Gods help us all if one of these vines takes root in a graveyard...
Maybe that's how it started getting REALLY bad.
Daywalkers
(166 posts) (9 voices)-
JohnA1nut
MemberEric suggested that I finish this. I think he's got a point. I really like the notion of it starting on a ship at sea. They might as well be on the moon when it gets started. Of course, one person has to stay "normal" to tell the story of what happened. It's a biologist. He studied the zombie behavior. He was picked up barely alive from malnutrition by another ship after starting a distress homing signal 10 days prior. The transmitter was damaged, and it only had a range of a few miles.
I like the notion of the vines, but I want the vines to be relatively easy to kill. I don't want these things getting too out of control, ya know? Perhaps a healthy dose of weed killer is enough to take one out.
Osevens, or anyone else, have any thoughts?
Mon Nov 3 2008 1:15 am # -
JTM
Memberwho says the story requires a survivor? you can reveal it through the final transmissions of the doomed ship. It seems to me to make the most sense for the ship to be close to land and far from a military base, because otherwise the zombies would likely wind up far more familiar with both the ocean floor and guided missles than is good for your story. they'd have to get to land before anyone decides that the ship needs to be destroyed, or at most about three hours afterwards. once they've landed, the vine could hit some local mass graves, and the area of land the zombies can reach is gone.
Mon Nov 3 2008 1:32 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberBiologist Lauren Hastings got infected. She, in turn, infected the rest of the crew. The ship was blown off course by a hurricane, and crash landed in an area that used to be a huge cemetery, but is now just a torn up patch of ground and a lot of floating coffins.
The sea animals were immune (salt is toxic to most land-based plants) and from there, it spread outward, aided in part by the chaos already caused in the path of the hurricane. The zombies actually went unnoticed for the most part for several weeks. By then, their numbers had grown at a geometric rate....
I know we wanted Mormons to be in it, and I like that notion. What about "A worldwide, unnamed religious faction, which encouraged its members to stockpile food and ammunition for the coming apocalypse. The church headquarters is somewhere in Utah." That way, it makes it easier to fudge the facts.
Mon Nov 3 2008 1:40 am # -
JTM
MemberOkay, that works. add in that, while some of the last members of the crew managed to get off a fragmentary transmission, no one was able to respond due to the hurricane, so as to explain how the identity of "patient zero" and the original ship the infection was on is known.
Mon Nov 3 2008 1:49 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberTo fully assimilate a living hosts takes several days. The Mary Piper's doctor's and captain's logbooks were found. They described the transformation, and gave all of the information the doctor was able to glean about them.
I think it was The Abyss, the crew of a Russian ship got turned into something resembling zombies. The doctor's video journal was found, and another's ship's doctor spoke fluent Russian. He put together what happened, but not before it started affecting his crew.
Something along those lines was found. The last entry in the Mary Piper's video log is the doctor blowing his brains out with a 12 gauge skeet gun. The camera made him feel like he wasn't dying alone. Then the video shows the zombies enter the room and start chowing down on his corpse. I imagine this would be a well-funded organization, on a ship that is larger than most apartment buildings. Not government funded though. A Jacques Cousteau-type exhibition.
In fact, would it be OK to say that it was a Jacques Cousteau exhibition? Lauren Hastings was his plant biologist.
Mon Nov 3 2008 2:13 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberLauren Hastings discovered a new breed of plant. Something unique looking. She takes it on board, gets infected on day one. Becomes systematic the next day. Her nighttime strength starts getting augmented, while autonomic systems slows down progressively in the daytime. After 3 or 4 days, she was uncontrollable, and infected the rest of the ship.
It is spread by getting pricked by a plant thorn (what Lauren did) getting bitten, getting blood into an infected cut, and contact with plant sap. Only the plant sap can soak through your skin. It's like Poison Ivy. (Should that be capitalized? It is a proper name, after all)
Biting is the fastest way to spread, (fully transformed in 48-72 hours)
Pricked by a thorn is the second fastest (fully transformed in 75-90 hours)
Blood infection, by bites and infected blood (fully transformed in 100-110 hours)
Getting it through the skin is the slowest. The rash develops, and is dismissed as Poison Ivy..... Then it starts to spread. Only pure plant sap can reanimate an already dead body.
