[AFMBE] Angry Mother Earth and her rat army

Idea

I am now reading AFMBE, because after this ongoing Call of Cthulhu campaign it is the game next in line. Luckily AFMBE's Unisystem is easy enough to run, so there is more time for brainstorming the campaign than learning the rules.
I am going to run my idea of BBQ from Hell (posted about it here) but got this idea reading the rulebook I want to share.

Recent background

After world started to get great leaps towards advancement, it had its costs. Pollution, overpopulation, destroyment of nature - humanity has done in past few decades more damage to nature than in millenia. World is suffering. It is cycle of nature to reset Earth from time to time. When ecosystem is really screwed up, places are overpopulated, evolution takes it's step and starts to destroy the things what burden ecosystem.

Now or in near future is time for humanity to decrease in number.

Army of rats

Rats. They are everywhere. In rural areas of world to greatest and modernest capitals. Their number can be decreased, but they never will vanish. They are extremely adaptable and resilient for enviromental, or human, hazards. They also multiply fast in great numbers

They start to be everywhere. They increase in numbers no one has seen before. And they are big. And hungry. Rats aren't that picky. They can eat flesh as comfortable as grain.

Among rats is also new plague. It doesn't affect rats, but rats are carriers of it. It does spread easily amongst rats, as rats do bite and skirmish together. The main problem with this plague is, that it is really adaptable, so there is no cure for it. As soon as it can be cured, it has evolved to even more recilient.

Epidemia

What is the problem? There is swarms of rats. They are bloodlusty. That is only drawback of infection to them. They become bloodlusty and frenzying. Rats can also easily get almost anywhere. They can squeeze in small spaces, climb on high towers, even eat their way through a wall. You cannot hide from them. And if the swarm is big enough, they are capable even rolling a car over.

As said, infected rats lust for blood. And they are ready to eat human. They do kill humans on their sleep, or even attack whole office to bite and eat people. But after the blood turns cold on a corpse, rats start to find new fresh and warm prey.

What is the effect of the dicease to human then? After human is bitten or eaten to death, infection starts to affect dead tissue and nervous system actually animating the corpse. Half-eaten corpses rise in 24 hours (2D12) to shambling undead zombie terrors. And the contamination has done them bloodlusty also.
If human survives the rat attack, he must success on resisting dicease or he/she is still infected and turned to frenzying half-dead flesh eater!

Rats and zombies

You can find stats for zombie rats in AFMBE rulebook page 169. But you have to adjust the information a bit. Stats are okay though. They aren't dumb. They can teamwork. Rats are actually very intelligent and determinent rodents.

RATS:
They aren't actually living dead, but you can use zombie special stats for them. You can find stats for zombie rats in AFMBE rulebook page 169. But you have to adjust the information a bit. Stats are okay though. They aren't dumb. They can teamwork. Rats are actually very intelligent and determinent rodents.

Modifications:
Getting around: The Quick Dead. Even if this is for humanoids, you can simply use these rules for rats. Also Climbing but take a note, rats can climb even to places where human cannot.
Strength: Single rat isn't anyway compatible to human strength, but in a pack or swarm they can be pretty powerful. You can use your own advice to determining how many rats needs to be in a swarm to get benefices of each Strength category presented.
Senses: Like a hawk. Rats have very keen sense of smell. Scent tracking.
Sustenance: Need to Feed Daily and All Flesh Must Be Eaten. They are greedy and hungry little buggers, even if they don't consume whole body.
Intelligence: Teamwork. They do move in swarms and can even roll over a car if they are plenty enough. Still, they don't actually plan things, it is more a animal instinct thingie. You can also get Problem Solving, as rats are intellect and learning critters.
Spreading the Love: Both Only the Dead and One Bite and You're Hooked, as killed body is most certainly turning into a zombie, but also failing resistance of biting turns you to zombo.
Special Zombie Features: Diseased corpse. Yes, they are infected. They spread the infection by biting. Also, as there is swarms of rats they can carry other diceases as well.

DEAD WHO RISE:

People, who get killed from rat attack use basic zombie stats from AFMBE rulebook page 146. Although, they infect people same way as rats do.

THOSE WHO TURN ZOMBIES WHEN BITTEN:

Use basic stats of basic zombie on AFMBE rulebook, but add those specialties from rats to them. Even if they are like human, well dead ones, they behave a bit like rats do. It is like rabies, makes you animalistic.

Have fun

This was not much of an information, but more a idea. How does Cast members find out about rat epidemia, how does it affect them, and main question, how to survive - if to survive at all? Those questions need a bit more detailing, and can be described more specifically when making the campaign.

