zombie - the hunger

7/31/2019 Zombie - The Hunger

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A Roleplaying Game

2012 by Eske Andersen


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Table Of Contents

The Zombie Circus .......................................... 3

Playing the Game ....................................... 4Game Mechanics ............................................ 5

The Nine Attributes .................................... 6Checks ........................................................ 8Traits based on attributes .......................... 9Rate of success ......................................... 10Player Actions ........................................... 12

Player Character Generation ....................... 13Sample Character ..................................... 13

Survivor Group Attributes ............................ 15Vigor, Teamwork and Morale .................. 15

Group attributes ...................................... 15Group Protection ................................. 15Group Training ..................................... 16Group Supplies ..................................... 16

Expanded Character Rules ........................... 18Social Conflicts ............................................. 19Combat ......................................................... 21

Team Roles ............................................... 22Game Master Section .................................. 25

So What Happened? ................................ 25Building a Story ........................................ 26Final Notes ............................................... 26


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The Zombie Circus

The streets of New York City are empty. As he

walks down Main Street, he remembers howbusy and noisy it used to be. Now, it is silent

as a tomb. There is no one here, hasnt been

for months. He walks alone. Everyone he used

to know is dead. Or at least dead-ish.

In the distance, he hears the familiar sound of

low-pitched moaning. He knows he just has

to turn the next corner to see the horror of his

new reality. He has seen the walking dead

many times before. But seeing hundreds ofcorpses walking around looking for human

flesh is hard to get used to. He probably

never will. Thats a problem, because the

walking dead are the only ones left, and they

are everywhere. Every-fucking-where

Zombie: The Hunger is a role-playing game

that deals with the aftermath of an

apocalyptic zombie outbreak. Players take on

the role of survivors, fighting for their lives.

This book was created to facilitate fast and

simple, yet entertaining, game-play in a

fictional world where zombies have taken

over and civilization has fallen. Character

generation is fast, with only 9 attributes

needed to make all checks in the game. The

simplicity and ease of use is the strength of

Zombie: The Hunger. A game session can run

for a few hours, a single evening or over the

course of several sessions; the point is, if you

want to role-play an entertaining zombiestory, you can do so using the rules in this

PDF. Whether you win or not is up to how

well you do as a player. The Zombie Circus

isnt Disneyland. Its gritty, dark and

unforgiving.

As mentioned, the rules are simple compared

to other similar games. This is intentional.

You dont have to read through hundreds of

pages before you can play the game. The firststep in this game is enough for you to begin

playing. Simply select attributes for your

character and youre ready to play. If you

want a deeper game, keep reading. The

following chapters expand on how the game

is played.

Zombie: The Hunger emphasizes teamwork

by using shared Group attributes. These

attributes are shared stats that have an

impact on the individual players condition

and abilities. The Group attributes sheet is

just as important as the player character

sheet, and everyone in the group is affected

by it. Players are dependant on each other,

which makes for a game that focuses on the

bonds between the player characters.


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Playing the Game

Zombie: The Hunger is a game with many

facets and various styles of game-play. Thegame can be story-driven with very little

combat. This style is about the challenges

your group faces, and how they deal with the

fall of civilization. The psychology of living in

a world where everything you used to take

for granted is gone can make for some very

interesting role-playing.

The action-driven style has more combat

encounters in a single session than story-

driven games, and larger encounters can be

played using a hex grid.

This book should be used as you want to. If

you dislike a rule or another aspect of the

game, change or ignore it. The main goal

here is to have fun and creating an exciting

story.

Playing a survivor character

Playing a survivor means being part of a small

group of at least 5 or more people who have

survived the Zombie Apocalypse. If your

group doesnt have 5 players, the remaining

characters will be NPCs or players can control

more than one character.

So what is this game about? Survival, first of

all. The world has become a very dangerous

place, and zombies lurk around every corner.

Your group faces immediate problems if they

do not have a secure shelter or supplies.

Getting those are your first priority.

The main game-play will consist of fighting

off mobs of zombies, improving your skills,

gathering supplies and building defenses. Youusually fight zombies with handguns,

shotguns and rifles, or more exotic weapons

like golf clubs and hand grenades. There are

so many zombies that killing them all is

impossible; however, killing the ones that

pose a direct threat to your group is

pertinent. Being part of a group is an

essential element of playing a survivorcharacter.

The following chapters describe how you

create and play a survivor character. Reading

the game mechanics chapter will allow you to

start playing right away. If you read on, you

will learn how to implement the Group

attributes, the rules for combat and what

else to expect from the game when playing

survivor characters. The more you read, the

more depth is added.


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Game Mechanics

Zombie: The Hunger uses 2 normal 6-sided

dice to resolve all situations where theoutcome is uncertain. Everything players do

in the game is resolved using checks, which

consists of rolling 2d6 and adding two of the

nine attributes. To make a check to see if you

execute a task successfully, you add together

the two appropriate attributes (determined

by your game master see ) and roll 2d6. If

the roll added to the attributes is 12 or

above, your action is successful. Two sixes

are an exceptional success, and the GameMaster may give an advantage to the player

in question.

Those are the basic game mechanics. Roll 2

dice, add the 2 attributes needed - you

succeed when the result is 12 or above. Want

to fire your machine gun at a zombie that is

getting a little too close for comfort? Roll

2d6, add your Dexterity + Precision if the

result is 12 or above, you succeed and thezombie gets a belly full of lead - depending

on how high the result is, destroying its body

to the point where it cant move. It doesnt

die, mind you; a head shot is required to kill a

zombie.

