long as a zombie Nothing

apocalypse does not occur, the world is better off. can be worse than homicidal living dead, right?

Professor Robert J Smith? - Yes, the question mark is part of his name- and a team of mathematicians from several universities wrote an article called When Zombies Attack!: Mathematical modeling of an outbreak of zombie infection. The article was calculation of what were the odds of humanity surviving a hypothetical and unlike scenario. Sparing the technical details, unless humanity took out the zombie threat quickly and aggressively, mankind could be doomed in as quickly as 72 hours.

Jaa in a nutshell
The Zombie is everymans bogyman; they have the potential to destroy the world. This manual was designed as

a guide to help generate content by educating player then making them answer questions to make their campaign. Most of the rules and mechanics are at the game masters digression. By doing things this way, the Game Master is given a tool to develop a structured event that can be played in an afternoon. The ultimate goal of this manual is to create

structure in a simple way and direct way.

How to use this Manual This book is very much a guide and a self-contained source of all things zombie; however, do not feel restricted to use only information in this text. Go out and seek all things zombies and be glad. Read through the entire manual before generating content. Game Flow Session can be divided into two portions, Generating and Adventuring. The Generating session should be quite simple. The players and the Game master answer the questions, what to do, what do they want be and how do you want to do it. The adventuring is the fullifiment of these goals. Jaa is best played around a table with quirlky friends and is a social event. Players are meant to interact with each other

in order to make decisions and take action. Of the group, one person is deemed the Game master or GM from here on out, he is responsible for generating the scenario, playing NPCS, he guides the pacing of events, and governs rules. Players will need: pencils, paper, generators, and at least twenty d-6 (dice that are 6 sided). Dice

Mention, Each player has a large starting dice pool. This dice pool does not grow larger over the game. One key factor in Jaa is: choices are important and the results of those choices can change your character. No choice should be made without consideration of its effect on the rest of the game. Dice are used in two ways: success/Fail and bonus effects. As success failure the player must roll the appropriate amount of dice for the challenge in question. Any dice that is an even number is a success while each dice lands on an odd number are a failure. The GM places the

difficulty that the player must overcome. This difficulty ranges easy to difficulty base on the situation and state of the game. If a success is rolled, the player then rolls dice

to see how much of a bonus damage deal or information they receive. The player uses dice to test if they can do something. Tests a can be done against the GM, objects, or players. Dice are rolled when conflict arises. If the outcome is unknown is time to roll dice to decide. Dice are not to be rolled

lightly and should be rolled with clear intent

This Manual is separated into five sections: Introduction- You is here. Scenario Generator Character Generator Playing the Game Appendix

Scenario Generator

Zombies got to come from somewhere, right?

JAA is a system in which the story and inherently the gameplay are derived from the setting to form a scenario. The zombie mythos has evolved over time- so much- that what a zombie is and the abilities that have vary from each appearance. The Scenario Generator is meant to be used as tool to construct a structure for gameplay. The information provided is for players get started in their adventure into the undead doom of the zombie apocalypse. In addition, the generator helps the players to structure their adventure and figure the right pacing to get through their scenario. Zombies are Witchcraft! : The Voodoo Zombie The first traces of zombies can be traced back to West Africa. The term zombie comes from Haitian Voodoo or if one wants to get technical, Vodun- term Zombi. Term Zombi came

from the West African Yoruba tribe. The Yoruba Tribe used the term Zombi to refer to two things, a snake god or high elders in snake god cult. So when slave traders took people from the Africa shores and brought them to Haiti and other Caribbean islands, the name of the Zombi snake god came along too. Over

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time, the practices of the Yoruba tribe intertwine with Christian practices and produced the Vodun, or as we know it Voodoo. The word Vodun means spirit and generally referred

to communicating with or invoking the power to talk to ancestors, divinity, or malevolent entities. With this in

mind, in Haitian Vodun a person referred to as a Zombi was someone whose soul had been imprisoned, lost, stolen, or destroyed by some who in the Vodun hierarchy causing them to be in a state of temporary death. The Zombi was the property of the person who reanimated them and completely subject to their new masters will.
In the 1900s in order to try to take power away from the Vodun, the Haitian government made the creation of a Zombi illegal as well as anything done in connection to zombie-ism which includes but is not limited to performing spells and rituals

which will result in the creation of bad things. As with most things that pertain to magic, Vodun hold the belief of balance: what one puts in will effect what comes out. Hence, does a

healing spell; a good thing will come out. Contrary to popular belief, a zombie is the result of doing bad things After hearing of what was happening on the Haitian shores, Wade Davis, a Canadian ethnobotanist and researcher, came to Haiti research and discover the truth of these mysterious happenings. He published his findings in a novel called, The Serpent and the Rainbow which was later turned into a movie in 1988. He

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discovered what caused zombification was the use of a powder that contained a fatal neurotoxin. This neurotoxin was extracted from the organs of a puffer fish and can be absorbed through the skin. When someone comes in contact with is substance, it can produce a state of extreme paralysis that reduces the victims vitals to an undetectable level which causes them to appear dead. Nine out of

ten times exposure results in the death of the individual. Tales of zombification vary and are often difficult to weed out from the fictional stories but here are some examples of some of the more credible ones: 1898- The reluctant father A young man was turned into a zombie after having gotten another girl pregnant and refusing to take responsibility for his actions. The boy fell ill and died suddenly. His funeral was held

soon after and buried. A few months later, his mother was in town and spotted him working. She claims she came up to him and he did not recognize her. She left to get help but by the time she

returned, the boy was gone and no one knew where he went. The theory is the girls family had a Vodun official turn the boy into a zombie that they could loan or sell to provide for the child. After he was recognized, he was probably killed or sold to someone overseas. Exact Date unknown- The Zombi Bride

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Although already betrothed, a Vodun priest fell in love with a young girl. After she spurred his advances, he vowed he would Sometime later, the girl became

possess her one way or another. sick and died suddenly.