I don't want the spores to be airborne. That would spread too quickly. How do the plants spread? I want them to be kind of rare. Unique looking, but not something you could immediately pick out of a crowd. (IE no bright orange and red talking Venus fly traps named Audrey)
Mon Nov 3 2008 2:23 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberEric, Music Wars beta, the way I want to write it would be far too complex for a beginner. I agree that this world should have flatline magic and psi, and I would see no reason for a higher-biased world. That means I'm only dealing with Tech (Late 20th century earth is what I'm thinking) and the Bod.
Besides, this is a much cooler concept for me. Keep cracking the whip Eric. Make me finish this thing. (Seriously)
Mon Nov 3 2008 9:31 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberI, personally, would set it in Columbus Ohio. My divergent is in it. He's got a 5th degree black belt in some martial art, and is probably a mixed martial artist. (I had the chance, if the money had been there.) His older brother is a decorated Marine 3 stripe sergeant (I don't recall the actual rank) And his uncle Bob was Special Forces in Vietnam. (He's got a few screws loose. Often believes the zombies to be Vietcong. Still a very powerful ally)
The local military base was finally overrun. Not by zombies, but by armed civilians. Communication was so spotty that they couldn't get resupplied. After the soldiers exhausted their supply of food, armed civilians stormed it. Most of the soldiers surrendered, glad that the base was still in American hands.
Divergent Me and his crew live in an abandoned apartment building. It's 3 stories, holes have been knocked in most of the walls into the next apartment. Holes have been cut in the floors, and ladders suspended as well. We can move through every apartment, and in fact, found a boatload of food and weapons left behind in the initial evacuation, in addition to our own ample supply.
Mon Nov 3 2008 9:46 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberWhat difference does it make what he believes them to be? Whatever Uncle Bob is going after is still going to be just as dead. Uncle Bob has been known to decapitate nighttime zombies with a Kabar knife.
My divergent is a martial artist and not military because I could see myself doing martial arts. No matter how hard I try, I cannot imagine a divergent me, even a non-psychotic divergent me, in the military.
My brother was in the army reserves in real life. He certainly would have been tough enough to take Marine training, I wouldn't be surprised if my brother could have made it through SEAL training, if the truth be told (He's just that tough, ya know?) However, I would make him a combat marine, decorated, and a Desert Storm veteran. (My brother almost got sent over there as a reservist.)
Mon Nov 3 2008 10:05 am # -
johnosevens
MemberMy first thought is that the vines should not spread by seeds. They should spread by spores, akin to how ferns and some fungus spread. The difference is that spores are much more survivable, and much more travel-ready. It also makes sense that after a while, an infected host would break down into a nigh-explosive mass of spores, which would become a new vine.
I like the idea of keeping the Psi and Mag biases low. Just remember that your Bod bias needs to be high enough to support parasitism and all the other properties of the vine/infection itself.
Mon Nov 3 2008 11:21 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberI didn't want them to be spores, because spores spread WAY too quickly. I ran over a mushroom with a lawnmower. It literally exploded in a shower of purple dust. The spores, millions of them, each one capable of producing another mushroom. I don't want it to get overrun with zombies too fast, ya know?
Anybody have any other ideas for NPCs, or could you tell me how to flesh out the characters that I have?
What are the typical methods of producing zombies, how long do they live, how do you traditionally kill them, (we've got a few, but what are the usual ways?) etc?
If I were to run a character in this world, with a divergent verser me in the story, do I have to use my own character, or can I make one up and do whatever I want with him? (might sound like a stupid question, but as you well know, I have very little knowledge of gaming)
Tue Nov 4 2008 10:46 am # -
Tadeusz
MemberNPC's:
1. Big Amish Farmer
2. Mormon Zombie Hunter/Messenger --travels around in a car
3. Cute Botanist to explain what little is known of the disease (maybe have rescuing her be a mission).
4. Track and field star
5. Garbageman. He uses his garbage truck as a ram to run over zombies, and he climbs in the inside of it as his personal fortress ...he has it rigged so you can open the trash area from inside it.Tue Nov 4 2008 6:16 pm # -
If you want to create a character and say it's a divergent version of you, that's certainly permissible. I would suggest that you not use your name, though. I know that will sound odd to you, because you met the Architect as Mark Young, and so did those with you--but that was for the very specific reason that you knew Mark Young before you knew anything about the multiverse, and he was your plot hook. For anyone who does not know me, the Architect is usually introduced as Bryant Andrew Stevens. It is also the case that Michael di Vars (originally Edward Roland "of the Sar" Jones"), Peter Adams (Richard Lutz), Whisp (Christopher "Shadow" Jones), and most other senior versers are using assumed names in the game as published, but use their real names when players who know them encounter them. This has occasionally led to the peculiar fiction that when characters of my sons, who know the Michael di Vars by the name Roland of the Sar, or just Ed, meet characters of players who do not know him outside the game, it is recognized that Edward Roland "of the Sar" Jones and Phillip Michael "di Vars" White are the same name, and none of the characters are confused by the different usage. (Their universal translators make it such that they hear the name they know?)