When rolling the dice for a check, they

sometimes come up with the same numbers,

for example two 3s or two 5s. This causes

different things depending on the context. Ifthe check was an attack, you gain a bonus

die. Bonus Dice can be stored and used in

situations where success is important. Using

a bonus die simply means that instead of 2

dice, you roll 3 dice for the check. Bonus Dice

can also be used as Experience Points, which

allows you to expand your characters

abilities.

The GM can also decide that unexpectedthings happen when pairs are rolled. For

example, someone is trying to write a

computer program. He rolls an Intellect +

Intuition test and gets two 4s. Since his roll

was successful, the program is enhanced so

that it can seek out certain bits of

information the players can use. On the other

hand, if the roll was two 2s, the computer

crashed and the character had not saved his

progress. Two 1s (called Snake Eyes) is alwaysa failure, while two 6s (called Sixes) is always

a success.


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The Nine Attributes

The nine attributes for survivors are Strength, Dexterity, Speed, Precision, Intuition, Intellect,

Senses, Willpower and Personality. The individual player character attributes are divided into 3categories: Physicalattributes, Mental attributes and Manipulation attributes. All attributes are

equally important when playing the game. Each attribute has a value from 1 to 5. The higher the

value, the better your character performs tasks that involve that particular attribute.

Physical attributes are used when a task involves the characters physique. They describe your

characters build and his shape.

Mental attributes are used when a task involves a cerebral aspect. It also includes things like

knowledge and wits.

Manipulation attributes are used when a character uses, operates or interacts with objects or

people.

Attribute Definitions

The following section describes each

attribute and what it tells you about your

character.

Strength: a measure of your characters

physical strength and stamina. Someone witha high score in Strength is physically healthy

and can withstand more damage than others.

Strength is important in hand-to-hand

combat and situations where endurance is

needed.

Dexterity: How agile your character is and

how fast his body reflexes are. Dexterity also

covers handiness, which affects your ability

to use tools and weapons.

Speed: Determines how fast your character

is. This covers both movement and how fast

your character can perform physical tasks in

general. When speed is a factor in a task,

Speed often replaces one of the attributes

needed to perform it. Your movement rate is

based on Speed.

Intuition: Your characters ability to know

something without having all the facts.

Intuition is what educated guesses are based

on. It also affects how fast a learner he is.

Intuition is involved in decision making and

finding solutions to various problems.

Performing new tasks are easier to do with a

high intuition.

Intellect: Your ability to think logically and

plan ahead. It also implies the characters

level of education, and indirectly his

knowledge about academic and scientific

concepts and its application. Intellect is used

when many factors have to be structured in

order to comprehend complex information

quickly. Intellect also determines how much

time you need to understand abstract andconcrete knowledge.

Willpower: This attribute describes yourcharacters mental strength. It determines your

characters drive and his will to go on despite

overwhelming odds. Willpower is used when you

want to accomplish something that requires self-

control and self-discipline.

Senses: How good your character senses and

perception are. Senses are defined in two


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ways; the bodily senses (sight, smell, etc) and

the inward senses (how well the character

integrates the information he perceives).

Characters with a high Senses score tend to

have excellent eye-sight and are usuallyobservant and alert.

Precision: Your characters ability to perform

tasks that involve physical precision. Tasks

involving eye-hand coordination or fine

motor skills are usually based on Precision.

Personality: This attribute defines your

characters behavioral traits. Personality

determines his ability to function in social

contexts and how well he works with others.

The Personality attribute also covers qualitieslike likeability and charisma. Most

importantly, it determines how much a

character can contribute to the groups

integrity and training.

This table gives you a quick overview and divides the attributes into the 3 main attribute

categories.

Category

Physical Attributes: Strength: 1-5 Dexterity 1-5 Speed 1-5

Mental Attributes: Intuition: 1-5 Intellect 1-5 Willpower 1-5

Manipulation Attributes: Personality: 1-5 Precision 1-5 Senses 1-5

For more information on how to create your own survivor character, see page 13.


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Checks

A checkis performed when a character performs a task where the outcome is uncertain. Making a

check means rolling 2d6, adding two attributes and any modifiers determined by the GM. A checkwith a final result of 12 or above is successful, while a result of 2-11 is a failure. Checks are at the

core of the rules, since they determine the outcome of the players actions.

SinceZombie: The Hungerdoes not use skills or other conventional descriptors, all checks must be

resolved using two of the 9 attributes. This means that the GM must determine which attributes

best describe the task at hand. Players are encouraged to discuss which attributes are relevant,

since most actions can be performed in several ways. However, the GM has the final word on

which attributes to use.

Here are some examples that show how attributes can be used in different situations where acheck is required.

Driving: Senses + Precision or Intuition +

Precision check.

Athletics: Strength and Dexterity.

Stealth: Intuition and Dexterity.

Empathy: Personality and Intuition.

Socializing, formal: Intuition and Intellect.

Socializing, informal: Intuition and

Personality.

Streetwise: Intuition and Personality.

Intimidation, physical: Personality and

Strength.

Intimidation, mental: Personality andIntellect.

Using a sniper rifle: Senses + Precision.

Burst fire: Speed + Senses.

First Aid: Intellect + Intuition or Intellect +

Senses

Punching a Zombie or other character:

Strength + Dexterity

Repairing a shelter: Senses + Strength

Building defenses: Strength + Intellect

Run away from a zombie mob: Speed +

Dexterity.

Sensing Danger: Intuition + Senses.

Picking a Lock, mechanical: Precision +

Intuition.

Picking a lock, digital: Intellect + Intuition.

Calming down a hysterical person: Intuition

+ Personality.

