Anyone up for some pen and paper RPG's?

[Michael Callahan]

I won't be starting it now as I'm currently running Hitman: Mafia, but I'm ordering a hardback copy of "All Flesh Must Be Eaten" this week and I'm eagre to get a game going in RL and also maybe do some tabletop RPGing with some online friends too if anyone is interested.

I'm throwing out some feelers here to see if anyone is up for playing an RPG online with me DMing and some of our favourite APW children as the main characters. The ruleset we'll be using is All Flesh Must Be Eaten, a zombie horror, but tbh the rules are so flexible that you can use it for almost any purpose. If anyone's unsure, nobody has to buy any books for a start and I can run through the basic mechanics of the games so people understand how the game is played, but I'd like to get maybe four or five main characters and then if it gets popular we can have reserves who take over when one of our mains die.

So, who's game?

[Gubayama Takagi]

i'd love to, naturally.

[Calvin Ingram]

Let's do it

[Michael Callahan]

Okay, cool. That's two of you.

The way the game works is like this;

As the DM/ZM, I present to you a scenario which you have to navigate with your created characters. It can be anything ranging from a trip to the mini-mart or it could be something like a full scale urban war against an army of furious, mutated zombies. Once it's been illustrated to you via a scenario post, I then ask "What do you do?", the order of play being decided by initiative (we'll get to that later).

Then, after that you must choose to do in response to that given situation. Anything slightly more complex then "Walk" and "Open the Door" requires a roll of the dice to determine success levels and breaks down into Tasks, Simple Tests and Difficult Tests.

Tasks are something like "Try and hack the mainframe of the government agency fighting the outbreak". These use one of six attributes (strength, constitution, intelligence, perception, willpower and dexterity) and skills (computer hacking, specifically in this case).

Tests use just your attributes and are usually something like "Run your ass off" or "Lift this big heavy rock". Simple Tests double your attribute value (if you have three strength, it adds six to your roll) while Difficult Tasks don't double.

So let's say that our main character, Gubayama Takagi who's a big, muscular guy wants to do a set with a barbell in the gym. All actions no matter what you're doing require you score 9 or above to successfully complete your action. With only that information alone, you have a 1/5 chance of actually lifting the weight making most activities basically impossible.

So, you add Attributes first. Let's say Gubayama is a frequent bodybuilder, he has 5 which automatically goes towards his die roll. He also uses weights all the time so has a weight lifting skill of 3. That puts him on 8 before we've even rolled a die, so he only needs a 1 to actually complete his task. However, there are also some modifiers (which can be used at the ZM's leisure) to make things more difficult. Gubayama recently broke his arm, so he's trying to rehab it back and it's quite a heavy weight. So we'll have a modifier of -4 and it's back to 4 starting.

So Gubayama rolls a 6, he gets 10 total when added to the 4 from his attributes/skills/modifiers and is thus successful in his act. That basic tenant applies to how the entire game works.

There's other concepts that need to be considered too. Like if Gubayama was firing a Revolver(Dexterity and Handgun skills) at someone there'd then need to be a damage roll (which varies depending on ammunition type) so if the shot hits we can work out how badly it hurts the target. Success levels as well (the better your score on the roll, the better the result of your acts) are also important but more something for me to worry about.

But that's just the basic concept of how it works. I'd like 4-5 max to sign up and then we can get it going.

[T-Marv]

I am actually very interested in this. Let me double check that I'll have the time, but I've been itching for some good old fashion RPGing.

[brandenharvey]

I've actually never done this before. I'd be interested if someone would be willing to teach.

[Michael Callahan]

Branden, as long as you don't cock this up like you do to every Mafia game then I'd be glad to have you on board. I'll straight up kill your ass if you start mucking about though.

Right, so here's the deal. We have two choices of campaign that I'm opting to run. Which one we do, I'm leaving for you to discuss amongst yourselves. Both use All Flesh Must Be Eaten rules (which is kind of a modern engine so it's highly adaptable) and are as follows;

The Hand That Feeds
It's a straight zombie story set in the fictional US city peninsula of Anselmo. When the zombie outbreak hits Anselmo like a rotting thunderstorm from Hell, the major ports of access to the city become objectives for any and all survivors still living in the city. The two underwater tunnels at either end of the island were the main exit but were sadly destroyed in a terrorist attack after the wake. Other options include the Airport, the Harbour, the National Guard Encampments and the rogue militia in the Reiferfurich Building ran by former Anselmo Senator, Richard Baines. However, not everyone is as desperate as our heroes to escape the deathly city.

Zombies aren't the only risks awaiting you in Anselmo and making your escape isn't as easy as it sounds. With a trigger happy National Guard, various criminal factions rising up from their facades to assume a state of control over the city and an ensemble cast of random groups of survivors and psychopaths vying to make their own in the city, the peril levels are high. There's many an option for you, the survivors of Anselmo but whatever you do, don't bite the hand that feeds.