[Call of Cthulhu] Call of ice

Call of ice is my recently started Call of Cthulhu campaign. Inspired by movies like The Thing, 30 Days of Night, Whiteout, The Abyss and reality series Ice Road Truckers I decided to use campaign to be set to something cold, icy and remote place. What could be better than Antarctica?

Plot of the campaign is quite simple. Character gets job assignment to join exploration group at new research facility at Antarctica. Character has no idea what it is all about, but payment is tempting and experience unique her to join it without bigger hesitation.

She met a person who lost both his hands and legs because of frostbites, but the horrible past of that poor man didn't stop her for leaving.

The new research facility goes with name X-123. It is new enough not to have proper name, or is not intended ever to get one. It is highly classified, what the research facility is doing. Ever character did not have a clue before she entered it.

At the facility they got quick briefing about journal what tells about something what lies within the ice. That is what character and rest of the research group is after. Journal or their supervisors at the facility didn't tell what they are exactly looking and retrieving for. Some kind of stone tablet is all group knows about.

First problem came, when character was asked to study few corpses coevered with fungus like mold. Nothing she, as a biologist, had ever seen before. As they didn't have a breakthrough on investigating the mold-fungus, X-123 decided to put it away. Character learned, that the destination they are going to go had one previous investigator group. The infested corpses.

When one corpse rised dead-alive and puked fungus on the face of another X-123 executioner, things started to get bad. Fungus lives in living tissue, spreading on skin and through nervous system. Same time it developes seeds in the stomach of the corpse. When corpse rises alive as a zombie, it is ready to contaminate nearby victims by puking on them. That is the way how fungus like mold spreads.

Another higher status X-123 executive is now infected, and the only cure for the mold on skin is the heat. But it needs atleast over 200 celsius to kill the fungus. And it is not quarantee to cure it. It might be in blood, as it contains by swallowing the seeded fungus-puke of the mold-zombies.

That is what has happened this far in the game. The stone tablet they are after, is a valuable artifact for human, but just a signal beacon for Mi-Go, race from Pluto. Mi-Go are at Antarctica to harvest ore, and that tablet investigation group and X-123 are after is just a spot-marker for Mi-Go. Nothing valuable for them.
Mold is actually, and basically Mi-Go snack. They cannot sustain anything for nutrition from Earth, so they bought their mold-fungus with them. They can eat mold-fungus from people. As it is contanious, their stack of snack doesn't end.
The purpose of this weird extraterrestial dicease is not to launch pandemia of strange hard to cure dicease, but just to feed Mi-Go. They are just doing their own business there, and human are their cattle - snacks.
Mi-Go doesn't want fungus to spread, as it could draw attention to Antarctica and their job, so they don't use animals to harvest mold.

So, what is the purpose of this campaign? For first, I have this "cold snowy icy places" period going on, and wanted to run a game in a setting like that. Second, I have for long wanted to run Call of Cthulhu. So, combining them two and result is this campaign.
Also, I wanted to add something from Mythos to game, as this is Call of Cthulhu after all. I asked at roolipelit.net some ideas about what Mythos could suit to mold-fungus, and got two options to go. Yog-Sothoth or Mi-Go. Read through both on basic rules book and decided to go with Mi-Go as it is not as threatening as a God. There is a change, and it is not too "at the last session you see huge monster, go insane and it eats you".

There is also a learning curve in the game. Have learned lots of Antarctica when searching for background data for campaign, and during game as player's character is a biologist, learned few things about DNA.

This game has been fun, and there is still few more sessions to end it. I am not sure yet how it will end, and will the character survive. Anyways, someone is going to a space travel in a brain container, that is sure.

Unfortunately I write campaign in finnish, but you can find it session by session from here:
Call of Cthulhu - Jään kutsu

Campaign ending, wow!

Vampire: the Masquerade campaign I am running, is actually ending. This is rare, as usually I don't plan the end for campaigns I start to run. They usually are sandbox campaigns, where story developes while playing. There is no planned focus, or goal for them, just playing and seeing where campaign is going. Usually the decisions what player decides his/her character to do move campaign forth, and there can be some nice twists. As no planning at all, even I as GM/ST don't know what is going to happen in the end.

