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Fritz
09-29-2008, 08:23 AM
Yep. Zombies. Two game-types; Supply Run and Clean up.

First, universal rules.

1. Light load-out for humans. This is for safety and comfort. We'll get to that in a bit. Heh. Bit.

2. Zombies are the Op. For.
2.5. Zombies carry no weapons.
2.5.5. For a zombie to score a kill, they must physically 'tag' their prey with at least one hand. Only hands can score a kill for the Zeds.

3. Zombies must wear full-coverage motor-cycle/dirt-bike helmets with eye/face shield. This is for safety and game regulation.

4. To score a 'hit' against a zombie, they must be shot in the head. Hits to the body and extremities are not considered hits. A Zed kill will not go unnoticed, as high-velocity plastic against rigid protective gear produces a very distinctive sound.
>>>If a part of a zombie's helmet looks unsafe to fire at, do not fire. Call yourself "Bit", produce a dead-rag, and get their attention, then inform them of the issue. They must call themselves "Hit", produce a dead-rag, and walk with you to a respawn point/morgue to have their gear inspected. Even your enemies are your friends in airsoft, don't let them play unsafely.<<<
4.25. Friendly fire counts; body, limbs, and gear.
4.5. Safety kill distance against an unsuspecting zombie is ten feet, to reduce the chance of ricochet from the helmet. "Dead-Zed!" will do (remember to say it clearly, as they're wearing helmets), preferred over other safe-kill-words (which are still acceptable), and if close enough, rapping the helmet moderately may just add to the hilarity of surprising a zombie. The ricochet issue here is my greatest concern. Tips and suggestions are welcome and encouraged.
4.5.5. Because of the nature of the head-gear, it is only necessary to hold a dead-rag above your head as a zombie.

5. A hit zombie sits/lays down, produces a dead-rag, and starts a count-down from thirty seconds to a minute, depending on the event ruling. Unlike standard wounded rules, when this timer expires, the target does not die, they respawn. Immediately. At full capacity.
5.5 A human may "drag" a downed zombie as per Bo's, which pauses the timer until they are "dropped". This becomes important in the Clean Up game-type.

6. Due to the 'hands-on' nature of the zombie's attack, rough-play is strongly discouraged. Remember, Zeds; you'll be back. Soon. Until then, be sure to use an open hand, and go for the chest or shoulder if possible. For fun, a human might consider shouting "BIT!" instead of "Hit!"
6.5. Zombies can and will run. They can and will organize. They can and will set ambushes. They can and will sneak. That said, if a Zed is lying- literally- in wait to strike, give a passing shin a pat rather than a death-grip, for safety's sake. Like-wise; No tackling fleeing prey. As a tip for humans, keep your eyes open and heads up. Don't wanna' scurry through a door-way and body-check/head-butt a helmet-clad undead, do ya'?

7. A 'bitten' human is hit as per Bo's, and thusly, due to the hand-to-hand nature of Zombie-kills, they are considered "Dead" and not "Wounded". Sit tight until the action cools down, then hump it back to re-spawn/the morgue. I've avoided 'turning' rules to side-step extreme complications.
7.5 Zombies may NOT drag humans.

That just about covers universal rules. As a precaution, anyone considering supervising an event like this should keep an eye out for scrapes and bumps, and make sure their venue is kosher, safety-wise. Having a stash of cold compresses and anti-bacterials never hurt, let alone running these rules.

Onward, to the Game-types!

Supply Run:
The humans, "Survivors," don't feed on the flesh of the living, so they need to restock their dwindling supplies whenever they can, sometimes delving into heavily infected territory for their munchies and tools. An abandoned farm-house containing a portable generator. A nursery filled with thriving vegetable plants. An old gas station with a stash of precious gasoline. A small home with freeze-dried goods in the freezer. Too bad the ice-box is in the basement... It's time to do what these specially-trained 'soldiers' do best; bust in, waste some Zeds, grab the loot, and haul ass back to the chopper or truck, all while trying not to get themselves eaten...

If you've played it, this game-type is very similar to most capture the flag-style games, be it intel, bomb, what have you. The object is to recover the objective/s and return them to the designated goal area.

The Particulars:
1. The objectives must be clearly marked, defined, and explained, and man-portable, one or two man, the latter being something like a large chest. Don't be a dick and stick heavy objectives in the basement or on the second floor. Also, don't be an idiot and use real gas in any gas-can objectives. Use water. If it's beefy equipment, set up the objective pre-strapped to a dolly.

2. The objectives can be placed amongst a wider area, if player-numbers allow, perhaps allowing teams to be applicable to handle different objectives.

3. There can be only ONE (Highlander) goal-area to retrieve the objectives to, but it doesn't necessarily have to be your insertion point. It must have clearly-marked borders. It should be on the perimiter of the play-area.

4. You can have as many Human respawn-points as you like, but you should keep it to one or two unless you're handling a large crowd. Something to keep in mind: The more respawn-points you have, the lower the Respawn-Disabling Kill-Threshold is.

