At Historicon in two weeks, I hope to be running a demo game of AC57 on Saturday night. Brigade will also have an updated rules booklet available for sale (I think it will run about $5 and include everything released up until now as well as the Rad Zombie stats). Here, for your reading pleasure, is the introduction to the RadZombies.
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No one knows where the first RadZombie appeared. By the time word of them had reached the many roving gangs in the post-apocalyptic US, they had spread to most areas of the continent. The few remaining scientists with facilities to work in, have been able to determine that the zombies are not individual creatures, but a host of quasi-intelligent bacteria inhabiting the corpse of a human. The bacteria have so far only been spotted in human cells and not in any other creature, whether this will continue to be the case remains to be seen.
The RadZombies survive in colonies. They only venture out of their lair for two reasons: feeding and spreading. If too many of the host bodies in a colony have become Bloaters, the colony moves out and looks to infect new hosts. Even those that are not Bloaters follow the instinct to spread.
There are 4 different types of RadZombie:
Runners: These are the recently infected. The bacteria goes straight to the brain of those infected and death, once bitten, usually occurs within minutes. Since these corpses are fresh, the bacteria have far greater movement and control of the body. They may appear stronger and faster than normal humans as the bacteria work quickly to push the limits of the new host. Runners are more susceptible to damage as any wound causes the loss of bacteria needed to control the host body and the bacteria have not multiplied enough to replace those that are lost.
Shamblers: Once a Runner has been infected for some time, normal decay and wear and tear sets in as the bacteria cannot repair damage to the host. Fluids begin to dry and the creature takes on a shambling, jerky gait. Not as fast as Runners, the Shamblers are more resilient. They can suffer extreme damage before going down.
Bloaters: These are zombies that have had the bacteria in them multiply to an extreme number. The host body appears bloated and may already show signs of splitting open. Bloaters can take an incredible amount of damage before dropping, but even then, they are dangerous as a Bloater could explode, showering those nearby with the bacteria.
Minders: Though there is no individual intelligence in a single bacteria, once a colony is established, the collective intelligence is controlled from a single individual. These creatures direct the rest of the colony. They can be easily identified as their heads have usually expanded to larger than normal with irregular protuberances and lumps. It is rumored that the Minder is actually a living host and not a corpse like the rest of the colony. Minders are extremely rare and they have been known to emit some kind of psychic attack that can render victims immobile (making it easier for the colony to feed or spread.)
13 September 2009, 04:20:00 PM