(KICKSTARTER) Zed or Alive

[Chainmailninja]

We're now live!

I know, I know, "Another Zombie Kickstarter!?" But hear me out!

I don't know if anyone on here knows me at all, I've been a lurker and occasional poster here for a while now (even though it took me a good year or two before I registered!), but please rest assured that I and the rest of the Rust Devil crew are hardcore wasteland/post apoc/zombie fans and wargamers through and through. You may remember the crazy Mad Max-style limousine we did up for Wasteland Weekend from this thread. But really, post-apoc is incredibly important to our group of friends - in fact, it was on the way home from our first wasteland weekend that we decided to pull the trigger on our first game as a company, Zed or Alive. We whipped out our smartphones and reserved domain names, started taking rules notes, and in the car on the middle of the highway, Rust Devil Games was born! We wanted to make an awesome campaign-based skirmish game like the ones we loved back in the day, only with a post-apocalyptic zombie setting, coupled with a super affordable price and streamlined rule system that would be fast and fun to play while having the detail to feel realistic and include most anything we'd seen in our favorite zombie movies, shows, and games. We made it purely because it's the game we wanted to play and think others will enjoy it. We may do miniatures one day, but that's not our focus: making an awesome PA zombie game is.

But, we're all working stiffs and don't have the cash laying around to start a company and do an initial print run, so that's where our Kickstarter comes in. I like to think we're the quintessential target user for Kickstarter - we're not a huge company taking advantage of it as a platform, but really just a few guys who, without this money, will have an incredibly hard time getting our company off the ground.

Anyway, enough about us, on to the game!

Zed or Alive is a campaign-based miniatures skirmish game using the award-winning Savage Worlds: Showdown! system set in the years following the zombie apocalypse. You control one of several human group types such as Survivors, Tribals, or Military and battle each other and the ever-present zombie menace to gain weapons, supplies, and dominance!
  Alternately, you may choose to play as a Virus Strain, gaining evolutionary material with every battle and evolving to become increasingly lethal!
The goal for our project is to provide players with a fast, furious, and fun miniatures game that allows them to use any zombie or survivor figures to play out campaigns just like your favorite zombie movies and shows!

Game Details:

• Uses the award-winning Savage Worlds: Showdown! System! (Available for free!)
• Use any miniatures you like!
• Three basic human group types!
• Rules for mutating your own Virus Strain!
• Tons of Confrontations that are playable head-to-head, cooperatively, or solo!
• Robust Campaign System! Watch your group grow from battle to battle!
• Massive armory with just about every anti-zombie weapon imaginable!
• Jury-Rigging system for constructing makeshift zombie-killing weapons!
• Rules for mounts, vehicles, even training pet dogs!
• Compatible with the Savage Worlds RPG - use ZoA as a role-playing sourcebook, create characters, use them in skirmish battle games, and vice-versa!
• Tons of setting-specific rules!
• Compatible with conventional 28mm, 20mm, or even 15mm miniatures!

So, that's the marketing copy, but I'm guessing people may have more questions if you're curious about any of the features of the game or anything else, just let me know! Our KS will be starting on the 15th and running through the 13th of April. You can do the whole social media thing to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or just check out our website (www.ZedorAlive.com) for updates. Thanks for reading

[CptJake]

So, what exactly are you hoping to fund/produce with this?

A PDF?  A hard copy book?   Just the rules development?   Figures/terrain?   

Can't wait to see what is up for offer!

Jake

[Chainmailninja]

Hah! All that writing and I left that out

As far as where the project currently stands, we originally planned on simply releasing the game as an inexpensive PDF doc, but we would also really like to release a physical book so players can skip the hassle of printing and all of that, so that's the goal for funding. We've already absorbed the costs of development, art, editing/layout, etc. We could have launched earlier, but we were waiting until the game was finished and ready to go before going to Kickstarter for backing.

Figures/terrain are a possibility down the line, but one of our key goals for this game was to make sure it was usable with any figures, so our extra offerings for the kickstarter are designed with that in mind.

[Melnibonean]

I don't mean to put the kibosh on your idea but producing a pdf and using an established free rules system... Does this really warrant a kickstarter? You say you need funding to produce a print copy so I can sort of understand your thinking but I have to say - You'll need a bit more than that for incentive to attract investors.

As I said, I don't want to wreak you idea (and it seems that you have some good campaign concepts) but maybe you need to put a bit more work into it before launching a kickstarter.

[Chainmailninja]

No worries, you're not putting the kibosh on it hehe, but your questions are understandable. And no, we didn't feel that producing a PDF really warrants a Kickstarter - it could and has, but we felt that it was within our capabilities to produce that on our own. We don't, however, have the cash laying around to do an initial print run. After paying for art, miniatures, terrain, software, etc, we're pretty much tapped out. So, we have what we believe to be a fun, worthwhile product ready to go to print, and we don't have the money to print it, which is essentially a classic example of a Kickstarter project type.