But the problem is that "in the end" part. You see, while playing unplanned, as fun as it is, there is no real focus or real goal for the campaign. Things just happen. Problem here is, that campaigns this far could run several years and there is no end for them. And there is so much things happened and story lines open, that they die in their own impossibility. As there is no end or goal where campaign should go, sadly many of my campaigns just wither. Too much things have happened, too much story hooks are open, and in the end there is just this mess what even I as GM/ST cannot open anymore to give proper ending.

Too much things happen in one campaign, and the result usually is, that there is no enthusiasm or point to carry on when certain messy point is bypassed. Great campaign ends and there is not much to hold on anymore. And even if character was fun, it is impossible to continue later without total reset. We have once tried total reset after one campaign what did never see proper end, but that new start was not that succesful. Too much unsolved mysteries, too much history for that character to start all over again. Such a pity.

But now, when I launched this new campaign I decided that how fun it is ever to play, it must end at some point. I decided the starting point for campaign, where everything starts, what is the beginning and setting for it. Then I decided what is the result ending the campaign. Everything in between I left open. So, I knew the situation to "win" or end the campaign, but left open how to get there, or what are the results of the ending. There was unlimited options for campaign to go, enough spaces for plot to grow as gaming happens, not many npc's determined and created at the beginning so there was allways space for introducing new npc's on the fly. And even if I knew what is the ending conditions for this particular campaign, I didn't write down how the end should result, or what are the results after ending. So, character could die, bad guys could win, good guys could win, no one wins. The result and aftermatch is totally determined by the course of actual play.

Now after 20+ game sessions end is near. Really near. Lurking just behind the corner. And it feels good. It feels good, because this is literally in years first campaign/chronicle what is ending. And second point is, the resolution of the campaign is the kind of that I can continue it later. This plot is solved and closed, and I can continue to GM/ST it later. Not that one, but start new one from where this one ended.

I know, ending campaigns are basic for most of the roleplayers. I have just been too enthusiastic for game I've been running and didn't have guts to stop the fun. But now I see, that when I put end for the campaign in proper situation, I actually can continue gamemastering new adventures for the character, if I want.

Now, after this ends, we keep a small break for this particular character. But there is a spin-off coming. As we played this campaign we decided one evening to play small fast game in same city and setting with another character from another point of view on what is happening in the city. So, after this campaign, we play that spin-off to see what other participants feel about the situations of that campaign. Kind of like playing small few sessions on the view of character's and character's cause's enemy. That will be something new also. I won't make it long, just a short another view of campaign.

After those, well, don't know! Maybe I will also make a character, and together with own character's we will try out Mythic: Game Master Emulator. What will be the game to run with M:GME? That should be obvious, heh.

But, after this campaign and it's spin off I'd really like to run something else than Vampire. Maybe Werewolf: the Apocalypse? All Flesh Must Be Eaten survival scenario what could end prematurely if, well, character gets eaten? Unknown Armies is praised and I own it so could be worth to give a shot. Still, had so much Fun (with big F) with Fading Suns, that it could be nice to explore again with awesome adventures. Still, after playing WoW basic fantasy with D&D 3. Edition could work also. Haven't played D&D ever and basic fantasy for 10 years. Still, Star Wars with Jedi character could be quite nice, even if SW movie episodes 1-3 suck so bad. Still, White Wolf is my favourite and there is Slasher where character is crazy murderer or fairytale of Changeling: the lost. I have no idea what to play! There is so many good games yelling for attention in my shelf.

Too much great rpg's

I have nice Vampire: the Masquerade chronicle running (blogging it in finnish), yet my game shelf is full of interesting products calling my name. Reading them is fun, but trying them out would be more fun. Unfortunately there is not enough time to learn them properly, and even less time to run them. As I have this V:tM chronicle going on, I wouldn't want to put it on pause to try something else. There is always a risk, that game gets stuck where it is last left for some time.

If I am so darn busy, how can I storytell Vampire then? Reason is simple, game is familiar, I know the rules and setting already. It is easy to just grab and start playing right away!

Games, what I own and I would really like to give a shot, are:

- All Flesh Must Be Eaten. I know I did plan running BBQ from hell, but it never quite worked out. Thanks to learning rules and writing a campaing. I just didn't have enough time for that at the time. AFMBE would be nice for one-two-shots though, as there is survival and if character dies, it is because of the genre. Usually I don't prefer characters dying in the middle of story, but in the case of AMFBE it wouldn't matter that much. Zombies won!