So I recommend that if you base a character on yourself, you give him a different name.
Now, Eric has split the difference there, using his screen name/nickname Tadeusz for the superpowered version of his character (which is his fast forward of where he saw the character going, which also happened with some of the senior versers before they went to print). When his character encounters people who knew him before he was a verser or in his earliest universes, he allows that they know his real name; but otherwise he's just Tadeusz, Hammer of God.
So use yourself as a template, but change the name.
--M. J. Young
Wed Nov 5 2008 2:41 am # -
Tadeusz
MemberSledgehammer of God....Charles Martel was the Hammer.
Also...Tad can be pretty unsubtle, or really so, maybe
Two, probably my favorite tool in house work is a five pound micro sledge.
:)
In a previous campaign...
Chris becomes Captain Christophe and Annie (lil Sure Shot)
I just renamed Gabby to Gwen the Summer Queen ...following MJ's example.If I do publish "I, Tadeusz" someday, the real name of the character will likely not be 'Eric'.
Wed Nov 5 2008 4:53 am # -
Does it only infect corpses or also living people. Did Hastings change when he was researching or only when he was dead, or did the plant first killed him and then changed him?
If the plant kills the person first, how does it do that? Does it poison the person or does it let vines/roots run through the body to reach the internal organs, or for symbolic meaning the hart? It could then root itself in the dead hart becoming a 'new' hart from which it takes control over muscles etc, in the mean time running through to the bone marrow, producing photosynthetic blood cells or something, which would make the new skin-cells photosynthetic or something like that.
The sickness could drive the infected person to madness rather then killing it or the plant, if it uses a dead body as host, must have some sort of intelligence. How does it know how to move the muscles etc? Why does it take up residence in dead bodies, does it live off of the dead tissue? That would make the zombie fall apart shortly and would then maybe make it possible for you to let it be spores that are spread around, since there would only be a lifespan of let's say somewhere between one year or five years?
Just some questions.
Wed Jan 28 2009 8:54 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberEric wrote:
NPC's:
1. Big Amish Farmer
2. Mormon Zombie Hunter/Messenger --travels around in a car
3. Cute Botanist to explain what little is known of the disease (maybe have rescuing her be a mission).
4. Track and field star
5. Garbageman. He uses his garbage truck as a ram to run over zombies, and he climbs in the inside of it as his personal fortress ...he has it rigged so you can open the trash area from inside it.I did want to do some NPCs.
Uncle Bob, Vietnam combat veteran, special forces. Has been known to decapitate running, nighttime zombies with a Kabar knife. He's that good. 3@ something use Kabar I guess.
Lee, Desert Storm combat veteran, special forces. Excellent survival/live off the land skills
John, Lee's younger brother. (These are the names of real people, should I change them? I figure the first names are generic enough) 1@10 in most of the special forces training (whatever that is) learned from his brother and uncle. Also 2@4 weapon utilizing martial arts.Bob and Lee both have high 2@-low 3@ firearms skill. John has low 2@ and high 1@ firearms skill. They live in an abandoned apartment building, 3 stories, with holes punched in walls and floors to access all apartments, like a huge 3D rat maze. Caches of firearms and explosives are everywhere in the building. You could go into any room in any apartment anywhere in the building and find at least one loaded gun and a few boxes of ammo. All manner of guns. (GE roll to decide, I guess. Was it a shotgun or a 9mm? An AK-47 or an Uzi? Did they find the one with the crate of hand grenades?) They're scavengers, survivalist types. Their apartment is in the edges of what would be considered suburban/rural. Suburban neighborhoods for the looting, and woods for hunting and gathering food, all within walking distance of where they live. Will assist any non-zombie, although identifying yourself as human quickly is a must. They sometimes give warning shots, although not always. Two brothers and their uncle. They also have safe houses and caches of weapons and food hidden all over, within a 5 mile radius. (Did the verser happen to find one of these?) The survivalist trio don't mind if these get stolen. Only a human would steal their cache, so it means they must have helped somebody.