5. You're a human. You were clearing a room before a handful of walking corpses decided you'd go great with a side of Guacamole. You finally made it back to a respawn-point, so now what? Well, now you wait. Respawn waves are coordinated between all designated points, and can be anywhere from two to four minutes apart. Games don't usually take very long, what with the zombies essentially enforcing a time-budget on the humans, so the shorter the better, so long as you can keep coherency. A good way to do it is to stagger respawn-points' waves. While your point still has a minute to go, another point's three-minute timer has just gone off, and is releasing, and so on.

6. You're a zombie. What do you do? Well, you make life hell for the Humans. Plot with your fellow Zeds on what the best tactics for your environment are. Is there a way to exploit the building to bottle-neck a squad into an ambush? There's no limit to what you can do with unity through brain-death. One of the most hilarious things I can picture a zombie team doing is filing into a basement that holds an objective and waiting. Thirty some-odd bodies there to raise hell for the survivors. Perhaps a good sweep with an AEG can knock 'em all down, but to watch them scurry through the croud of sitting, waiting figures as they scoured for the objective, wondering when they would all arise in unison, would be well worth the effort.

7. Winning as a Zombie, however, is a little more complex. The conditions depend on how many spawn points there are, and how long spawn-waves take. It's all based around how many survivors are waiting in a respawn-point at any given time. If there's one re-spawn, the threshold should be one-third of the playing survivors. Two should be a quarter. This is assuming you're using three-minute waves, and it takes no longer than a minute to reach the re-spawn from any given point on the play-area. Use your judgement. Once a threshold is reached, all spawn-points should be notified, and all respawn-waves cancelled until a head-count finds all humans KIA. This is victory for the Zeds. Strike fast and take down as many as possible to ensure victory. Like-wise, humans will be encouraged to try tactics to keep mass-loss to a minimum.

8. You're a Survivor. How do you win? Simple. Get the objective/s into the Goal-area without suffering a 100% casualty rate. It is possible for a lone surviving human to score the winning objective. If you've been toasted, never forget your Honor as a proud airsofter; don't drag your ass back to the respawn because you think their release-timer might be coming up soon. Hump it, soldier!

I think that just about does it for Supply Run.

Clean Up:
When on the move for an extended period of time, finding a secure place to hole up temporarily is a necessity. Sometimes the most advantageous of sub-urban fortresses are already occupied. It's the Zombie-hunters' job to evict these tenants. They were lowering the property value anyways...

This is an assault-style/team death-match hybrid game-type, and is the only one of these two scenarios that zombies can be permanently killed. The object is to eliminate the entirety of the opposing team, utilizing a "Burn-Pit" and a "Morgue". This game is particularly good for smaller-sized groups.

The Particulars:
1: All areas that would normally be considered Respawn-Points are now considered "Morgues". Humans that are killed return to them as normally expected, but do not respawn.

2: Zombies follow previous re-spawn rules, but can now be killed permanently by being "Dragged" to the "Burn-Pit". It functions like a "Morgue", as the players there do not respawn.

3: There can be only one Burn-Pit. If zombies feel like camping it to rescue their helpless bretheren, more power (and head-shots) to 'em. The Burn-Pit must be situated in clear, flat territory, preferrably near the perimiter of the play area.

4: Morgues and the Burn-Pit must be marked and defined clearly.

Other than that, this game-type is pretty self-explanitory, and decievingly simple.

Have Hunger For Brains; Will Travel:
One might suppose that finding players willing to be zombies would be difficult. "What's the appeal of playing in an airsoft game where you aren't allowed to use an airsoft gun while the other team is?"
To put it all in a single word: Variety.
Airsofting is fun and involving, but any experienced (or inexperienced) player values a chance to shake things up and play with a new set of rules and circumstances. Maybe some people just like the idea that they can play head-games with their enemies; taking on the antagonist roles of so many B horror flicks. Whatever the case, I sincerely believe it would be easier than expected to find a great deal of players willing to be zombies.

As always, the ultimate goal of these scenarios is to be fun and challenging to all players, while being safe for the participants. Questions, comments, suggestions, and criticizm are always appreciated and encouraged. Think you could iron out a few wrinkles in the system? Post it. Brain-stormed or are brain-storming a new or improved game-type? Post it.

friggin sean
09-29-2008, 06:46 PM
Best and most thought out zombie scenario I've ever seen.

And for once I'd actually like to play it.

samson
09-29-2008, 06:53 PM
great idea. rly thought out, i hope i get to attend this op if it ever becomes one

SharpArcher01
09-29-2008, 06:58 PM
Wow, good scenario. But would you suggest only cqb or pistol loadouts for added safety? (maybe if motorcycle helmets are not available?)

Sneaky
09-29-2008, 07:15 PM
amazing scenario, this could be AMAZING for someone with a gillie or SAW

jmb91
09-29-2008, 10:05 PM
sounds like it would be epic. if you see any of the zombie movies, the survivors are more or less dressed in everyday clothes and use shotguns and handguns. it would make things more realistic, unless the survivors are military.