On the day of her burial, the family

discovered that her coffin was too small and decided to bend her neck in a certain way. In addition, a relative dropped a cigarette into her coffin, leaving a burn mark. Some months after her

death, a rumor started that the girl was seen in the company of the priest who had claimed he would have her. A few months after these sightings, the girl in question wandered into her village, emancipated to point of almost unrecognizable except for two things: a bent neck from her funeral and a cigarette burn. After the girl was recognized, the priest decided to free her and any other slaves he had in hopes of avoiding persecution, since Haitian authorities had declared it illegal to create a Zombi and were cracking down on it. Although the girl regained her freedom, she never regained her mind and suffered from severe dementia. 1980-Clairvius Narcisse Recorded by Wade in 1980, Clairvius ordeal actually began in 1962. Clairvius became violently ill and was rushed to the

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hospital where here suffered high fever, body pains, and vomiting blood. While under the care of an American doctor and witnessed

by his sister Angelica, Clairvius died within a matter of days. His body was put into cold storage for 20 hours before it could be released for burial; It took 10 more days to make preparation for his funeral. For the next 18 years, Clairvius was considered dead. In 1980 Angelica was approached by who claimed to be her brother and proved it by using their special nickname. He then explained that he had been contracted to the service of a vodun priest by their brother. The brother did this because Clairvius had refused to sell him his share of a land inheritance. He was awaken from his coffin by the priest and put to work. Two years later, the priest died and Clairvius and the other zombies were free. Because his brother was alive still, Clairvius knew he could not return home and became a travelling beggar. However, upon hearing of his brothers death several years later, Clairvius decided to return home and find his family. Because so much time had passed, there was much difficulty in actually verifying if his story was true or not, so they decided to question friends and family in order make a questionnaire. Clairvius answer every question correctly. He lived out the rest of his day with his family; however, he suffered permanent brain damage. In addition, Clairvius held the

belief that his soul had been stolen for some time and he was an actual dead man walking.

Zombification in a nutshell

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Zombification is a horrific experience. The victim must be exposed to the powder. The most common way is through the skin through the left forearm because of how close it is to the heart; but it can be eaten. The victim then becomes violently ill and dies. o The appearance of death occurs due to due to the reduction of vitals such as breathing and heart rate. o After the vitals reduce the victim experiences paralysis. They are aware of their surroundings but cannot respond. Once death is confirmed, the victim is sent for burial preparation. This could include: autopsy, sitting in a morgue, or other funerary process while the victim is still alive. Once the funerary processes are completed and if the victim is still alive, they are buried alive and wait for their master to awaken them or suffocate. If the victim is found in time, they become the slave of the vodun who put them into this state. Often the

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Vodun leaves a replacement corpse in case anyone grows suspicious Using new technology, researchers have studied the powder and discovered that it is a miracle that anyone survived zombification. Because of the content of the powder, one out of every one hundred exposed to the powder were made into successful zombies meaning that ninety- nine of those died from complications.

Characteristics of Voodoo Zombie

Voodoo zombies: Show emotions. Display thought. Feel Pain. Fear Fire. Recognize their surroundings. Do not have good senses. Can be controlled. Can communicate

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Zombies are Radioactive! : The Atomic Zombie

Over time people change, hence zombies went from creatures of superstition to creatures of science. On July 16, 1945 the United States detonated the first atomic bomb in New Mexico. Many call this the beginning of the Atomic age

while others suggest it began with 1942 with Manhattan Project- the venture that developed the first atomic bomb. Most people label it ending in 1963 with signing of the Partial Test Ban which forbade above ground tests of nuclear weapons. Regardless, the dropping of the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima changed the world. Responses to the bomb vary from sheer terror to excitement. When the bombs were dropped, no one knew what type of effect they would have. Most people were vaporized in an instance while the survivors on the other hand experienced odd injuries. Unlike with most weapons, many of the survivors had not come in contact with the actual blast but still burns and other injuries. People in the surrounding cities became suddenly ill. Pregnant women either miscarried, had still births, or babies with serious birth defects. All these things appeared to be linked to the bombs. The question then

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rose: what could burn a person without fire? The answer was Radiation, a new and terrifying concept that shook what little stability or security people felt. Everyone was terrified of radiation. If it could cause deformities and mutations what else could it do? This fear penetrated every level of society and after Soviet Russia got the nuke, it only got worse. People began to build bunkers. The U.S initiated the Duck and Cover Campaign which were emergency drills in these drills, students and employees took cover under tables while placing their arms above their heads. In actually, these maneuvers were useless, but they were meant to help control the public fear then to prepare for nuclear attack. The Horror genre took this fear of the unknown and ran with it. The world became filled with hypothetical effects of radiation in the manifestations of things such as mutant animals, barren wastelands, experiments gone wrong, and the walking dead. With the fear of radiation high, the space race

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intensified that fear with the

creation of mythical space

radiation. During this time, George A. Romero made the classic Night of the Living dead which focused on the cause of the zombie apocalypse being radiation that originated from an unmanned spacecraft. This film was also the first time zombies had a cause other than black magic. In addition, with the rise of the Atomic Zombie came the idea of zombies eating human flesh. Prior to this point,

zombies did acts of violence but never devouring living victims. Flesh eating became part of the zombie mythos as a permanent fixture at this point.

Characteristics of Atomic Zombies

Atomic Zombies: Are the results of radiation Most eat human Flesh. Are mutations that result from exposure to radiations. Are not restricted to human form but animals as well. Show emotions. Feel Pain.

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Fear Fire. Do not have good senses.