The Big Amish Farmer could probably be a friend of these guys. Or at least someone they trade and do business with. I'm imagining high 2@ strength, 1@10 in blacksmithing, woodworking and other "primitive" arts. In a world like this, a guy with blacksmithing and woodworking skills would be a celebrity of sorts. Has 2@ live off the land skills. Well stocked, and well armed. Most Amish actually accept modern firearms, because it is conceptually still a musket. Insanely good with axes and sledgehammers, and will use them in any manner he needs to. This is the guy that will walk into a field of 20 zombies with an axe in one hand, and a sledgehammer in the other, and clear the field of undead in a matter of minutes.
Cute botanist. Lauren Hastings, patient zero. Found the cure in time for herself, but not in time to stop it from spreading.
I really like the idea of a garbageman. I did trash collecting for a day. (Yeah, you would have quit after a day too) The truck is a rolling fortress. He's a techie type. Did the garbage collecting part-time to put himself through college. 3@ electronic repair, the truck is a rolling computer/communication center. You need to make a cellphone call to the other side of the world? This is the guy you talk to. Possible love interest for Dr. Hastings? I know that's probably not what Eric had in mind, but I like it. Feel free to flesh out your own NPC for that Eric.
Thoughts?
(Doing Therapy)
Sat Jan 30 2010 5:38 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberTwo
NPC's:
1. Big Amish Farmer
2. Mormon Zombie Hunter/Messenger --travels around in a car
3. Cute Botanist to explain what little is known of the disease (maybe have rescuing her be a mission).
4. Track and field star
5. Garbageman. He uses his garbage truck as a ram to run over zombies, and he climbs in the inside of it as his personal fortress ...he has it rigged so you can open the trash area from inside it.Not a single Mormon (ever notice, that's only one letter off of moron?) What is the entire church doing? The average Mormon tabernacle is converted into a fortress. It could sustain the inhabitants for 6 months with no outside help. The garbageman works with them, doing communications and assisting in transporting supplies. The other garbagemen being transporters, around his central communications vehicle.
The track and field star I can't really come up with much. What does Eric have to say? Any others?
(Doing Therapy)
Sat Jan 30 2010 7:42 am # -
johnosevens
MemberThe track and field star works with the garbage man doing search-and-rescue and smash-and-grab jobs. He's fast, agile, and a fair hand with a javelin, so when the garbageman says "I need so-and-so from inside that building" it's him (her?) that goes and gets it, doing the dangerous jobs while the trashman directs things from his mobile bunker. Throw in a little bit of training using a fireman's axe as a Tech tool/weapon and you have a fairly solid skirmisher/scout/recovery expert.
Sat Jan 30 2010 3:13 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberI like that track and field star Osevens. That's really cool. When I was writing about track and field, I was trying to think about what kind of human would turn into the fastest, deadliest zombie. An Olympic sprinter being the obvious choice. Not just javelin, shot put, hammer throw, any other throwing weapon related skill. He also competed in the Winter Olympics, winning the bronze medal in the cross country skiing/target shooting event. (My cousin almost got into this. Ski for a mile or two, shoot out targets with a pistol, ski for another mile or two, shoot more targets, etc.) so this NPC is extremely handy with a 22 target pistol, but not much else in the way of guns. (You know me, everyone has to have at least one!!) Also has 2@10 cross country skiing, which could only be helpful in the wintertime. Or, ya know what? My cross country skier/target shooter could be the partner of your javelin thrower, working in tandem for the smash and grabs. Just a thought.
(Doing Therapy)
Sat Jan 30 2010 4:16 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberTwo
The techie garbageman has 1@5 skill with most pistols, rifles and shotguns. The need to use them became kind of a necessary evil that he would prefer live without. Has as protection one pump shotgun and a 357 revolver. He usually asks questions first and shoots later. Him and the survivalist trio don't get along so well, although each have found the other useful on occasion.
Amish farmer's family. Wife, high 2@ herbal remedies and Old Wives Cures (which actually work) First aid, cooking, cleaning, 1@5 use guns (again, it became a necessary evil for a woman to use a gun) Sons of course, almost and scary as dear old dad as far as skills are concerned. Daughters take after mom.
I can't do a single Mormon hunter killer. To me, everything I think of sounds too cheesy to type out.
