GURPS Zombie Apocalypse premade characters: help me with some concepts
 

Hi there guys,

I am planning to run a really short campaign (2 sessions) featuring a "Zombie Apocalypse".
Our normal game is a GURPS Fantasy game which we all enjoy, but almost all of our players are really into zombie movies (like the Romero movies).
So I would like to prepare 2 sessions in advance for when our normal GM isn't in the mood for GMing or for when the players just want to have a different night of roleplaying.

I want to create this mini-campaign in the style of the "Dawn of the Dead" remake, so this is what happens:
In a matter of days the continent changes from normal day to day life to a zombie apocalypse. I want the PC's to face and escape this new and horrible threat not by just bashing zombies (which is not without danger because of the risk of infection), but also put them up to some moral dilemma's and let them figure themselves out of dangerous situations with creative thinking.

This will require some extensive preparations from my side (making or finding maps, NPC's, moral dillema's and the overal plot and stuff). But what I also want to do is make premade characters, so that when we decide to run the campain, the players can quickly pick a character they like and start surviving.
I was thinking about making 8-10 150 point characters for the first session (just days after the zombie outbreak) and 5 "replacement" characters (160 points) for the second session months after the outbreak which they can use if their original character didn't survive the first session.

So this is where I hope you guys can come in:
Since there are a lot of creative minds on this forum it would be a tremendous help if you guys have idea's for character concepts so that the characters would have some depth to them (which is something I want the campain to be about). I you have any idea's, please post them!
You don't have to supply the full character sheet, I can make those myself (but if you want to make them, I welcome that!)
Ofcourse, if you have any other idea's or tips for me I appriciate that aswell!


P.S. I know Max Brook's zombie survival guide by heart, and my copy of his novel "World War Z" will be arriving in a matter of days.

Re: GURPS Zombie Apocalypse premade characters: help me with some concepts
 

If it is really short story line, then try this. My players and myself have been doing a zombie survival campaign for a few years now. I actually let each player make up to 3 characters each. But the catch is each character is only 25 points. Yes, it is a true horror survival aspect to it. They love it. They like the challenge of having a bunch of characters with little or no combat skills, and those who do do not go above 12. To kill a zombie they are forced to do things like evaluate, all out attack, telegraph and so on so that they can he the brain on a reguler basis. With guns, they must brace, aim for a while and so on. It is a challenge. Nn other words, if facing more than a few zombies, they tend to run, hide, barricade, and do what ever else. They also take advantage of slam attacks and knock back. That is, my zombies are weak and easy to push around, so instead of going for a kill, they go for knocking them down. after all, these things are slow. You need to get by a zombie, knock it over and run.

Just suggesting if you want to give this a try. Otherwise, here is a list of basic characters that I had in my group.

Garbage man who is hero of local soft ball team (Giving him 11 skill with club)
Local sheriff deputy (Only 12 skills with guns)
Bouncer for Strip Club (12 brawling skill)
Car Dealership owner (Some social skills, no combat skills)
Rabbi (My zombies are magical in nature, he has some effect on them)
Librarian (Again, with magic, good for research, no combat)
Old retired man working as school janitor (Some wisdom, handy man skills)
Ginsu chef (High 15 Knife ART skill, only 12 in combat)
High School Skate Punk (Daredevil, takes chances)
High School Wrestler (13 wrestling skill)
High School Geek (Knows alot about occult)
Semi Pro wrestler (Trying to get into WWE, decent H-to-H skills)

Re: GURPS Zombie Apocalypse premade characters: help me with some concepts
 

Could be more fun to aim for fewer points. While 150 points is your "standard" GURPS Fourth Edition character, remember that such a character is meant to be a significantly above-average hero. By comparison, most of the protagonists in zombie movies are . . . well, they're Joe and Jane Average. While they always prove more resourceful than ordinary 25- to 50-point people, they're in the 50- to 75-point range, really. For instance:

Karl the Mall Security Guard

75 points

You never did make it into the police academy. That's because you've always had a little weight problem and didn't do well on the physical. Their loss! You're not fat; you're big-boned. You're definitely buff enough to take down punks, and anybody who thinks you're slow on the draw is in for a surprise!

You faithfully go to the shooting range every Sunday, and you're doing okay at your Become a Private Detective in 30 Days! course. You're unfailingly polite to the ladies and an upstanding citizen (you don't even jaywalk or spit on the curb). Add all that to eight years on the Shamrock Mall Security Force and you're practically assured of taking command of SMSF once ol' Bob Marshall retires.

Well, you were. Shamrock was overrun by zombies, and they ate Bob's brain. They ate everybody's brain, actually . . . except yours. You kept your brain and your wits, and showed those punks what's what. Now it's payback time! The only difference between zombies and hoods is that you don't have to warn zombies before you open fire.

