[DL] Tap Dancin' Dead or Not Your Average Walkin' Dead (SPOILERS)

["Fantaphage" <zom-b@chipsnet.com>]

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Stop
Play fair
Only look if you are a Marshal
In case you didn't gather, this is a SPOILER!
Look away if you are a Posse Member
Escape now while there is still a chance
Ruining the game for yourself is no fun at all
So many thanks for heeding my warnings
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SPOILER SPACE
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I love zombies! My posse does too, and unfortunately they have seen enough
movies to know that a person has to squeeze off a round or two into a
walking corpse's festering noggin to turn it into the NON-walkin' variety.
I'm currently designing an adventure with walkin' dead in mind, but I just
know that the posse will be drawing beads, so I'm thinking of doing things a
little differently. I think that it would be a real treat to allow the guys
to blow some of the zombies brains out before realizing that shooting them
in the head just isn't quite as effective as it is in the movies. With the
help of other zombie resources and a few nightmares of my own, I have put
together some ideas for "new breeds" of zombie that should keep posse
members on their toes. A few of these ideas are from Eden Studios "All Flesh
Must Be Eaten", other sources, and of course zombie flicks, but a couple
ideas are my own. I wanted to run them by the listserve and get other
opinions. I definitely want the game to be balanced, but I also want it to
be loaded with surprises at the same time. Hopefully these ideas will work
without upsetting the game:




Spinal Zombies: The focus is the spinal cord, NOT the brain (called shot?)

Legion Zombies: Every body part is "alive"...it must be completely destroyed
(fire, acid, sausage grinder?)

Belch Zombies: The Walkin' Dead can belch a noxious cloud of rot that can
burn and or blind a living person or they can belch a ball of fire in some
poor, sod's face. (to be really effective this may work out better if the
zombie won an opposed grapplin' roll.)

Super Zombies: The abomination's senses are heightened to a degree that it
can see in the dark or hear a pin drop or maybe they can even hear a heart
beat (horrifying for those hidden morsels.) Other abilities could be X-Ray
vision (again this could be fun against hiding posse members), enhanced
strength, speed, or the ability to leap 2-3 times higher and further than a
normal human. (each super zombie would have only 1 of these abilities, not
all.)

Razor Zombies: These walkin' dead have an ability similar to the Harrowed
power: Claws

Gnashers: Animated corpses that have unbelievably strong jaws and oversized
teeth; they can savagely and rapidly gnaw through wood, leather, clothing,
flesh, bone, and organs (perhaps even tin?)

Pin Cushions: Zombies that "adorn" themselves (imbed their flesh) with
nails, rail road spikes, knife blades, arrows and any other kind of sharp
object and try to give some living person a big hug (or maybe they can spin
similar to a Dust Devil and hurl the imbedded shrapnel at targets?)

Jelly Zombies: Living dead that can dislocate any and all bones in their
rotting carcasses to easily fit through openings that living people could
not normally pass through. (jail cell doors for instance.)





If there are anything like these zombies in the Deadlands universe, or
another member of the listserve already posted any of these ideas, I
sincerely apologize in advance. Sometimes when I think I have an original
idea, it turns out to be a memory in my subconscious that dribbled out.
Anyway, for those that are more game savvy than I, please feel free to let
me know what you think of these creatures (I haven't playtested any of them
yet) Please also feel free to post zombie ideas of your own, or e-mail me
privately, as I am always looking for new types of Walkin' Dead to sick on
my posse. Thanks.


John R



"If things were meant to be easy, man would have been born with wings."