Daemoun zombiehack

Zombiehack

An Apocalypse World hack to play social drama in a zombie-infested world. Borrows heavily from Monsterhearts.

Themes

• people are in constant danger, lacking resources, without society's support. How far are the willing to go to give themselves or their group better survival odds?
  • why and how are alliances an enmities formed?
  • who can you trust? do you allow strangers into your group?
  • do you give power and resources to someone who you'd rather not, if they are able to protect you?
  • how do you use or misuse your power over others?
• are comfortable things and small luxuries worth taking some risks? Is life without anything nice even worth living?

Central mechanics

Strings

• when you use a string you have on a pc, choose 1:
  • +1 to you after rolling,
  • -1 to them after rolling,
  • offer them xp to do what you want,
  • force them to hold steady to do something,
  • add +1 harm against them, give them a condition
• when you use a string you have on a npc, choose 1:
  • +1 to you after rolling,
  • +3 to manipulate NPC after roll,
  • cause them to freeze/hesitate/falter,
  • add +1 harm,
  • give them a condition

Conditions

• Taking advantage gives +1 / when affects your actions, causes a -1
• Removed by taking appropriate action in the fiction, and some moves
• Group condition affects everyone in the group (often lack of resources, but could be something else)
  • At the beginning of the session, the group leader decides who will get extra screwed by each group condition that you have. MC gets a free hard move on them.

Resources

• Ex group conditions
• Four levels: surplus, normal, lacking, none
  • surplus: only modeled in the fiction, can e.g. be traded off
  • lacking: as if everyone had the condition "lacking X"
  • none: as lacking, and gives the GM new moves
• Values are changed by fiction and some moves

Harm

• Simplified AW:
  • 0: non-dedicated hand-to-hand,
  • 1: dedicated guy with fists or a small handheld weapon,
  • 2: gunshots, katana,
  • 3: bad gunshots, explosions
• No armor, no gun ranges, tags, etc
• PCs take 4 harm to die, but can be saved once per session by becoming darkest self or losing all strings on everybody; if so, they get the condition "drained" and go to 1 harm
  • except zombie bites, see the move above
• Healing:
  • 1 per session when resting,
  • 1 per session when in good care

Fray pool

• Ex darkest self
• A countdown clock, leading to a dramatic character mental breakdown
  • Smaller effects listed on the middle
  • After the breakdown is over (it could last for quite a while), new effects can be written or a new clock selected altogether. The clock is set to 6.
• Given by some moves (including a GM move)
• Healed 1 per session until at 9
• Described in each playbook

Stats

• Everyone has two stats at +1 and two at -1 initially. Each can be improved once.
• Hot
• Cold
• Rough
• Quick

Basic moves

• Charm a PC (hot)
  • on a hit they emotionally buy your argument at least somewhat, but don't need to change their behavior
  • 10+: get a string on them
  • 7-9: they choose 1: they agree, they promise something they think you want, they give you a string on them
• Manipulate a NPC (hot)
  • hit: they agree but need something
  • 10+: you can give it later, if you wish
  • 7-9: they want it first
• Read a person (hot)
  • 10+: hold 2, 7-9: hold 1
  • During the interaction, use hold to ask questions: are you telling the truth, what are your real feelings/intentions, what do you wish I'd do, how could I get you to x
  • TODO: a negative consequence for 7-9? combining with strings?
• Insult or dominate (cold):
  • 10+: choose one: give them a condition, they lose a string on you (if none, gain a string on them), increase their fray
  • 7-9: choose one: you each give a condition to each other, you each lose a string on one another, increase both of your frays
• Stay focused (cold):
  • hit: choose one: ask MC a question, remove a condition, carry 1 forward in the scene
  • 10+: all good
  • 7-9: you hesitate or stall, MC chooses 1: you are exposed to immediate harm, you leave something behind, you attract unwanted attention, you lose your way, you expose someone else to danger, increase your fray
• Go aggro (rough):
  • 10+: they take damage or cave and do what you want
  • 7-9: they choose 1: get out of your way, take a condition, you get a string on them, they give or do something they think you want
• Seize by force (rough):
  • 10+: choose 3, 7-9: choose 1: gain definite hold on it, you suffer little harm, you inflict great harm, increase their fray
• Escape (quick):
  • hit: you get away
  • 10+ choose 1, 7-9 choose 2: you get lost or separated, you leave something important behind, you end up somewhere dangerous, the scariest person there gets a string on you, increase your fray
• Scavenge (quick):
  • hit: find what you're looking for: if it's a generic resource, choose a person who is unaffected by the lack of it for the session
  • 10+ choose 2, 7-9 choose 1: you find it quickly, you find it without trouble, it's valuable (+1 level for the group)
• Help or interfere with a pc (num of strings on them -1)
  • 10+: they get a +1/-2
  • 7-9: MC tells what danger you're exposing yourself to; if you accept it, they get a +1/-2

Peripheral moves

• When you harm a PC, they get a string on you
• Harm move as in AW for non-zombies
• If a zombie deals harm to you, roll +harm:
  • 10+: you are bitten unless you choose 2: use a level of group resources, offer someone a string on you for helping you, use all strings you have on someone else (at least 1) to betray them

and make them take the hit, get a permanent -1, increase your fray by 3 (if less is available, that's ok)