Zombies are Infectious: The Viral Zombie

Over time peoples fear of radiation dwindled to a healthier level. The world knew enough about radiation and

how to protect them properly, releasing them from the crippling fear of its effects. The atomic zombie also lost its power with the lack of cataclysmic events occurring over passing decades. To a more modern soul, the thought of This

radiation reanimating corpses would be laughable.

change is inspired by common modern knowledge that the type of radiation in existence cannot do anything near that damaging except cause cancer in rare cases. The atomic Zombie may have been slain, but the zombie mythos lives well sort of- on. So what do modern techno

savvy people fear: viruses. As seen with the uprising if Swine flu and West Nile disease, humans have a collective fear of some new or unidentified viral out break wiping out entirety of life on this planet. These fears are

strengthening by the fact that some viruses can mutate and

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jump from animal to human as with swine flu.

Over the last

couple of decades several new and deadly viruses have emerged, such as the unexplained HIV. the majority of this

terror emerges from the fact that most people do not fully understand how viruses evolve and they cannot be known fully how they work. In a world where technology is easily accessible and a person can easily know anything, the one thing that they cannot know is scariest thing to the human mind. Most modern day zombies are the results of deaths from some viral infections of either manmade or other origin. Taking from the atomic zombies flesh eating fetish, most viral zombies bite their victims in order to spread the virus through fluid exchange and further infecting other beings, as is in accordance with common viral practices. The spreading

of the infection in this manner causes a certain life cycle.

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As represented, anyone who is bitten will eventually become a zombie and in turn try to bite another person. Unlike in previous carnations, a zombie can create another zombie which leads to exponential growth of the zombie population in a short amount of time. With the ability to

spread the zombie virus, the world could be taken over in less than a week.

Characteristics of Viral Zombies

Viral Zombies: Are the results of a virus. Most eat human Flesh and bite in order to spread virus. Are not restricted to human form but animals as well.

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Feel Pain. Fear Fire. Do not have good senses.

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Zombies are Multicultural! : The Foreign Zombie For the most part, the previous section has reference the zombies from a American stand point; however the undead mythos is not restricted to American shores. The extended family of the zombie is quite large and spans several different cultures. The main concept that the all undead share is: when the undead return to land of the living, they Some of these undead creatures may not be

will wreak havoc.

exactly zombie material has one may come to think of them, but they were once a dead and returned to life, they can still be considered a zombie.

Chiang- Shih (Chinese)

The Chiang Shih is often referred to as a Chinese Vampire; but it more closely resembles a zombie than a vampire. The name Chiang Shih translates to hopping

Corpse. The Chiang-shih is known in Japan as the Kyonshi. Rumor has it that they were started by graver robbers and bandits to scare off other people. Like most zombies, the

Chiang- shih does not retain any of its former human self after they return to the land of the living. According to lore, a Chiang Shih are the reanimated corpses of individuals who souls were not able to go to

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heaven after they died, usually this had to do with how they died. For example, people who committed suicide or executed were considered high risk victims for reanimation. The

reason they were called hopping corpses was due to the stiffness of their bodies due to rigor mortis and how it affected their movements. Although their bodies were stiff,

it did not affect their sex drive for they were known to assault any fair young woman they came across. The Chiang-

Shih has long sharp teeth, a pointed tongue, long thick sharp nails, and greenish skin which may have a glow. When a Chiang-Shih is first reanimated, they are slow, awkward, and stupid; however, over time, they become stronger. The strength of a Chiang- Shih is depicted by the amount of white in their hair. A Chiang- Shih with a full head of white hair could be able to fly, shape shift, and possess super strength. Unlike most zombies, A Chiang- Shih cannot be killed by simply shooting it through the head; it is a complex monster with which certain rules. A Chiang- Shih: Cannot cross a body of running water.

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Tracks its prey by their breathing which implies poor eyesight. On the other hand, holding ones breath makes them invisible to the monster.

Hate Garlic like western Vampires. Fear loud noises, especially lightening. Can be killed by being hit by lightning or a shot from gun.

Once killed can return from the dead unless their body is cremated.

Killing a lower level Chiang Shih is fairly simple; however, once they get a full head of white hair, it is time to call in the professionals. There is a specific type of The slayer priests

Tao Priest who is an undead slayer.

bring with them a special arsenal of papers with prayers and incantations that they would attach to the forehead of the monster. Once attached, the priest would ring a special bell that would make the monster hop back to their grave. Once back in its grave, the Priest would kill the monster or seal it in its grave. If the Chiang- Shih had survived too long, the paper trick will not work and more desperate measures must be taken. The slayer will have to engage the monster in

epic combat using a combination of special weapons and their

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Kung-Fu skills. The slayer could do permanent damage and prevent the Chiang- Shih from regenerating using a sword that was constructed of copper coins bound together with red string or a wooden sword that they would plunge into the heart of the monster.

Revenants (French/European)
The term Revenant comes from the French word revenir which means to return and translates as one who returns. When it comes to classification, the Revenant is an undead being who has difficulty fitting in to the normal vampire or zombie category. Like zombies, they rise from the grave; however, along with decomposition in the reanimation process, elongates their teeth into sharp fangs but the teeth are crooked and jagged not straight like a vampire. In addition to horrible teeth, the Revenants were rumored to smell awful. Many claimed you smell one long before one saw them. Similar to the Chiang-Shih, the revenants were supposedly the souls of evil men, criminals, or people who died violently or due to the plague. The revenant is extremely aggressive and would attack anyone they came across. The revenants were

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rumored to eat people and drink their blood. It was also rumored that they would intentionally bite or scratch people in order to make more revenants. A victim bitten by a revenant would become mysteriously ill, die, and return as revenant the majority of the time.