- Star Wars SAGA. D20 is not exactly my game, but still this game feels good. I have read it from here and there, skipping pages, but hey, it's Star Wars and it is asking to great adventures, drama and action. And somehow I got a feeling that D20 suits it quite well! Not sure does D20 win D6 system, but I'd give D20 a shot in this case. If I'd run SW Saga, character should be a jedi. What's the point running short adventure of SW if you play some pilot, or rebel scout? None! You can play those character archtypes in any scifi rpg out there, but playing a jedi? That is what SW Saga is for.

- Unknown Armies. I like horror, alot. Somehow though even if I love Kult's setting, the rules don't tickle me from right places. UA could be answer to that. I also have heard that it is a good game, with good rules, and setting is also grim and good. Haven't read it actually much, so cannot say much about it. Still I am curious towards it.

- Call of Cthulhu. Hey, everyone loves CoC, right? What would be better for horror-mystery game than CoC? Yes, I know, nothing. CoC is a legend in roleplaying games. It is old, but still kickin'. Agatha Christie meets monsters from the deep... priceless.

- Savage Worlds. This one I have heard alot of good also. I also got free download of demo rules (Test Drive version 6), and it seems cool game. Fast, simple rules, not much accounting. Flaw is that it runs better with miniatures what I don't prefer much. And this test drive rules is cool. It pretty well shows what game is about and it looks neat too. Unfortunately there is no setting or world to play with, but I've found nice Aliens versus Preadator stats for it, what would be cool to try out. I was thinking about gettind Deadlands Reloaded, but it is quite expensive for now.

- Werewolf: the Apocalypse. Yeah, started playing Werewolf: the Forsaken and it was cool. Unfortunately game basically died because of my lack of knowing rules and world properly. And there is something in nWoD I don't quite like. Not sure what it is. Even if I have heard that Forsaken is Better than Apocalypse, I think for me Apocalypse is more fun to read and run. I was fortunate to get Apocalypse by luck some time ago, but haven't had time to read it yet. But it would most definately be a game I would run immediately, if I knew it well enough. nWoD might be better than oWoD, but oWoD has magik!

- Violence RPG. I am not sure is it ment to be just a joke, or can you actually play it. It is fun to read, even if sometimes it just get's too harsh on text. Rules are fun to read, because writer gives the picture he is inventing rules same time he is writing the game. And the rules... pffft, they are a bit complicated. Still, I'd give it a shot, just for fun. Not sure though, will I ever.

- Fading Suns. Love the setting, rules are ok. Have so good memories of campaing what was a diamond. That is a great game. Still, not sure if I will play it any time soon. Too much things to do, and still, I have those good memories of it.

At last, new game what is kicking

There was a period gaming did not run smoothly. I had ideas and was eager to play, but for some reason after last long Vampire: the Masquerade campaing lost my muse of storytelling. I don't say that I didn't want to play, but somehow it just didn't work well. Tons of ideas, but as I said, lost my muse.

After V:tM campaing we tried to start part 2 of it. From where last campaing ended but for some reason that character was done. She had so many experiences in her previous game, that it was hard to get something new to start with. So, it was a sad decision, but she retired.

After it we had a small break from gaming. I had tons of ideas I wanted to run but for some reason none of those happened. Or they did start and died soon after. One what took longer was Werewolf: the Forsaken, but there was problems. Main problem was that I wasn't fully familiar with system and setting, so game was not running smoothly at all. And I am oWoD guy so Forsaken, even if it is damn cool, didn't feel right. I mean, that I enjoy oWoD and like playing it, so starting nWoD was like breaking the canon somehow. Luckily I got my hands on Werewolf: the Apocalypse, but at that time inspiration with gaming died because of frustration in Forsaken. I wish I first had Apocalypse to try, maybe that Werewolf game would still run.

Side note: There is nothing wrong with nWoD and I have around 10 books for it, but somehow even if I like collecting nWoD I like playing old.

After unsuccesful Werewolf: the Forsaken I started to dream running All Flesh Must Be Eaten, and got an idea of BBQ From Hell (mentioned it here). Unfortunately my girlfriend just didn't get really excited about zombies. So, it didn't happen. Maybe after a break and games what did not work she wanted something good to start, not just test game I suppose. I am still hoping, that when we get to game to be awesome again, she is more open to new experiences. We also rolled her a character in Praedor (which we had few years campaing in past) but she didn't get excited about her drunken old adventurer. No wonder. Quite randomly generated character.

Nothing seemed to bring back the muse, so needed to go back to basics. Quess what that is. Vampire: the Masquerade. Again. This time her character is Nosferatu chick. She had wanted to play Nosferatu since Bloodlines PC game, and now we started it. Game runs smoothly, gaming is fun, adventure is cool, everything is fine.