PLAYA$ CLUB
A Grand Theft Auto/Getaway/Saints Row/Heat/Snatch/Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels/(Insert Other Crime Film/Game stimulus here) inspired romp that uses the same engine as the first game but uses the slightly futuristic megalopolis sprawl of “Zenith” as its locale, a sort of newly constructed utopia for free market economists. As one of four characters in this gigantic steel sprawl, you begin this scenario as four completely different types of petty criminal trying to make your way in the tangled underbelly of Zenith's criminal economy.

Through a slovenly Russian gangster who massively overestimates his own self-worth, our four heroes come together in order to form the ultimate team. Comprised of a quick-witted and street wise car thief, a devilishly suave yet savagely ruthless hitman, a highly intelligent and arrogant computer hacker and a dangerous loose cannon who plays by his own rules, these four men join together to pave their own fortunes in the black market economy of Zenith.

The question that besets these four individuals is thus, will they achieve their dreams and ride the high life as members of the notorious and assumed mythical “Playa$'s Club”, or will they break apart under the strain and get chewed up by the big dogs of Zenith?

CHOOSE YOUR STORY.

[Calvin Ingram]

PLAYA$ CLUB-I loved the movie with Ice Cube & Bernie Mac plus I recently did a zombie scenario and looking for something new.

[Michael Callahan]

Word. Well then we need the following; A Car Thief, A Hacker, A Thug and A Hitman. Gubayama has already claimed the Car Thief role.

Car Thief: Gubayama
Hitman: ?
Thug: ?
Hacker: ?

[Calvin Ingram]

Apr 8, 2012 1:28:45 GMT -4 Michael Callahan said:

Word. Well then we need the following; A Car Thief, A Hacker, A Thug and A Hitman. Gubayama has already claimed the Car Thief role.

Car Thief: Gubayama
Hitman: ?
Thug: ?
Hacker: ?

Gimme the hitman role...

[Michael Callahan]

Alright. Do me a favour and give me a run down of what your character is like. I know I've set out an archetype, but to add your own personal touch, such as his specialties as a hitman, his method of transport, his personal weapon etc. would be a nice thing for you to do as well as personality style. Does he get by on seducing people or does he scare the crap out of them? Stuff like that.

Same for the other two, any personal details you want to add to your characters is important. Names are useful too, as are general appearances (posting a picture would help) for while I'm setting up character sheets.

[Calvin Ingram]

Rep:Keanu Reeves




Name:Lennon.... His Real Name's Not Known


Occupation:Hitman


Personality:His taste in music varies but he's obssessed with John Lennon. He mentions alot how if he could turn any man Bi it would of been Lennon. After his obsession turned nutz he relocated to "Zenith" where people call him Lennon. He sings Lennon songs at random. Open Bi Sexual. He has been known to seduce victims no matter the gender. But he also has an uncanny shooting ability. He can clear a single room with one shot is a myth started by local "Zenith" criminals.He thinks of himself as doing God's work just a little faster one contract at a time.




Vechicles:kawasaki ninja 250r for solo runs. And for team jobs: 2013 Porsche Panamera




Weapon: Carries Two Golden Desert Eagles.Has Snipers,Shotguns & Various Machine Guns in his Porsche's trunk. Favorite weapon though is a CIA Grade Poison Dart Pistol which makes all victim's die of heart failure.

[Michael Callahan]

D.C., I've made you a character sheet. I haven't been able to stay completely true to all of the requests specified in your app due to the rules and nature of the game but I'm pretty close to the feel of the character. If you drop me a PM with your e-mail, I'll send you an attatchment with your character sheet.

For anyone else who's interested in playing. I've explained the mechanics of the game, but not how the actual reality works.

It's really as simple as this. I send all players involved character sheets which described who they are, what skills and attributes they have and any equipment they might have. Then, using these I present to you the player a scenario such as "You're on a rooftop with a sniper rifle over looking the target. What do you do?" at which point you give me an action to simulate with die rolling. This could literally be anything from "Take a shot at the target" or "I fling myself off the building to my death", though I'll kick your ass. The destiny of your character is really in your hands, my role is to inform you of the consequences of your actions.

Naturally, the key to success in the game is to play to your strengths. If you're a knuckle headed body builder, trying to join the research team to find the cure for AIDS is simply impractical. Similarly, if you're a scrawny child genius, picking up a boulder might not be for you.

So really, the key to playing is to be consistent with your character and be creative in your decision making. If Branden or anyone want to run through a "Solo Mission" with me which helps you run through how the game is played then drop me a PM and I'll find a time to run it with you.