We'll be releasing some specifics on the contribution reward levels, but rest assured a printed copy of the game isn't the only thing on offer. We'd love to hear suggestions for any work you think we should put into it! Hope this helps!

[Chainmailninja]

[Chainmailninja]

Just a quick update!

We hit the ground running, getting to 50% funding in just over 18 hours! We're currently motoring ahead and are at 66%, I'd just like to thank everyone who's backed and shared the Kickstarter, the response has been awesome!

[Chainmailninja]

Hey everyone! Just wanted to post a quick update, we hit our funding goal early this morning and we're chugging along toward our stretch goals!!

Also, The Nerd's Domain were just kind enough to interview us for their podcast, check it out below if you're interested!

ZoA on The Nerd's Domain

[Stavros Banjo]

"Zed or Alive requires the Savage Worlds: Showdown! rules (available for FREE) to play."

Shame, I was hoping they would be included in the 'Zed or Alive' rulebook itself. I have a pathological hatred of having to download & print out PDF's, I simply can't be bothered with the extra hassle 

[oddeye]

huh another zombie table top kickstarter.. geez we should have worked together.. could have had an even bigger game.

[Chainmailninja]

Aw Sorry mate, we were actually pretty much done with the game by the time we found out about some of the other awesome KS projects on this forum, definitely no disrespect intended!

As for the Showdown! rules being included, sadly that's out of our hands - PEG has their policies against reproducing their ruleset. We're discussing alternatives with them now, as we'd love to do a deluxe stand-alone edition for sure!

We also just posted our first batrep, so check it out if you're curious how the game plays! Survivors take on Tribals in a Confrontation called "Highway of the Damned," be sure to check out "Carnage Asada!"

Battle Report!

[therepoman]

Aw Sorry mate, we were actually pretty much done with the game by the time we found out about some of the other awesome KS projects on this forum, definitely no disrespect intended!

As for the Showdown! rules being included, sadly that's out of our hands - PEG has their policies against reproducing their ruleset. We're discussing alternatives with them now, as we'd love to do a deluxe stand-alone edition for sure!

We also just posted our first batrep, so check it out if you're curious how the game plays! Survivors take on Tribals in a Confrontation called "Highway of the Damned," be sure to check out "Carnage Asada!"

Battle Report!

This looks cool! Kicked in a pledge a bit ago.

[Chainmailninja]

Awesome, thanks man! I told the guys and they were really excited, we love Wreck-Age! I remember seeing you guys post in the Wastelanders Unite Facebook Group, did you ever make it out to WW? If you do this year, definitely come by the Rust Devil camp, it would be awesome to hang out!

Also there's a new "official" Wastelanders group as well called "Wastelander Central" that you might want to check out too.

Quick update on the Kickstarter: We've unlocked a bunch of Stretch Goals, opening up the following Setting Packs: UK, Pacific Southwest, Africa, Russia, and South America!

Additionally, we've added a stretch goal: at $6,500, we'll unlock the option for backers to purchase a softcover Setting Pack compilation at a discount.

If you haven't had a chance to check out the first Battle Report printed, please have a look!  

[therepoman]

Awesome, thanks man! I told the guys and they were really excited, we love Wreck-Age! I remember seeing you guys post in the Wastelanders Unite Facebook Group, did you ever make it out to WW? If you do this year, definitely come by the Rust Devil camp, it would be awesome to hang out!

Also there's a new "official" Wastelanders group as well called "Wastelander Central" that you might want to check out too.

Quick update on the Kickstarter: We've unlocked a bunch of Stretch Goals, opening up the following Setting Packs: UK, Pacific Southwest, Africa, Russia, and South America!

Additionally, we've added a stretch goal: at $6,500, we'll unlock the option for backers to purchase a softcover Setting Pack compilation at a discount.

If you haven't had a chance to check out the first Battle Report printed, please have a look!  

No problem! The game looks awesome. Can't wait to see it.

I didn't make it last year. When is it? I would strongly consider it to be honest, as long as I can get the time off. I have a ridiculous pair of radiation goggles that would make a great focal point for a costume.

Good luck on the rest of the kickstarter, and I'll try to spread the word.

[Chainmailninja]

It's the weekend of September 26 (easy for me to remember because it's my birthday haha), Thursday-Sunday. Still plenty of time to put in a time-off request!

Thanks again for the support, much appreciated!

We just hit our $6,000 stretch goal and unlocked the Japan Setting Pack!