The Draugar (Norse)

The Draugar or singular draugr are the Norse version of the undead. The Draugar were the living dead who ventured out of their tombs or graves in the form of smoke. Legend has it

that they are seafaring folk who died at sea who came back to life after their body washed up on shore. Along with being able to turn into smoke monsters, a Draugr could change their size. Like the revenant, they were easily detected by their smell of their decomposing flesh that turned either a white, black, or green color. When the Draugar escaped its final resting place, they would inflict on anyone they could find. They would bite and eat the flesh of their victims as well as partake in drinking their blood. They were also rumored to squish their victims to death. According to lore, one does not simply kill a

Draugr by traditional means; weapons are useless and no mortal could kill them. In Norse mythology, the only people able to kill this monster were gods and legendary warriors by

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forcing the undead back to their graves or killing them, again. In order to prevent a person who became a Draugr from returning, one had to take certain precaution, either: stab the Draugr through chest cavity with pair of iron or cut off, tie, or stake their feet to ground to prevent them from moving if they rose again. Because the Norse believed that one could leave their grave the same way they came out, one could also confuse the dead by turning the coffin and covering the doorway.

Bare bones Baykok (Ojibwa/ Chippewa)

Baykok is of Native American origins. The word Baykok means skeletal or decomposed remains, or skin draped bones. The origin story of the Baykok is unknown but according to legend, the Baykok was a skilled hunter. One day while hunting, he came across a magnificent buck which he hunted until he reached starvation and was too weak to pursue to extremely elusive beast. Realizing the end was near; the

prideful hunter began to bemoan his fate. With his last breath, the hunter vowed to that his spirit would never leave his body, even if death took him. Sometime after his death, a group of hunter found his decomposing body which stirred the domain spirit of the hunter. The hunter became the Baykok who

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then attacked and devoured the men favoring their livers in particular. Armed with invisible arrows, a mighty club, and a hunger for vengeance, the Baykok scour the land for lone hunters and warriors to devour.

The Nachtzehrer (German)

Nachtzehrer is a German word that can be translated in two different ways: night washer or night eater/chewer/gnawer. The latter definition is the generally more acceptable translation in academia. Like the ChiangShih, the Nachtzehrer is often referred to as a vampire but in actually shares more in common with zombies. As with most undead, A Nachtzehrer is the result of someone dying from an unsavory death with a touch of unusual such as: illness, suicide, violence, etc. In addition, a male corpse buried near a woman who died during childbirth was risk of becoming a Nachtzehrer with some tales accounting that these women were reanimated as well and following the Nachtzehrer. So the story goes, when a Nachtzehrer is first awaken it has a great hunger that compels it to eat its own body. When its body could no longer satisfy its needs, the Nachtzehrer

would break out of its grave in search of someone to help cure its hunger. The Germans had several ways to deal with Nachtzehrer. In order to prevent them from rising, a person

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could place a stone or coin in the mouth of the dead or bind their mouth shut with several cloths. One could also place sanctified dirt under the chin of the dead to prevent rising. Ultimately, if one wanted to make sure the job was done, they could chop off the head of the deceased or a stake through the head or tongue to prevent the urge to eat.

Zombies are what?

Now that we are properly been introduced to Zombie Mythos can build the scenario. Players will need to decide

if they want to be involved in the scenario creation or not. If the players want to compromise, what they can do is make a list of suggestions and the GM can take it under advisement. The goal is to take what is known about the zombie mythos and expand on. Do not feel restricted to what has already been done or what is historically accurate. Make Zombies what you want them to be.

Lets Build a Scenario!

The goal of building a scenario using the builder is build believable scenarios while suspending disbelief- by asking questions. The Scenario generator is composed of two

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parts. The first section covers building the setting of the Scenario. Time Place Source Attributes of Zombies Premise Tone

The second section covers the scenarios event structure. Characters : protagonist and Supporting Cast Major Plot Scenes

Part I-Setting
The Setting helps develop the boundaries that the Gm and players have to work with while playing out the scenario. The setting dictates what could logically occur in a scenario.

Time

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Time is refers to the period in which the scenario will take place. This refers not only to the physical date, the style of the story. For example, if one chose to place their scenario during the 1980s, their technology will be limited to technology of the time. A player will not be able to pull out an IPhone and role play using it. The time restricts what the players and the GM can do making a more realistic roleplaying experience and better believability.

Place
The scenario has to happen somewhere, Right? The Location, like time, defines what the player can or cannot interact with. If castle with no electricity, they player will not be able to use electronics that do not run on batteries. You can put zombies anywhere in time or space.

Source
Source refers to the origin of the zombies. How did the undead rise and how does it affect the environment? Did a meteorite hit the earth and the radiation from it brings back the dead? Zombies have to come from somewhere and defining the source defines what attributes they will have.

Attributes of Zombies

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The attributes section defines out what your zombies can do. We will cover how it relates to their stats when talk about character creation. The Attributes define the basic functions of the zombies and a divided into four areas: Physical, Mental, and Social. Physical Attributes Physical attributes effect tangible tasks: things that the zombie can in the flesh no pun intend- do. have supernatural abilities that they did Do they

not have when they

were living? How have being reanimated effect their brain? Senses A Zombies senses define how much they detect about the world around them in terms of how much they retain of their previous life. Senses pertain to: Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch. Sixth Sense Some theories speculate that zombified brain may have to power to sense things before they happen. Do your zombies have this ability? Healing

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Some Zombies have the ability to regenerate and repair themselves when they have been wounded. Decomposition How does the physical state of the zombie body effect what they can do overall? If a body is stiff from vigor mortis, would they logically be able to do as much as zombie that is not affect Reproduction Does your zombie have a libido and can they sexually reproduce, or are there other methods of creating zombies? How do you make more zombies? Strength How much damage can your zombie do? Is your Zombie a

War machine or a little too on the dead side? Speed How fast does your zombie move? Can a player easily out run it or not? Are they agile creatures?