Keeping your Cool while planning your next

move: Willpower + Intellect

Wrestle free from a zombies grip: Strength

+ Dexterity.

Spotting hidden objects or people: Senses +

Intuition

Persuasion: Willpower + Intellect or Intellect

+ Intuition.

Research: Intellect + Senses or Intuition,

depending on the kind of research.


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Understanding complex subjects: Intellect +

intuition.

Scientific tasks; Intellect + intuition.

Knowledge: Intellect + Personality.

Sneaking: Intuition + Dexterity.

Recon: Senses + Intuition

Planning a mission based on recon: Intellect

+ Intuition.

Lying: Intuition + Personality.

Resist extreme climates: Strength +

Willpower.

Politics: Intellect + Personality.

Computers: Intellect + Intuition.

Crafts: Dexterity and Intuition.

OTHER USES OF ATTRIBUTES

Similar checks can be based on different

attributes, determined by the situation and

context. If a zombie suddenly appears behind

you, your game master might call for a Speed

+ Precision to test if you are fast enough to

blow it to pieces with your shotgun before it

attacks you. The players can also contribute

by recommending a certain combination of

attributes. If the GM finds the contribution

adds to the game, you can use that attribute

combination instead of another.

There are some character traits that are

derived from your attributes. Speed,

Willpower and Personality are special

attributes that are used to calculate other

aspects of your character.

Traits based on attributes

Some traits are derived from your attributes.

For example, you can move your Speed + 3

meters (one hex) per round. Your Willpower

+ Strength determines how many Player

Actions you have per day. Your Personality

determines how well you are integrated in

the group. The groups ability to work

together is based on the Personality

attribute. Working together is completely

essential in order to survive.

Other special traits derived from your

attributes are how much damage you can

take before you go unconscious or dies. To

find that value, add 5 to your Strength. Some

general checks that are used frequently, like

perception checks and fear checks.

To reiterate the derived traits, here is a list

describing each one, including special checks

that players face often.

Moves per turn: This determines how many

hexes you can move your character per

round. It is Speed +3.

Player Actions per day: Willpower +

Strength.

Health: The amount of damage you can

sustain without dying. Health is Strength + 5.

Perception check: This check is made to

decide whether your character detects any

relevant detail, hidden objects and hiding


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enemies. The check is based on Senses +

Intuition.

Fear Check: You make this check when your

character is ambushed or otherwise surprisedin a bad way. A Fear check is also made every

night. The needed attributes are Willpower

and Personality. Failing a Fear Check wreaks

havoc on your characters concentration,

which means he receives a minus 1 to all rolls

during the current encounter or the next, if

more appropriate (for example, theobligatory Night Fear check)

Rate of success

In many situations, it is important to know

how successful or unsuccessful your action is.

An attribute roll has a rate of success based

on your checks final score. This is called the

Success Rate. You get a success on your finalscore for every point above 11, since you

need a score of 12 to succeed. For example, a

character is shooting at an enemy. He bases

his roll on Dexterity and Precision (3+3 =6)

and rolls a 7. Adding these numbers gives a

final score of 13, which in turn means a

Success Rate of 2. This determines the shots

damage to the enemy. For every success, thedamage increases (for more on combat, see

the Combat chapter on pagep side 21).

The following table shows you how to interpret the degree of success for any roll. Success Rate is

abbreviated SR.

SR 8+ (final result is 20+): A perfect

execution of the task performed. The task is

performed so well that the Game Master

may give the player advantages during his

next task if appropriate.

SR 7 and 8 (Final result is 18-19): The

successful task is executed with flair and

competence.

SR 5 and 6 (Final result is 16-17): The task is

completed with very good results.

SR 3 and 4 (Final result is 14-15):The task is

completed with ease and finesse.

SR 1 and 2 (Final result is 12-13): This is the

limit for determining whether or not your

task is successful. It always produces a

successful outcome.

Group Succes Rate

Another use of the Success Rate is when your

group tries to do something as a team. This is

called the Group Success Rate. You take the

Success Rate for each player participating in

the groups effort, and add them together (or

subtract them, in case of a negative Success

Rate). Tactical training consists of each

character making an attribute roll pertaining

to the kind of training in question. For every

score that is 12 or above, you count how

many points above 11 your score is to get the

Success Rate. This is repeated for all

participating characters. When the training is

over, all results are added together. Any

negative Success Rates are detracted from

this sum.

Example: 4 player characters train to improve

their team work. They each roll 2d6, adding

their Personality and the attribute they are

training. One players gets a final score of 13,

the second player gets 12 and the last player


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gets 10. The Success Rates of each character

is 2 for the first player, 1 for the second player

and -2 for the last player. Add these together

to get the Group Success Rate, which in this

case is 2 + 1 2; a final result of +1.

This score determines how well the group

effort worked out. How training works is

explained in detail in a later chapter.

Check Modifiers

Different situations can have a positive or a negative impact on your characters roll. For example,

if a character tries to shoot zombies in the dark without a flashlight, he would suffer a -2 modifier.

The modifier can also be positive; trying to shoot the same zombie in the back head at close range

in daylight may give you a +2 modifier to your roll. This kind of modifier is determined by the

context and the situation, which is determined by your Game Master.

Actions that require experience

Things like driving a car, shooting an assault rifle or trying to get a short-wave radio working are

dependant on having prior experience. If your character does not know how to drive a car but tries

anyway, he will suffer a penalty to his roll. The more the task is dependant on experience, the

larger the negative modifier gets. See this table to give you an idea about how this works.

Modifier Description

When the GM decides that a task is more difficult than usual, or that the task requires some level

of experience to be performed, he assigns a modifier that is subtracted from the players roll.