So, after a break and unsuccesful tries to start new campaing we are back to the basics. I am really happy, and game is running again, but yet I still dream about running other game. There is a solution though. I made a website just for fun (click) where is also a forum. That forum will some day stand for our farp. We are playing active this new Vampire/Nosferatu campaing, but farp I can use to test run other game(s) with my girlfriend. It does not need as much involving, and doesn't need whole night worth of gaming as my gf would rather spend that gaming time with vampire. So, trying to get a farp with her for some other game also. Let's see how that will come.

AFMBE scenario, BBQ from hell

I am currently totally into All Flesh Must Be Eaten. I haven't yet read full book but am already halfway done. Game is neat. Rules are easy and neat.

I know, you can play zombie-games in almost any rpg you got. There is zombies in D&D, and in Call of Cthulhu, World of Darkness, even Fading Suns has sort of zombies. But whole game about zombies is fantastic.

As in other games zombies are just one template in AFMBE you can create unlimited amount of your own zombies and customize them to be different in every campaing. There is no two similar zombies.

Also rules are quite lite. Basically add attribute + skill and throw D10. Add them and see did you get over target number 9. Easy. Ofcourse there is a bit more, but basics are simple. There is also rules to use regular playing cards or diceless system.

So, what is BBQ from hell all about? It is based on a dream I had one night. Neighbours (player characters) have gathered in saturday evening for a nice barbequing when husband asks his wife to go fetch some cigs from their home. Wife notices drunken and wobbling person on their frontyard but ignores him. When she peeks from their window, is that drunken dude still around he is. Drunken dude rises his head, his eyes are grey and mouth filled with blood.

And the zombie-survival starts.

There will be involved controlled goverment test. There will be zombies to avoid and army that will keep you inside the city at any cost. You cannot get out or be shot and it is only a matter of a time will you either be eaten by zombies or be zombified yourself. And you don't have much time to survive, as army is going to burn the whole town down...

I will write this as pdf-file ready to play zombie scenario. Just need to write idea down, get some hotspots characters to possibly to visit, create some other npc survivors and ofcourse, create the zombies! I need to read rulebook to get those npc's and zombies going, but otherwise it is just writing. A bit railroading? Could be at the beginning atleast to get things working properly as intended. This will be first AFMBE scenario I write and will be first fan-based bublish I have ever done to share with others. And I am waiting for it like zombie is waiting for his brain-porridge meal.

So, when I know rules and get the writing done, be prepared for...

BBQ from Hell!

BBQ Party from hell - AFMBE

Day 1
It was a nice sunday evening. Our neighbours invited us to barbeque at their backyard. Grill was hot and Bob threw the steaks in. My husband Mark and Bob the neighbour had few beers while me and Annie chatted together. Sun set was near.
My husband forgot his cigarettes and he asked me to fetch them for him. I didn't want to bitch about his smoking now. Everything was so nice so like a good wife I went through their house to the front yard to go and get them cigarettes for my husband. While walking a hundred yard way to our front door, I saw a drunken man standing and wobbling on our front door. I didn't like it all but thought that maby it is best to leave him there. Maby he was lost being so drunken and was going to go on his way soon. I didn't want any trouble with that guy. His clothes were so dirty and hair messy.
I found the pack cigarettes. Was going to quickly call my sister and confirm her visit tomorrow but phone line was mute. I didn't give any notice for it as here sometimes phonelines don't work. Remote city, they say in the phone company and explain that they are fixing the broblem.
Before I went back to neighbour's I peeked through the window was the drunken guy still there. Yes, he was. Slowly he rised his head and looked at me. His eyes were grey and empty, mouth covered with blood.

Then I screamed....

This is a scenario/dead world for ALL FLESH MUST BE EATEN! Be ready for zombie-horror!

dfdPlace to happen:
Small town in USA. Population around 30.000 citizens. There is basic services including police station, fire department and a hospital. All serious cases are treated in other cities. In this town is also a research center what has tried to be a educational institute of science, but for town being so small and remote it has been failing constanlty for it's applications. Still, there is few professors working on their studies.
Downtown is small and most of the stores are located there. Also a big mall what has eaten smaller shops forcing them to quit with better prices and services. There are few apartmens in the center, but most of the houses are scattered around it.

Buildings:
Fire department (2 fire trucks, 14 firemen)
Police station (10 officers)
Hospital (21 doctors and nurses)
Research center (3 professors and 5 assistants)
22Elementary schools
1 High-school

ssScenario overview:

dfd

Characters:

Zombies: