Before We Start

Content Warning: death, violence, gore.

Before you start, define lines that should not be crossed. Pause or rewind the game if something uncomfortable happens during a session. Always make sure everyone is comfortable with the direction of the story.

Playing the Game

One person is the game moderator (GM), the rest are players.

GM: Guide the story, present challenges to the group. Be a fan of the players. Ask them questions, fill the world with their answers. If it’s cool, let them try or split complex challenges into multiple checks.

Player: Narrate what your character does. Make checks when things are risky. Give everyone a time to shine. Fill the world with your ideas. Take risks, and rise up from failures.

Checks

When doing something challenging, you make a check to see how it plays out. You only need to roll if what you are doing is risky. The GM first telegraphs the risk of your action. You then pick a skill or item, and roll the die that matches its rating. If an ally helps you, they also make a check, but share the same risks as you. Take the highest die and interpret the result.

• On a 1-2, you fail, and there’s an additional complication.
• On a 3-4, you succeed, but there’s a complication.
• On a 5+, you succeed. The higher the result, the better the effect.

Surviving in this world is hard. Everyone who rolled reduces the rating of the skill they used by one step (d12 → d10 → d8 → d6 → d4). Skills cannot go lower than a d4.

The GM can also disclaim decision-making by testing for luck. To do so, pick a die rating simply based on the odds of a thing happening, roll, and interpret the result as you see fit.

Catch your Breath

To reset all your skills to their original rating, you can ask to catch your breath. This is a brief break in tension. It can be done at any time, even during combat. When a character catches their breath, the GM looks at the scene and introduces a new complication for the group.

Loot Checks

When the fiction allows it, you can make a loot check to scavenge for tools, weapons, med kits, etc. You start with a d12 loot die, which steps down after each usage. When you loot, roll your current loot die and interpret the result. You may continue to use the loot die when it is a d4, at your own risk. To reset your loot die to its initial rating, you need to catch your breath.

• On a 1-2, trouble is here…
• On a 3-4, there’s trouble ahead…
• On a 5-6, you get a d6 item.
• On a 7-8, you get a d8 item.
• On a 9-10, you get a d10 item or a med kit.
• On a 11-12, you get a d12 item or a med kit.

Backpack

Items in your backpack can be used in place of your skills. They start with a die rating which decreases after each use. When reduced to a d4, the item either breaks, gets lost, or fades away from the fiction until it’s made relevant again. You can only carry 3 items and one med kit at once.

Stunts

When you try to pull off a stunt, you use a d12 instead of a skill rating to do a check. You will need to catch your breath before attempting another stunt.

Stress

When you face a complication, you may have to take stress. If your character reaches 4 stress, they become vulnerable, which means failing a dangerous action could mean being taken out —or— sudden death. You can use a med kit to clear 2 stress, or lay low someplace secure awhile to clear an amount at the GM’s discretion.

Your Character

On your character sheet, write down your character’s name, pronouns, and the job they had before society as we knew it collapsed.

By default, skills have a d4 rating. Assign a d10, a d8, and a d6 to three skills you think your character is good at. Characters have a total of 6 skills:

• Bash: wreck, move, force.
• Dash: run, jump, climb.
• Sneak: hide, skulk, lurk.
• Shoot: track, throw, fire.
• Think: perceive, analyze, repair.
• Sway: charm, manipulate, intimidate.

Think of an item that you got before leaving for your adventure, and add it to your backpack as a d10 item.

Rolling Tables

Weapons

1. 2x4
2. Baseball Bat
3. Sledge Hammer
4. Crowbar
5. Frying Pan
6. Golf Club
7. Katana
8. Shovel
9. Machete
10. Baton
11. Pitchfork
12. Banjo
13. Chainsaw
14. Skate Board
15. Dumbbell
16. Cricket Bat
17. Fire Axe
18. Pipe
19. Pickaxe
20. Hatchet

Long Range Weapons

1. Revolver
2. 9mm Pistol
3. Hunting Rifle
4. Shotgun
5. Bow
6. Flamethrower
7. Sniper Rifle
8. Assault Rifle
9. Crossbow
10. Molotov Cocktail
11. Grenade
12. Pipe Bomb

Jobs

1. Chef
2. IT Specialist
3. Nurse
4. Personal Trainer
5. Influencer
6. Police Officer
7. Architect
8. School Teacher
9. Military
10. Mechanic
11. Park Ranger
12. College Student
13. DJ
14. Civil Engineer
15. Homeless
16. Contractor
17. Bartender
18. Firefighter
19. Farmer
20. Scientist

Locations

1. Apartment Building
2. Shopping Center
3. Grocery Store
4. Hospital
5. Church
6. Arcade
7. Sewers
8. High-School
9. Hotel
10. Construction Site
11. Dance Club
12. Factory

Complications

1. Another survivor is yelling for help.
2. You’ve attracted a swarm of Crawlers.
3. Bandits are on your tail.
4. New and nasty kind of Crawler.
5. Maniac shooting everything that moves.
6. You meet another group of survivors.
7. The zone you’re in is booby trapped.
8. You’re out of munitions.
9. One of your items suddenly breaks.
10. The only way out is blocked.
11. You meet someone you knew before.
12. You face a pack of feral animals.

Missions

1. Your group is almost out of supplies.
2. Someone in your group is very sick.
3. Thugs kicked you out of your safe zone.
4. The military is planning to bomb the city.
5. You’ve met someone who’s immune.
6. The government planned a supply drop.
7. A cult is sacrificing people to Crawlers.
8. You’ve met a scientist who’s found a cure.
9. Someone in your group was captured.
10. You’ve heard of a sanctuary filled with survivors on the other side of the city.
11. There’s a fire raging across the city.
12. Your group has found itself in the middle of a gang war.