Needs

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What does your Zombie need to Survive? Brains? Blood? Beer? What must they have in order to survive? Weaknesses What is the bane of their existence? Do your zombies fear fire? How can they be defeated? Disposal What will one have to make sure that your zombies stay dead but not become infected themselves in the process?

Mental Attributes Mental traits involve cerebral- or rather possible lack thereof- functions that your zombie may have. What kind of traps will your zombies be able to fall for? Intelligence How smart are your zombies? Can they use reason and logic? Can they set traps? Do they understand they are dead?

Emotions Do your zombies know fear? How do they feel if they

feel anything? Can they show sympathy?

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Memories How much does your zombie retain from their days among the living? Can they recall events? Can learn new things and use them? Motivation Why does the Zombie do anything? Why did they rise from grave? Social Attributes Social attributes reference to how well you zombies play with others. Do they do a group dynamic or are the more of a lone wolf. Communication Can your zombies talk? Can they communicate with humans, or other zombies? Social Dynamics Are there certain things you should or should not do as a zombie? Could showing the human mucus to a zombie make him attack others? How do people interact with the zombie? Hunting

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Do your zombies hunt humans and if so is it in groups? Is it intentional methodical hunting or just thrashing about that happens to stumble upon humans? Domestication Can you have a zombie as a pet? Can zombies have pets? Are zombies able to be tamed and used for a purpose? Can one have or be a zombie slave?

Premise
The Premise is fundamental statement of the scenario. The Premise defines the direction that the story, characters, and the events will take and the reasoning behind it. The premise is the reason for the telling the story. A premise can be a simply statement such as, bad things happen when man plays god. A premise is sometimes referred to as a

logline. Essentially, in 30 words or less, one can define the plot of their adventure and use it as a guide when making decisions. The premise is the heart and soul of the scenario because it defines the key point.

Tone
Tone is the voice of the scenario. In what manner is the scenario supposed to be conducted? Is funny or scary? Serious

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or Nor?

Tone defines the manner and style of gameplay and

the attitude of which the players should approach the adventure.

Part 2-Structure
The structure of events defines the path of gameplay and how it will directly affect the player. The structure portion is a guide to how the adventure and create an outline of possible events. Overall, the players and the GM will decide how it goes in the end. The Structure section can be completed after the Character creation process in order to include more of the player information.

Characters
In this section, the GM decides what NPC and player characters the GM will need to have. The GM will need to envision their protagonist and supporting cast as actor in the overall scenario. What events require another player to interact with the world and what is that character like? When including player characters, what must they have for them to play their part in the story?

Major Plot

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The Major plot points are events that cause conflict and cause advancement. A Major plot point does something to

either raise the stakes or change the scenario completely. Major plot are where foremost actions occur. The major plots also help pace the story and prevent it from dragging on.

The majority of stories us a three act Structure which -as its name denotesfive major plot points. I. Act one establishes the setting and story while introducing the overall conflict and premise. a. Inciting incident is the propels the event to occur. b. Plot point #1 is a turning point that pushes the story into the second act. The plot points are game changers that have major effects. has the story set into three acts with

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II.

Act Two is the largest act and has the most events occurring in it. Act two is comprised of events that

establish the premise from the previous act and is a great source of conflict. a. The Midpoint occurs at the middle of the story and signals the start of the final conflict occurring. The Midpoint starts to set for the end of the scenario. b. As with the first plot point, Plot point #e is a turning point that pushes the story into the third act. The plot points are game changers that have major effects. III. Act three resolves all the conflicts that the other two acts started. a. The Climax is the final conflict resolution. From this point, the overall action should fall into concluding events In a 4 hour, so a 240 minute, game session, should occur in this time frame. generators. 1. Inciting Incident( 15-20 minutes) 2. Plot Point #2 (25 -40 minutes ) major plots

This does not include using

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3. Midpoint(

120- 130 minutes ) minutes )

4. Turning point # 2( 170- 190 5. Climax ( 200-220 minutes)

Scenes
Scenes are floating events that advance the overall story in some way or another. When writing down a scene, it is a good practice to include where it occurs along with what and who effects. These events allow the GM to have ideas for

events that will build the story but pick them as needed. The goal is to have more scenes created then needed. Scenes are

the connective tissue of the narrative that the connects the major plot points that in turn completes the scenario. Each scene needs to have some purpose.

Final Note on Scenario Building

Although very technical, the tools above serve as a way to structure and focus the narrative in order to play through in a single afternoon. However, if the players and the Gm want spend more time, the Gm could craft the scenario to have each act being a different session or playing until the midpoint etc. If the players are looking for good stopping or ways to extend play over days, I would recommend stopping on a major plot points; turning points would work well.

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Have fun building scenarios and remember, one of the best ways to build an interesting adventure is using conflict. Conflict makes people have to make decisions and take chances. Even choosing not to respond to conflict has results. As you will see in the character generator in the next section, what the player chooses to do needs to have consequences. One of the responsibilities of the GM is to not only propel and govern the story, but to hold players accountable for their choices. The scenario should change in Because

some way or another dependent on the player choices.

the players are unpredictable, the GM should always have a backup plan. A backup plan can be as simple as alternative Major plot points or dependent floating events. Hence, on

the scenario building sheets are sections for notes. Pencils are your friends GMs- oh and good erasers. The Scenario generator is in the appendix.

Character Generator
~
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44

So whos in this little apocalypse anyways?