All of these people form a network. The survivalists provide fresh meat, the Amish provides hand-crafted tools and equipment, the Mormons coordinate with the garbagemen to get it distributed to the needy. I dunno, something like that.
(Doing Therapy)
Sat Jan 30 2010 5:17 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberThree
Does anyone else have any input? I'd like some more help and collaboration. Scott, could you help me "flesh out" the stats on the zombies? These are photosensitive zombies, with plant-like regenerative abilities, if exposed to sunlight. How exactly does that work? Any thoughts? How many times can they be put down and brought back like that? How long do they stay down when you do? Is there a maximum limit to that? If you "killed" one enough times, would it stay dead even in direct sunlight? We were asking how it spread, do they grow into trees if left in the correct environment long enough? A tree dropping seeds which infect living things with the plant zombie virus perhaps? Where did it come from? I always like "Military weapons project gets out of control" myself, any other ideas? I don't want to do any more on this unless I get some serious collaboration. Come on!! It will be fun!! Just like when we did Music Wars. Read what I've put down, and see what comes to mind.
(Doing Therapy)
Sun Jan 31 2010 4:20 am # -
JTM
MemberWell, they can probably go down and get back up indefinitely while in sunlight. Likely, the only way to kill them would be to totally destroy them or inflict severe harm after their "charge" runs down at night. It'd be a bit complicated to track, but they could have a "charge meter" when out of sunlight that drops whenever they act or have to regenerate, and once it is all gone killing them without using high explosives or flamethrowers becomes practically achievable.
Also, tying the spread of the virus to static objects seems to not be a very good idea. Zombies rely on their ability to rapidly grow the horde to a massive extent. Take that away, and they don't pose any sort of serious threat on a large enough scale to manage a zombie apocalypse.
Sun Jan 31 2010 12:16 pm # -
Couldn't that charge meter just be their damage value? Give them a bod-based autoheal measured in seconds per intensity that only works in sunlight. If you want activity to drain charge, simulate that by reducing the rate of regeneration while the zombie is engaged in strenuous activity.
Sun Jan 31 2010 9:44 pm # -
JTM
MemberThat has one problem that may only be a problem with my particular conception, and another minor problem.
Namely, it doesn't quite cover them getting "knocked out" through physical trauma without dying, and also the simulated charge drain wouldn't work properly at night, when they aren't exposed to sunlight but still have a fixed charge their actions draw from.
Sun Jan 31 2010 10:54 pm # -
They have to make attribute checks at night to avoid taking damage from acting. If they reach 0 DV, they're out but not dead, and will resume healing in sunlight unless destroyed before that time.
Sun Jan 31 2010 11:04 pm # -
johnosevens
MemberAs for the Mormon zombie hunter, I'm imagining him as being inspired by Simo Hayha. Basically he's just an ordinary guy - hard-working, pious, follows orders - and just happens to be a hell of a shot with a rifle. He doesn't do it because he enjoys killing, nor even because he has some religious vendetta against zombies. He was just told to protect such-and-so area, so he's doing so to the best of his abilities. He's not exactly simple-minded, he's just a very down-to-earth, keep-it-basic, don't-overthink-things type. I see him wearing a plain off-white button-down shirt, a pair of black jeans, tan rough-out work boots, and his rifle. Nowadays probably some model of Remington, although I'd love to see him carrying an old Lee-Enfield or Mosin-Nagant, just because I'm partial to those personally. He leaves everything else in his car - a very basic American-made model, probably a Chevy or Ford, maybe modified with a solar power system to be easier on the environment and more survivable given how fuel is harder to come by.
Sun Jan 31 2010 11:34 pm # -
John, although some people might be flattered to be included, it is much better to change the names even if you are certain they wouldn't mind. Others will take the characters you create and tell stories about them, and if the characters are real people, that could be libel/slander, because it's not true. Changing the names also allows you to modify the details. Basing a character on a real person who is not you is acceptable; making up details about a real person who is not you is not.
It's also rather rude to take other people's characters for your own stories. Lauren Hastings is not a generic, and I do not recall giving permission to anyone to use her. (If you're going to use her, you should ask, and give credit. And no, I do not see a divergent of Lauren Hastings as a molecular biologist discovering a cure for her own disease. Pete Adams would do that; Joe Kondor might. Lauren Meyers (remember, "Hastings" already assumes that she's a housewife and mother of three children) is oriented toward the arts--literature, theology, entertainment--not the sciences.