You're not naive – you know the Mall contains lots of useful stuff that people will need to survive. But there's no call to break windows and act like society has disintegrated. Doors have keys and shops have inventories, and it's important to show respect for the owners by taking only what you need and logging it in the ledger. If the government restores order, it'll be thanks to citizens like you.

Description: Karl is 5'11" and 250 lbs., 33 years old, and has unfortunately piggy features. He really is stronger and tougher than average, and not bad in a scrap. However, he's also short on breath and temper, and not as fast as he might be if he took off a few pounds.

ST 12 [20]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 11 [10].
Damage 1d-1/1d+2; BL 28; HP 15 [6]; Will 12 [10]; Per 12 [10]; FP 9 [-6].
Basic Speed 5.00 [-10]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Dodge 8; Parry 9 (unarmed).

Advantages: Fearlessness 1 [2]; Hard to Subdue 1 [2]; Higher Purpose (Keep "punks" off private property)* [5].

Perks: Dabbler (Criminology at IQ-2; Forensics at IQ-3) [1]; Penetrating Voice [1].

Disadvantages: Bad Temper (15) [-5]; Fat [-3]; Honesty (15) [-5]; Unattractive [-4].

Quirks: Minor Code of Honor: "Gentlemanly" toward women [-1]; Never hesitates to take charge if nobody else steps up [-1]; Overconfident about his skills – believes he's as good as any cop [-1].

Skills: Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]-12; Driving (Automobile) (A) DX [2]-11; Fast-Draw (Pistol) (E) DX [1]-11; Fast-Draw (Tonfa) (E) DX [1]-11; First Aid (E) IQ [1]-10; Guns (Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2]-12; Intimidation (A) Will [2]-12; Liquid Projector (Sprayer) (E) DX [1]-11; Observation (A) Per [2]-12; Search (A) Per [2]-12; Shadowing (A) IQ [2]-10; Tonfa (A) DX [2]-11; Wrestling (A) DX+1 [4]-12.

* Gives +1 to all Intimidation and, if it comes to that, combat rolls to get zombies and looters alike out of private shops and homes.

Re: GURPS Zombie Apocalypse premade characters: help me with some concepts
 

I'm currently running a zombie survival campaign at 50 points and the players seam to really like it. They can take down the zombies with some patience and luck but get overwhelmed if out numbered. Just giving the guide line of having to be in an office building I got:

• Meth Addict breaking into Cars (B&E skills plus some combat)
• Lazy Security guard (Gun and tonfa skill)
• Steroid addicted Office work does Fight Club stuff on weekends (Unarmed Combat)
• Janitor that is a luchador on the weekends (Melee combat)

You could easily use this thread for good starting places for everyday people.

Re: GURPS Zombie Apocalypse premade characters: help me with some concepts
 

You gave me another option about the campaign to think about. I do think some of my players will enjoy that style. So thanks a lot for the suggestion, and for the concepts.

A very good suggestion, and totally true... I haven't given the point totals of the characters that much thought yet, and as you said, 50-75 is way more appropriate, and it will be much more fun.
Thanks for the character, it's the style of characters im looking for.

With the pointers from both of you im certain to scale down the point totals of the PC's to about 75cp max.

Re: GURPS Zombie Apocalypse premade characters: help me with some concepts
 

Name: Walt
Race: Human

Attributes [58]
ST 11 [10]
DX 11 [20]
IQ 11 [20]
HT 9 [-10]

HP 10 [-2]
Will 15 [20]
Per 11
FP 9

Basic Lift 24
Damage 1d-1/1d+1

Basic Speed 5
Basic Move 5

Ground Move 5
Water Move 1

Social Background
TL: 8 [0]
Cultural Familiarities: Western (Native) [0].
Languages: English (Native) [0].

Advantages [58]
Artificer (2) [20]
Combat Reflexes [15]
Fearlessness (4) [8]
High Pain Threshold [10]
Social Regard (Respected; Elderly Vet) (1) [5]

Perks [3]
Rule of 15 [1]
Vehicle (Vintage Sportscar) [1]
Weapon Bond (Guns (Rifle)) [1]

Disadvantages [-57]
Chronic Pain (Severe) (9 or less; 2 hours) [-10]
Intolerance (Asians) (One group) [-5]
Intolerance (Young People) (One group) [-5]
Nightmares (12 or less) [-5]
On the Edge (9 or less) [-22]
Stubbornness [-5]
Unfit [-5]

Quirks [-3]
Chauvinistic [-1]
Patriotic [-1]
Uncongenial [-1]

Skills [16]
Area Knowledge (Home Town) IQ/E - IQ+0 11 [1]
Armoury/TL6 (Small Arms) IQ/A - IQ+1 12 [1]
includes: +2 from 'Artificer'
Driving/TL8 (Automobile) DX/A - DX-1 10 [1]
First Aid/TL8 (Human) IQ/E - IQ+1 12 [2]
Gardening IQ/E - IQ+0 11 [1]
Guns/TL6 (Pistol) DX/E - DX+0 11 [1]
Guns/TL6 (Rifle) DX/E - DX+1 12 [2]
Housekeeping IQ/E - IQ+0 11 [1]
Intimidation Will/A - Will+0 15 [2]
Mechanic/TL8 (Automobile) IQ/A - IQ+2 13 [2]
includes: +2 from 'Artificer'
Savoir-Faire (Military) IQ/E - IQ+0 11 [1]
Soldier/TL6 IQ/A - IQ-1 10 [1]