So Now that we have this scenario planned out, who is going to play it out? In many tales from the vast zombie mythos certain types of characters reappear. These archetypes help establish the zombies and the conflict between the dead and living. The Character Generator lays out what players can or cannot do based on their stats. Like zombies attributes, Characters are composed of Physical, Mental, and Social

stats. What the player chooses to put into these stats will decide the outcome of the choices they make. Later in this section, character. we look at the composition of a zombie and

Character Archetypes
In the realm of horror in general, there are certain types of characters that reappear throughout time. These

characters are known for either how they died or situations they end up in. Players are not restricted to build

characters that are from these archetypes or GM to use them as NPCS, but they are useful to know and fun to exploit.

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The Betrayer
The Betrayer is someone who is affected by the zombies but neglects to tell the rest of the group. For example, the

betrayer would be someone who was bitten by a zombie but does not tell the others. They eventually find out when the

betrayer starts to show signs of infection that they can no longer hide. The Betrayer is someone in deep conflict; they know something that could result in their death. However, their death would help protect the others in the party. They

want the rest of their party to be safe, but they know the truth of the situation will end up with their loved ones killing them. Their chances of survival overall are very little. Traits of the Betrayer Hiding recent wounds. Sudden change in health. Fatalistic. Starts making others in the party make promises. Claim to have more in-depth knowledge of zombies,

46

An Example of Betrayers A girlfriend who was bitten by a zombie who conceals her infection from her boyfriend and their friends.

Eventually the fever kicks in fully and the boyfriend ends up killing her to prevent her from turning. A person who uses another character as bait for the zombies in order to aid their escape.

The Dictator
The Dictator is the decision maker and leader of a

group. After the zombie apocalypse occurs and civilization is gone, martial law takes over etc. By this time, the person with most supplies and weapons lives possibly. The dictator is they guy with the largest gun. In some form, they are militant and waging war on zombies. They are not a person to be questioned about their actions. There is a pretty good chance they will die by being ripped apart by zombies making their hopes of survival quite low. Traits of Dictators

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Possible god Complex but at the least somewhat cocky and over confident.

Does not respond well to criticism. It is their way or the Highway. Does not feel the need to justify their actions. Crazy or at least eccentric. Possibly Pompous

Example of Dictators A guerilla general within a fortress. He does whatever he wants to in the name of protecting his troops. The guy with the largest weapons who thinks his input is more important that any of the others.

The Sacrifice
The Sacrifice is someone who ends up giving up their life in order to help everyone else. The Sacrifice is the character who would say: "Go ahead. Leave me. I'm just slowing you down." Regardless of how they came to it - being

bitten twisted their ankle or is just lazy- the fact is, they are no longer able to outrun the seething horror, and they have made the selfless decision to get eaten to buy the rest

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of the group time.

Their death means the possible survival

of the rest of the group. Traits of Sacrifices They become injured suddenly. They are the weakest part of the group Trying to gain hero points A flawed but not evil person looking for redemption. Someone having a mental breakdown.

Examples of Sacrifices A chronically ill mother sacrificing herself for her children. Knowing there are too many zombies for him to fight off, a warrior goes Kamikaze in order to give the rest of the party time to get to helicopter on the roof.

The Expert
The Expert is the observant one of the bunch. He has figured out how this whole zombie apocalypse thing works and what it means for everyone. Sometimes coming from the most unlikely background, the expert is the guy who knows

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what to do in order combat the zombies. He knows their walking patterns, weaknesses, habit, preferences, etc. In addition most of the time, he has something morally with him that prevents him from leaving someone alone helpless. Their chances of survival are pretty except if they decide to give up their own. Traits of Experts Magically know how to deal with every situation Good reflexes Talented Innovative Observant Some sort of moral compass Walking Zombie encyclopedia.

Examples of Experts The crotchety old man who is a zombie killing machine. A Woman who has survived by herself for some time by setting up traps and making weapons.

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The Innocent The innocent is usually a child- or childlike, Elder, or animal that needs protection because they are unable to protect themselves. The only reason they are still alive is that someone has taken them under their wing. Only a heartless person would kill off an innocent Good luck. Traits of innocents Cannot defend themselves Never Alone. Blameless Nave Examples of Innocents A young child A dog. The Normal Joe

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This is the normal character that can eventually learn skills. They are newbies to the zombie world. Ever character starts as a normal Joe and overtime turns into another type character. The normal Joe is the newbie that can learn to defend themselves,

sometimes comical situations.

Other Archetypes In the horror Genre another archetype comes into play: The Athlete, Fool, Whore, Scholar, and Virgin. Each one of these has a rule associated with how they will die or how the behave. For instance, the Whore dies first and the virgin last. The others dies somewhere in between. These are fun archetypes to consider when generating characters and scenarios because they are familiar elements.

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Lets Build a Character!

In Jaa, like scenario generation, is answering questions to find the information needed to for role-play. The Basic

stats are Physical, Mental and social which in turn break down strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence,

Charisma, and Wisdom. From these numbers, the player and GM will drive how many dice they can use in an attempt to roll successes. This system uses a dice pool of d-6. start with approximately 20 dice in Players will and will

their pool

distribute them as they wish in accordance with what the player wants their character to be able to do. After dice distribution, the player will pick skills which are dependent on their dice distribution.

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Character Generation in a Nutshell Character age Dice distribution Stats Skills Background Items In this system, instead of gaining new abilities the player starts off at max ability, then

depending on how events occur and they effect the player, they lose dice which translate to loss in abilities.

Character Age The Characters age determines how many dice the player can distribute into certain stats. A player who decides to

be a child or elderly starts off with a dice pool of fifteen

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instead of twenty. In replacement for the dice, they have the earned skill of luck. Luck goes into effect when a character who would be considered an innocent, becomes in danger of being wounded or harmed. The luck mechanic gives an innocent a chance to roll for escape. The player must roll 2 successes out of 5 dice in order to escape their doom.