-1: The task can be performed with little

extra effort.

-2/-3: Some experience is needed to perform

the task.

-4/-5: This modifier signifies that the task is

hard for the inexperienced.

-6/-7: The task is so complex that it takes an

enormous effort.

-8: The task is all but impossible for the

inexperienced to perform. Remember, Sixes

(two 6s) are always successful.

Inexperience turns into experience after completing the task successfully. Usually, for every

successful check, your negative modifier goes down a notch. If you dont know how to drive a car,

yet succeed on your roll with a -2 modifier, the next time you try driving, you will only have a -1

modifer (only the Game Master can decide whether experience with a certain task can give

positive modifiers).


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Player Actions

The number of encounters, missions and

events that a player character can go throughper day without fatigue is determined by the

Willpowerand Strength attributes. Add these

together to get the number of actions you

can partake in per day without experiencing

fatigue. The minimum amount of Player

Actions a character can have is 4. If your

characters Strength and Willpower

attributes add up to less than 4, you still get 4

Player Actions per day. Once you pass that

number of actions per day, you suffer apenalty to all your rolls, starting from -1

going down to -5, corresponding to how

many actions your perform beyond your

Player Action score.

Player Actions are the core of the game.

Going on missions to get supplies, defending

your shelter from zombies, tactical training

with your team; these are all Player Actions.

It is important to prioritize your actionsthroughout the day, and at some point, you

will most likely find yourself in a situation

where you will suffer from fatigue because of

used up Player Actions.

The following is a list of the most common

Player Actions, some of which are everyday

actions, while other are when-needed.

Killing zombies: This is the most basic player

Action a battle encounter. When the battleis large enough for it to be played out on a

hex grid, it counts as a Player Action.

Tactical Training: Whether youre working on

your teamwork, morale or vigor, each player

participating must use a Player Action.

Travel: When you travel, every 4 hours of

transition takes one Player Action. How you

travel is not important.

Building and Repairing your Shelter: For

each part of your shelter that needs building

or repairing, your player character must use

one Player Action.

Defending your shelter: This is basically a

battle encounter, and as such takes one

Player Action per encounter you face during

the assault on your shelter.

Recreational Time: Take a time-out from the

horrors of the zombie apocalypse. Maybe

youve found a cinema thats still in working

order. Recreational time gives you time to

roleplay and get to talk to the other group

members. It also negates any failed Fear

Checks the group members may have.


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Player Character Generation

To create a character for Zombie: The

Hunger, you choose which category ofattributes is most important. You have pools

of 3, 4 and 5 points that you can spend in

each category. For example, you can spend 4

points in the Physical Category (strength,

Dexterity and Speed), 3 points in the Mental

category (Intuition, Intellect, Willpower) and

5 in the Manipulation category (Precision,

Senses, Personality). You then distribute the

points between the attributes in that

category. For example, if you choose tospend 4 points in the Mental category, you

could have 3 in Intellect, 2 in intuition and 2

in Willpower. You do not pay for the first

level of the attribute.

The Game Master can also allow players to

generate characters with different base

points, for example using 5 points in each

category. This means stronger characters,

and is mostly done when the group part of

the game will be downgraded.

Any number of points can be used at

character generation, as long as they aredivided into 3 pools for each category.

However, the recommended starting pools

are 3,4 and 5.

Sample Character

Meet Steven. Hes a survivor of the Zombie Apocalypse. Before that, h e was a police officer. The

following table defines Steven as a character and is the basis for how well he performs various

tasks.

Category

Physical Strength: 3 (+1) Dexterity 3 Speed 2 (+1)

Mental Intuition: 3 Intellect 2 Willpower 3 (+1)

Manipulation Personality: 2 Precision 3 Senses 3

Group Modifier +1 0 +2

Those are Stephens personal attributes. Because Stephen is in a group consisting of 5 like-minded

survivors, he gets stronger and is safer. There is always safety in numbers. Here are the Group

attributes. How they affect the individuals character will be explained below.

Category Vigor Teamwork Morale

Protection Defense 4 Secrecy 2 Safety 6

Supplies Food 11 Weapons 4 Meds 12

Experience Survival 1 Training 3 Social 3

Score 16 9 20

Attribute cateogry Physical +2 Manipulation 0 Mental +1

There are three Group Bonuses: Vigor (affects Physical attributes) , Teamwork (affects

Manipulation attributes) and Morale (affects Mental attributes). The modifiers from the Group


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Bonus are added to an attribute of your choice in the corresponding category. For example,

Stephen has a +2 bonus in physical attributes. Since he will need to be as fast as possible for his

next mission and he will need more Strength, he puts 1 point in Speed, making the score 5, and 1

point in Strength. Stephen still needs to allocate 1 points from his Morale attribute bonus. He can

choose to use the +1 bonus on any of the tree attributes in the Mental category. Note that anattribute can receive no more than +1 until all attributes in that category have a +1 bonus. When

all the attributes have a +1 and the group receives a high enough bonus, you can begin giving

attributes a +2. For more information about the Group modifiers, see page 15).


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Survivor Group Attributes

In addition to your individual PC sheet, the group also has a number of stats that are important in

order to survive. Group attributes describe the groups shelter, supplies and condition. Eachattribute has an impact on your characters attributes through Group Bonuses. There are three

bonus types, each defined by 3 separate group attributes.

Vigor, Teamwork and Morale

This chapter defines how and why the three Group bonus categories morale, vigorand teamwork

affects the individual characters. Let us start by defining each attribute.

VIGOR: Describes the groups overall healthand vitality. A high Vigor bonus makes the

group very strong. It is based on the Group

attributes Defense, Food and Survival

Training.