I'm afraid that the Amish farmer brings to mind Jim Denaxas' comic book superhero "The Amish Avenger", and I keep waiting for him to invite everyone back to have some of his mother's truly great toast. But that's probably just me.
Although it's good to have characters as teams, if you're bringing the verser into this scenario it might be better to have most of these disconnected, or very small groups fighting on their own. They might have heard something about each other, but they don't really know each other. This gives the verser opportunities to connect with different approaches to the problem but also to try to bring everyone together.
--M. J. Young
Sun Jan 31 2010 11:36 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberBasing a character on a real person who is not you is acceptable; making up details about a real person who is not you is not.
Understood. I'll change the names. I could easily imagine a divergent world where they both did exactly what was said of them. Uncle Bob tried to get into the army, but was ineligible for one reason or another. Lee was in the reserves, he almost got sent to Iraq in the 90s. I've known him all my life, and if he isn't tough enough to take Special Forces training, I don't know who would be. And that's not even an exaggeration. He was born a hard worker. I'll change the names.
It's also rather rude to take other people's characters for your own stories. Lauren Hastings is not a generic, and I do not recall giving permission to anyone to use her.
I didn't realize that MJ. I assumed that the characters in the books were pretty much open season for anything related to Multiverser. I now realize that is utter rubbish, and I'm kind of surprised that I thought it in the first place. Learning as we go, eh MJ?
And you say you can't see Lauren Hastings as a biologist. In college, Lauren Myers married a different man named Hastings, who was a molecular biologist working for the military. This inspired her to pursue sciences more solidly whilst in college, and she ultimately changed her major. See how easy that was?
Could I have your permission to use that character? Kind of brazen to ask now, isn't it?
Although it's good to have characters as teams, if you're bringing the verser into this scenario it might be better to have most of these disconnected, or very small groups fighting on their own.
I meant it more like small groups fighting on their own. But they all know each other. If you have a player like me who is more into guns, you drop them into one of The Survivalists safe house caches. In there, he will find a gun or two and a couple days worth of food, hidden in plain sight. What does he do? If your player is more technical, you introduce him to The Garbageman. If that player wants to get a gun, The Garbageman says "I know just the guys to talk to." and takes them to see The Survivalists. If the gun nut player decides he wants to upgrade his computer, The Survivalists take him to see The Garbageman. Known more by reputation and occasional business than by friendship.
I found the way around naming them. The Survivalists, The Garbageman, The Scary Amish Guy, The Mormon Missionary, etc.
Speaking of The Mormon Missionary, Osevens, I really like that. I had to reread it a couple of times to understand it all, but that sounds really good. I could almost imagine one of those door-to-door knocking missionaries becoming exactly what you said. I used to have a couple of them living in my apartment complex, and this one guy, I'll call him Soup Man, he could have turned into exactly what you said. I'd almost be surprised if he didn't. Soup Man would have been a little more crazy and off kilter than you're imagining I think, but otherwise, you're right on the nose with it. I also love the idea of the old Lee Enfield rifle, which is a British 303 caliber. And I wouldn't even want to change the calibers. There are certain tactical advantages to having oddball caliber guns. Everyone and their brother has a 30-06, so the 30-06 ammo would be looted quickly. The 303, being FAR less popular, wouldn't be looted, and so he would find a few boxes that the guy looking for 30-06 left behind. A GE roll would favor him finding ammo over a more popular caliber after a while. The zombie he shot with it wouldn't be able to tell the difference, ya know?
He leaves everything else in his car - a very basic American-made model, probably a Chevy or Ford, maybe modified with a solar power system to be easier on the environment and more survivable given how fuel is harder to come by.
An unstation wagon or a van. He probably lives in the car, after all. I'd be leaning towards an unstation wagon personally. (inside joke) It just seems to fit the motif of the character better than a van. If you've seen Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, you might be able to figure out why I called it an unstation wagon.
Couldn't that charge meter just be their damage value? Give them a bod-based autoheal measured in seconds per intensity that only works in sunlight. If you want activity to drain charge, simulate that by reducing the rate of regeneration while the zombie is engaged in strenuous activity.
Scott, I wanted them to be next-to-but-not-impossible to kill in the daytime. If you've got an M-60 and a few thousand rounds to burn, you might get a few of them. Not quite like that, but you get the meaning. They're so stupid, you'd probably have to reread what I put down. So, they're not all that aggressive in the daytime. So, harder to kill. At night, take their head off, and hope the sun doesn't come up in time. High bod to make up for lack of intelligence. They're easy to avoid in the daytime, so I didn't want it to become a massacre. What fun would that be? I'd want to keep a running stalemate between the living and the dead.