Dice distribution
The unless specified, the player starts with 20 dice that they can distribute as they please into each pool, of physical, mental , and social. From the dice the player put into those pools they have to choose how to divide those allocated dice between the two stats. For example: a player decides to put seven of his dice into physical. When a

player has a task that requires them to use strength or constitution, they will roll 7 dice to see if they pass or fail, then selected number of dice they chose to dictate to that stat to see how much damage they do.

Stats What stat the player needs to roll to is

completely at the discretion of the GM.

Physical- Actions that require the player to use their bodily movements.

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Strength How much force the player uses Constitutiontakes. how much harms the character

Mental- Actions that use the players cogitative skills Intelligence- how clever a character is Dexterity- how quickly a character can solve problems

Social-

actions

that

require

the

character

to

interact with others. Charisma- how good a talker the character is. Wisdom- how good a character can read other player Other Stats Speed The speed of the player is a standard 6. A child or elder is a 4. The speed defines how many dice a player gets to roll when pursued. The Gm will define how many success they will need to defeat or out run.

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Infection Infection occurs when a player comes in contact with a zombie ore their source. When the player comes in contact, the player rolls their constitution. The GM will roll the same amount of dice. If the GM rolls a higher total, the player is infected. If the player rolls higher, they we just exposed. This out of the roll needs to be hidden from the rest of the group. Only the player can reveal if they are infected or not. When a player becomes infected, they lose one dice from their physical pool; another dice will be taken over time. The player will have to do a vitality check every 5 minutes, they will roll their constitution. The player will roll to see how many sixes they roll. If they roll a six they lose that dice. When the player rolls their sixth six or runs out of constitution, the player becomes a zombie. When a player becomes a zombie they take on their diminished speed of 4 and quarter stats. They are now in league with GM. Skills The Players can select one skill for each stat category with a bonus from their dominant stat category called a

special which is the stat the put the most dice into. The player can learn a skill if they use it Or the GM gifts them

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with it. The skills in the appendix are not the only skills that the player can choose from. With GM approval, the player can create their own which skills. do not The GM can choose the to give

players

certain

count

towards

players

chosen skills. If a player has not chosen a skill, but they wish to use it, they have to subtract one dice for each three dice in the pool that they would roll and round up. For example, a player wants to wield and axe, but they did not choose it as a skill. They have eight in their physical pool; they would only get to roll five dice. A variant of the game, allows for the player to take disadvantages in order to gain more skills. are triggered events that the player Disadvantages control.

cannot

Disadvantages go under the special category.

Background This is the section player writes out their characters story and bio. Where has your character been? Where are they from. Add some flavor by defining them. Items

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Along

the

way

the

player

will

find

objects

or

be

rewarded with them. Items are generalized and the the GM define their uses and powers. Weapons and items are derived from the scenario.

Zombies generation A zombie takes in to account all the attributes and translate them to skills and stats. dice pool of 12 and varies on A zombie starts with a choices made during

the

scenario building what skills they can have.

Final Note Character generation

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Character generation is the players way of entering the world created by the scenarios. There are no rigid rules in order to encourage both GM and players can make both the scenario and their players as they want. If someone wants to be a psychotic zombie hunting clown, A player would be able to do some with in the minor constraint s of the story.

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Playing the Game

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So how do we do this thing?

Jaa is a system that is very loose in gameplay. The goal is to get into the story more than the technicalities of the game. GMs are welcome to and encouraged use physical

representation to help layout the scenarios. Hex grids are preferred but not necessary.

Taking action, using skills, and combat

An action is defined as a mental, physical, or social

situation. The player first rolls the number of dice for their particular stat groups. The player then sees if they have enough successes to complete the task at the time. A success is rolling an even number. If the player succeeds in completing the task and if the task had a number needed to overcome it. The player than rolls to see what points they

rack up based on the assigned dice skill. Example: So a player rolls to see they can over hear a conversation. The player has a mental pool of 8 they roll and land 5 successes when the player only needed 3. The player than rolls their intelligence to see how much of the conversation they catch and rolls 4 dice she had dedicated to intelligence. The

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numbers add up 2, she finds out she only heard parts of the conversation in stead of all the thoughts. When a person fails a roll, there are repercussions; Sometime as simple as a loss in health which is dice, or the in ability to use a skill again. The player has to know that the choices they make have to consequences. Once dice are lost in most cases, they cannot be regained Combat is dealt with in the exact same way as doing an action except you can factor in a weapon. Weapons add dice to the pool. Failure in combat can result in not only loss of dice but also loss of equipment too. Ending thoughts Jaa is system that is intentionally loosely based in order to allow for the players and Gm to define their own boundaries. The world is fully expandable as well as the characters and how they interact with the world. players to make the zombie mythos theirs. Have fun staying alive! I encourage

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Appendix

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Sources
Brooks, Max. The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead. New York: Three Rivers, 2003. Print. Brown, Nathan R. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zombies [Paperback]." The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zombies: Nathan Robert Brown: 9781615640140: Amazon.com: Books. Alpha Books, n.d. Web. 01 May 2013. Swaim, Michael. "6 Characters Who Show Up in Every Zombie Movie." Cracked.com. Demand Media, 25 Oct. 2009. Web. 01 May 2013. Zombiepedia. Wikia, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.

Additional Materials
Night of the Living Dead (1968) Romero The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) Director: Wes Craven Zombieland (2009) Director: Ruben Fleischer Cabin in the Wood (2011) Director: Drew Goddard Shaun of the Dead(2004) Director: Edgar Right Director: George A.