• • 7-9: choose 1 above
  • make them take the hit = they make this move as if the original harm had come to them and cannot choose the betray option
• Leader roll for the beginning of a session
  • Players select a leading PC. If one is can not be selected, fail automatically.
  • The selected leader chooses which to roll
  • Lead with passion:
    • Roll +hot. On 10+, hold 2, 7-9 hold 1.
    • Use your hold to
      • get 1 level of a resource and you get a condition, or
      • remove a condition from someone
    • On a fail, GM selects a resource, the group lose a level of it.
  • Lead with greed:
    • Roll +cold. On 10+, hold 2, 7-9 hold 1.
    • Use your hold to
      • lose 1 level of a resource, be protected from that lack for the session and remove all your conditions, or
      • get a string on somebody.
    • On a fail, GM selects a resource, the group lose a level of it.

PLAYBOOK SKETCHES

• each playbook has a +1 on the two mentioned stats, -1 on the two others

THE HERO

• chosen/hardholder (the weight of responsibility, power corrupts)
• stats: hot, rough
• moves:
  • <name>: when you make a hard choice for the group, roll +hot
    • 10+: choose 1: take a string against someone who benefited, or they lose a string against you
      • 7-9: as in 10+, but also: someone who lost something gains a string against you; or become darkest self
  • final showdown (MH): spend 4 strings on an npc to kill them; they can spend theirs for 1 harm each
  • take the blow (MH): when you take the blow instead of someone else, roll +rough
    • 10+: take the hit instead at -1 harm
    • 7-9: take the hit instead
  • when you make the group sacrifice comfort or such to take precautions against a zombie attack, everybody gets a +1 forward for the next invasion scene
• sex move (MH chosen): heal all wounds and cure all conditions. if they disgust you, give them a string. if you disgust yourself, give them a string.
• darkest self (MH chosen): nobody is strong like you. you need to chase down the biggest threat imaginable alone, now. cured when awakened beaten or someone comes to rescue

THE BADASS

• werewolf/gunlugger (dominating by violence, leads the security group)
• stats: cold, rough
• moves:
  • dominance: when you harm a pc, take a string on them
  • veteran: count zombie groups as one size smaller when you are involved in a fight with them
  • bloodcrazed: when you inflict harm, inflict +1 harm
  • cold nerves: you always stay focused if you wish
  • scary: choose both results when threatening and you can't be threatened
• sex move: I own you. get +1 when defending your last partner until you suspect they've been with someone else; then become your darkest self - on them
• darkest self: choose someone. make them suffer. cured when they die or have totally humiliated/dominated them

THE GHOST

• ghost (trauma/loss/sadness)
• stats: cold, quick
• moves:
  • (automatic)unresolved trauma: whenever you project blame and trauma for a loss to someone, roll +cold.
    • 10+: give 2 people the blamed condition.
    • 7-9: give up to 2 people the blamed condition, but for each choose 1: gain delusional, can't speak in this scene, you suffer one harm, they gain a string on you
  • creep (MH ghost): when you secretly witness someone's intimate moments, gain a string on them
  • vengeful (MH ghost): when you go aggro on someone with blamed, roll with cold and deal +1 harm.
  • forgiveness (MH ghost): when you forgive someone with blamed, mark experience
  • listener (MH ghost): when others dump their emotions on you, roll with cold.
    • 10+: they lose all their conditions, and choose 1: mark xp, carry +1 fwd, gain string on them
    • 7+: they choose: they lose all their conditions, the gain a string on you
• sex move: ask a question from each other, player-to-player or char-to-char, answer honestly
• darkest self: you hate everyone. leave the group and hide alone. cured if they find you and talk nice.

THE HUNGRY

• ghoul (staying human)
• stats: cold, rough
• moves:
  • (automatic)the hunger: for chaos, power, fear, violence. when pursued, get +1. when ignoring opportunity, roll to stay focused
  • freak: get another hunger
  • satiety: when you satiate a hunger, choose 1: heal 1 harm, remove a condition, mark xp, carry 1 fwd
  • actor: when you manipulate, roll with cold
  • I don't care: strings can't be used to give you -1 or to harm you
• sex move: add hunger: have sex with this person. if you had it already, mark xp. once per person.
• darkest self: kill and destroy anything to fill a hunger. cured when restrained or stopped for long enough.

THE VICTIM

• mortal (has a lover, being mistreated)
• stats: cold, quick

THE QUEEN

• queen (manipulating people; has a clique)
• stats: hot, quick

THE PREACHER

• keeping the group together, trying to be the good guy but not always beign able to? has a group of followers
• stats: hot, rough

THE PARENT

• having to care about somebody else
• stats: hot, quick

THE MANIPULATOR

• vampire
• stats: hot, cold

THE HAMSTER

• business/collecting supplies/things before people

THE NERD

• insecure, less/unaffected by strings? how to keep interesting?

Other thoughts

• a few useful combat/healing/etc skills could be added as moves here and there (for roles that are otherwise annoying?)
• fray pool to trigger darkest self?