What I was saying about growing into trees, I was thinking of those trees with vines that snatch people, from about a thousand Sci Fi movies. They can only infect people, so the chipmunk that lives there doesn't know it's not a normal tree. Zombie chipmunks? I mean come on....
This is going well.
(Doing Therapy)
Mon Feb 1 2010 8:35 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberTwo
The Mormon Missionary has A LOT of those oddball caliber guns. Just what I said, looting. He was raised to believe that he should never steal. Therefore, although he was an excellent shot with a rifle, he wouldn't steal one, and he wouldn't leave his mission area to go get his own from home. By the time he decided that he would have to break a few rules in order to better serve God, all that were left in the gun stores to be looted were the oddball caliber guns*. He decided it was God's way of helping him, and he found it practical.
*Long guns, British 303, Mosin Nagant, (7.62/54) 16 gauge shotgun, 28 gauge shotgun, 8mm Mauser.
Handguns, 32 magnum, 7.62/25No, strike that. It's somewhere in Luke, Jesus Christ tells the apostles to carry swords, and if they don't have one, sell your cloak and buy one. Peter, I believe, says "Two swords" "That is enough" says Jesus. Does that mean two swords for just Peter, or two swords for all of them? I personally interpret it as two for just Peter, otherwise, Jesus wouldn't have told the others to sell their cloaks. It must have been important to Jesus. So, he has more than one, but less than too many of these oddball guns. Osevens, probably not for the same reasons as you, but I really like that idea.
(Doing Therapy)
Mon Feb 1 2010 10:30 am # -
I can see your Mormon taking the gun and leaving cash on the counter. The cash isn't worth anything to anyone, but it's the price for the gun.
And no, I do not see that as a version of my Lauren Hastings character.
The characters who are listed in the Referee's Rules may be used as verser characters in your games; that's why they are there. The characters used in the world books may also be used as verser characters in your games. As to the novels, you can adapt the worlds and use the minor characters, but the major characters are the protagonists and if you're using them you have to be true to who they are.
Nothing says that you can publish worlds using those characters. If you're going to create a world, use your own characters in it. Particularly, nothing says that you can create divergent versions of those characters. The circumstances in which even in play you would want a divergent version of a verser who is not one of your players are pretty slim. Usually a divergent is about creating a foil against the player character, and so it's the player's divergent self that is used. Once in a great while it's for purposes of mistaken identity--the Reptile House Team of Why Spy is comprised mostly of divergents of known versers (The Architect, Michael di Vars, Pete Adams, Whisp, Joe Kondor, and the Psientist, plus a couple others), but this is specifically so that the player can make a connection to one of the characters from having met his doppelganger in a previous universe, and is irrelevant otherwise. Also, it's entirely different if I create divergent versions of characters I've written. Eric knows that he can make reference to versers created by others but doesn't use them as active characters in most of his stories, and I don't stick Tadeusz in mine even if I would be willing to mention him in a game thread.
No, you don't have permission to create that version of Lauren. I know you've found a credible explanation for who she becomes in your version, but if you told me that a divergent version of me became a biologist I would laugh in your face. Your version snaps my disbelief suspenders. That's not her; base your character on someone else.
Thanks.
--M. J. Young
Mon Feb 1 2010 11:34 pm # -
JohnA1nut
MemberNo, you don't have permission to create that version of Lauren. I know you've found a credible explanation for who she becomes in your version, but if you told me that a divergent version of me became a biologist I would laugh in your face.
Which, to me, shows that for all of your imagination, you have a surprising lack of it. In this version of history, your parents got divorced when you were 4 years old, your mother remarried, and your new stepfather steered you towards science instead of music or gaming. That's all it would have taken. For someone who imagined the Multiverse in all of its glory, your imagination is very limited where people are concerned.
Tue Feb 2 2010 12:15 am # -
My father did steer me toward sciences. He was an electronics engineer; my mother was a mathematician and efficiency expert. I did fine in science, but avoided it because I did not wish to dissect anything and couldn't get out of it if I took the science track--and I excelled at music. My parents told me I had the intelligence to do anything, but the only thing I believed I could do until long after I graduated from college was music.
My father thought music a bad career choice. He was right. It didn't make a difference.