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Skills
COMMUNICATI ONS(Social) Barter Creative Writing Cryptography Electronic Counter-Measures Language: Native Language: Other Laser Communications Literacy: Native Literacy: Other Optic Systems Performance Public Speaking Radio: Basic Radio: Deep Space Radio: Scramblers Radio: Satellite Sensory Equipment Sign Language Sing Surveillance Systems Telephone Network TV/Video COWBOY(phys ical) Skill Branding Breaking/Taming Horses Herding Cattle Roping Trick Riding WP: Rope DOMESTIC (physical) Begging Brewing: Basic Bonsai Corroboree Cook Dance Fish Floral Arrangement Gaming (Strategy) Gardening Housekeeping Zen Gardening Play Aboriginal Instrument Play Instrument Poetry Recycle Rock Painting & Engraving Sewing Sing Wardrobe & Grooming Whittling & Sculpture ELECTRICAL/ COMPUTER (mental) Artificial Intelligence Basic Electronics Computer Repair Electrical Engineer Electricity Generation Mecha/Robot Electronics ESPIONAGE (mental) Detect Ambush Detect Concealment Disguise Escape Artist Forgery Hojo-Jutsu Impersonation Intelligence Interrogation Pick Locks Pick Pockets Sniper Tracking (people) Undercover Ops Wilderness Survival HORSEMANSHI P (Physical) General

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Cowboy Cossack Cyber-Knight Equestrian Exotic Animals Horsemanship: Teamster/Wagoner

PHYSICAL Skill H2H: None H2H: Basic H2H: Expert MECHANICAL H2H: Martial (Mental) Arts Aircraft H2H: Assasin Mechanics H2H: Commando Automotive H2H: Exclusive Mechanics Acrobatics Basic Mechanics Aerobic Bioware Athletics Mechanics Athletics Locksmith (General) Mechanical Body Building Engineer MILITARY Boxing Mecha/Robot (Physical) Climbing Mechanics Air-to-Air Deadball Oxygen Systems Combat Fencing Space: Drive Camouflage Forced March Repair Demolitions Gymnastics Space: Satellite Demolitions Systems Juicer Football Disposal Spacecraft Juggling Demolitions, Mechanics Underwater Juicer Submersible Field Armorer & Murderthon Mechanics Munitions Expert Kick Boxing Veritech Find Contraband Outdoorsmanship Mechanics Forced March Physical Labor Vehicle Armorer Military Prowl Weapons Engineer Fortification Running Military Swimming MEDICAL Etiquette SCUBA (Mental Naval History Wrestling Animal Husbandry Naval Tactics Zero-Gravity Brewing: NBC Warfare Movement Medicinal Parachuting PILOT Crime Scene Recognize Weapon (Mental) Investigations Quality Advanced Deep Cybernetic Space Tactics Sea Diving Medicine

Entomological Medicine Field Surgery First Aid Forensics Holistic Medicine Juicer Technology Medical Doctor Pathology Paramedic Psychology Psychotherapy Veterinary Science Sea Holistic Medicine

Trap/Mine Detection

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Airplane Airplane, Jet Automobile Bicycling Boat: Motor, Race, & Hydrofoil Boat: Paddle Canoe/Kayak Boat: Ships Boat: Sail type Combat Driving Extra-Vehicular Activity Fighter Combat (Basic, Elite) Flight Combat System (Juicer) Hovercraft (ground) Hovercycles, Skycycles & Rocket Bikes Jet Pack Jump Bike Combat (Juicer) Military: Combat Helicopter Military: Jet Fighter Military: Submersibles Military: Tanks & APCs Military: Warships & Patrol Boats Motorcycles & Snowmobiles Robots & Power Armor Robot Combat: Basic Robot Combat: Elite

Spacecraft, Starship Spacecraft, Small Space Fighter Tracked & Contruction Vehicles Trucks, Large Water Skiing & Surfing Water Scooters Wingrider Flying Wing

Prowl Roadwise Safecracking Seduction Streetwise Tailing Ventriloquism

SCIENCE (Mental) Anthropology Aquaculture Astrophysics Archaeology PILOT Artificial RELATED Intelligence Skill Astrology Navigation Astronomy Navigation: Astrophysics Space Biology Navigation: Botany Undersea Chemistry Sensory Chemistry, Equipment Analytical Weapon Systems Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ROGUE Geology (Social) Marine Biology Cardsharp Computer Hacking Mathematics, Basic Concealment Mathematics, Find Contraband Advanced False Divination Oceanographic Gambling Surveying Gambling (Dirty Physics Tricks) Use & Recognize ID Undercover Poisons Agents Xenology Imitate Voices & Zoology Sounds Palming TECHNICAL Pick Locks (Mental) Pick Pockets Advanced Fishing

68

Appraise Goods Art Blacksmith Breed Dogs Business and Finance Calligraphy Computer Operation Computer Networks Computer Programming Cyberjacking Excavation Falconry Firefighting Gemology General Repair History Jury-Rig Law (general) Leatherworking Lore: Cattle and Animals Lore: D-Bees Lore: Demons & Monsters Lore: Faeries & Creatures of Magic Lore: Galactic/Alien Lore: Ley-lines/ Geomancy Lore: Indian Lore: Juicer Lore: Magic Lore: Psionics Lore: Religion Masonry Mining Mythology

Philosophy Photography Recycling Research Rope Works Salvage Undersea Salvage Whittling & Sculpting WEAPON PROFICIENCI ES (Physical) Skill Archery Axe Blunt Bola Chain WILDERNESS (physical) Skill Blend Boat Building Carpentry Desert Survival Dowsing Fasting Herding Cattle Hunting Identify Plants & Fruits Land Navigation Preserve Food Skin & Prepare Hides Spelunking Track & Trap Animals Track Sea Animals

Undersea & Sea Survival Wilderness Survival

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