TEAMWORK: Reflects how well the group

acts as a unit. The score is based on the

Group attributes Secrecy, weapons andCombat Training.

MORALE: Reflects the groups determination

and drive to survive. The score is based on

the Group attributes Safety, Meds and

Tactical Training.

Group attributes

A player group has nine attributes that describe their situation and how well they are doing. They

differ from the character attributes in definition and how they are used. Each group attribute

belongs to a category of group bonus (mentioned above). The group attributes are divided into 3

categories: Group protection, Group Training and Group Supplies (described below). Each category

has 3 attributes that relate to one of the three group bonuses.

Group Protection

Shelter Defense is a number determining

how well protected your group base is.

Survivors without a base receive no bonuses

in Group Protection, so deciding on a shelter

is important. A shelter can be anything from

a shed to a hospital with reinforced doors.

Shelter Defense can be improved by using

Player Actions to build a better shelter.

Shelter Strength provides Morale Bonuses.

Shelter Safety is determined by type of

shelter and amount of guards and spotters.

Determines the quality of the shelters

interior. Safety gives Vigor bonuses.

Shelter Secrecy: The score determines how

hard (or easy) your shelter is to find for the

zombies. Determines risk of a Zombie Assault

and how careful players have to be in order

not to be found by zombies. Gives Teamwork

bonuses.


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Group Training

These attributes are improved by actively

training them. Note that all training involves

the Personality attribute, making it essential

if you want a group that is top notch. All

training requires a Player Action to be spent,

and lasts 2-4 hours. If your group roll is

successful, you may add the success rate to

the Group attribute you have trained.

Survival Training: This training exercise helps

the group to work together in different

dangerous situations, such as moving safely

in unknown territory and maneuveringefficiently. To train this exercise, a Group

check is made based on the Physical attribute

you wish to train plus each characters

Personality. Gives a bonus to the groups

Vigor attribute.

Combat Training: A number determining how

much combat training your group has. To do

this exercise, a Group Check is made based

on the Manipulation attribute you wish to

train plus + Personality. It gives bonuses to

the groups Teamwork attribute.

Tactical Training: This score reflects how

your group works as a unit and how much

they trust each other. To increase this value,you must train by making a Group Roll based

on on the Mental attribute you wish to train

plus each characters Personalityscore. Gives

a bonus to the groups Morale attribute.

Group Supplies

Generally, this category describes the groups

inventory of the most essential items. When

they reach 0 or below, they affect the

corresponding Group Category negatively.

Food: (number of days you can survive on

your food stash. Food affects Vigor.

Meds: Determines how many medical

supplies the group has. When a player is

healed at the group base, subtract 1 from

this score. Affects the Teamwork bonus.

Weapons: A score reflecting how well your

group is armed, and how many combat

encounters there are ammunition for. Affects

the Morale bonus.

Operating without supplies

If the groups supplies begin to run out, the need for more becomes imperative. Without food,

weapons and meds, the group will quickly face an abrupt end. For each day where a supply is at 0

or lower, the group receives a penalty on their group benefits (the teamwork, morale and vigor

attributes, see the next chapter).


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Below is a chart showing the nine Group attributes and how they are categorized.

Category Vigor Teamwork Morale

Protection Defense 4 Secrecy 2 Safety 6

Supplies Food 11 Weapons 4 Meds 12

Training Survival 1 Combat 3 Tactical 3

Score 16 9 20

Group Modifier +1 0 +2

How to use the Group Modifiers

The three Group Modifiers correspond to the 3 Attribute Categories: Physical, Mental and

Manipulation. A high Morale score means that you get a pool of points that you can spend tomake higher rolls in the Mental Category (Intuition, Intellect and Willpower). A high Teamwork

score gives you points to use on Manipulation Attributes, and Vigor affects your Physical

Attributes.

To calculate the groups three bonus attributes Vigor, Morale and Teamwork, you add the

relevant group attributes together and consult the table below to see your bonus.

Example: Vigoris based on food, defense and survival training. Start by taking your Food attribute,

in this example 7 days of rations, and add your shelters defense value, which is defined by your

surroundings and any defenses you might have. Lets say its 6 in this example. Then add your

Survival Training. Lets say the group has trained twice with a result of 3, resulting in a finalVigorscore of 16. Consult the table below to see your Vigorbonus. 16 gives the group a bonus of +1 to

one attribute in the Physical category. If they get 4 more points in food, survival training or

defenses, the bonus will go up +2.

TABLE 3: Bonus modifiers for morale, teamworkand vigor. Find your score in any of these 3 and

apply it to one attribute in the corresponding attribute category.

BONUS TABLEScore Modifer Score Modifier Score Modifier

1-9 0 30-39 +3 60-69 +6

10-19 +1 40-49 +4 70-79 +7

20-29 +2 50-59 +5 80-89 +8


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Expanded Character Rules

While the rules presented so far allows you to play the game fully, some players may wish to

expand on their characters. This chapter gives you guide lines on how to give depth andbelievability to your character.

Character Professions

Your characters Intellect attribute determines what kind of profession your character had before

the zombie apocalypse. Intellect determines the upper limit on jobs; a character can easily be a

vagrant with a Intellect of 5, but a teacher must have at least 3 in Intellect. A job can expand what

your character can do without suffering inexperience modifiers. For example, a medic may

perform first aid and a M.D. may perform surgery with no negative modifiers.

Intellect of 1: Vagrant, criminal, cleaner, bike messenger, boxer.

Intellect of 2: Doorman, bartender, gas station attendant, hair-dresser.