Fritz
09-30-2008, 12:07 AM
It's all to personal taste, in my opinion. Some survivors might just be civilian 'militia'-style organizations, using what they have to get by. Others may be well-outfitted expeditionary forces.

As for protective gear and weapons; If motorcycle helmets are not available, don't play. Under no circumstances is it worth jeopardizing the safety of others, and the suggested equipment is the best way that I've found to protect them. Face-masks don't protect the back or top of the head, and as this is the only legitimate target on a Zed, FULL protection is my number-one concern.

Weapons? That's up to who's running. If you wanted to simulate civilian survival, you could impose certain restrictions, namely to pistols, and perhaps shotgun replica weapons.

I designed this system to give a base set of rules that covered all the bases while still allowing others to add their own flavor. Run with what you want, what's safest, what feels the most comfortable, or is the most fun.

Thanks for all the kind words and questions. By all means, keep it coming. I'm always looking for ways to improve and refine the system. Your input matters. If you are interested in running this rule-set and want to make sure you understand things, hit me up or post it here. I don't bite... Hard...

falcon_1014
09-30-2008, 04:47 PM
Awesome well thought out scenarios. it would be a lot of fun to be on either team.

friggin sean
09-30-2008, 06:09 PM
I have a full head cover PB mask (made by JT). Just a thought.

shorty
10-05-2008, 11:07 AM
only your face needs covering anyways pb mask is plenty, kids can wear a hood or military helmet if necessary

The Fuhrer
10-05-2008, 01:48 PM
I don't know who would want to be a zombie? Sounds like a turkey shoot!

bag32
10-05-2008, 03:00 PM
no offense, but i am not a big fan of any zombie ops... it makes a good back story, but i think the game play is unfair and no fun. i think airsoft should be either milsim, or LEsim... nothing else.

Fritz
10-05-2008, 06:02 PM
only your face needs covering anyways pb mask is plenty, kids can wear a hood or military helmet if necessary


Trust me; at the ranges some combat will take place at, I won't take any chances. Scalps bleed just as well as cheeks and eye-brows.

As for the turkey-shooting. Yes. Seen a zombie movie? A lone zed is target-practice, little else. Even when dealing with the slow, un-planning hordes, a group can still get the better of the armed heroes. Twenty-Eight Days/Weeks Later kind of lifted the thinking/athletic taboo, even though they were not really zombies. Close enough for Jazz.
However, a normal player with a gun is more subject to hits. Just like the armed forces of the world are trained to shoot for the center-mass of a body, a traditional airsofter is just looking for a hit. Accuracy is now paramount to survival, as only head-shots bring down the zombie-players.
Even so, range is still a huge advantage. I needed to even the playing field even more, so now the zombie-players respawn very quickly, and without having to leave the field.

In my opinion, it would be harder to succeed as a Human than a Zed in these game-types.

"Who would want to be a zombie?" is an excellent question. Want an honest answer? Me. I would be more than excited to be able to turn the traditional air-soft rules upside-down. The challenge of new tactics is something I love. Finding any way to use what little potential I have to its fullest is where I'm in my prime. I can't be so weird as to be the only one that likes these things, can I?

You bring about a very interesting point, Bag, and one without any concrete answer. I've done what I can to make this rule-set fun, but if it isn't, I don't expect anyone to play it. That's the point of airsoft, period: It's fun.
In response, however, and I hope not to offend as well, being restricted to Milsim or LEsim sounds like the least fun thing I've ever heard. If you only like those two genres of play, then by all means, enjoy them, but I'll continue to be creative with the sport I enjoy.
Alternatively, if you truely believe it isn't fair, I beg a favor of you. Tell me why, and give me possible ways to fix that issue, if possible. I know my system isn't going to be perfect, but everyone's input helps make it a little bit better. Hell; if you go balls-out and actually play-test a scenario with your friends, tell me all about it, love it or hate it. Just keep an open mind, please, whatever you do.

Gundy
10-06-2008, 07:14 AM
Definitely rocking as gas mask if this ever gets played.

Nipple
10-26-2008, 07:08 AM
i would play a zombie for this...sounds pretty fun to me

recon soldier
10-26-2008, 09:40 PM
i would play a zombie for this...sounds pretty fun to me

there's a big difference between sounding fun and actually being fun

Sneaky
10-26-2008, 09:49 PM
sounds like itd be better with midcaps, highcaps could be over kill. lowcaps a little too hard

Fritz
10-29-2008, 01:00 AM
I'm a full supporter of Mid-caps myself, but that's personal flavor. If you feel like swapping mags like crazy or winding a noisy can every five seconds, be my guest. Whatever makes you happy.

Recon has an excellent point, but one must at least try something before passing judgment on it, hmmm? In my experience, it's better to keep an optimistic, if only cautiously so, view-point of the situation until you are convinced, first hand, that it isn't worth it.