Pyramid 3/03 Fast Zombies a little too fast?

[Tallor]

I was looking over some older Pyramid articles when I noticed something. In the article The Day the World Broke by J. Edward Tremlett, the fast zombies have Enhanced Move 2. 2!

A typical "fast zombie" has about Move 7-8, enough to overtake all but unencumbered runners and joggers. But Enhanced Move 2? That's Move 20 at minimum for an "average" zombie--a speed high enough to catch up to any human alive, plus low-tech vehicles available in the setting, such as wagons and coaches! Is this too fast?

[Flyndaran]

Well, Enhanced Move officially only kicks in on straight lines after a second of acceleration. Bobbing and weaving would, according to R.A.W., keep them from using it.

[Tallor]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Well, Enhanced Move officially only kicks in on straight lines after a second of acceleration. Bobbing and weaving would, according to R.A.W., keep them from using it.

Plus it doesn't affect other modes of locomotion, so perhaps a good set of swim fins could let you survive!

[J. Edward Tremlett]

Originally Posted by Tallor

I was looking over some older Pyramid articles when I noticed something. In the article The Day the World Broke by J. Edward Tremlett, the fast zombies have Enhanced Move 2. 2!

A typical "fast zombie" has about Move 7-8, enough to overtake all but unencumbered runners and joggers. But Enhanced Move 2? That's Move 20 at minimum for an "average" zombie--a speed high enough to catch up to any human alive, plus low-tech vehicles available in the setting, such as wagons and coaches! Is this too fast?

Those zombies are bad ass, to say the least.

Your game, your rules, of course. I'd say scale it back if it's too dangerous/deadly for your campaign, or give them the option of surging at that speed for brief periods, when you need them to swarm all over NPCs to scare your players silly.

[Tallor]

Originally Posted by J. Edward Tremlett

Those zombies are bad ass, to say the least.

Your game, your rules, of course. I'd say scale it back if it's too dangerous/deadly for your campaign, or give them the option of surging at that speed for brief periods, when you need them to swarm all over NPCs to scare your players silly.

Woah! I didn't think you'd be here! O:

And surging at-speed could make sense, and add a bit of a tactical decision for players. Shooting to drop a zombie would become more common, since zombies--even at this speed--would have some difficulty running over other zom-bodies.

Now that I think of it, their high speed would be their downfall if you had a TL2-3 line of stakes set up--provided they can't jump over it. o-o

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Hellboy

Have any guidelines been published on how to deal with penalizing characters who have to crawl over bodies?

A body on the ground (per B387) constitutes an obstruction which interferes with movement. Lots of them, by the same page, can make a space impassible, though that seems like overstating it to me.

If you're Crawling, the additional slowdown for an obstruction may not matter - they combine additively, not multiplicatively.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Tallor

I was looking over some older Pyramid articles when I noticed something. In the article The Day the World Broke by J. Edward Tremlett, the fast zombies have Enhanced Move 2. 2!

A typical "fast zombie" has about Move 7-8, enough to overtake all but unencumbered runners and joggers. But Enhanced Move 2? That's Move 20 at minimum for an "average" zombie--a speed high enough to catch up to any human alive, plus low-tech vehicles available in the setting, such as wagons and coaches! Is this too fast?

Maybe it was supposed to just be +2 move?

[J. Edward Tremlett]

Originally Posted by Tallor

Woah! I didn't think you'd be here! O:

"Speak of the Devil and he doth appear" ;)

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Maybe it was supposed to just be +2 move?

I just checked my original manuscript. It was Enhanced Move 2.

I guess I had the idea of people cowering in encampments, terrified to go outside the high walls for fear of being torn asunder by waves of fast-moving zombies. Too many watchings of 28 Months later, maybe ;)

[Kale]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Well, Enhanced Move officially only kicks in on straight lines after a second of acceleration. Bobbing and weaving would, according to R.A.W., keep them from using it.

Reminds me of the zombies in "Wolfenstein The Old Blood". They come at you like typical slow shamblers, but randomly have bursts of tremendous speed. You'll be casually picking off a pack of them at medium range and then suddenly one of them comes right at you at incredible speed right while you are reloading!

[PK]

Originally Posted by Hellboy

Have any guidelines been published on how to deal with penalizing characters who have to crawl over bodies?

That would use the normal rules for bad footing (p. B387), usually adding +1 movement point per hex (or halving Move if using basic combat), in addition to the usual -2 to DX/skills and -1 to defenses.