Intellect of 3: medic, nurse, firefighter, public school teacher, soldier, policeman.

Intellect of 4: High-school teacher or assistant university teacher, junior lawyer, priest, medical

doctor.

Intellect of 5: Professor, big time lawyer, physicist, scientist, politician.

Character Aspects

Introducing aspects into the game will give your character the potential for as much depth as you

like. The basic notion is that you write down any ideas and descriptions of aspects of your

character that you see fit, either before or during the story. Creating aspects of your character as

the story moves along gives your character a connection to its experiences.

For example, your character meets another group of survivors. He gets into an argument over who

gets the rights to an abandoned warehouse full of food. If your character bows down to any

intimidation from the other group, you might give your character an aspect called caves intopressure when threatened. This might sound like a bad thing, but that is the way you get to know

your character. Later on in the story, you might add to the aspect, knows when to stop before

things get out of hand. The idea is that aspects are neither good nor bad; they simply describe

your characters personality (not to be confused with the attribute of the same name). When you

role-play an aspect in a way that fits your character, but is somehow detrimental to his situation,

the GM awards you experience points. Experience points can be used to buy useful aspects like

knows how to drive a truck or knows how to hack a computer system.


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Social Conflicts

Winning over a competing character in a

social conflict is usually handled as aprolonged contest of Intellect and intuition.

This can be accomplished through role-

playing, but this chapter gives you a more

abstract way of resolving disputes and similar

situations where discussion and conflict is

important.

You can use the following rules to determine

how well your character does in a social

dispute. The opposing sides are calledDefender and Attacker. The system consists

of a number of Objectives (called Arguments

in most social contexts) that the Attacker will

try to counter-argue.

The Game Master decides on the number of

Arguments, usually an uneven number. He

then assigns a Complexity Level to each

Argument, usually the same for all of them.

The point is to win each Argument by putting

enough points in it before your opponent.

Attacker and Defender takes turns to assign

points for each Argument by rolling an

Intellect + Intuition check and assigning any

Success Rates to an Argument. Once an

Argument has reached the number of

Success Rates needed (its Complexity Rating),

it is won by the part that put in the most

point. This continues until all Arguments have

been won. The conflict is resolved by one

side having won more Arguments than the

other.

Example: Maxwell tries to persuade an

unwilling non-player character to join the

group. The Game Master decides that the

conflict consists of 3 Arguments, each having

the Complexity Rating of 3. Maxwell rolls his

Intellect + Intuition and gets 2 successes. He

chooses to put them in Argument #1. He now

only needs one more success to win

Argument #1. The NPC then rolls her Intellect

+ Intuition and gets 1 success, which she putsin Argument #2. Back to Maxwell, who rolls

again and gets 4 successes enough to win

an argument immediately. He puts them into

Argument #3, and the Game Master crosses

that Argument off as won by Maxwell. The

NPC rolls and gets 2 successes, enough to win

Argument #2. She gets the needed 3

successes for Argument #2 and wins it. Now

Maxwell needs to get at least one success to

win the conflict he has already put in 2points in the remaining Argument. He rolls

and gets a Success Rate of -2, so he cannot do

anything but wait while the NPC makes her

roll. She gets 2 successes, making Argument

#1 a tie, with both opponents having 2

successes invested in it. Maxwell rolls again,

this time with better luckhe gets a Success

Rate of 2, one more than needed, and wins

Argument #1. All Arguments have been won,

and since Maxwell won 2 out of 3, he issuccessful in persuading the NPC to join the

group.

Note that any excess Success Rates go to

waste. If the GM wants to add more complex

dynamics to the conflict, he can rule that a

player can use his excess Successes to detract

from the opposing sides Argument points.

Once an Argument is won, it is no longer part

of the conflict and cannot be won back by

detracting points using excess Successes.

The above example is relatively simple, and

was resolved quickly. Social conflicts can be

very complicated affairs, and this system

reflects that. The number of Arguments is in

principle unlimited, as is their Complexity

Rating. The GM must decide how much time

is relevant for the social conflict and assign

the number of Arguments and Complexity

Ratings accordingly.


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Since all the attributes are abstract in this

context, they can all be used as the basis for

an Argument. For example, a strength +

personality roll can be valid if the Game

Master decides that it is appropriate for anArgument. This is decided before the

argument begins, and must be made clear by

the Game Master.

These rules can be applied to all situations

where there is a sequenced conflict. Foe

example, a character might try to hack a

computer system to gain important

information. To do this, he has to successfully

bypass every firewall the system has one byone. Each firewall is handled as an Objective

with a Complexity Value. The values for each

Objective are determined by the Game

Master as usual, and he rolls the dice for the

system as if it were an NPC.

The system can be used to emulate political

debates and even war, where each Argument

or Objective can represent a strategic battle

ground. The challenge is to make the

abstract concrete for the players. It isimportant that the Game Master describes

what happens when an Argument is won.

When the NPC won Argument #2 In the

previous example, the Game Master might

have said The girl has survived alone for a

long time, and the idea of being part of a

group of people she doesnt know scares

her. Well prepared social conflicts can be

very entertaining and profound; it all relies

on how well the GM prepares or improvises,and how well he can transform the abstract

rules into something concrete.


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Combat

Combat in Zombie: The Hunger is relatively

simple. All attacks are executed just like anyother task, using two attributes determined

by the situation. There are two kinds of

attacks: Close combat and gunfire. Shooting

at a target is a simple task like any other.

Usually, it is Precision + Dexterity, although

this depends on the situation. If you have to

kill a large mob of zombies close to you, you

can use Speed+Dexterity. Again, the Game

Master determines what is appropriate.