And stop insulting me. It gets tiresome.
--M. J. Young
Tue Feb 2 2010 1:33 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberOK, so your parents were killed in a car wreck driving you home from the hospital the day after you were born. You, the sole survivor of the crash, were adopted by a molecular biologist who just happened to be named Young. This new set of parents got you over your fear of dissection. OK, so that's a little extreme. Maybe all it would have taken would have been falling out of a tree when you were 5 years old and breaking your hand so that you couldn't ever play guitar. You could still hold a scalpel just fine though, and having faced death, you were no longer afraid. Hell, maybe your uncle Herbert just gave you a chemistry set for Christmas one year and you got inspired. "John, I don't have an uncle Herbert, and I had lots of chemistry sets." Well, your divergent does have an uncle Herbert, and the chemistry set he got you was way cooler than any you ever really had. Maybe everything I mentioned happened to your divergent. Give me some time, I'll give you a hundred ways you could have turned into a molecular biologist.
If you're going to ask that I not insult you, I'm going to ask that you not argue with me on this. I know, deep down inside yourself, you know I'm right. You could have turned into a molecular biologist if the scenario played out correctly.
Tue Feb 2 2010 1:58 am # -
johnosevens
MemberThe end result of this is you two breaking down into a 'nature vs nurture' debate, and that really never gets anywhere. How about you both retiring to neutral corners and not derailing this thread, which could otherwise become a very interesting world idea. I mean, really, plant zombies? Who does that? It could be very win. Let's focus on that, yes?
...
You do plant zombies, and I'm picturing different groups of people growing strains of them. Like orchids. Like really goddamn creepy orchids.
Tue Feb 2 2010 4:38 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberI think that was the most intelligent post I've seen on this thread Osevens. What else do you have in mind for it? Did you read everything else I put down, before the thread got derailed? I liked all of your ideas, although probably not for even similar reasons as you do.
Tue Feb 2 2010 4:58 am # -
JohnA1nut
MemberTwo
Just an observation. Does anyone else notice that MJ and I usually seem to have exactly the opposite viewpoint on most topics? He's clinically depressed, I'm paranoid psychotic. Those two mental illnesses are exactly the opposite of each other from a medical standpoint. I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Seriously.
This opens up a host of new possibilities. What if your divergent was born psychotic instead of with depression? God only knows what could happen to him then. Maybe he became a biologist in hopes of curing his condition. He hooked up with my divergent not because of time travel, but on a site he wrote about mental illness. Perhaps it was one of your sons, born psychotic. You, being the dutiful, loving father, went to medical school instead of law school so that you could better care for him. Tell me that couldn't possibly have happened. I think if I had been born with depression, I easily could have been a Goth. As a psychotic, I think they're dorks. Sorry, I think I've made my point, and I'll shut up about it now.
Osevens is right, we shouldn't derail the thread, if you want to start another for this, go ahead. Or just give a single reply and agree to drop it there. I think I like that better.
(Doing Therapy)
Tue Feb 2 2010 6:25 am # -
Tadeusz
MemberMJ,
I'd be pleased to have you use Tadeusz in a story or novel or world. You have my permission. Same to you John. And that applies to my other characters as well (Princess and Paladin of the Eye of Truth Lilandra, and The Walking Man, and Captain Charlie and Two-Gun Annie, and Professor I forget his name and She Who Is Gold {the documentarian versers}, and so on.I know that letting one of my players run Lilandra as an NPC resulted in the far richer character than I had originally created. He came up with a weird tangent, and I found ways it fit,a nd it made it far more interesting than the already cool character I had.
John,
My idea of the garbageman was fairly generic. You've fleshed it out, not in the way I would have gone, but hey, God wouldn't have made you if you thought just like me. Because then you'd be unneccessary. :)Wed Feb 3 2010 6:47 am # -
Tadeusz
MemberSecond Post,
I also don't mind if you send characters to Starsong or Northgate City or Fantastique/Gothika (my parallel Steampunk worlds). It might even be a good idea for your sons because they are probably already familar with the worlds you've created. And if you want to write Lauren into Starsong, have fun.If I was making billions of bucks from my worlds, I would have a different view, but as it is, I'll give John, or MJ, or O7 or Wodium permission to do so. Just tell me you're going to do it, okay? (Legal note: This is not a general permission for anyone who reads this to use my worlds however they want. Standard copyright applies.)
Wed Feb 3 2010 6:54 am #
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