Stats [58] Ads [58] Disads [-57] Quirks [-3] Skills [16] = Total [75]

A homage to a recent Clint Eastwood character (who I think would be pretty interesting in a Zombie flick). Walt is a former factory worker and war vet. He's never really left Korea behind him. Since the death of his wife, he has nothing left to live for.

Re: GURPS Zombie Apocalypse premade characters: help me with some concepts
 

Ill leave the specific sport as open as I can, but since Im from Texas, hes a Football player in my head.

Coach Bill Taylor -66 points

ST : 14
IQ : 10
DX : 11
HT : 10
FP : 10
HP : 14


History:
Former Professional <sport> Hopeful "Silly" Bill Taylor suffered a torn ACL in a preseason game of His senior Year at <college>. Although he made a full recovery, his draft prospects evaporated. Today he is a high scool sports coach and health teacher. He still loves the Game and watches as much as he can on Sunday. Sadly, on a High School Coaches salary, he cant afford to attend many games. When hes alone, he often still wonders how he would do in the game today.

Description:
Bill stands 6'2" tall and still manages to make trips to the Gym. He has dirty bolnde hair that comes to a widows peak over low perscription glasses. He is perpetually dressed in a golf shirt that lets a sizeable paunch droop over his shorts. His face is normally slightly red from 'verbally motivating' his players. He's 37 years old.

Advantages -
[5]Fit


Dissadvantages -
[-15]Bad Back(sports injury)

Skills:
[2]Teaching
[1] Intimidation
[2]Biololgy
[4]Sport Skill of your choice (For USA settings Footbal, Basebal and Basketball are excellent choices)
[4]Sumo
[2] Lifting
[1] Running

Re: GURPS Zombie Apocalypse premade characters: help me with some concepts
 

Even 100 points is probably too much. I just finished a Zombie Apocalypse game a few weeks ago that was at the 100 point level. My character was a martial artist, and she was taking zombies down right and left just by kicking them in the head. I think the only time she was ever actually in danger was when the zombie cop tried shooting her, but she was able to dodge it with her Dodge 12.

Part of this might be because the zombies had Reduced Time Rate and all of their actions had to be All-Out, so it was perfectly safe to Telegraphic Attack them and almost always safe to All-Out-Attack them, but still, she was killing zombies with her boot all over the place. If the sequel starts, I'm totally devoting the 5 points we got for escaping zombie-land to 'Targetted Attack: Boot to the Head'. It's proven to be a highly effective zombie-demolishing weapon.

Re: GURPS Zombie Apocalypse premade characters: help me with some concepts
 

This was pretty much the set up for a campaign I was in which started off as a demo game at a local convention, TerpCon, held at the University of Maryland. Here's the description:

[GURPS] A Night Out
By Steve Strote. A GURPS 4th edition Demo Game. Present-day Zombie Genre, with pre-gen characters provided. The question – Can you go home?

The game centered around PCs in a paramilitary unit called "The Guard" and was centered around an urban area that was burned out and infested by zombies - I think about a year earlier than the start of the game.

My character was a guardsman, sniper. Later on his 15 year old little brother was introduced as an low point Ally (just as much a Dependant but too competent to qualify as that, however he was always in trouble).

Don't over-prepare, the players are bound to do the unexpected. Be prepared to make changes on the fly and take notes to ensure consistency the next session.

One moral dilemma is the need to kill someone infected by the zombie disease. Put in an important NPC and make sure he/she is friends with the group (in the case of the game cited above it was the teams commanding officer).

Those are pretty low-grade hero quality characters. Very competent. They'd probably all have experience and capabilities to help them out. Probably a high number trained with firearms. Perhaps a scholarly type who knew about the dangers of the zombie disease and perhaps attempted to warn the authorities that didn't listen. A scout master might make a good character. A biologist is another good choice provided they have some good background adventuring skills. Give one of the characters a dog. Keeping the dog well fed and not getting infected with the zombie disease (assuming animals can get it) would be an interesting challenge.

Good luck, hope this helps.

Re: GURPS Zombie Apocalypse premade characters: help me with some concepts
 

I can't see her not getting grappled and some point and bitten. In the game I played in, melee combat with a zombie was akin to a zombie deathwish. You stayed as far away from them as possible and used fire power to deal with them. We occasionally were able to survive a melee combat, but early on it was demonstrated that getting up close and personal with the zombies was NOT a good idea. The disease was highly contagious and one bite was all it took to turn you into one of the walking undead.