Close combat is dangerous, especially for

survivors, since a single bite almost inevitably

means infection with disease. Close combat

involves both characters rolling Strength +

Dexterity. The character with the highest

successful result succeeds and damages his

opponent. Most survivors carry a melee

weapon, like a bat or a knife. These attacks

can only be used when you are standing next

to the enemy, and they are always aimed atthe zombies head. It does not carry the

standard -3 penalty to hit, and one success

means a successful blow that incapacitates

the zombie. How this happens depends on

the weapon used; golf clubs smashes heads

in, while a long sharp object penetrates the

skull and brain.

Firearms

When you use firearms, range is very

important. For most firearms, any range

above 10 meter gives a -1 modifier to your

roll. Over 20 meters, its -2, and for over 30,

its -3. Going above 40 is only for advanced

shooters, giving a modifier of -5

Success Rates determines damage, which

makes combat simple. Your attack damage isequal to your Success Rate (see the Success

Rates section). For every point above 11, you

inflict extra damage. How much is

determined by the weapon.

Guns are divided into categories: 9mm, shot-

guns, rifles and automatic weapons. Each

type of gun deals different amounts of

damage and has a maximum number of

shots you can make per round.

9mm handguns: These are the mainstay of all

survivors. Its the default gun, and the

category comprises all handguns of this

caliber. Simplified, all 9mm handguns has

clips of 12 rounds, meaning you have to

reload after emptying it. Reloading takes a

round and a successful Speed + Precision roll.

If the roll fails, it takes one extra round to

reload. The advantage of a handgun is its

handiness. You can fire two shots per round

with a damage of 1 per shot.

Shotguns: More damage, slower firing rate.

Only one shot per round, but it deals 2 points

of damage per Success Rate. You can also use

a shotgun to blast several zombies away at

once. All zombies that stand in the hex next

to the main target can be hit if the attack roll

has a Success Rate of +1 for every zombie.

This is called indirect fire, and only inflictshalf damage (2 for shotguns). A shotgun

holds 8 rounds, and must be reloaded after

they are used. Again, a successful Speed +

Precision roll must be made. The shotgun can

only be fired once per round.

Rifles: This type of weapon is about

precision and reliability. It deals 2 points of

damage, but it also takes away the modifier

of -2 when shooting at a zombies head. Rifle

firing rate is usually 1 per round if you move,

2 if you stand still. A rifle can hold up to 12

rounds.


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COMBAT TACTICS FOR SURVIVORS

Players can employ certain actions that have

special effects. They require certain

conditions before they can be initiated, but

the effects can be very useful.

Aiming: To aim, you select a target and use

your turn to increase your precision. You

cannot move while aiming, but you get a +2

to your shot in the next round. If your target

is not visible to your character the following

turn, your bonus is not applicable.

Dual wielding: Handguns and close combat

weapons can be dual wielded. You get a -2 to

all attacks made with the extra weapon. To

begin dual wielding, you will have to make a

successful Dexterity + Intuition roll first. This

takes a round for each attempt.

Mow Down: Two or more players unleash a

barrage of bullets on a group of zombies for

one round. This tactic enables all the

participating players to attack in each

participating players round. To initiate this

tactic, a Group Roll for Intellect + Personality

roll must be successful. (add or subtract the

Success Rate for each participating player to

find the Group Success Rate). All characters

must stand next to at least one other

character.

Fighting Retreat: All players move their run

speed towards any edge of the map for 3

rounds. Each round, the players get one

attack (determined by the weapon used) to

the zombie closest to them.

Tactical Regroup: All players must make a

Group Fear check and a Speed + Intellect

check. If everybody succeeds, the group canmove their players up to 5 hexes away on the

map in addition to their normal movement.

All characters must move towards a single

target hex.

Team Roles

When dealing with large numbers of zombies

(called Zombie Circuses or Rot-fests), its vital

that everybody in the group delivers his best.

Players need to be very organized in order to

survive. Assigning roles to player charactersraises your success level significantly. These

roles are not permanent; they do not have to

be used at all, and each character should

choose the role most appropriate for the

particular situation. Here are some roles that

survivors use to designate each group

members role in a skirmish.

Supplies Guy: The character carrying extra

ammo and meds. When the players run out

of ammo, they must stand next to this

character for 1 round. The Supplies Guy

suffers a -2 on Speed and Dexterity. Usually,

this role is given to an NPC.

Runner: Runs through Zombie mobs to

strategic locations or supplies and weapons.

Main attributes: Physical.

Mower: A in-their-face close combat

character, usually equipped with a shotgun

or an automatic weapon. Main attributes:

Manipulation.

Controller: Makes noises and taunts zombies

in order to lure them away from vulnerable


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players, usually Runners. Main attributes:

Mental.

NPC ROLES

Sniper: Picks specific zombies and makes

head shots from a distance.

Scouts and spotters: Takes care of

reconnaissance and early warnings.

Bait: Lures zombies into a trap or away from

locations.

Damage

Survivors and zombies have different rules for taking damage. The damage rules for survivors are

based on your Willpower and Strength Attributes. The number of wounds a survivor can take

before dying is 5 + your Strength attribute. How much damage a character takes from a single

successful attack is determined by the attacks Success Rate. For each success, the damage

increases by one.

Since players often face many zombies at a time, it is crucial that the combat system makes it easy

to keep track of how much damage a zombie has taken.

The average zombie has 3 conditions that reflect the amount of damage it has taken. Zombies

usually start the encounter as undamaged (corresponding to 6 Hit points). Your Success Rate for

your attack determines how much damage you do. When an attack does 2 damage to a zombie, its

status goes to damaged (4 HP). Further 2 points of damage makes the zombie severely damaged

(2 HP), and the last stage is either death by headshot or massive body damage (0 HP).

Head shot: instant death. -2 to attack roll for every 10 meters away the zombie is. If you stand 2hexes away from your target, the -2 penalty is removed.

Massive Body damage (0 or less HP): The zombie's body is rendered unusable by damage. In

effect, it is incapacitated - even though its limbs may still move. Dont stand too close, though.

Immobilize: The Zombie's legs are damaged to such a degree that the zombie cannot walk.

Immobilized zombies are easily killed after combat. When you roll Sixes, you automatically

damage the zombie to this level.

Zombie types

There are 2 different types of zombies.

Theres the classic mindless, rotting zombie

that bangs its head against the same steel

door for 3 days straight, and then there are

Alphas. Alpha zombies are evolved zombies

with special powers. They retain some of

their mind during the transformation that

occurs after infection, and this has profound

effects on the zombie. An Alpha zombie is

faster, stronger and scarier than normal

zombies because of its powers. An Alpha

zombie can take control of other zombies

and move them strategically, in contrast to

how zombies normally move motivated

only by instinct and sensations, like sounds

and the warmth of living flesh.

Alpha zombies have a shared consciousness

called The Legion Mind. It connects Alphas to

each other within a distance of around a


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kilometer. This shared consciousness allows

the zombies to communicate and develop

their mental powers and in turn, how much

they can do with normal zombies. They can

make a normal zombie move fast as if it was

still alive, but only for a short while.

Sometimes, that is all it takes for an

otherwise safe and preplanned mission to go

awry.


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Game Master Section

This section is for the game masters eyes only. It contains ways of creating situations and stories

for the players to experience. It also gives you some answers about what actually happened; whythe world is swarming with the walking dead. This chapter relies on the notion that you know

what a GMs job is, and how to create suspense in a role-playing game.

So What Happened?

Why did the dead rise? Why are people turning into undead monstrosities? Those are questions

that need answering for both players and GM. However, the GM should think about how he

delivers the answers, and how quickly he does it. Below is a short treatment on the facts that

created the zombie apocalypse.

The world was hit by a meteoroid that did considerable damage to the eastern hemisphere. While

the immediate damage on Earth was under control, the event caused a worldwide crisis. Amidst

this crisis, the first infected were discovered. Any link between the asteroid and the disease is

unknown, although some speculate that the asteroid brought something into the Earths

atmosphere. Something that started a chain of events that led to the downfall of much of western

civilization. Widespread panic erupted in many cities over the world. Some fell because of the

aftermath of the meteoroids landing and the resulting earthquakes, while others fell due to the

disease. Global communication is still intact, but large areas on all continents are silent. It is

believed that a combination of the natural disaster and the disease are the main culprits. Attempts

at reconnecting with these areas are ongoing, but so far with little luck. Some cities have been

found almost empty, the people being either dead, infected or simply disappeared.

The infection spreads like a virus, but its nothing like any virus in any existing medical database.

What little believable research that has been done on the infectious compound describes it as a

hyper-complex semi-organic string of molecules that has some of a virus properties. It is not

airborne, but the mutation rate of the compound is faster than anything seen before. It spreads

through body fluids; blood and saliva being the main ways.

There is no cure, but there is something akin to a vaccine. It is developed in the few functioning

parts of the world with the resources needed. It is scarce and only lasts for 24 hours. If you areexposed to the meta-virus without being vaccinated means a 90% chance that you will be infected,

and at that point, it is only a matter of hours before the transformation starts. The exact time is

somewhere between 5 and 24 hours. There is no known way to stop it, except killing the patient.

There have been a few documented cases of persons going through the transformation while still

retaining some of their humanity and showing varying degrees of self-control. These are called

Alphas, and have as of yet not been classified in terms of biological category. It is believed that

some infected are part of society, either not knowing of their infection or choosing to hide it.


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Building a Story

A game story consists of a number of random

or pre-planned encounters and situations. A

short adventure can have 4 encounters, while

longer adventures can have as many as you

want.

A story contains a number of different

obstacles and tasks. It should deliver a

number of diverse situations that usually

come up in a zombie game.

As a GM, you can create a story all of your

own. But since this game is supposed to be

light on preparation, there are tables that can

structure a story randomly.

RANDOM LOCATIONS

Roll 1d6 twice to see where the adventure

starts and ends.

1. A capital (example: New York)2. A medium city (example: Portland)3. A small town (example: Augusta,

Maine)

4. Open Road (example: a desert gasstation)

5. Tbe Wild (example: wild forest)6. Large building complex (examples: a

mall, a skyscraper)

Here are some random missions that the

players may face. You can use this to build a

plot as you go, or you can use it to sequence

a number of events before the game starts.

Each mission will have a number of

Challenges, and all require at least on Player

Action.

1. Rescue mission: A group of survivorshave been located, and if the players

rescue them, their supplies are added

to the groups.

2. Food Supply Run: A supply of food hasbeen found.

3. Weapon Supply Run: A supply ofweapons has been found.

4. Medical Supplies Run: A supply ofmedical supplies has been found.

5. Building Supplies: The group locates apile of building material that can

strengthen their Shelter.

6. Shelter Located: A new shelter hasbeen located by the group.

Using these tables can also inspire you to

create your own stories. Remember, the

main goal is to have fun with it; that is true

for the GM as well.

Final Notes

Having read this book, you might be interested in the upcoming Zombie: The Hunger supplement

that allows you to play as Alpha zombies.

If you need to contact the author for any reason, the email is:[email protected].
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

zombie - the hunger

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